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Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall.

Latest in Ask Us Anything

Happy smiling little boy out in the rain
Science

The science behind the smell of rain

By Tom Hawking

A loving father of African descent sits on the couch at home and reads a storybook to his preschool age daughter. The child is sitting on her father's lap and is smiling while looking at the book.
Health

Why do kids love reading the same book over and over? Child development experts explain.

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

clouds in a blue sky
Science

How do clouds get their shapes?

By Clarissa Brincat

new york city skyline
Environment

In a world without people, how fast would NYC fall apart? Here’s the timeline.

By Sarah Durn

orange and yellow flames on a black background
Health

Can humans spontaneously combust? The baffling cases explained.

By Lauren Leffer

Portrait of a 5 month old baby girl
Science

Why do babies’ eyes change color? Sunlight, genetics, and more.

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Hand holds Vintage photograph of boy on tricycle at christmas
Health

Why we forget our childhoods

By RJ Mackenzie

A wildfire frontline with emergency services nearby, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada.
Environment

Are we in a sixth mass extinction?

By Lauren Leffer

a woman browsing a sunscreen aisle in a grocery store
Health

Mineral vs. chemical sunscreen: What’s best for protecting your skin?

By Laura Baisas

Women practicing necessary steps for ice bath therapy, pinching their noses with their fingers to hold their breath, listening carefully to the instructor, mentally preparing for a new and revitalizing healing experience
Health

Are ice baths good for you? The benefits and risks of a cold plunge.

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

a woman drinks water with the sun beating down
Environment

What is dew point? A meteorologist explains that sticky air.

By Laura Baisas

a smiley face made of white sunscreen on a hand
Health

Do I really need to wear sunscreen every day? We asked dermatologists.

By Laura Baisas

concept image of intestines and medicine
Science

Will prebiotics and probiotics really help you poop? What gut experts say.

By Harriet Weber

A man playing snooker at a billiard club in Beijing. the blue ball is in front, with the yellow, white, red, and green balls in a row behind it
Science

How to get better at snooker… with physics

By Tom Hawking

A blue tit flies to a feeder in a garden, where a great spotted woodpecker is currently sitting.
Environment

Are backyard bird feeders safe? How to stop illness and intruders.

By Laura Baisas

a mother and child walk in beside an amtrak train parked at railroad station
Science

What happens if Amtrak gets privatized? 

By Mack DeGeurin

a mosquito under a microscope
Environment

What would a world without mosquitoes look like?

By RJ Mackenzie

white smoke coming out of a chimney
Science

What makes smoke black versus white?

By Laura Baisas

Passengers inside the cabin of a commercial airliner during flight. Shallow depth of field with focus on the seats in the foreground.
Science

Why are airline seats so small? It all started in 1978.

By Mack DeGeurin

Teenage boy in record store shopping for music
Science

What does ‘remastering’ an album actually mean?

By Tom Hawking