“The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair in 9 stunning color photos.”
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Accessed on 03 May 2026, 2128 UTC.
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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.com).
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Today
Popular Science / 1h
On May 1, 1893, Chicago was abuzz. Two hundred thousand people jostled for a glimpse of the brand new city within the city, the so-called “White City.” Dignitaries, civic leaders, and politicians had all traveled far and wide to attend the day’s spectacle. Even President Grover Cleveland joined the festivities. After President Cleveland gave a triumphant speech about American progress, he pressed
Popular Science / 5h
In a move that will certainly tug on the heartstrings of anyone that grew up in the 90s, Representative Sam Liccardo (D-Ca.)and other co-sponsors have introduced the Save Willy Act, aiming to protect the whales that enter the San Francisco Bay. The bill’s appropriate name is inspired by the 1993 drama Free Willy, in which an orphan boy befriends and ultimately saves a captive orca . “With at leas
Popular Science / 8h
“Sugar rots your teeth!” You’ve likely heard those words, in some shape or form, coming from a parent, grandparent, teacher, or TV show. In school, you might have even conducted a classic experiment: putting an egg into a cup of soda to see how the shell softens and becomes flabby after a few days. That, the lesson implies, is what sugary soda does to your teeth. However, sugar is not the direct
Yesterday
Popular Science / 1d
Whether you’re pro-Daylight Savings or pro-Standard Time, the science is clear: Switching between the two every year is terrible for human health . So why haven’t we stuck with one system all year? The answer is both scientific AND political. In January 1974, clocks across the United States sprang forward , with no intention of ever falling back. The policy was introduced by President Richard Nix
Popular Science / 1d
Heeding legitimate signs is always important, but between May 1st and October 15 at Yellowstone National Park it will be particularly significant. These signs will help visitors avoid encounters with the friend-shaped but not-too-friendly member of the local fauna. “It is critical that all members of the public heed these signs,” the national park emphasized in a recent statement . Yellowstone Na
Popular Science / 1d
Nothing ruins a summer picnic like a dry, mealy, tasteless watermelon. Maybe you learned to knock on a melon or look for certain webbing patterns when trying to find the ripest fruit , but what about investigating the watermelon’s…umm… butthole . Technically, a watermelon butthole is called the blossom end, but the internet has decided to rename its underside spot and who are we to argue? What ex
May 1, 2026
Popular Science / 2d
The internet is chock full of talking birds, whether they’re squawking at a vet , singing “You are my sunshine,” or annoying cats while barking like a dog (naturally). But why are some birds so chatty? The answer, which we explore on a new episode of the Ask Us Anything podcast, has more to do with love than you might think. Ask Us Anything by Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-be
Something strange is happening underneath Area 51 . According to United States Geological Survey data earlier this week, over 100 people have reported at least 17 earthquakes within the span of only 24 hours not far from the infamous, highly classified military base. The comparatively shallow events about 2.5 miles below the ground ranged between 2.5 and 4.4 in magnitude, with the strongest repor
After careful deliberation by a brilliant group of students, Jackie and Shadow’s new eaglets have names. Chick 1 will henceforth be known as Sandy and chick 2 is Luna. According to Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), Sandy was the most popular name entered with 3706 of the 63,915 names submitted. Sandy is in homage for FOBBV’s former director Sandy Steers who died in February . “Please know that
Popular Science / 2d
Earlier this week, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a human trial for a blueberry-sized brain implant intended to target treatment-resistant depression. The brain-computer interface (BCI) developed by Houston-based startup Motif Neurotech aims to deliver electrical stimulation to activate parts of the brain’s central executive network that are inactive in people with
Popular Science / 2d
It’s been 250 years since the United States decided it was no longer interested in being part of Great Britain. To celebrate the momentous anniversary—called a semiquincentennial —the non-profit America250 has numerous events planned including something quite timely. A roughly 2,000-pound time capsule will be buried at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park on July 4, 2026. The caps
Popular Science / 2d
At a wildlife park in Germany, a young ring-tailed lemur did something bold: It launched itself at an adult ruffed lemur and started gently slapping and grabbing her. Rather than putting an end to these antics, the bigger, stronger ruffed lemur just rolled onto her back, flashed a relaxed open-mouth expression, and let the little one tackle her. The playful wrestling match that ensued between the
Apr 30, 2026
Popular Science / 3d
A YouTuber armed with a 1988 Ford Festiva and a workshop full of lasers may have created the world’s thinnest street-legal car—-though it required some serious work to get it there. Tyler Fever, who runs the YouTube channel Prop Department , took the already tiny Festiva and chopped it to pieces, ultimately creating a roughly shopping-cart-sized contraption that resembles something out of The Fli
In a world first, Apple’s commercially lackluster Vision Pro virtual reality headset was successfully used to help perform a cataract surgery. New England-based surgeon Dr. Eric Rosenberg of SightMD claims he used the $3,499 device alongside a custom-built app called ScopeXR to assist with a surgery in October 2025. Dr. Rosenberg claims he’s used the device to help with hundreds of other patients
Popular Science / 3d
It traditionally takes years of training and apprenticeship before shipbuilders truly master the art of handcrafting wooden vessels . However, that doesn’t mean all that time is necessary . Kentucky-based YouTuber Nick Kroehnke, aka Cumberland Rover , has spent the past few months documenting his progress on constructing a simple, 12-foot-long sailboat using everyday materials from the local hard
Popular Science / 3d
I slide behind the wheel of an all-electric Cadillac Lyriq and fasten my seat belt. Blue skies and fluffy clouds surround me. Ironically, I can see a sign for a BP gas station nearby, advertising per-gallon prices that are temptingly low—but since I’m driving an EV, it’s a moot point. It’s all a mirage, anyway. The Lyriq I’m “driving” is actually a vehicle buck–a physical representation of the ca
Popular Science / 3d
The king has returned. Maintenance workers at Katmai National Park in Alaska spotted 2025 Fat Bear Week champion Chunk. In a video shared by Katmai Conservancy, National Park Service (NPS) maintenance crews spotted the roughly large adult male brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) walking along on a patch of ice in the park. View this post on Instagram Bears are not seen as frequently during the spring, so
Popular Science / 3d
May 1 Full Flower Moon May 4 One Last Chance to Catch Comet C/2025 R3 (Possibly) May 5 Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Predicted Peak May 14 May’s Lāhainā Noon Begins May 31 Full Blue Micromoon It’s spring! All is beautiful and full of life, and apart from that one weird smell , all is well in the great outdoors. Along with flowers and seasonal allergies , this month brings us plenty of opportunities
Apr 29, 2026
Popular Science / 3d
Pools are great for relaxing, which is part of why cleaning them feels so laborious. I want to float on my back with a Coke Zero on my stomach, not scoop scum. Robotic pool vacuums can simplify the cleaning process, but the cord causes problems. Feed the cable in, watch it knot up on the ladder, fish the head out from under the steps when it pins itself there. The Wybot B1 is a cordless robotic c
Popular Science / 3d
Is there any real solution to the nightmare of online password management in an era of increasingly clever hacks, scams, and identity theft? Cybersecurity engineers at Texas A&M University think so, and according to their recent findings published in IEEE Internet Computing , the answer is a sturdy, sophisticated “HIPPO.” When creating a new password, security experts suggest generating one that
Traeger has spent the last few years building out flat-top griddle offerings alongside its pellet grills , and it just introduced its most budget-friendly option so far. The Irontop line includes two models that start at $499 and pulls the edge-to-edge heating tech from Traeger’s Flatrock down into the entry tier of the category. The Flatrock has been Traeger’s only flat-top option since it launc
In a world drowning in notifications and devices that want to be everything all at once, calculator giant Texas Instruments (TI) is going back to basics. This week, the company unveiled the TI-84 Evo , its most powerful graphing calculator ever. It explicitly can’t access social media apps or even connect to Wi-Fi. Instead, TI says its $160 “distraction free” device is designed to do only one thi
Popular Science / 4d
Engineering an efficient, affordable solar-power car has eluded automotive enthusiasts for decades. While the technology is increasingly becoming more cost-effective and integrated into global energy grids , using solar cells to reliably propel a standard-sized vehicle long distances simply isn’t quite there yet. But that doesn’t mean you can’t rig a smaller ride to ferry you on shorter trips. As
Popular Science / 4d
Spring lawn season is the right time to catch a Ryobi 40V outdoor power equipment sale , and Home Depot has more than 160 deals running across mowers, trimmers, blowers, chainsaws, and the batteries that run them. The standouts include a 21-inch self-propelled mower with two 6.0 Ah batteries for $50 off, a 16-inch brushless chainsaw kit for $239 (from $299), and a 6.0 Ah battery 2-pack for $109 o
Renovations on government buildings in the coastal Belgian town of Nieuwpoort are currently on hold after surveyors discovered an impressive archaeological trove : dozens of carefully crafted stone cannonballs dating as far back as the 14th century. However, the medieval ammunition backstock wasn’t the only weaponry buried roughly 70 miles west of Brussels. According to city officials, experts al
Popular Science / 4d
An exclusive dance party is raging in the coastal marshes along southern Texas—and it’s coming to an end. However, to score an invite to this event, you have to be an Attwater’s prairie chicken ( Tympanuchus cupido attwateri ). From February through May, the males of this colorful bird species do a quick-stomping dance and make a low booming sound to attract a mate. Beginning in late January and
Popular Science / 4d
From the start, cars were built wrong. At least, that’s what Chrysler’s head of automotive research, Carl Breer, thought in 1930. Automobiles had never been built to be aerodynamic, he posited, and he was right. A few years earlier, he’d consulted aviation pioneer Orville Wright (the younger Wright brother) , who suggested he build a wind tunnel. The results were damning: Every car Breer tested w
Apr 28, 2026
Scorpions are optimized hunters, whose skills have been honed through millions of years of evolution. An armored exoskeleton, strong pincers, a poisonous stinger —almost everything about their anatomy aids in either hunting insects, small mammals, and reptiles, or defending themselves from snakes and birds. But for years, entomologists were aware of a potential secret weapon in the arthropods’ bi
Popular Science / 4d
The people have spoken… and chuckled. Fans of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards crowned Alison Tuck the winner of the Sterna People’s Choice Award . Tuck’s hilarious photo (seen above) captures the relatable frustration of a gannet on a windy day. “My gannet image was taken on a very breezy day in Yorkshire on the Bempton Cliffs,” Tuck explained in a statement. “I love taking lots of photos especi
Every day, the average American spends nearly 2.5 hours scrolling through social media . Cats , on the other hand, waste approximately no time on the internet. Which species generally appears less stressed and anxious? Sure, this may not be the most scientific analysis about mental health and screen time , but it’s never a bad idea to try limiting the amount of idle time wasted in front of a comp
Popular Science / 5d
Sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) go deep. They can dive 1,300 to 4,000 feet-deep and also travel as much as 15,000 miles per year. These depths and distances make sperm whales and other whale species particularly difficult for scientists to follow and study. A new autonomous underwater glider system aims to make that trek a little easier. The glider from Project CETI (Cetacean Translation
Popular Science / 5d
It was understandably only a matter of time. Rise , the Artemis II crew’s ridiculously adorable zero-gravity indicator, is now available for purchase. On the NASA Exchange website , you can pre-order your own diminutive plushie for $24.99 plus shipping, along with other Artemis goodies including stickers, magnets, hoodies, and more. Patience is a virtue, however. Due to an “extended production ti
While an enormous sea lion named Chonkers makes a splash in San Francisco, you don’t have to live in the Golden City to sneak a peek. Viewers can watch the action from home with Pier 39’s livestream as this 2,000-pound Stellar sea lion ( Eumetopias jubatus ) cozies up with the smaller California sea lions ( Zalophus californianu s) that “haul-out” along the docks on Pier 39. To watch the Pier 39
Popular Science / 5d
I am a clumsy guy. If there are sharp corners nearby, I’ll bash into them. If there’s a surface underfoot with even a light sheen of polish, I’ll take a tumble. You don’t need to take my word for it. A quick look
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