“The best way to sleep on a plane according to science.”
Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents. Accessed on 24 April 2026, 1317 UTC.
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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.com).
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Today
Popular Science / 20min
Just a few weeks ago, I had a long-haul flight to Europe from the East Coast. As I packed and prepared, excited about what was planned, I also wondered and worried: How the heck was I going to sleep on this eight-hour flight, so I wasn’t sleepwalking through sightseeing the next day? It’s a conundrum many of us have faced. There are TikTok videos, articles, products, and advice galore about how t
Yesterday
Popular Science / 8h
About 2,200 years ago, a Roman Republic ship sank off the coast of modern-day Croatia, with wood and amphorae (ancient storage containers) of wine on board. Scientists are not sure why it sank, but the Ilovik–Paržine 1 shipwreck was discovered in 2016. However, the archeologists and researchers behind a new study published today in the journal Frontiers in Materials weren’t interested in its prec
Popular Science / 13h
Setting up a tent in the dark when your hands are cold is hard enough. Add limited dexterity, a prosthetic, or a wheelchair to the picture and most typical camping gear becomes fully unusable. Zippers catch. Doorway sills turn into obstacles. Sleeping bags require a two-handed shimmy. The North Face’s new Universal Collection includes a zipperless sleeping bag, a redesigned three-person Wawona te
Popular Science / 15h
Your workout gear drawer is full of free shirts from charity 5Ks, office field days, and an ill-fated chili cookoff. It’s time to fold those into the rag pile and actually dress the part when you go work out. Backcountry’s current activewear sale has hundreds of men’s and women’s pieces marked down as much as 60 percent, including a Salomon hybrid jacket cut from $199.95 to $89.98, a Rab long-sle
Around 100 million years ago, real kraken-like creatures stalked Earth’s prehistoric oceans. According to a study published today in the journal Science , some of the planet’s oldest known octopuses measured nearly 65-feet-long and ruled their underwater domains. “Our findings suggest that the earliest octopuses were gigantic predators that occupied the top of the marine food chain in the Cretace
Some pretty tough muscles lay beneath the macaroni penguin’s ( Eudyptes chrysolophus ) somewhat goofy exterior. These small penguins from the islands and waters of the South Atlantic Ocean are known for their distinctive bright-yellow plumes . They are also built for powerful and efficient movement for both walking and swimming, according to a study recently published in the journal The Anatomica
Popular Science / 18h
Astronomers knew 3I/ATLAS wasn’t a local comet not long after first spotting it in July 2025 . As only the third interstellar object ever detected in our solar system, it offered researchers a rare—and brief—opportunity. With the right timing and equipment, scientists around the world could examine a cosmic visitor who possibly formed under far different conditions than those experienced in our o
Some much-needed relief may be on the way for beloved “ flat-faced” dog breeds . After over 15 years of research, a team of scientists from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia and biotechnology company Snoretox have created a new treatment they say can ease breathing in flat-faced dogs . Called Snoretox-1, the new injectable treatment uses a modified version of tetanus toxin.
Popular Science / 21h
The entire field of archaeology hinges on what can withstand the test of time. This typically means that most excavations center on hard evidence including structural remains, pottery, weapons, or metalwork. Occasionally, researchers discover something softer that’s been preserved for thousands of years despite the odds. In Switzerland, archaeologists recently identified what may be an especially
For humans, humidity often makes us cranky, sweaty, and downright uncomfortable . For sweat bees, humidity changes their already vibrant colors. According to research recently published in the journal Biology Letters , moisture in the air makes the bees go from blue to green. “When people think of bees, they often picture drab, brown honey bees,” Dr. Madeleine Ostwald , a study co-author and beha
Popular Science / 22h
Yellowstone National Park doesn’t just sit on a volcano—it is a volcano. Underneath the park, red-hot magma reservoirs flow, superheating hot springs and geysers like Old Faithful. This vast volcanic system is known as the Yellowstone Caldera, and with one blast it could plunge the world into chaos. About two million years ago , as sabertooth tigers and mastodons roamed the future United States,
Apr 22, 2026
Type “gifts for mom” into a search bar and the algorithm pulls you toward the same black hole of spa baskets, quippy wine glasses, and bouquets that spew petals all over the floor. We’ve tested a lot of what’s below, vetted the rest with specialists we trust, and we’re reasonably sure our own moms would approve of at least half. The list covers a number of picks across a wide spread of interests
Popular Science / 1d
The fashion industry is ecologically tacky, to put it mildly. Textile manufacturers guzzle around 200 million liters of water every year, while animal leather generates its own immense environmental burdens . But out of everything we wear on any given day, shoes are some of the most unsustainable accessories. As much as 95 percent of all footwear ends up in landfills, where all that rubber, plast
Popular Science / 1d
Some of Florida’s opossums may soon start dying for a noble cause. A few select marsupials fitted with tracking collars may begin to lead scientists to invasive Burmese pythons ( Python bivittatus ) slithering through the Everglades. More specifically, researchers will home in on signals coming from inside the enormous snakes’ stomachs. Florida’s decades-long python problem remains one of the tou
Egyptian mummies were frequently embalmed using repurposed bits of papyrus with religious texts and other spiritual passages written on it. Amid the ruins of an ancient city roughly 120 miles south of Cairo, archaeologists have identified the first Greco-Roman papyrus fragment used in burial rites. It’s no obscure piece of writing, either. According to researchers at the University of Barcelona ,
Popular Science / 1d
A two-toned lobster is set to make a splash at the Woods Hole Science Aquarium in southeastern Massachusetts. Lobstermen on the fishing vessel Timothy Michael caught the rare split-color (bilateral) lobster off the coast of Cape Cod on April 16 and donated it to the museum. This rare split coloration occurs in roughly 1 in 50 million lobsters. “As soon as we saw this beautiful and unique lobster
Popular Science / 1d
What’s the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you’ll have an even weirder answer if you listen to Popular Science ’s hit podcast . The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week hits Spotify , YouTube , Apple , and everywhere else you listen to podcasts every-other Wednesday morning. It’s your new favorite source for the strangest science-adjacent facts, figures, and W
Popular Science / 2d
Fans of period dramas often love seeing fabulous costumes and sets on-screen. However, in recent years, critics have pointed out that one thing can immediately dispel historical accuracy: actors’ blindingly white, perfect teeth. Even though many societies put great value on white teeth throughout history, the limitations of pre-modern dentistry meant that our ancestors often suffered from painful
Apr 21, 2026
Popular Science / 2d
Take this as your signal to go play with your dog . A new study published today in the journal Royal Society Open Science shows that extra playtime strengthens the emotional bond between owner and dog. While it may seem obvious, play is not fully understood in dog research, particularly for dogs that continue to play into their adulthood. This new study aimed to see if there is any direct connect
Popular Science / 2d
The best thing to buy on Earth Day is nothing. But, the wheels of consumerism continue to churn and there are some good deals to be had. So, if you shop responsibly, you can save some cash. We’ve found some solid sales happening this year, so go check them out and only really buy what you need. The standout individual deal is the Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 at $429 (down from $799), but REI has past-
Popular Science / 2d
You do not want to contract Marburg virus disease (MVD). Formerly known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever , it belongs to the same family as Ebola and displays many of the same fatal symptoms including massive internal bleeding and organ failure. Luckily, epidemiologists have long worked to identify and monitor locations designated as known Marburg virus reservoirs.These include places like Python Cav
Popular Science / 2d
The two new eaglets eating, chirping, and “bopping” in their nest high above Southern California’s Big Bear Lake are arguably the stars of the popular wildlife livestream . But it’s devoted eagle parents Jackie and Shadow doing the really hard work behind the scenes—grabbing fish, protecting their babies from hungry ravens, and keeping them warm as their feathers grow in. However, it can be chall
Popular Science / 2d
It turns out that giant otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis ) newborns are actually quite small, weighing just around 7.1 ounces. “[That’s] about the same as a decent-sized chocolate bar,” Frazer Walsh, a carnivore keeper at Chester Zoo outside of Liverpool, England, tells Popular Science . The zoo has just welcomed three of their own decent-sized chocolate bars, the offspring of mother Bonita and fat
Golden retrievers, poodles, and German shepherds are all instantly recognizable dog breeds . But these are only a fraction of the 202 pooch types officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). While the French bulldog retained its status as the most popular breed in the United States for the fourth year in a row, there was a bit of a shakeup this year when it comes to the rarest dog in
Popular Science / 3d
Logging on was once a conscious—even perilous—act; a series of button pushes and clicks that, in the old dial-up days, could trigger a scream: “I’M ON THE PHONE.” Now, being online is implicit; it’s humanity’s M.O., and depending on your job and support networks, participation can feel compulsory. For young people in particular, constant connection is pretty much a fact of life, something baked i
Apr 20, 2026
A first-of-its-kind chemical experiment on Mars indicates that our nearest planetary neighbor still preserves remnants of ancient organic molecules necessary for creating life . Although researchers still need to see this type of evidence firsthand, a team writing in the journal Nature Communications on April 21 says that the evidence marks a major moment in the search for extraterrestrial life i
Popular Science / 3d
I have an embarrassing number of chargers. My junk drawer full of random blocks and cables might as well be a storage unit at this point. It’s time to consolidate and these Anker deals at Amazon provide an excellent opportunity to do so. If your phone’s charge is at less than 30% right now, you’re contractually obligated to buy one (not really, but it’s a good idea). Anker Prime MagSafe Charger,
Popular Science / 3d
In 1959, countries around the world sent their most talented students to Romania to compete in the first-ever International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). Ever since, the rules have remained simple, even if the problems are not: over two days, each team works to solve a total of six math problems . After nearly 70 years, contenders from the United States, China, and Luxembourg have achieved a perfe
Popular Science / 3d
Regional accents in the United States are far more complicated than their oversimplified stereotypes . Take that reductive “Southern” twang heard so often across pop culture. Researchers routinely identify significant differences throughout the region, with variants including Appalachian, Ozark, Coastal Southern, Louisiana Cajun, and many more. These geographic dialects evolve through a complex c
Popular Science / 3d
Jellyfish are delicate, almost ghostly creatures. But under just the right circumstances, these spectral invertebrates can still tell stories long after their death. Not far from Quebec City, Canada marine paleontologists have discovered a new species of invertebrate that swayed in Paleozoic ocean currents over 450 million years ago. Paleocanna tentaculum may not look much like its living descend
Popular Science / 3d
Even without an upper beak, one bird in New Zealand is defying odds at the top of the pecking order. Bruce is a rescued kea ( Nestor notabilis ) parrot that is the alpha male among his species living at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch, New Zealand. Scientists believe that he made it to the top due to his own unique fighting technique—beak jousting. “He [Bruce] achieved this status
Popular Science / 3d
Mountain lions ( Puma concolor , cougars, pumas, among its many other names) are carnivorous, sharp-toothed and clawed big cats. They can be dangerous to livestock, pets, and the occasional human —but their cubs sure are adorable. And absolutely vulnerable, when left orphaned. That’s what happened to little Clover, an underweight and tick-infested mountain lion cub that arrived at California’s Oa
The moon joy continues in another stunning video from the Artemis II crew . Commander Reid Wiseman posted a new video of Earthset to Instagram, taken with the NASA astronaut’s own iPhone. In the video, planet Earth gradually disappears behind the moon as if it were the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. View this post on Instagram According to Wiseman , the video is uncut with 8x zoom, comparabl
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