Author: mehedihasan9992
There are three species of bats that eat birds. We know that because we have found feathers and other avian remains in their feces. What we didn’t know was how exactly they hunt birds, which are quite a bit heavier, faster, and stronger than the insects bats usually dine on. To find out, Elena Tena, a biologist at Doñana Biological Station in Seville, Spain, and her colleagues attached ultra-light sensors to Nyctalus Iasiopterus, the largest bats in Europe. What they found was jaw-droppingly brutal. Inconspicuous interceptors Nyctalus Iasiopterus, otherwise known as greater noctule bats, have a wingspan of about 45…
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. As with the Valley Girl uptalk of the 1980s, or the supposed overuse of the word “like” in the 1990s, vocal fry remains a divisive conversation topic over 10 years on. The term refers to that distinctively creaking or crackly tone heard in the voices of certain individuals…or whales. But at least in humans, it’s often used while expressing apathy at the end of a word or phrase. Think of celebrities like Aubrey Plaza, Britney Spears, or Kim Kardashian. But as those examples may imply, the…
Electric vehicle startup Rivian announced on Thursday that it has settled a lawsuit with some of its investors. The company continues to deny allegations of making “materially untrue” statements during its inial public offering but says it agreed to pay $250 million to clear itself of distractions as it focuses on building its next EV, the mass-market R2, which is due next year. Rivian was first sued by a shareholder in 2022 over claims that the startup knew it would cost far more for it to build each R1T electric truck and R1S electric SUV than the advertised $67,500 and…
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Joe Veneziale is known as the “Halloween guy” at his high school, and for good reason. For the last five years, Veneziale has been transforming his family’s suburban Philadelphia home into a theatrical Halloween walk-through of deranged clowns, lurking zombies, and jumpscares galore. “Joe is obsessed with Halloween,” says his mom, Christine Veneziale. His fixation is nothing new. Veneziale has been visiting haunted attractions since he was a kid and, as the youngest of three, was always helping out with his family’s Halloween decorating. “From there,…
While mass media like radio, movies, and television can all feed into parasocial relationships, the Internet and smartphone revolutions have supercharged the opportunities we all have to feel like an online stranger is a close, personal confidante. From YouTube and podcast personalities to Instagram influencers or even your favorite blogger/journalist (hi), it’s easy to feel like you have a close connection with the people who create the content you see online every day. After spending hours watching this TikTok personality, I trust her implicitly to sell me a purse. Credit: Getty Images After spending hours watching this TikTok personality, I…
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It may come as a surprise, but not all animals pee. While almost every living organism possesses an excretory system, most reptiles don’t eliminate excess nitrogen-containing waste in the form of liquid urine. Instead, they rid themselves of the chemicals by expelling them in the form of crystalline solids called urates. Biologists believe reptiles evolved this unique system as a way to conserve water, but have long wondered how the urates don’t ultimately end up harming the animals. For humans, crystalline buildups in the body manifest…
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson recently warned Meta and a dozen social media and technology companies that “censoring Americans to comply with a foreign power’s laws, demands, or expected demands” may violate US law. Ferguson’s letters said the EU’s Digital Services Act and other laws “incentivize tech companies to censor worldwide speech.” Meta told media outlets that “we disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA, and we continue to negotiate with the European Commission on these matters.” Meta also said it made changes to comply with the DSA. “In the European Union, we have introduced changes to our…
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It’s a really big deal when fossilized feces survive the ravages of time. These hardened pieces of excrement open up a window into what animals ate thousands of years ago and even what may have made them sick. Humans are not exempt from this, with dried human feces indicating we have always loved cheese and beer and that our microbiome has evolved over thousands of years. DNA recovered from 1,000-year-old dried feces indicates that intestinal infections from pinworm or Shingella may have plagued ancient people living…
Earlier this month, Tesla rolled out a new firmware update that added a pair of new driving modes for the controversial full self-driving (FSD) feature. One, called “Sloth,” relaxes acceleration and stays in its lane. The other, called “Mad Max,” does the opposite: It speeds and swerves through traffic to get you to your destination faster. And after multiple reports of FSD Teslas doing just that, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to know more. In fact, “Mad Max” mode is not entirely new—Tesla beta-tested the same feature in Autopilot in 2018, before deciding not to roll it out…
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. The common coating known as Teflon can keep food from sticking to cookware, but it’s notoriously difficult to break down safely. Now, researchers in the United Kingdom have discovered a simple and cost-effective solution to the problem. The results aren’t simply eco-friendly—they can also be upcycled into helpful toothpaste and drinking water additives. According to their study published on October 22 in the journal Journal of the American Chemical Society, all you need is some sodium metal and heavy shaking. It’s been over 85 years since…