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Imagine traveling more than 600 miles from the only home you’ve ever known, to a mountain ridge you’ve never been to. It’s nighttime, completely dark, and you don’t have a map, GPS, compass, or sextant to guide you. Could you make it?

If you were a Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa), this epic journey would be a standard part of your life cycle. In fact, you’d do it twice in one year. The endangered, drab beige, nocturnal insects fly across Australia’s southeastern corner from points inland to caves nestled in the Australian Alps, near the coast, where they retreat to escape the summer heat. During spring migration, recently hatched and newly mature moths move from the breeding grounds they were born in, to the distant, unfamiliar caverns. In autumn, after months of dormancy spent clustered on cave walls, they reverse course. 

Despite having brains smaller than a grain of rice and teeny eyes to match, they manage to hit their geographic targets en masse. A new study offers insight into how. Bogong moths follow the stars, using the night sky as a navigational aid, according to a study published June 18 in the journal Nature. In addition to being guided by Earth’s magnetic field, like many migratory species, the stars provide the insects with a backup, “stellar compass” to light the way. 

Birds and humans are known to navigate via the stars. A 2024 study even suggests dung beetles rely on the Milky Way to help them stay on a straight course over short distances. But the new findings represent the first time an invertebrate has been shown to use the sky to direct a long distance migration, says Kenneth Lohmann, a biologist at the University of North Carolina who wasn’t involved in this study. Lohmann researches animal ocean migrants, like sea turtles and salmon, and authored a viewpoint article published alongside the new study. “I liked [the research] enough that I offered to write a perspective,” he tells Popular Science. “I found it remarkable that an insect with a very tiny brain was capable of achieving these astounding navigational tasks. …The results strongly suggest that the moths inherit the ability to guide themselves using the stars.”

For a human, the moth’s journey would be “the equivalent of circumnavigating the Earth twice, without any instruments apart from your own senses,” Eric Warrant, study co-author and a neurobiologist at Lund University in Sweden, tells Popular Science. That moths can manage such precise travel “puts me in awe,” he says. 

The new paper builds on research from 2018, where Warrant and many of the same colleagues found that moths rely on Earth’s magnetic field to guide them, in combination with some unknown visual cue. Now we know what the clue is: stars.

[ Related: Why do birds migrate? Scientists have a few major theories. ]

To parse the importance of the sky for moth wayfinding, the team started by shaving a small bare patch on dozens of captured insects’ thoraxes, just between the wings. “You have to remove the scales, because moths are very hairy creatures,” says David Dreyer, lead study author and also a neurobiologist at Lund University. Then, Dreyer and his team glued tungsten wires in place, and tethered each moth (one at a time) to a small scaffolding set-up that recorded the insects’ attempted flight direction and intensity five times per second. 

In an initial control experiment, they collected migrating moths near the cave site in autumn and placed each tethered moth inside a clear plastic enclosure on top of a hill outside, with the night sky in full view and access to Earth’s magnetic field. As expected, the moths directed their flight north-northwest– aiming towards their breeding grounds, even when trapped unnaturally beneath scaffolding. 

In subsequent experiments, repeated in spring and fall, they moved their flight simulator indoors, to a lab specially equipped with a device to block out magnetic fields. There, the team put over 100 moths to the test. First, they recorded migrating moths’ flight directions with no coherent magnetic guide and no visual stimulation, underneath a black felt tent. The moths were totally disoriented, flying every which way at random. 

Then, they fashioned the felt tent into something similar to a miniature moth-sized planetarium. The scientists added a projection screen at the top and showed a realistic version of what the moonless night sky outside would look like at the time of the experiment. When given the sky, but still deprived of magnetic information, the moths overwhelmingly flew in the correct, migratory direction according to the season: north-northwest in fall, southwards in spring. If the sky projection rotated, the moths shifted their trajectory to match. “Moth after moth after moth that we put under the sky, when we knew that there was no other cue they could be using… flew consistently in the direction that they needed to fly in at that time of year to reach their destination,” says Warrant. “That was quite amazing.” 

Of course, there were exceptions. Some moths seemed “completely freaked out” by the whole set-up, Warrant explains. But the mean trajectory of all the insects’’ many flights was significantly aligned with the theoretical migration path. 

In additional tests, the moths were shown a projection of randomized, mixed up stars, not corresponding to the actual sky. Again, they became disoriented, firming up the hypothesis that the cosmos offer a key visual signal.

Finally, it was time for insect neurosurgery. The researchers inserted extremely thin pulled glass and silver wire electrodes into neurons in three areas of the 28 different moths’ brains. “It’s like pushing a thin pin into your arm,” says Warrant of getting the improbably small electrode in contact with the axon of a single moth neuron. 

The team initially restrained the moths while showing them a sky projection and recorded the subsequent neural activity. When the sky indicated the moths were oriented in the proper migratory direction, electrical  activity in neural regions related to vision, navigation, and steering all peaked. In another simulation, the moths were shown an artificial cue meant to mimic the bar shape of the bright milky way viewed from the Southern Hemisphere. This cue, alone, seemed to be enough to stimulate a similar brain response. 

“The experiments were carefully controlled and well thought out,” says Lohmann. “I thought they yielded very clear results,” he adds– that the stars are sufficient to help Bogong moths navigate migration. 

Most migratory animals seem to depend on several sensory cues to aid in their journeys, Lohmann notes. “It’s very common for animals to have more than one way to maintain a consistent heading,” he says. For instance, the sea turtles he studies use Earth’s magnetic fields, but also the direction of waves and potentially the sun. 

The moths are no exception. When you’re doing high stakes, long distance travel, having a secondary GPS makes sense. Clouds can obscure the sky, while solar storms and terrestrial anomalies (like a large iron deposit) can distort the planet’s magnetic field. 

“It’s a great idea to have a backup compass when one stuffs up for whatever reason,” says Warrant. “Nature is way more clever than we are, so evolving two compasses like this just makes everything much more robust.” 

Yet with two compasses in hand, confusion and questions still remain. It’s unclear how the navigational neural circuits work together, if one type of directional cue is more important than another, and how a relatively simple animal can decode complex visual stimuli. Warrant and Dreyer hope to tease out more answers in follow-up studies. 

Hopefully, the moths persist long enough for us to unravel their celestial secrets. The species was added to the endangered species list in 2021, after it experienced a 99.5 percent population decline amid massive drought. 

The post Migrating moths can read the stars appeared first on Popular Science.

The San Diego City Council approved a set of changes to the city’s accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations after strong pushback from residents. 

As Omari Fleming explains for NBC San Diego, residents opposed the city’s ADU bonus policies, which allowed developers to, in some cases, build projects of 100 units or more under a policy designed to promote ‘gentle density’ and backyard cottages. Although most applications are for additions of 4 to 7 units, by the end of 2023, at least one application had 148 proposed units.

The council ultimately voted to restrict ADUs to a maximum of six units and two stories, depending on lot size. “Another big change that some homeowners are happy about is no ADUs in cul-de-sacs in high-fire areas. They'll also be required to have parking if they're not near public transportation.”

The changes will require a second approval by the council as well as the mayor to pass.

• San Diego
• ADUs
• Accessory Dwelling Units
• Gentle Density
• Missing Middle Housing
• Granny Towers

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Texas lawmakers passed several laws aimed at boosting the state’s housing supply, seeking to relieve the growing housing burden faced by many Texan households, reports Joshua Fechter in The Texas Tribune.

Among the laws that passed, Senate Bill 15 will let developers build smaller homes on smaller lots, barring cities from requiring minimum lot sizes larger than 3,000 square feet for new neighborhoods. “Another bill, Senate Bill 840 by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, will allow apartments and mixed-use developments in more places. The legislation allows owners of lagging shopping malls, strip centers, offices and warehouses to reconfigure those properties to give people more places to live.” The bills both apply to cities of over 150,000 in counties of over 300,000 people.

Another key bill “gutted” a law known as the “tyrant’s veto,” which required a city council vote if 20 percent of neighboring landowners object to a rezoning request for housing projects. The law has been criticized as a Jim Crow-era tool to keep people deemed undesirable out of neighborhoods. A new law, House Bill 24, raises the threshold to 60 percent. “Property owners also could not use the law to block citywide zoning changes to allow more housing as they did in Austin.”

A bill aimed at criminalizing homelessness failed, while another that speeds up the eviction process passed, causing concern among advocates that more people will end up homeless.

• Housing Crisis
• Housing Supply
• Accessory Dwelling Units
• ADUs
• Homelessness
• Zoning
• Zoning Reform
• Density
• Rezoning
• Adaptive Reuse
• small lot development

You already know it before you open it: it’s another rejection email. That word, “unfortunately,” just pisses you off at this point. But maybe it’s a sign that it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe it’s time to explore something new altogether.

A field that is actually hiring (and not just posting applications online) is cybersecurity, and something that may sound appealing to you is hacking. Yeah, there are people out there getting paid to hack companies and networks—legally—to help discover vulnerabilities before the bad guys do. Our $19.99 online ethical hacking training bundle is the perfect way to get started (reg. $140).

The cool thing about ethical hacking is that it’s a skills-first field. Many professionals are self-taught, and certifications, not college degrees, are often what help you land a job. This training bundle includes seven training courses that you can access across your lifetime, meaning they’re completely self-paced and you can refer back to materials at any time.

Start by working through 22 hours of material—you choose the order of what to learn:

• How to test and secure websites, wireless networks, and servers
• How to use tools like Kali Linux, NMAP, Metasploit, and Burp Suite
• How to automate tasks with Python and streamline your workflow
• How to recognize and defend against social engineering and human-based attacks
• How to identify vulnerabilities and exploit them safely in penetration testing scenarios

And while no bundle can turn you into an expert overnight, this one gives you the exact building blocks that many pros use to launch their careers. Once you have a handle on the basics and pursue related certifications (separate from these courses), you can target jobs like:

• Penetration tester
• Bug bounty hunter
• Network security analyst
• Information security specialist
• Cybersecurity consultant

In a job market that can feel impossible right now, cybersecurity stands out as a field that’s still hiring—and one where skills, drive, and curiosity matter more than formal degrees.

Get lifetime access to these ethical hacking courses for $19.99 (reg. $140). That’s less than $3 per course.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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The 2025 Ethical Hacking Bundle for Beginners

See Deal

The post If you’ve applied to 1,000+ jobs with no results, this is your next move appeared first on Popular Science.

The city of Edmonton is reforming its building code to allow single-staircase residential buildings, reports Emily Williams for CBC News.

“Also called point access block or single egress, advocates say they open up new missing middle housing options that allow for nicer units, family-friendly three-bedroom apartments, and can bring affordable housing opportunities.” One Edmonton developer estimated that removing a staircase for a small building can save up to $60,000 on the cost of construction.

While the typology has been banned in many jurisdictions, change is slowly happening in cities, states, and provinces across North America. 

The guide issued by Edmonton requires developers to provide “alternative solutions” to the double staircase requirement that can include sprinklers, widened stairwells, “Additional fire resistance ratings between suites and corridors,” and pressurized stairwells that prevent the spread of smoke.

Some local fire officials oppose the policy change, arguing that leaving just one egress option is inherently more dangerous in the event of a fire. However, supporters of single-stair construction argue recent safety innovations make the buildings just as safe as others.

• Edmonton
• Single Stair
• Single-Stair Buildings
• Single-Staircase Buildings
• Housing Density
• Density
• Housing Supply

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a warning to jurisdictions with “sanctuary” policies, threatening them with federal funding cuts if they do not cooperate with federal immigration policy.

As Ryan King explains in the New York Post, “Duffy had issued the warning after Trump declared Sunday that his team will embark upon the ‘single largest Mass Deportation Program in History’ with a particular emphasis on Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other big cities.”

The Secretary did not elaborate on how funding would be cut but called jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal authorities “rogue state actors.” According to King, “In 2023, the feds spent some $44.8 billion on infrastructure, including $81.5 billion worth of transfers to states. The federal government also provides emergency relief in the event of natural disasters,” King adds, funding that is also in danger as Trump moves to eliminate FEMA and federal disaster relief programs.

• U.S. Department of Transportation
• USDOT
• Transportation Funding
• Federal Funding
• Trump 2.0
• Immigration
• Federal policy

What happens at college? Loud late nights, spilled drinks, clumsy sprints to class, outdoor work sessions, all staples of the college experience. So why would anyone in their right mind send an expensive computer to an environment that seems designed to pulverize it?

Whether you’re off to school next semester or shopping for a student on their way, that fancy-pants expensive computer might not be the best fit. Instead, go for something lightweight, functional, and cheap enough to replace in a pinch. This MacBook fits the bill. It has solid RAM (8GB), a good processor (1.8 GHz), and a low price (on sale). Pick one up with free shipping for $199.97 (reg. $999).

This MacBook is affordable, but it’s no slouch. The 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor is more than enough to handle assignments, papers, research, and video streaming without bogging down. Paired with 8GB of RAM, multitasking between browser tabs, Word Docs, and spreadsheets is smooth and simple.

Storage is handled by a 128GB solid-state drive, giving you enough space for coursework, music, photos, and the random downloads that tend to pile up during a semester. Since it is an SSD, you also get faster boot times and quicker file access, which comes in handy during those last-minute study sessions.

The 13.3-inch widescreen display offers a crisp resolution of 1440×900, making video lectures, Netflix breaks, and Zoom meetings look clean and clear. It also supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so connecting to campus networks or syncing with other devices is easy.

Battery life is another big plus for student life. With up to 12 hours of use on a full charge, you can get through a long day of classes, study groups, and library sessions without having to hunt for an outlet.

While this MacBook Air is refurbished, it has been tested to ensure full functionality. The A/B rating means it may show minor cosmetic wear, but it comes with a 90-day warranty for peace of mind.

For a limited time, you can still get a MacBook Air on sale for $199.97.

No coupon needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change

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Apple MacBook Air 13.3″ (2017) 1.8GHz i5 8GB RAM 128GB SSD Silver (Refurbished)

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The post This is the computer I’d give to a college student appeared first on Popular Science.

An ice maker can seem like an unnecessary indulgence until you check the freezer and find that you’ve forgotten to fill up the ice cube trays (again). At that moment, you either have to wait for a batch to freeze, run to the store, or settle for a room-temperature drink. And when the humidity is high, none of those choices sound appealing. This isn’t just frozen water; this is the foundation of refreshment, and on a sweltering day, it can’t wait. An ice maker can resolve that problem in under 10 minutes, and you can make extra cubes to store in the freezer, preventing this from happening again. This appliance will occupy a relatively small amount of space on your countertop and can be easily stored in a cabinet when you’re not using it. The best ice makers—like our best overall, the GoveeLife Smart Countertop Ice Maker—will provide a convenient way to keep all your drinks cool during the spring and summer months, and become a part of your party preparation before guests arrive.

• Best overall: GoveeLife Smart Countertop Ice Maker
• Best smart splurge: GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra
• Best portable: Antarctic Star Countertop Ice Maker
• Fastest machine: Whynter IMC-491DC
• Best budget: EUHOMY Countertop Ice Maker Machine

Our ice maker recommendations are based on a mix of hands-on testing and extensive research. We ensured that our recommendations could produce a sufficient amount of ice in a relatively short period, while also focusing on ice shape and size, as well as water tank capacity. We also factored in price, which is a concern with any appliance purchase.

Whether you’re a cocktail-slinging home bartender, a morning smoothie type, or don’t want to leave the house to get a bag of ice to fill the cooler during the summertime, these unitasking gadgets do their job flawlessly. Whether you prefer a countertop pellet producer or bullet-shaped ice in bulk, one of these machines is right for you. And they’ve got us excited to share our nuggets of wisdom and water so you can appreciate the satisfaction, the uniform refreshment of proper ice maker output.

• Multiple ice cube size settings
• Alexa and Google Home support
• App control

• Ice basket was a little hard to remove

• Size: 12.32 X 8.74 X 12.6 Inches
• Speed: 6 minutes per batch
• Price: $159.99

GoveeLife’s Smart Countertop Ice Maker has a lot going for it, and our tests proved it justified a place on your countertop. Its all-silver aluminum frame looks gorgeous in person, and setting it up took only a couple of minutes. You can run the machine by pushing clearly labeled buttons on its top side, which allow you to turn it on, select your preferred ice cube size, and run its cleaning cycle, or by using Govee’s iOS or Android app. You can even hook it up to run via voice commands through Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. In our tests, we stuck to using the manual controls, which worked very well.

In our tests, this ice maker produced ice every eight minutes or so, which is slightly longer than Govee claims, but not by much. We observed a noticeable difference between small, medium, and large cubes, which mostly came down to their thickness. The ice maker produces hollow, bullet-shaped cubes rather than solid ice nuggets, so be mindful if you’re particular about your ice shapes. GoveeLife claims its ice maker can be used with non-pulp beverages, allowing you to make solid cubes of different drinks that won’t dilute your beverage as they melt.

We didn’t encounter any major technical difficulties during our time with this ice maker, but found it could be a little challenging to locate the handles of its basket when the machine had been running for a few cycles. This isn’t a deal breaker, but something to watch out for if you pick the ice maker up.

Brandt Ranj / Popular Science

• WiFi and voice control
• Side tank is easier to fill
• Stainless steel construction

• Price

• Size: 17.5 X 13.43 X 16.5 Inches
• Speed: 10 minutes per cycle
• Price: $629

If you’ve already committed to making a totally comprehensive smart home, GE’s Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra is the ice maker for you. It’s the ultimate tool for making ice at home, and while its $629 price is steep, it’s completely justified. The fit and finish of the Opal 2.0 XL are immediately apparent—it’s a large and heavy appliance—and fits in with the GE Indoor Smoker and Stand Mixer.

Once you’ve connected it to your home WiFi network, you can engage all of the ice maker’s controls and even schedule it to turn on at a specific time through the Opal Profile app on iOS and Android. You also have the option to hook it up to Alexa or Google Assistant to operate it totally hands-free.

What separates the Opal 2.0 from other ice makers with similar features is its design. Its stainless steel construction is premium, and little touches, like having a detachable water tank on the side of the machine, make a big difference in how easy it is to use. Additionally, the Opal 2.0 produces irresistibly crunchy nugget-shaped ice rather than hollowed-out bullet-shaped cubes (up to 38 pounds in 24 hours).

If the GE Profile Opal 2.0 didn’t have smart features, it’d still be one of the most premium ice makers we could recommend. These additional functions take the machine to the next level, making it a must-have splurge in any smart kitchen.

Antarctic Star

• Makes ice as quickly as our top recommendation
• Small size
• Price

• Barebones design

• Size: 11.22 x 8.66 x 11.73 Inches
• Speed: 6 Minutes per cycle
• Price: $74.99

If you need ice, but don’t have a lot of counterspace to spare, Arctic Star has you covered. Its Countertop Ice Maker is a little smaller than our other recommendations, but it can make as quickly as our top choice. The ice maker produces bullet-shaped ice cubes in a single size and comes equipped with a handle, allowing you to carry it to different parts of your kitchen. It’s a barebones machine, which means it doesn’t have a timer or multiple cube size settings, but it can beep at you when its tank needs water, or its ice chest is full. A drain plug on the side allows you to flush out water from the tank if you don’t use it all, or when you select its cleaning setting.

While its slightly smaller size and handle have earned it the portable pick slot in this guide, it’s also tied (currently) with our budget recommendation on price. This makes it a good choice if you’re unsure about whether a dedicated ice maker is worth the investment. Antarctic Star’s Countertop Ice Maker will produce nine cubes every six minutes, won’t take up too much room in your kitchen, and won’t cost you very much. It’s an entry-level model that doesn’t have any frills, but can still get the job done.

Whynter

• Can make up to 49 pounds of ice per day
• Allows you to hook it up to a water line
• Self-cleaning feature

• Takes up more space on a countertop
• Expensive

• Size: 17 x 14 x 16 Inches
• Speed: 2.7 pounds of ice per hour
• Price: $288

If your ice needs tend to be higher than usual, you’ll need a machine that can keep up with your consumption. Whynter’s IMC-491DC can make nearly twice as much ice as our top recommendation, and it’s incredibly easy to use. The only decisions you’ll have to make are the size of your cubes (small, medium, or large) and whether to set the machine on a timer. You’ll need to keep refilling its tank to ensure it keeps producing cubes, but it’s pretty hands-off besides that. Whynter says the ice machine can produce 49 pounds of ice per day, which is over half a pound every 15 minutes. You can set this appliance’s timer between 30 minutes and 18 hours, allowing you to be relatively hands-off when using it. Once you’re done, you can run the IMC-491DC’s cleaning function to get out any germs that may have accumulated. 

Most ice makers require manual refilling of the water tank, but this model offers the option to connect directly to your water line. This is especially useful if you want to set a longer timer and don’t want to keep refilling the tank throughout the day. Using the ice maker’s cleaning function will shoot water out of its side-mounted drain, which you should put in the sink before using the setting. The only major downside to using this ice maker is that it’s larger and more expensive than most of our recommendations. This makes sense when you consider its speed and how much ice it can make, but it may give you pause. Still, if your ice-making needs are great, Whynter’s IMC-491DC will meet them.

• More compact size
• Built-in handle
• Price

• Lower capacity

• Size: 11.57 X 11.42 X 8.74 Inches
• Speed: 6 minutes per cycle
• Price: $76.49

If you need a low-cost, compact ice maker that’s easy to move around, you can’t go wrong with this model from EUHOMY. It’s smaller than all our other ice maker recommendations, and while that means it can hold less ice, the tradeoff is worth making given its sub-$80 price tag. In fact, EUHOMY says its appliance can make ice in six minutes, which means it’s faster than any other ice maker in our guide.

The machine only has a single button, which powers it on and off. There are no options to change the size of its cubes, but the button can be used to engage the ice maker’s cleaning mode. While it doesn’t have any bells and whistles, this ice maker does have a built-in handle for easy transport, and it can be detached when not in use. LEDs will shine if you need to add water to the ice maker’s tank and when its chamber is too full, which are handy visual indicators that it’s time to address an issue.

If you’ve been curious about ice makers, but haven’t wanted to spend a lot of money to see whether or not they’re a worthwhile investment, this is the best option for you.

There are many factors to consider when shopping for an ice maker. These are the ones we thought were most important when picking the best machines to keep enough water frozen so that your good times continue to flow:

When picking up a countertop appliance, it’s essential to ensure you have sufficient space to accommodate it, whether it’ll be a permanent fixture or an occasional tool. All of our ice makers will take up more space than a typical blender, but far less room than a smart oven. If you have enough room on your counter for a stand mixer, you’ll be able to accommodate an ice maker.

The main purpose of using an ice maker over ice cube trays is its ability to get ice into your glass a lot more quickly. Our recommendations vary in speed, but all of them will begin to produce usable ice in under 10 minutes. If they’re left running for 24 hours (assuming you continually refill their water tank and keep ice from overfilling their inner chamber), you can get several pounds of ice.

We’re conscious of the fact that an ice maker, like any countertop appliance, can get very expensive. We’ve done our best to accommodate the widest possible cost spectrum.

Using an ice maker will yield identical results, but you can increase the quality of your ice by using purified water, which may have a more neutral taste.

No. Ice makers require roughly the same amount of power as similarly sized countertop appliances. Their energy draw will depend on how often you run them and for how long.

Not necessarily. You have control over how much water you store in the tank, so be mindful of capacity when deciding which one to get.

This depends on its size and speed. Our recommendations range in price between $76 and $500.

This will vary by model, but most at-home ice makers can make hollow, bullet-shaped ice cubes in two or three sizes. Some specialty machines can make bullet ice cubes, which are smaller and denser.

Yes, provided you use water that’s free from contaminants, and clean out their container regularly. Some ice makers have built-in filters and dedicated cleaning functions, which you should run after every use.

• Best overall: GoveeLife Smart Countertop Ice Maker
• Best smart splurge: GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra
• Best portable: Antarctic Star Countertop Ice Maker
• Fastest machine: Whynter IMC-491DC
• Best budget: EUHOMY Countertop Ice Maker Machine

An ice maker is one of the most affordable appliances you can purchase that can make a significant impact in your kitchen. You never know when you’ll need to grab a few cubes for your cocktail, and going without can be tedious or ruin the drink. An unexpected benefit is that you’ll end up reclaiming the freezer space you use for ice cube trays. Not everybody is lucky enough to have a fridge with a built-in ice maker, which is what makes having a standalone model so appealing. The best ice makers will work quickly, relatively quietly, and save you from frustration at least a few times per year.

The post The best ice makers for 2025, chosen by refreshment enthusiasts appeared first on Popular Science.

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” — Rachel Carson

Carson’s words reflect something surfers have long understood: the ocean is an endless promise of possibility of mystery, euphoria, power, beauty, play, and perfection. In other words, “stoke.” 

Perhaps, for you, the perfect wave is the one that sparkles most at the ocean’s edge during golden hour. Or the one you remember simply because of who was sitting beside you when you observed it—even if the wave itself collapsed into mush. Or the one that you dove through with your cousins while growing up, because its big, curling shape left just enough room to slip through, clean and laughing, before the white water crashed.

For those who chase and study the waves most eagerly—surfers—its something both technical and deeply felt. The shape, the speed, the feeling of being fully present, and of sensing a complete in synchronicity with the ocean.

To the untrained or unadmiring eye, perhaps a wave is just a moving wall of water. But to oceanographers, engineers, and any whose soul is intertwined with the sea, it’s a shape full of meaning, sculpted by the mathematics of our planet. 

And a perfect wave doesn’t just happen. Beneath the magic and beauty lie the physics in action. Its perfection is born from a precise combination of wind speed, swell angle, and the contours of the seafloor, also known as bathymetry.

But ask 50 surfers what makes a wave “perfect,” and you’ll get 50 different answers.

So what really forms a perfect wave—and is that perfection mathematically measurable, or something entirely personal?

“I don’t know if perfect waves really exist,” says Cliff Kapono, a professional surfer and PhD chemist at the MEGA Lab, a nonprofit focused on ocean conservation. “But for me, finding perfection in many types of waves is always worthwhile.”

The foundation for any wave begins far out at sea, where energy builds and travels across vast distances before finally shaping. By the time a wave has reached the coastline, it carries with it an imprint of its long journey.

Waves along California’s coast, for example, often originate from storms in the North Pacific, particularly during the winter months. These storms can generate powerful swells that travel thousands of miles across the ocean before arriving at the shore. For instance, these particular swells traverse approximately 2,100 nautical miles to reach the coast. Given that swell speed is roughly proportional to the swell period—the time, in seconds, between successive wave crests—a swell with a period of 14 seconds would take about 100 hours to cover this distance.

Similarly, swells generated in the Southern Hemisphere, such as those from storms near New Zealand, travel over 5,000 miles to reach Southern California. These long-period swells, with periods ranging from about 12 to 18 seconds, can produce waves up to 15 feet in height upon arrival.

These long journeys across the ocean shape the energy and timing of the swells, but it is the underwater landscape—the bathymetry—that ultimately molds how these waves break once they reach shore.

As both a scientist and as a Native Hawaiian, whose ancestral knowledge is rooted in reading the ocean, bathymetry is Kapono’s favorite factor to study. He’s now working to map 1 million reefs by 2030, with the help of citizen scientists across the globe.

Rising and warming seas, coastal erosion, and development threaten this delicate cadence of forces, with grave implications for surfing. A 2017 analysis of the California coastline found 34 percent of the state’s breaks could be lost to climate change by 2100.

These shapes and contours of the seafloor directly influence how a wave forms and breaks. As ocean swells travel over underwater features like reefs, sandbars, and rocks, the changing depth causes the wave to slow, rise, and shape itself. This underwater landscape determines whether a wave will peel gently, curl tightly into a tube, or crash unpredictably. In essence, the seafloor acts as a blueprint for the wave’s size, speed, and rideability.

Kapono considers ride length, ease of entry, maneuverability, and the thrill of tube riding among the key elements that make a wave ideal. While many variables contribute to what surfers perceive as perfection, he pays particular attention to the seafloor. In his experience, the best waves often occur under light, offshore winds of less than 10 knots, which create smooth, predictable surfaces for carving and control. 

But optimal conditions vary greatly depending on location. A reef break like Pipeline, for instance, tends to perform best with a west-northwest swell of around 11 feet and a 17-second period, paired with light east-southeast winds and minimal sand on the reef to expose the hardened ocean floor.

Yet, those same ideal conditions can also make Pipeline one of the world’s most dangerous waves—a tradeoff many surfers choose to avoid. For some, Kapono notes, smaller and safer setups, like the sand-bottom breaks in Oaxaca, Mexico, are more appealing. Waves at Barra de la Cruz, for example, are shaped by long-period southern swells and light winds from the north. The quality of these waves depends on how offshore sand accumulates and aligns with the direction of a rider’s path down the line.

From an anthropogenic perspective, Kapono points out that crowding is a major factor—some surfers prioritize solitude over textbook conditions. Water quality, often shaped by nearby human activity, also plays a role in how enjoyable a wave feels. And ultimately, what defines a perfect wave is subjective: it depends just as much on the board under your feet as on the shape of the wave itself.

“For me, every type of wave has perfection, it just comes down to finding the right tool needed to find it and then learn what environmental conditions support this discovery the best. Swell height, period, direction, wind and bathymetry will change,” says Kapono, “but finding the right combination to one’s favorite wave is what keeps us surfers searching.”

This story is part of Popular Science’s Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post What’s the formula for the ‘perfect wave’? appeared first on Popular Science.

I had a power tool die on me over the weekend. It was old and put in years of good work, but it’s time was up. As sad as it is to see a trusty tool give up the ghost, it’s always fun to go buy a new one. Right now, Lowe’s has its Craftsman Days sale going on, which means tons of Craftsman tools and tool boxes have deep discounts and even buy-on-get-one deals. Some of these deals include a free tool up to $129 in value, so make sure to choose a free “gift” before you check out.

Craftsman

If you’re looking to start your tool collection, refresh your kit, or give someone a fantastic gift, this six-tool combo is a great way to do it. The kit includes the most essential tools for demolishing parts of your house and then rebuilding it better than ever. It offers an impact driver, a drill, an oscillating tool (for smaller precision cuts), a reciprocating saw, a circular saw, and a flashlight. You also get a pair of batteries that work across all the tools. The whole kit comes in a sturdy bag so it’s easy to lug around.

This kit usually costs $300, or $50 per tool, but the sale knocks a full $100 off the price tag. This system is based on 20V Max batteries, so they’re not wimpy department store tools that will break with a single use. The kit also isn’t loaded with fluffy stuff that you don’t need like a jobsite radio or other non-essentials.

Craftsm

If you’re committing to the Craftsman battery system, you’re going to want some extras. This $99 pair of batteries includes a 4Ah cell and a 2Ah cell that works across the company’s entire lineup. It also includes a fast charger. When you buy this package right now, Lowe’s will include a free tool. You can choose from:

• Handheld angle grinder
• Circular saw
• Drip-free caulking gun
• Power tire inflator
• Random orbital sander
• Reciprocating saw
• Oscillating tool
• Cordless car vacuum
• Hedge Trimmer
• Bluetooth shop radio

Craftsm

While these free tool sales typically concentrate on common power tools, Lowe’s has thrown in some battery-powered yard tools as well. This kit comes with a powerful string timmer and leaf blower, as well as a burly 5Ah battery. When you check out, you can choose a free too, including an extra battery, a powerful shop fan, a 2-gallon shop vacuum, a flashlight, or a bluetooth job site radio.

• CRAFTSMAN V20 20-volt, 20-in Push Battery Walk Mower with (2) 5 Ah Battery Included $329 (includes free trimmer or blower)
• CRAFTSMAN V20 20-volt max 10-in Straight Shaft Battery String Trimmer 2 Ah (Battery Included) (Charger Included) $99 (includes free power tool)
• CRAFTSMAN V20 20 -Volt 2 -Pack Lithium-ion ( 4 Ah 6 Ah Battery and Charger) $149 (includes free power tool)
• CRAFTSMAN V20 20 -Volt 2 -Pack Lithium-ion ( 4 Ah 2 Ah Battery and Charger) $99 (includes free power tool)

• CRAFTSMAN V20 20-volt Max 2-Tool Power Tool Combo Kit with Soft Case (2-Batteries and Charger Included) $99 (was $149)
• CRAFTSMAN VERSASTACK 230 -Piece Standard (SAE) and Metric Mechanics Tool Set with Hard Case $99 (was $199)
• CRAFTSMAN V20 20-volt Max 1/2-in Keyless Cordless Drill 1 -Batteries Included $59 (was $79)
• CRAFTSMAN V20 RP 20-volt Max Variable Speed Brushless 1/2-in Drive Cordless Impact Wrench $149 (was $164)
• CRAFTSMAN V20 RP 20-volt Max 7-1/4-in Brushless Cordless Circular saw $129 (was $142)
• CRAFTSMAN OVERDRIVE 64 -Piece Standard (SAE) and Metric Mechanics Tool Set with Hard Case $69 (was $119)

• CRAFTSMAN 2000 Series 52-in W x 37.5-in H 10 -Drawer Steel Rolling Tool Cabinet ( Red) $399 (was $529)
• CRAFTSMAN 2000 Series 52-in W x 37.5-in H 10 -Drawer Steel Rolling Tool Cabinet ( Black) $399 (was $539)
• CRAFTSMAN 63-in L x 37.5-in H 9 -Drawers Rolling Black Butcher block Work Bench $649 (was $999)
• CRAFTSMAN 2000 Series 51.5-in W x 24.7-in H x 16-in D 8 -Drawer Steel Tool Chest ( Black) $299 (was $419)
• CRAFTSMAN 2000 Series 51.5-in W x 24.7-in H x 16-in D 8 -Drawer Steel Tool Chest ( Red and Black) $299 (was $419)
• CRAFTSMAN 2000 Series 26.5-in W x 37.5-in H 5 -Drawer Steel Rolling Tool Cabinet ( Black) $269 (was $329)
• CRAFTSMAN TRADESTACK 22-in W x 33.6-in H x 18-in D Black Plastic Rolling Tool Box $149 (was $209)

The post The Lowe’s Craftsman Days sale includes buy-one-get-one-free power tool deals appeared first on Popular Science.

Losing a leg or two is not always a big deal for spiders. If one of their eight legs gets stuck in a crevice or if molting goes wrong, the arachnids will simply cut off the limb just beyond the body joints. When they are young, the limb will regrow within a month. 

But what if a spider loses two or more limbs? Do they simply relearn how to live and run on six legs instead of eight? New research with Guatemalan tiger rump tarantula (Davus pentaloris) spiderlings indicates that they do not. Instead, they use a mash-up of different walking styles to compensate and can even move as quickly as they did before losing their limbs. The findings are detailed in a study published June 17 in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

In the study, biologists Tonia Hsieh, Brooke Quinn, and Sarah Xi from Temple University in Philadelphia adhered the front right and rear left legs of some spiderlings to a card. They waited for the young tarantulas to detach their limbs. Once the spiderlings detached, the researchers filmed the animals from above, capturing every detail of their footwork as they scampered away.

Next, the team allowed enough time for the tarantulas to regrow their limbs. They filmed the spiders running around with eight intact limbs, before encouraging them to shed their limbs again and filming their movements. They ended up capturing over 43,000 frames and more than 800 strides. For help analyzing and coding all of this footage, Hsieh, Quinn, and Xi teamed up with physicists Suzanne Amador Kane and Kris Wu from Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and mathematician Michael Ochs from The College of New Jersey. 

The united team found that immediately after losing their limbs, the tarantulas appeared to pick up running just as fast as they had before. The spiders also recovered their ability just as quickly after the second amputation. The major observed differences were splaying their legs wider, twisting their bodies slightly more to one side, and increasingly more weaving.

However, when the team took a closer look at the spiders’ footwork, they saw that the arachnids are remarkably adaptable. According to Hsieh, the spiders with a full set of eight legs alternate between having four feet—the first and third on one side and the second and fourth on the other–that are in contact with the ground at one time. In theory, six-legged tarantulas should have two options. They should either alternate between having four legs and two legs in contact with the ground, similar to limping. Or, they could alternate between using three legs touching the ground more similar to an ant.

In practice, the spiders in this study rarely followed these rules. The tarantulas with all eight legs sometimes left one leg lingering on the ground while the other four descended, or they raised the fourth limb early, leaving only three in contact with the ground. 

The spiders that were down two legs also alternated randomly between limping forward on two and running around like an ant on sets of three legs in order to keep moving fast. The tarantulas seemed to favor their hind legs. These limbs are mainly used for propulsion and keep them on the ground longer when down to six limbs.

According to the team, this indicates that tarantulas don’t just relearn how to run after losing limbs. They alternate between limping and running like ants instead, to just keep running around.  

The post Tarantulas adapt their running style after losing legs appeared first on Popular Science.