Corn gets gassy when it feels too crowded

Linalool is often found in perfumes and cleaning products. Credit: Deposit Photos Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Corn really likes its space–so much so that it has a unique way of letting its fellow crops know if the field is gettingContinue Reading

Airplane toilet water may help combat the next pandemic

Researchers found nine superbug variants present in many of the 44 flights they analyzed. Credit: Deposit Photos Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Airplane bathrooms aren’t exactly the most pleasant, comfortable, or even hygienic experiences. But their sheer number of daily occupantsContinue Reading

NASA-Developed Printable Metal Can Take the Heat

Until now, additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, of engine components was limited by the lack of affordable metal alloys that could withstand the extreme temperatures of spaceflight. Expensive metal alloys were the only option for 3D printing engine parts until NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, developedContinue Reading

Acid Rain

Acid rain is any form of precipitation that contains high levels of nitric and sulfuric acids. First coined by Scottish chemist Robert Angus Smith in 1852, acid rain can also occur in the form of snow, fog, and tiny bits of dry material that settle to Earth. Normal rain isContinue Reading