Using data from the World Bank, information designer Carlo Zapponi created an elegant visualization showing the flow of people to and from every country in the world. Line thickness represents the relative proportion of people coming from, or going to, each country. Check out the visualization here.
This year’s CES show is underway here in Las Vegas and PopSci is on the scene to check out all the new stuff—and do important investigative reporting, like sorting out the really cool new smart toilets from the lame smart toilets (we’re expecting a lot of toilets this year). We’ll have a new batch of news every day so stay tuned and rest assured that every one of these posts will be typed from behind a mountain of bacon strips at the buffet....
The online store joins fellow tech companies including Netflix, Peloton, Microsoft, and Twitter in recent dramatic layoffs and scaled back hiring strategies as a result of economic slowdown, as CBS News noted on Thursday. In November, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, announced the largest layoff in its history affecting 11,000 employees, citing “one of the worst downturns” in the company’s nearly 20 year existence.
For $479, you get the drone itself as well as DJI’s Fly More package. The bundle includes the controller, extra props, a carrying case, and a multi-battery charger in addition to the drone. Perhaps most importantly, it also includes three batteries, each of which promises a max life of up to 31 minutes per charge. If you’re familiar with drones, you know that flying time can vary dramatically depending on conditions, so you’ll really appreciate the extra included cells....
United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between defense giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, has for years delivered military satellites into space using rockets powered by old Russian engines. With Russian spare parts no longer politically viable, ULA’s looking for a new rocket engine, and on Monday, the Air Force announced a big investment to help Aerojet Rocketdyne create one. Political Turmoil ULA uses Atlas V rockets, designed with Russian-built RD-180 engines in the first stage....
A new study in Scientific Reports presents the earliest direct evidence of fiber technology, AKA using plants in the wild to create yarn. And those textile traces from 41,000 to 52,000 years ago didn’t come from our own species: Researchers found the evidence in parts of Europe that were Neanderthal stomping grounds during that time. This is a big deal for a handful of reasons. It’s not every day that archaeologists come across perishable artifacts like hair or plant products, which degrade much more quickly than pottery, rocks, or bone....
Meanwhile, the climate crisis hasn’t gone anywhere. Emissions may have gone down a bit as factories closed and people stayed at home, but that means little if we simply return to the status quo. In fact, we could even see progress on climate scaled back. Last week, the EPA announced it was easing penalties for polluters affected by the COVID-19 response; while the order is described as temporary, some are worried about it amounting to an open-ended relaxation of environmental protections....
A glowing sunset. A field of wildflowers. A rainbow peeking out of the clouds. The world is teeming with colors we see everyday. But humans don’t see every color on the light spectrum. There is a whole world of color that we can’t recognize. Why can’t we spot these hues? We see colors thanks to our eyes and brains. Our eyes contain two types of cells called cone cells and rod cells....
The missile in question is Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Weapon, whose acronym (JASSM), sounds like a schoolyard term for a topic covered in health class. JASSM is made to work with all American bombers and several fighters, including the B-1, B-2, B-52, as well as the F-16 and F-15, and in the future, Lockheed plans to have a version that works with their F-35. In October, Lockheed announced that they’d received a $305 million contract to supply an extended-range version of the missile to the Air Force....
Baby talk is an essential piece of speech and language development. Studies show that when infants are exposed to daily doses of it throughout their first year of life, they develop more robust vocabularies than other kiddos. And the little ones are eager for it: The distinct tone of parentese grabs their attention, recent research shows, allowing them to reap the benefits. By analyzing the jabber between babies and caregivers throughout the world, investigators have pinpointed key components of the tender interactions—elements that, when parents apply them, help their tots learn more words and promote social interaction....
The phrase “pro” is one of the most abused marketing terms in the tech world. Rather than indicating a product is meant for professional use, it has become a somewhat meaningless catch-all to indicate that something is high-end or fancy. That’s absolutely true in the case of the new Beats Solo Pro headphones—in fact, they intentionally lack some features that audio professionals find essential. Interestingly, even if they have a “pro” name but don’t include some classic pro features, these are some of the best active noise-canceling headphones around for everyday people who don’t want to concern themselves with EQ levels or tweaking ANC performance....
Best metal set for beginners: Nordic Ware 5-piece baking setBest stoneware set: Le Creuset Stoneware Heritage 4-piece Bakeware SetBest nonstick: Rachael Ray 52410 Cucina Nonstick Bakeware SetBest glass baking dishes: Pyrex Deep Baking Dish, 6-piece setBest budget: Farberware Nonstick Steel Bakeware 10-Piece Set Be confident in your baking with the best bakeware sets Setting up a kitchen with the proper bakeware involves more than collecting random pieces over the years from your parents and roommates....
Best garage bike storage: Racor Garage Pulley LiftBest apartment bike storage: Delta Cycle MichaelangeloBest bike cover: Favoto Bike CoverBest bike shed: The YardStash IVBest budget bike storage: Wallmaster Bike Hook Why is it important to find the best bike storage? Even secondhand bikes can be a hefty purchase, and if you’re a competitive cyclist you may have dropped some serious cash on your bike, so you’ll want a safe spot to keep the vehicle secure and out of nature’s elements....
What does ‘Refurbished’ actually mean? When you’re on a site selling refurbished products, you can typically dig into the fine print and find out exactly what the seller’s terms are. Since we’re specifically talking about Best Buy in this case, I did some of the digging for you. Best Buy calls its refurbished program Geek Squad Certified. The qualifying products vary. Almost all of them started their lives as returns. Some didn’t work right out of the box, while others came back with busted pieces....
CBD itself was only recently made legal at the federal level, and the future of this cannabinoid seems certain. But some questions still remain. Mainly, why should pets use CBD? Is it harmful? In this guide, we’ll explore these questions and more, and look at the top ten CBD products for dogs on the market today. What is CBD? First, let’s answer the question of what is CBD? CBD, or Cannabidiol, is a chemical compound found in Cannabis....
Best overall: YETI Tundra 65 CoolerBest soft: Polar Bear Coolers 24 PackBest backpack: TOURIT Cooler BackpackBest with wheels: RovR Wheeled Camping Rolling CoolerBest budget: Coleman Xtreme 5 Cooler How we chose the best coolers Coolers should do their job of keeping drinks and food cold. In order to weed out the lukewarm choices from the ice-cold items, we looked at reviews, recommendations, conducted user testing, and performed heavy research. No one wants to reach for an iced cold beverage and be met with a tepid can....
Best graduation gift for minimalists: The Longing for Less: Living with MinimalismBest graduation gift for world travelers: New York Times Explorer: 100 Trips Around the WorldBest graduation gift for designers: The Design of Everyday ThingsBest graduation gift for fashion lovers: Women in ClothesBest graduation gift for sports fanatics: A Most Beautiful ThingBest graduation gift for budding scientists: The Immortal Life of Henrietta LacksBest graduation gift for outdoorsy types: An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the FieldBest graduation gift for aspiring writers: How to Write An Autobiographical NovelBest graduation gift for activists: The Sum of UsBest graduation gift under $11: Congratulations, by the way...
Best overall: OREI UHD-PRO102 HDMI SplitterBest 4-out: OREI UHDPRO-104 4K 1×4 HDMI SplitterBest 8-out: Tripp Lite 8-Port HDMI SplitterBest USB-C-to-HDMI splitter: Targus USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Docking StationBest Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI splitter: C2G Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Monitor SplitterBest budget: Avedio Links HDMI Splitter How we selected the best HDMI splitters for dual monitors Unlike 4K TVs or gaming monitors, there isn’t a library of in-depth professional reviews on HDMI splitters for dual monitors that you can quickly turn to for trusted recommendations....
Best overall: Ambient Weather WS-2902C WiFi Smart Weather StationBest for the money: Tempest Weather SystemBest with wind speed: WeatherFlow WEATHERmeterBest basic: EZRead Headwind Consumer Products 840-0052 5-in-1 Weather StationBest budget: Newentor Weather Station How we selected the best home weather stations I have experience with consumer weather station usage in a field environment, as per my previous career in the sciences. Used for much the same reason that anyone would want a personal home weather station—the desire to know very local meteorological conditions—I have a bit of insight into what you might desire from a home weather station....
Best overall: National Geographic Glowing Marble RunBest wooden: Hape Quadrilla Wooden Marble Run ConstructionBest plastic: Ravensburger GraviTrax Speed SetBest magnetic: PicassoTiles Marble Run Magnetic TilesBest budget: ELONGDI Marble Run Set How we chose the best marble runs Unlike consumer electronics, marble runs don’t have a ton of complex electronics or hard specs to compare. We started by taking a wide survey of the available models, then narrowing it down to specific options that promise durability and flexibility....
