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Another scorcher

Popular Science • SUMMER 2021 Vol. 293, No. 2

How PopSci spends a summer day

Annals of a warming world

The hottest colors

Chill out

How do you study a volcano when your office is in its path?

What does the hottest day at the North Pole mean for the world?

Why did everyone’s favorite burn-proof material backfire?

Everything you ever wanted to know about hydration but didn’t think to ask

How should we deal with wildfires?

What will happen when the sun burns out?

What’s the secret to human hotness?

Get the scoop

Skin savers • EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT REGULARLY TURNING INTO A LOBSTER, CUMULATIVE EXPOSURE TO RAYS FROM THE GALAXY’S NEAREST STAR CAN CAUSE WRINKLES, AGE SPOTS, AND EVEN THE MOST COMMON FORM OF CANCER. SOME SPF-EQUIPPED GEAR WILL KEEP YOU COVERED—LITERALLY.

Spark ranger • SKILLED SURVIVALISTS CAN MAKE FIRE WITH ALMOST ANYTHING. THE REST OF US? WE NEED HELP. THESE DEVICES CREATE FLAMES IN THE WORST CONDITIONS.

Master of degrees • MERCURY ENCAPSULATED IN GLASS TUBES HAS BEEN RELIABLY READING TEMPERATURES SINCE THE EARLY 18TH CENTURY. MODERN INSTRUMENTS USE VARIOUS METHODS TO MAKE CHECKUPS SIMPLER, MORE ACCURATE, AND A LOT LESS LIKELY TO POISON YOU WHEN THEY BREAK. HERE’S HOW THEY WORK.

Hot grill summer • BARBECUING IS AN ART FORM WITH MANY DISCIPLINES. EACH OF THESE RIGS IS SUITED FOR A SPECIFIC KIND OF SUPPER, WHETHER IT’S SMASH-BURGERS OR AN 18-HOUR BRISKET.

Venus rising • Our next-door planet is similar to Earth in size and composition, but extreme conditions made Venus a hellscape. A devoted following of researchers wants to know what caused their wildly divergent paths, and NASA is finally feeling the pull.

The hothouse of future past • Fifty-five million years ago, the planet’s thermostat suddenly shot up—and life on Earth dramatically changed. Here’s what history can teach us about our modern temperature surge.

The cooler • Nanoscience dusts off a quirk of physics to optimize air conditioning. Can it help save the planet too?

Into the fryer • The human body can withstand extreme temperatures for only so long—and the planet’s thermostat keeps rising. Can we keep our cool?

An American tail • The radioactive legacy of the nuclear era in the US scars landscapes across the country. Cleanup crews and outdoor lovers in Moab, Utah—once the Uranium Capital of the World—are finally eyeing recovery.

Heart of glass • The craft of turning molten silica, soda ash, and lime into stunningly delicate works of art dates back millennia—but a modern twist could lead it to a more sustainable future.

Fire starter

Keep the ice in your device

How to be chill AF

Your own private water park

Dodge the chub rub

Stop the world and melt with glue

Harnessing the sun • Updating the science of the PopSci archives