Sometimes you just need peace and quiet. That’s especially true when you’re surrounded by coworkers, classmates, or a roommate who has no sense of common courtesy. Noise canceling headphones are a great way to block out the world and these Anker Soundcore Life Q20 models are just $30 right now, which is half their typical retail price. This is the cheapest price I have seen on these this year, so grab some now and spend next week in chatter-free bliss.

Anker’s Soundcore line of portable audio products punch way above their price tag when it comes to performance. This is a full-fledged set of over-the-ear headphones with active noise canceling for less than you’ll pay for a month of the fancy 4K Netflix subscription. Four built-in microphones monitor your surroundings for sound to allow the ANC system to block out 90 percent of unwanted external noise.

The 40mm drivers provide plenty of audio oomph as well as a clear overall sound. They charge via USB-C and can get up to 60 hours of playback on a single charge if you’re not using the noise canceling. That’s an absurd amount of operating time for one charge.

At this price, it’s worth getting a set of these even if you have another fancier pair of noice-canceling headphones so you can have them as a backup or wear them to the gym.

If the Life Q20 doesn’t fit your specific listening needs, lots of other Anker Soundcore headphones, earbuds, and speakers are on sale right now at Amazon. Here are some of the best deals we’ve found.

• Soundcore K20i Semi-in-Ear Earbuds $18.99 (was $29.99)
• Soundcore V20i Open-Ear Headphones $23.49 (was $49.99)
• Soundcore P30i Noise Cancelling Earbuds $28.48 (was $49.99)
• Soundcore Sport X10 Bluetooth Workout Earbuds $49.99 (was $79.99)
• Soundcore P41i Adaptive Noise Cancelling Earbuds $76.99 (was $89.99)
• Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro Noise Cancelling Earbuds $99.99 (was $149.99)

• Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones $29.99 (was $59.99)
• Soundcore AeroClip Open-Ear Headphones $139.99 (was $169.99)

• Soundcore Boom 3i Rugged Outdoor Speaker $89.99 (was $139.99)
• Soundcore Rave 3S AI Party Speaker $299.98 (was $349.99)

The post Get these $60 noise-canceling Anker headphones for just $30 and ignore your coworkers and classmates appeared first on Popular Science.

• Upgraded front-facing camera: The iPhone 17 lineup is expected to feature a 24-megapixel front-facing camera with a six-element lens. The iPhone 14 and 15 feature a 12-megapixel front-facing camera with five plastic lens elements, and last year's iPhone 16 lineup features the same hardware. The upgraded resolution to 24 megapixels on the iPhone 17 will allow photos to maintain their quality even when cropped or zoomed in, while the larger number of pixels will capture finer details. The upgrade to a six-element lens should also slightly enhance image quality.


• Upgraded telephoto lens: An upgraded 48-megapixel Telephoto lens on Apple's premium devices is expected to be optimized for use with Apple's Vision Pro headset, although we don't have any details on how it will interface with the Vision Pro. The upgraded Telephoto would make the iPhone 17 Pro models the first iPhones to have a rear camera system composed entirely of 48-megapixel lenses, making it capable of capturing even more photographic detail.


• 8x optical zoom: The upgraded Telephoto lens on Apple's iPhone 17 Pro models may have up to 8× optical zoom, compared to up to 5× optical zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro models. The lens would need to move, allowing for continuous optical zoom at various focal lengths. This could explain why the iPhone 17 Pro models have larger rear camera bumps compared to previous models – the parts that allow the lens to move could be housed inside the middle of the camera bump, in the area between the lenses and the LED flash, rear microphone, and LiDAR Scanner.


• Dual video recording: The iPhone 17 Pro models might offer dual video recording, a feature that would allow users to record video with the front and rear cameras simultaneously. Some apps already support this functionality, which is useful for content creators, but the built-in camera does not.


• New variable aperture system: Apple may equip the iPhone 17 Pro models with mechanical aperture. Such a system would allow users to adjust the size of the camera lens opening through which light enters, which would improve depth of field control. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android smartphones have offered variable aperture over the years, such as Samsung's Galaxy S9 series.


• Major video recording enhancements: Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested that Apple plans to emphasize the iPhone 17 Pro's improved video recording capabilities when it unveils the device, but he has not revealed any specific new features that may be coming. Whatever Apple has in mind, it reportedly wants to "get the vlogging community and other video creators to move away from standalone cameras and use the iPhone for even more of their work." One possibility is 8K video capture, which would allow videographers to record using the Ultra Wide camera and then crop in 50% and still achieve 4K resolution.

An oceanic rainbow surrounds visitors stepping up to the top floor of the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey. The sun steaks in through tinted windows of Kaleidoscope Cove, a new exhibit where color is everything. Fish grouped in separate tanks by their respective colors put the rainbow hues of marine life in full glory. Like a colorful quilt, household favorites like blue tangs (Paracanthurus hepatus) and orange and white clownfish (Amphiprioninae) glisten alongside some lesser known fish like striped harlequin sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides) and blazing red fire shrimp (Lysmata debelius). An inviting touch tank filled with reddish sea stars beckons the young and young at heart. Even a glowy, fan-favorite axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) and various poison dart frogs get their chance to show off. 

“We are sharing those color stories to show all the different ways that animals exhibit their adaptations to color and pattern,” Adventure Aquarium Collections, Conservation & Development Coordinator Alicia Longo tells Popular Science during a recent visit. “And that’s really relatable to the public. Everybody can relate to a rainbow of color.”

Kaleidoscope Cove features over 100 different species, at least 10 of which are new to the 33-year-old aquarium just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. 

“I think for the biologists specifically, it’s very rewarding to be tasked with learning about a new species,” Longo says. “It’s just a joy to learn those new things and just have that knowledge of a new species and share with the public. That’s why we’re here, right?”

Fish use their colors as a means of communication. The mechanics of how they physically display color occurs deep at the cellular level–and involves some crystals in serious positions of power. 

Pigment-containing cells called chromatophores are present in fish skin. “Within these chromatophores are chromatosomes,” Simon Thorrold, a fish ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts who was not involved in creating the new exhibit, tells Popular Science. “These are crystals that come in different colors and within that one cell, you’ll have a bunch of crystals that will all be the same color.”

While each crystal is the same color, the skin cell next to it can express a different color. The adjacent crystals can then determine the amount of light that passes through it by controlling where they are within the cell.

“So if you spread them out, they’re going to shade more and the color is going to be dark,” says Thorrold. “If you spring them into the middle, they’re going to shade less and you’re going to have more transparency.”

Color serves many purposes for the world’s fish. It can help them find mates, communicate with those in their school, and for protection. Some fish like flounder use it to camouflage along the sandy and rocky seafloor. Color could also be a serious warning sign to other organisms. 

“Animals that are exhibiting bright colors might not necessarily be toxic, but may be mimicking other animals that are toxic,” says Longo. “A good representation of that in Kaleidoscope Cove is our harlequin sweet lips.”

As juveniles, they will mimic the pattern and behaviors of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs called nudibranchs. These striped, shell-less molluscs also called sea slugs come in a variety of colors (blues, purples, and oranges). They also steal venom away from toxic animals and use it to their advantage. By imitating them, the young harlequin sweet lips are likely sending a strong message to swim away. 

“Fish are perhaps visual in the same way that we use audio cues,” says Thorrold. “So I think, they do use color for all kinds of things because they don’t quite have the same sound repertoire that we do.”

Amidst all of the vivid colors in Kaleidoscope Cove, a deep purple, dark room opposite to the sun-streaked touch tank stands out. Inside the Glowing Grotto, visitors can see the bioluminescence in action, including glowing corals and the blinking splitfin flashlight fish (Anomalops katoptron). This species found in the Pacific Ocean is known for the head lamp-looking light on its head that helps the flashlight fish communicate with its school, confuse predators, and attract prey.

“They are very unique reef species, where they dwell in really dark caves throughout the day when it’s bright,” says Longo. “So they stay a little bit deeper, but they have a light producing organ underneath their eye. It’s called a photophore and inside that is a bioluminescent bacteria.”

The bioluminescence itself is generated by a chemical reaction within the bacteria and not by the fish itself. However, flashlight fish have the ability to essentially turn this bacteria on and off by moving it around within their eyes. That movement creates the “blinking” patterns that they use to survive. 

However, fish bioluminescence is not controlled by bacteria alone. Some fish have intrinsic bio bioluminescence, where they can produce that glow on their own. Lantern fish (Myctophidae) living in the ocean’s deep mesopelagic zone use light-producing organs called photophores that don’t rely on bacteria or a chemical reaction to glow. 

According to Thorrold, hunting is one of the most interesting ways that lantern fish use bioluminescence. 

“If you’re a lantern fish, you’re at about 500 meters [1640 feet] deep during the day. It’s very, very dark, but if you look up, you can still see a little bit of light,” Thorrold explains. “They’re actually evolutionary designed to look up for silhouettes. And that’s how they hunt, by looking up for silhouettes. Their prey is just breaking that little bit of downwelling light enough to make a silhouette.” 

Still, this mesopelagic arms race continues. Some prey species use their own photophores to countershade and create light that makes the silhouette go away–so the lantern fish can’t see them.

“So now the predators don’t see anything. They look up, there’s a fish there, but it’s mimicking exactly the downwelling light. It effectively disappears, so that’s the camouflage,” explains Thorrold.

While our finned friends use color or bioluminescence to communicate with each other, one of the key human messages central to Kaleidoscope Cove is that of conservation. Even with these evolutionary adaptations and advances, these fish need our help. According to the United Nations, the world lost 14 percent of its coral reefs between 2009 and 2018 due to the pressures of climate change. And the stress has only continued. From January 1, 2023 to August 20, 2025, bleaching-level heat stress has impacted 84 percent of the world’s coral reef area. Without those corals, many of these beautiful fish won’t have a home. 

“The majority of those animals up there are Indo Pacific reef species. We are big advocates for coral conservation and sharing the global coral crisis that we’re experiencing right now,” says Longo. “So we share a lot of that with our guests, to not only raise awareness, but give them an action to take home with them that they can easily put into their everyday habits.”

These creative, helpful, and simply fascinating adaptations offer a way to ignite conservation and build bridges between the aquatic and terrestrial worlds. 

“All of these super cool adaptations that life on planet Earth has figured out to make it such an amazing place, just makes me feel very protective of what we have,” says Thorrold. “The beauty that’s here and the amazing engineering that evolution has done to generate this makes me feel very small, but at the same time super connected to this planet that we do have.”

It’s a rainbow connection on full display in Camden. 

The post A rainbow of fish dazzles in New Jersey appeared first on Popular Science.

Over the last two years, Montana has made some unexpected gains in zoning reform. According to a piece by Emily Hamilton in Governing, the state’s ambitious legislative reforms could serve as a model for other states where demand for affordable housing outpaces supply.

In 2023, Montana passed a series of state laws aimed at increasing housing construction that included allowing ADUs and legalizing multifamily housing in commercial zones. In a lawsuit questioning the state’s authority, a court ruled in favor of the state, upholding most of the 2023 reforms. “Not only do state policymakers have the authority to limit local zoning rules, they have an obligation to do so when these restrictions cause statewide affordability problems.”

This year, the legislature doubled down, expanding on the 2023 law and eliminating parking requirements for most units in the state’s 10 largest cities. A new law also eases permitting for manufactured home parks to eliminate the need for a subdivision review when these parks are not subdivided into private lots. Another allows single-staircase buildings up to six stories, making it easier to build denser buildings on smaller lots.

• Zoning Reform
• Housing Crisis
• Housing Supply
• Affordable Housing
• housing affordability
• State Preemption
• Parking Requirements
• Zoning
• Upzoning
• Density

Despite the contentious debate around New York City’s congestion pricing program — and the Trump administration’s attempts to end it — the data is clear: congestion pricing works. But where does the data come from?

In a piece for Wired, Aarian Marshall describes the growing data and analytics team working for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a team that increasingly helps the agency understand transit ridership patterns, traffic movement and safety, bus travel times, and other key factors that inform transportation planning decisions.

“Since 2022, the MTA’s data and analytics team has grown to 26 full-time employees, who spend their workdays centralizing information that was once scattered through the entire MTA.” According to Sarah Kaufman, director of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation, open data “is extremely important to public transit.”

When it comes to congestion pricing, MTA’s data show that traffic entering the city has decreased and bus and car travel times have shortened. “Beyond the congestion zone, though, advocates say open data has helped them craft arguments for local law- and policymakers about improvements they’d like to see in their city.”

• New York City
• Congestion Pricing
• Cordon Pricing
• Transit Funding
• Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Data
• Open Data
• Transportation Planning

• iPhone 17
  
  
  
  • Larger 6.3-inch display with ProMotion
  
  
  • A19 chip
  
  
  
  


• iPhone 17 Air
  
  
  
  • 5.5mm thick
  
  
  • A19 chip
  
  
  • Single camera
  
  
  • Reduced battery life
  
  
  • 6.6-inch display with ProMotion
  
  
  • eSIM replacing physical SIM
  
  
  • Apple C1 modem
  
  
  • Sky blue color
  
  
  
  


• iPhone 17 Pro Models
  
  
  
  • New rear runway-style camera bump
  
  
  • 48MP telephoto lens (up from 12MP)
  
  
  • New variable aperture system
  
  
  • Simultaneous front-and-back video capture
  
  
  • New two-thirds rear cutout for wireless charging
  
  
  • A19 Pro chip
  
  
  • Increased battery life
  
  
  • Aluminum frame
  
  
  • New orange color
  
  
  
  


• Apple Watch Ultra 3
  
  
  
  • Slightly larger display (matching Series 10)
  
  
  • S11 chip
  
  
  • 5G Redcap cellular
  
  
  • Satellite connectivity
  
  
  
  


• Apple Watch Series 11
  
  
  
  • New screen with increased brightness
  
  
  • New color and band offerings
  
  
  
  


• Apple Watch SE
  
  
  
  • New display
  
  
  • Faster chip
  
  
  
  
• AirPods Pro 3
  
  
  
  • Heart-rate monitor
  
  
  • Smaller charging case matching AirPods 4
  
  
  • Live translation
  
  
  
  

• iPhone 17 Event Is Next Week – 20 Biggest Rumored Upgrades

Power tool batteries are expensive. Sometimes they’re pricier than the tools themselves. But, right now, The Home Depot will give you a free battery when you buy specific Milwaukee M18 battery-powered tool. The list of eligible tools spans everything from massive combo kits to essential staples like drills and drivers. If you’re looking at this post, you know that the Milwaukee M18 line is full of serious tools for advanced DIYers or full-on professionals. These are built for power and durability.

This is one of the batteries you get with the deal, so be sure it’s in your cart when you check out. This 2 Ah battery is extremely compact and works with all the tools across the M18 lineup. It has a durable welded frame, rubberized padding to protect it from vibrations and impacts, as well as a computerized system to ensure maximum efficiency. This is a pro-grade battery through and through.

Some pricier kits come with the 5 Ah version that costs $169 regularly.

Every tool kit needs a drill and a driver. This kit includes both, as well as a pair of 1.5 Ah batteries and a charger. The whole kit goes into a handy carry bag. Combined with the extra free battery, this is a great way to dive into the Milwaukee battery system or refresh your arsenal of batteries if you’re already a dedicated user.

• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Compact Drill Impact Combo Kit (2-Tool) with 2.0 Ah Batteries, Charger, Bag – $249
• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Combo Kit (4-Tool) with 2 Batteries, 1 Charger and Tool Bag – $499.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit (2-Tool) with 2 Batteries – $399

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL SURGE 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/4 in. Hex Impact Driver (Tool-Only) – $199.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Hammer Drill Driver (Tool-Only) – $229.00

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL GEN-3 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Compact Impact Wrench with Pin Detent (Tool-Only) – $249.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL GEN-2 18V Lithium-Ion Mid-Torque Brushless Cordless 3/8 in. Impact Wrench with Friction Ring (Tool-Only) – $279.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Impact Wrench with Friction Ring (Tool-Only) – $299.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless High Torque 1/2 in. Impact Wrench with Pin Detent (Tool-Only) – $299.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL GEN-3 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 3/8 in. Compact Impact Wrench with One 5.0Ah Battery and Charger – $349.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL ONE-KEY 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 3/4 in. Impact Wrench with Friction Ring (Tool-Only) – $429.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL ONE-KEY 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Impact Wrench with Friction Ring (Tool-Only) – $379.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL ONE-KEY 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 7/16 in. High Torque Impact Wrench (Tool-Only) – $429.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL ONE-KEY 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1 in. Impact Wrench with Friction Ring (Tool-Only) – $899.00

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 4-1/2 in./5 in. Grinder with Paddle Switch (Tool-Only) – $229.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 4-1/2 in./5 in. Grinder with Variable Speed Paddle Switch (Tool-Only) – $279.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 5 in. Flathead Braking Grinder with Paddle Switch No-Lock (Tool-Only) – $329.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 4-1/2 in./5 in. Grinder with Variable Speed Slide Switch (Tool-Only) – $279
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL ONE-KEY 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 4-1/2 in./6 in. Variable Speed Braking Grinder with Paddle Switch – $329.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 5 in. Flathead Braking Grinder with Slide Switch Lock-On (Tool-Only) – $329.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 4-1/2 in./5 in. Braking Grinder with Paddle Switch (Tool-Only) – $279.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 7 in. Braking Grinder with Variable Speed and Paddle Switch (Tool-Only) – $379.00

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless HACKZALL Reciprocating Saw (Tool-Only) – $199.00
• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless 6-1/2 in. Circular Saw with One 5.0Ah Battery and Charger – $219

• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless Compact Blower (Tool-Only) – $129.00
• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless Oscillating Multi-Tool (Tool-Only) – $149.00
• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless Drywall Cut Out Rotary Tool (Tool-Only) – $149.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Compact Router (Tool-Only) – $199.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless Brushless Oscillating Multi-Tool (Tool-Only) – $249.00
• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Drywall Screw Gun (Tool-Only) – $528.00

• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless 5 in. Random Orbit Sander (Tool-Only) – $149.00
• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless FUEL 5 in. Random Orbit Sander (Tool-Only) – $229.00

• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless 18-Gauge Double Cut Metal Shear (Tool-Only) – $279.00
• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless 14-Gauge Double Cut Metal Shear (Tool-Only) – $349.00
• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion Cordless 18-Gauge Single Cut Metal Shear (Tool-Only) – $349.00

• Milwaukee M18 GEN-2 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless ROVER LED Flood Light with One 5.0Ah Battery and Charger – $389.00
• Milwaukee M18 1000 ft. Green Interior Rotary Laser Level Kit with Remote, Receiver, Wall Mount Bracket and Receiver Clamp – $2,099.00

• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion PACKOUT 6-Port Rapid Charger – $249.00
• Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium-Ion XC Starter Kit with One 5.0Ah Battery and Charger – $279.00
• Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion REDLITHIUM FORGE Starter Kit with 8.0Ah Battery and Rapid Charger – $279.00

The post The Home Depot will give you a free battery worth up to $169 when you buy a Milwaukee 18V powered tool appeared first on Popular Science.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) joins the ranks of transit systems forced to make severe cuts, reports Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bree Mawhorter, SFMTA’s CFO, “instructed all divisions to cut between 5% and 7% of their budgets, generating enough savings to shore up the transit system until voters decide whether to fund it long-term.”

While two measures — one regional and one local — could bring in more revenue if approved by voters, neither are guaranteed, Swan notes, adding that the money wouldn’t reach the agency until 2027.

The agency is scaling back budgets at all departments to avoid making service cuts, but Swan explains that the quality of service might degrade even if the agency is able to run the same number of buses and trains. “In the coming years, the agency might have limited ability to hire janitors, mechanics or maintenance workers. It may take longer to fix a broken sign or a dilapidated bus shelter, and crucial repairs could get kicked down the road.”

• San Francisco
• San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
• SFMTA
• Public Transit
• Transit Funding
• Transit Service

Sunscreen’s skin protection is a literal lifesaver for humans, but the same can’t be said for its effects on coral. Every year, anywhere from 6,660 to 15,400 tons of commercial sunscreen winds up in the planet’s oceans. Laboratory studies indicate that concentrated exposure to some sunscreen ingredients can induce coral bleaching after only two days, and even kill a colony in under a week.

To solve this problem, materials scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have concocted a new sunscreen recipe that spares the ocean’s vital microorganisms. The secret weapon is flower pollen, according to their study recently published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials. 

Sunscreen works by absorbing or reflecting ultraviolet (UV) radiation away from the skin. Without it, those high-energy solar rays can cause painful sunburns at best, while longterm exposure dramatically increases the likelihood of skin cancers. But all that protective lotion washes off your body throughout the day, especially when swimming if sunscreen is not reapplied . Although diluted, the chemicals often find their way into the ocean, where they eventually can encounter coral populations and cause serious damage to the already threatened ecosystems.

However, natural UV protections do exist. Pollen has evolved to feature UV-resistant shells that protect its contents from damage. These coatings are composed from sporopollenin, one of nature’s toughest known biopolymers. Sporopollenin is so sturdy that it’s been identified in fossils dating back millions of years.

“We know that pollen is naturally UV-resistant, as its shell needs to protect its inner contents from harsh environmental conditions, including sunlight,” Cho Nam-Joon said in a statement. “Our research aimed to develop a way to process pollen grains into a gel-like form, so that they can be easily applied to human skin.”

To create their alternative sunscreen, Cho and colleagues utilized a new extraction method. Instead of using high heat and harsh chemicals to separate the innards of camellia (Camellia sinensis) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) pollen from their shells, the team used a more gentle  water-based process. Once extracted, the team combined all of the shell remnants into a microgel similar to many standard skincare products.

Lab tests showed that even a microns-thick transparent layer of the new lotions effectively blocked UV light. Both variants had a sun protection factor (SPF) of around 30, while also minimizing skin cell damage and inflammation. Of the two the camellia gel performed slightly better. And since camellia is self-pollinating, the plant is widely considered non-allergenic.

The eco-friendly sunscreen prototype could also keep wearers cool. Pollen naturally absorbs less energy in the visible-to-near-infrared spectrum, which are the wavelengths mainly responsible for generating heat. By using pollen to reflect more of the energy, the camellia microgel regulates skin temperature, keeping it about 9 degrees Fahrenheit cooler for around 20 minutes.

“We wanted to develop an affordable and effective natural sunscreen that is non-allergenic to humans and eco-friendly to the environment,” said Cho, adding that these and similar alternative products offer a “sustainable real-world solution that has an impact on both humanity and the Earth.”

The post Is pollen the secret to eco-friendly sunscreen? appeared first on Popular Science.

The city of Irvine, California is deploying robots to assess its sidewalk and trail network and identify accessibility issues, reports Hanna Kang in The Orange County Register.

According to Kang, “Since late August, the city has been deploying the sensor-equipped robots, developed by Oregon-based Daxbot, to scan for cracks, slopes and other barriers. Their measurements will feed into Irvine’s ADA self-evaluation program, a review officials say will help shape future upgrades.”

The automated process is up to five times faster than traditional data collection methods. “The robots are scanning for a variety of details that affect accessibility. That includes level changes that could be tripping hazards, slopes, pathway widths, low clearances, and obstructions. For curb ramps, they measure slope, length, width, landing space and whether detectable warning surfaces are in place.”

The program costs roughly $600,000, which city officials say is more cost-effective than a traditional inspection.

• Irvine
• Robots
• Accessibility
• Sidewalks
• Curb Cuts

• iPhone 17: 8GB


• iPhone 17 Air: 12GB


• iPhone 17 Pro: 12GB


• iPhone 17 Pro Max: 12GB

• iPhone 16: 8GB


• iPhone 16 Plus: 8GB


• iPhone 16 Pro: 8GB


• iPhone 16 Pro Max: 8GB

So many of us have been there: striding into a group fitness studio only to be hit with a wall of heat. You thought it was just supposed to be a pilates class, but for some reason it’s taking place in a mirrored sauna. With every motion, the intensity feels amplified and the burn becomes a double entendre. Afterwards, you’re extra exhausted. That must mean you got an extra effective workout, right? Not necessarily. 

The hot fitness trend has picked up steam in recent years. What started with yoga has become a full on heat wave. Large gym chains now offer hot versions of HIIT, strength training, and pilates classes. Some nationwide fitness studios have built their brand entirely on the idea of hot offerings, claiming a more intense workout plus detoxification, cardiovascular, weight loss, and muscle benefits.

Yet not all of those claims stack up to science. Exercise is undoubtedly good for you, but experts say you don’t have to add heat to the mix to reap the rewards of healthy movement. In certain cases, hot workouts might even be less effective than room temperature fitness sessions. Here’s how to understand when to turn up the heat and when to chill.

The human body functions best in a narrow internal temperature range, around 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Go too far beyond that and systems—including organ systems—begin to fail. So, our bodies do a lot to thermoregulate and stay in that ideal zone. 

Exercise itself raises body temperature because of all the additional heat produced by the cellular work involved. To cool ourselves, we sweat. When exercising in warm conditions, your body has to put in extra effort to keep cool, triggering a cascade of bodily stressors, Rachael Nelson, an exercise physiologist at Central Michigan University, tells Popular Science. You sweat more and thus lose more fluids and blood volume. Note: sweating is NOT synonymous with detoxification. There is no cleansing benefit. 

In response to that extra fluid loss (i.e. dehydration), your heart has to pump harder and faster to keep muscles supplied with blood. Staying cool also necessitates moving blood to the skin surface to offload heat outside the body. Again, that forces the heart to work more, and with fewer resources, Nelson explains.

Your “heart rate will be elevated,” she says, making the workout “will feel harder, but you really are doing the same amount of work.” 

That bears out in research. In a 2017 study co-authored by Nelson, fitness class participants reported getting a more intense workout and working harder in a 20-minute hot yoga session compared with an identical room temperature session. However, their oxygen consumption in the two settings was about equal, signalling they exerted the same amount of physical effort. Participants’ heart rates were higher during the hot class, but that extra cardiovascular stress didn’t translate to more bodily work overall. 

Should you work out on an empty stomach? Fitness experts weigh in.

How much exercise do I need to stay healthy?

No, you don’t need 10,000 steps a day

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In fact, if you’re not used to the burn, working out in a hot setting might lead you to train less hard, says Stacy Hunter-Cooper, a physiologist at Texas State University. “When you’re in the heat, you sometimes have to take breaks because the effort is just so demanding. It takes so much out of you physically, but also mentally,” she says, drawing on her own experience as a yoga practitioner and a researcher. That added psychological challenge could mean “you stand to get less out of a workout when you’re exercising in the heat.” 

Again, research demonstrates this, Craig Crandall, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, tells Popular Science. In hot environments, “the effectiveness of a workout is often lower.” A person running two miles will do so faster at 60 degrees Fahrenheit than at 104 degrees, Cradall says, and feel less fatigued afterwards. They will also be better poised to go farther and faster, if asked to push themselves to their physical limit. “You’re going to do more work in that 60 degree room,” versus a hotter space, he says. So, if you’re trying to build muscle or endurance, heated workouts likely aren’t the most straightforward way to do that. 

There is one, largely undisputed benefit of working out in the heat that you won’t get from exercising in an air conditioned room: heat acclimation. Hot exercise makes you better at hot exercise, if you do it frequently and consistently enough, Craig Crandall, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, tells Popular Science. We can adapt to heat, to a certain point. 

Studies of athletes routinely show that, with regular exposure, performance in hot conditions improves over time. Acclimating to heat can prompt physiological shifts, including an increase in blood volume, an increase in sweat volume, and potential shifts in how efficiently your blood vessels respond to those alterations in volume and stress. Together, these factors mean your heart has to work less hard in hot conditions. 

However, not all research has come to the same conclusion here, and the effects and benefits may vary according to the regularity of exposure, type of exercise, or between athletes and average Joes. 

For instance, in a 12-week study involving 52 sedentary, but otherwise healthy adults, Hunter-Cooper found no additional vascular benefit to attending heated yoga sessions three times per week, compared with room temperature sessions. She went into that study believing they’d find a combined complementary effect of heat and movement, but “our hypothesis was not supported by the data.”

Instead, yoga in any form seemed to confer a vascular health boost and heat didn’t significantly increase the effect. This could mean that three 90-minute yoga sessions a week aren’t enough to prompt heat acclimation. Or it could mean that the benefits of heat acclimation only kick in past a certain level of athletic conditioning or exercise intensity. 

Crandall notes that three heated exercise sessions per week is probably the absolute minimum threshold for achieving heat acclimation—and really, daily is the best bet. If you’re engaging in heated workouts less frequently than that, all you’re doing is adding acute stress on your heart and vascular system each time. 

Stress on the heart isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if you are healthy enough to handle it. Exercise itself stresses the heart, towards the goal of boosting heart health in the long-run as the organ adapts. At the moment though, Cradall says there’s no clear answer as to whether inconsistent heat stress offers any cardiac benefit. He emphasizes that anyone with a cardiovascular condition should consult their healthcare provider before trying out a heated workout class. 

Beyond heat acclimation, other widely touted benefits of hot workouts are based on limited, often overstated research.

For instance, there’s the claims about calories and weight loss. Our bodies do make subtle metabolic adjustments when exercising in hot environments, notes Nelson. Cells preferentially metabolize carbohydrates over fat as temperatures rise. Because carbs are a slightly less efficient energy source, Nelson says hot exercise can burn more calories “but it’s a very modest difference,” on the order of a single digit rise in a 30-60 minute session. 

It could add up over time, she says, but it might also be that extra tiring hot workouts lead people to compensate for that loss by prompting more hunger. We don’t yet have enough research to definitively say if or how hot workouts affect weight loss efforts, she says. 

Similarly, some studies indicate heat can boost flexibility and range of motion during stretching. But these trials have been small, and largely limited to applying direct heat to a limb or muscle group—not simply moving that muscle in a warm room. 

Finally, Hunter-Cooper published a 2023 study which found that hot yoga sessions lower blood pressure and reduce the negative impacts of a high sodium diet among participants. But that research lacked a room temperature control for comparison. It’s possible that the movement itself, not the temperature, drove the benefit. 

“The most important kind of exercise is the exercise people are willing to engage in,” she notes. If you like a heated workout, then that’s the kind of workout you should do. And on the flipside, If you don’t enjoy the added psychic and physical strain of a sweaty fitness studio, there’s no science-backed need to subject yourself to it. “It all depends on your goals.”

The post Are ‘hot’ workout classes better? appeared first on Popular Science.

A judge issued a temporary injunction barring the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) from enforcing planned fare hikes and service cuts, reports Hayden Mitman for NBC Philadelphia.

“While noting that SEPTA still faces a $213 million budget gap, and that the ‘future of a proposed state funding solution that would help close the deficit remains uncertain,’ officials with mass transit provider said that they would halt future cuts and leave services in place as they were on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.” According to Mitman, SEPTA will have to suspend its planned 21.5 percent fare hike.

The injunction applies to Regional Rail services, but does not reverse the 20 percent service cuts already in place on the agency’s buses, subways, and trolleys. SEPTA has also made an agreement with the city to provide bus services for school students.

• Philadelphia
• Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
• SEPTA
• Public Transit
• Commuter Rail
• Trains
• Transit Funding