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The U.S. Army has officially terminated the ‘Punisher.’ The XM-25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System was designed to engage enemy troops behind cover. While successful, the high tech infantry weapon was the victim of a lengthy development period, ballooning costs, a perceived lack of utility, and a 2013 incident that wounded a soldier carrying it.Since the dawn of the firearm age, one of the biggest obstacles to hitting people with a bullet was the cover they could hide behind....

Media Platforms Design TeamIn a monumental step toward self-driving cars, Tesla Motors has just released an autopilot software upgrade for its line of Model S sedans—both new ones and already purchased. With the new software, the Model S electric vehicles will be the first commercial cars on the road with autonomous driving capabilities.Related StoryWhat It’s Like To Ride With Tesla’s Autopilot"We think of it sort of as a public beta," said CEO Elon Musk at today’s press conference, “I think it is going to be quite a profound experience for people when they use it....

You don’t need to be a professional mountain climber or a Navy SEAL to appreciate the importance of a good multitool. These all-in-one gadgets can help you do everything from crack open a beer to escape a life-or-death situation, and their functionality seems to grow larger by the year.But so does their size. The most popular and functional multitools on the market have become far too bulky for the average user to carry around on a regular basis—rendering them useless....

The study of human-caused climate change and deep concern over the future of the planet may feel like a child of the last few decades, but not so. A look through the pages of Popular Mechanics shows scientists trying to come to grips with carbon emissions, disappearing ice, and climate change all the way back to 1912, more than a century ago. March 1912Remarkable Weather of 1911“It has been found that if the air contained more carbon dioxide, which is the product of the combustion of coal or vegetable material, the temperature would be somewhat higher....

Over the course of his two-day testimony in Congress, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly returned to a few particular points, ones that ostensibly serve to quell the rising privacy concerns in the wake of data leaks by Cambridge Analytica. You control your data. Anything that you upload, you can also delete. You can control your privacy settings, and restrict access to your data. Facebook is optional. You can delete all your data by deleting your account....

You hear the word solstice all the time. We have the summer solstice coming up on Saturday, June 20, 2020 and in a few months, the winter solstice (Monday, December 21) will be here, too. In the southern hemisphere, it’s the opposite: our summer solstice is their start of winter. So, what exactly do the solstices signify, and why do they matter? For one, these events occur when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky by noon (summer) and inversely, when it reaches the lowest point in the sky at the same time (winter)....

One of the apps that helped define the 90s is getting a reboot. Winamp, perhaps the most popular way to listen to music on the computer before iTunes, is getting relaunched as an app.“There will be a completely new version next year, with the legacy of Winamp but a more complete listening experience,” says Alexandre Saboundjian, CEO of Radionomy, the company that bought Winamp in 2014, in an interview with TechCrunch....

A new study—in conjunction with research from 2017—discovered that Wrangel Island mammoths, some of the last mammoths on Earth, suffered from genetic mutations that likely caused their extinction.Lost sense of smell, male infertility, and diabetes are among the mutations caused by defective genes in this mammoth population.In order to better understand why the last known living mammoth population went extinct, scientists have resurrected mutated mammoth genes from a small group who died on Russia’s Wrangel Island some 4,000 years ago....

Russia’s Army has received its first laser combat weapon. The Peresvet high-energy laser weapon was declared operational on December 1, 2018. Key details about the laser, including its power and even purpose are still a mystery, with Moscow declaring it is “not time yet” for details. According to the state-owned TASS news agency, Peresvet firing units began being delivered to Russian Army units in 2017. The weapons appear trailer-mounted, normally concealed inside an armored shroud....

View full post on YoutubeWhile it’s too early to determine the practical benefits of the Audi/Ducati marriage, one thing is certain: the two make for cozy co-branding bedfellows. In fact, Ducati’s PR flack dropped in on Audi’s recent RS5 press launch in Sonoma (on a Diavel, of course… what, were you expecting him to drive?), if only to see firsthand how the four-wheeled types get on with business. Such synergy is typically unheard of between car and bike folks, and evidence that the new German owners are serious about maximizing their relationship with the Italian motorcycle manufacturer....

U.S. border security is as complex—and possibly even more debated—a topic now as it was in January, 1925 when this story first ran in Popular Mechanics. While the current border debate centers on immigration, this story high­lighted the shrewdness of smugglers and the customs agents hunting them. (Scroll down for a 2019 update on smuggling tech from an agent at the JFK Airport Border Enforcement Security Task Force.)JANUARY 1925: A battle of wits that extends around the world is ceaselessly fought by the forces of Uncle Sam and the smugglers’ army....

I clung for life to my translator as we spun in circles through shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, trying to take in the sheer madness of the Beijing Motor Show. An American can catch a few familiar sights; there’s a Chevy Volt, but branded as the Buick Velite 5 in China, a place where Buick remains a premium brand. I spy a Toyota Camry, but here it’s called a “Levin” and is a plug-in hybrid....

There are plenty of conspiracy theories out there on the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy, who was shot in 1963 while in a Dallas parade. But new research by the Dartmouth University School of Computer Science disproves at least one conspiracy theory: sorry, the photo of Lee Harvey Oswald above is real. The photo, of Oswald holding a communist newspaper and the rifle he allegedly used to shoot the president, has been a contentious issue, with many theorists claiming that his posture is unrealistic and the lighting was off....

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014. More than 200 people were on board.Clues led investigators to hunt for the Boeing 777 in the remote southern Indian Ocean. But after four years of fruitless searching, the Malaysia investigators officially concluded the hunt this year with the plane still missing.The release of a long-awaited report (pdf) by Malaysian safety investigators has only deepened the mystery of what happened to MH370 more than four years ago....

For the first time, scientists have confirmed the presence of water vapor on Jupiter’s moon Europa. The icy moon has long been a contender for finding life outside of Earth. NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, set to launch in the 2020s, will help scientists learn more about what may lurk beneath the moon’s icy surface.Europa is arguably the most intriguing of Jupiter’s 79 moons. Scientists have long suspected that there may be a salty, liquid water ocean beneath the moon’s tough icy exterior....

The GAU-5A is a modified M4 carbine designed to keep aircrews alive in emergencies.The weapon was rebuilt to fit in the storage compartments of ejection seats. In emergencies, the GAU-5A can be used to ward off enemy search parties until rescue. The U.S. Air Force developed a new assault rifle that breaks down into two pieces, allowing it to be stored in the ejection seat of modern jets. The GAU-5A carbine is designed to provide the firepower necessary for aircrew to defend themselves until rescue....

• Ever see those YouTube videos where a grape explodes in a microwave? Physicist Aaron Slepkov did.• His team set out to figure out the true reason for the plasma fire phenomenon by testing not only grapes but also other round items like cherries and quail eggs.• It turns out that round, water-based items like grapes amplify the power of microwaves to create a hot spot. Who knows the reasons a scientist may have for choosing the question that will shape his life’s work....

If summer humidity has been activating sweat glands in the immediate vicinity, then perhaps Panasonic’s latest invention will be of interest: a shoe deodorizer that gets rid of smelly orders overnight. The MS-DS100, as its called, attacks isovaleric acid, a natural cause of foot odor created by one of the many millions of microbes living on the human body: Staphylococcus epidermidis. A mostly innocuous pathogen which colonizes human skin for its survival, S....

Your iPhone’s dinky speaker will suffice for speakerphone calls and listening to podcasts while you cook, but it’s hardly adequate for properly enjoying music. Bluetooth portable speakers are a great solution, sure. But for something with more of an analog feel, build this DIY iPhone speaker out of plywood.Start by cutting six identical squares of 1/2-inch plywood and then use your router or drill to make a slot big enough for your mobile device about an 1 1/2-inch from one end....

Media Platforms Design TeamFor more than a century, Popular Mechanics has provided life-saving advice for outlasting storms, surviving outdoors, and preparing for disaster. Find out how to survive anything right here.Even sunny April days can be cold in south-central Alaska, so my family and I bundled up before we went bird-watching. My wife, Laura, and I loaded our three kids—Grace, 11; Damien, 8; and 7-month-old Camille—into the car, and we drove about 20 minutes from our home in Kenai to the mouth of the Kasilof River and set off across the dunes to look for shorebirds....