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You once again have to register your drone—yes, even the little ones

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You have to register your drone if you want to fly it outside. It costs $5, you can do it online here, and there are penalties if you take to the air without doing it. Now you know. Here’s some background. Not since Ross and Rachel on Friends has there been a more epic will-they-or-won’t-they story than the US has with drone registration. Up until 2015, casual pilots could send their drones skyward with little regulation from the FAA. Late in that year, however, a new program required pilots to pay a $5 registration fee and follow a series of specific rules, like keeping the craft within the pilot’s direct line of sight. More than 800,000 pilots registered their drones and became a part of a national database. Then, earlier this year, a District of Columbia court of appeals overturned the rule, citing the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform act, which helped take into account the new crop of hobbyist operators sending UAVs skyward. Professionals using the crafts for commer...
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Six volcanoes to watch in 2018

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The eruption of Mount Agung on the island of Bali has sparked worldwide media interest, yet volcanic eruptions in Indonesia are nothing new. Of the country’s 139 “active” volcanoes, 18 currently have raised alert levels, signifying higher than normal seismic activity, ground deformation or gas emissions. On a global scale, in any week in 2017, there were at least between 14 and 27 volcanoes erupting. Most observed volcanic activity takes place along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region around the Pacific Ocean where several tectonic plates meet, causing earthquakes and a chain of what geologists call subduction zone volcanoes. Other eruptions occur at volcanoes within continental interiors such as Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania, or on oceanic islands like Hawaii. Many also take place hidden from view on the sea floor, with some of the most active underwater volcanoes located in the Tonga-Kermadec island arc in the south-west Pacific. The current eruptions on land range from ...
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Come watch a live stream of today's total solar eclipse

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PopSci has teamed up with the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and East Central College in Union Missouri to provide an exclusive view of the eclipse from the path of totality. Here's a breakdown: 12:45 p.m. EST — the live stream begins 12:48 p.m. EST — the partial eclipse begins 2:15 p.m. EST to 2:18 p.m. EST — the total eclipse 3:43 p.m. EST — the partial eclipse ends Fun fact: the camera shooting the phenomenon is equipped with a #14 shade solar filter, which is the same kind used in eclipse glasses. Happy watching! You may also be interested in: Can't find safe eclipse glasses? Make your own eclipse projector instead How to photograph the solar eclipse: The only guide you need How to make sure your eclipse glasses actually work Songs to sing your way through the 2017 eclipse Read more at: https://www.popsci.com/total-solar-eclipse-live-stream
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Can this fruit be saved?

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A banana is not just a banana "A Banana," says Juan Fernando Aguilar, "is not just a banana." The bearded botanist and I are traipsing through one of the world's most unusual banana plantations, moving down row after row of towering plants and ducking into the shade of broad leaves in an attempt to avoid the Central American midday heat. In an area about the size of a U.S. shopping mall, Aguilar, 46, is growing more than 300 banana varieties. Most commercial growing facilities handle just a single banana type-the one we Americans slice into our morning cereal. The diversity of fruit in Aguilar's field is astonishing. Some of the bananas are thick and over a foot long; others are slender and pinky-size. Some are meant to be eaten raw and sweet and some function more like potatoes, meant for boiling and baking or frying into snack chips. But Aguilar's admonition is aimed squarely at our northern lunch boxes and breakfast tables. For nearly e...
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How to choose the best TV streaming device for you

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To make your television play videos via apps like Netflix and Hulu, you'll need a streaming device. But with so many dongles and TV boxes—from companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, Roku, and others—how do you pick the best one for you? In this guide, we'll demystify these devices so you understand exactly what you're getting, and which product is the best option for your streaming needs. Perhaps the most important choice you need to make is your preferred software: Just like phones and laptops, streaming devices have their own operating systems. So you should choose a platform that fits two criteria: It must play your favorite content and work well with the devices you already own. For example, if you want to watch shows and movies purchased from iTunes, then you need the only device capable of working with that software: the 4K Apple TV ($150 and up on Amazon). If you're all-in on the Apple ecosystem—you rely on a Mac computer or an iPhone—then you'll want th...
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