Spring 2021 PopularScience

Citation preview

WHO SAYS SCIENCE CAN’T BE ALL

ZUFO™

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DESKTOP AIR ROCKET

LIGHT PAINTING CRAYON

POPULAR SCIENCETM is a trademark of Camden Media Inc. and used under license.

Spring 2021

the quest for

CHILL i n a c h a o t i c wo r l d , c a l m i s n ow h e r e a n d eve r y w h e r e

3.5QT S AUC IE R (C L AS S IC B LUE)

S AV E U R S E L E C T S ® V OYA G E S E R I E S E N A M E L E D C A S T I R O N C O O K WA R E OVEN SAFE TO 500°FL |L NON-REACTIVE AND RUSTPROOF ENAMEL COATINGL |L SIGNATURE TEXTURED HANDLES

FOR THE FULL COOKWARE ASSORTMENT VISIT M AC YS.COM SAVEUR Selects® is a registered trademark of Camden Media Inc. and used under license.

CONTENTS 24

46

FEATURES 32

• Ketamine trips are emerging as a chic mental health therapy. But do they work? • How bomb techs, rescue pilots, and other pros shake off workplace stress • In rural Colorado, fighting light pollution rewards residents and wildlife

38

• The factors that conspire against a good night’s sleep • A clever new spin on break rooms brings relief to frontline workers • Glimpse nature’s satisfying synchronicity

54

62

CHARTED 6 How Americans spend their free time 8 Post-Chernobyl, an ecosystem thrives 9 Why watching Bob Ross paint is so relaxing

12 The calming power of screens, tunes, and stories

18 Smash-happy tools to bring down the house

75 Try this soothing trick with an anxious pooch

13 Surviving hard times by living in slow motion

20 The perfect pillow for every sleeping style

76 Sew a weighted blanket that’s more than a hug

13 How happy lamps banish the seasonal blues

21 Your gridlock-beating autonomous chariot awaits

77 Meditation for people who can’t sit still

13 The most soothing sound in the whole wide world

22 Everything you need to brew perfect tea

78 Four ingredients to take the best baths ever

ASK US ANY THING 10 The quest to discover what can cure a ringing ear 11 Does science support CBD’s big promises? 11 Yelling is healthy. Really COVER ILLUSTRATION BY EIKO OJALA

14 Stress doesn’t have to be the death of you

GOODS 16 The serene beauty and calming care of bonsai

LIFE L AB 74 How to massage a headache away

CENTENARIAN 79 The musical tastes of our furry, feathered, and finned friends

75 Even your phone can help you relax 3

EDITOR’S LETTER

the more things change this letter, March 10, 2021, marked one year since I first took the Big Chair here at PopSci. March 11 was the anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, and March 13 meant a full 365 days since the staff collaborated in an office together. Editor-in-chief-ness aside, this is an extremely common tale: fractured workplaces, isolated families, a full trip around the sun filled with dread, uncertainty, and, eventually (mercifully), some hope. We’ve all done what we can to cope with the strain of pandemic life—as weeks turned into months, then into a year plus. The plus is the real kick in the teeth. Even with vaccines rapidly going into arms across the US, we don’t yet have a clear endpoint. Variants, vaccination hesitancy, and a gleeful uptick in risky behaviors make prolonging our caution a necessity. The question, then, isn’t when this will be “over,” but rather how we’ll get through this next phase, and all the trauma that will inevitably linger in COVID’s aftermath. Our answer is to try to find a degree of calm, however and wherever we can. That’s why we dedicated this issue to exploring the importance of stillness everywhere it exists—in our lives, under the sea, and into outer space. We dig into the psychology underpinning Bob Ross’ uncanny ability to make 4

us feel chill, chronicle a Colorado town’s efforts to preserve its pristine skies, and follow Executive Editor Rachel Feltman’s journey to quiet the ghosts of an abusive relationship by tripping on ketamine. The theme is also the perfect vehicle to launch our new Life Lab section, which offers science-backed advice for a simpler, smarter existence. Since you’re reading this, you already know that this issue brings another big change: Popular Science is now exclusively a digital magazine. As you scroll and swipe through, you may notice some improvements—for example, we redesigned the visualizations in Charted for optimal viewing on both computer screens and mobile devices—but our core remains fixed. You can still expect glimpses into the dynamic intersection between discovery and everyday life, and stories about the innovations setting our path to the future. That’s as true now as it was when PopSci published its first issue 149 years ago. What comes next may be uncertain, but that means we’re dwelling in the realm of possibility.

STAN HORACZEK

THE DAY I SAT DOWN TO START WRITING

SPRING 2021

Vo l . 2 9 3 , N o . 1

Editor-in-Chief Corinne Iozzio Design Director Russ Smith Executive Editor Rachel Feltman Managing Editor Jean McKenna EDITORIAL Senior Editor Purbita Saha Technology Editor Stan Horaczek Science Editor Claire Maldarelli DIY Editor John Kennedy Features Editor Susan Murcko Digital Edition Editor Chuck Squatriglia Video Producer Tom McNamara Engagement Editor Ryan Perry Associate Editors Jessica Boddy, Sara Chodosh, Rob Verger Assistant Editors Sandra Gutierrez G., Sara Kiley Watson Copy Editor S.B. Kleinman Researchers Cadence Bambenek, Jake Bittle, Caitlin Cruz, Matt Giles, Aparna Nathan, Grace Wade Interns Erin Fennessy, Rahul Rao ART AND PRODUCTION Art Director Katie Belloff Production Manager Glenn Orzepowski CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Brooke Borel, Kat Eschner, Tom Foster, William Gurstelle, Gregory Mone, Sarah Scoles, P.W. Singer, Nick Stockton, James Vlahos CAMDEN MEDIA Chief Executive Officer Lance Johnson Director of Product Development Amy Schellenbaum Sales and Advertising SVP Sales and Marketing John Graney VP Digital Sales Operations Lee Verdecchia VP Ad Operations Brie Fisher Advertising Directors Katie Logan, Jeff Roberge Advertising Coordinator Nicky Nedd Marketing Manager Amanda Gastelum Client Services Manager Allie Hedlund Business Development SVP Business Development Julie Smartz Director of Business Development Dante Sandoval Commerce VP Commerce Nate Matthews Managing Editor Sunny Gold Commerce Editors Billy Cadden, Mike Toth Special Projects Editor Jason Lederman Assistant Editor Ariel Wodarcyk Editorial Assistant Natasha Roy Consumer Products Head of Licensing Richard Oren Marketing Manager Lynsey Poff Art Director Gabe Ramirez Licensing Manager Janet Stewart

Chief Executive Officer Lance Johnson Chief Technology Officer Justin DeMaris VP of Finance Garrett Hesley VP of Performance Marketing Jamal Bara Executives in Residence Alex Ford, Michael Sacks, Kathryn Seni Head of Marketing Kristen Ong Director of Talent Mahea Schulman Senior Communications Manager Cathy Hebert Human Resources Manager Alexandria Phillips POPULAR SCIENCE magazine (ISSN 161-7370) is published quarterly by Camden Media, 701 N Brickell Ave, Ste 1550, Miami, FL 33131. Copyright ©2021 by Camden Media. All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission of Camden Media. FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS, such as renewals, address changes, email preferences, billing, and account status, go to popsci.com/cs. You can also call 800-289-9399 or 515-237-3697, or write to Popular Science, P.O. Box 6364, Harlan, IA 51593-1864. Occasionally, we make portions of our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services we think might be of interest to you. If you do not want to receive these offers, please advise us at 515-237-3697.

BUBBLY

C H A R T E D

downtime, usa

SPRING 2021

BY E L E A N O R C U M M I N S / ILLUSTRATION BY VA L E R I O

PELLEGRINI

Minutes per day SEX

10

60

120

Minutes

Minutes

Minutes

AGE

EM

E Men

Women

15-19

20-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74

75+

SPORTS

SOCIALIZING

TV

READING

RELAXING

GAMES

OTHER

6

S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 / P O P S C I.CO M

Screen time

Pushy notifications

Kids get a bad rap for watching too much TV. But folks 65 and up are getting the most screen time: Older Americans take in more than four hours daily. It’s a great source of entertainment, yet it’s not universally good for you; excessive tube time encourages people to stay sedentary, which doesn’t do anyone’s heart, muscles, or bone density any favors.

The one thing money can’t buy is time. Too bad, because those with hefty salaries tend to have too little of it: just nine minutes of calm a day among top earners. Several social factors are at fault, but smartphones deserve the most blame. Those devices make it easy to play games or chat with friends at work, but they also let your boss ping you at all hours.

Employed

THE WORD LEISURE—TIME THAT

belongs to you, free from work or other duties—dates to 14th-century Europe. But for much of its existence, the term was an abstract concept to all but the wealthy. That began to change in the United States in the late 1800s as

PLOYMENT STATUS

Employed Employed Not full time part time employed

laborers pushed for a 40-hour week. At long last, the masses could unwind at parks, theaters, and beaches. Today, we spend our spare moments a little differently, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual American Time Use Survey reveals. While sports and

INCOME PERCENTILE ≤25th

25-50th

50-75th

socialization remain important, modern escapes are increasingly digital and defined by television and video games. Yet who gets to decompress, and how, still varies widely. Map the data and you’ll find that sex, income, and family life determine how we spend our free time.

AGE OF YOUNGEST CHILD >75th

None < 18 yrs

< 18

13-17

6-12

MARRIAGE