What Is and Could Be: Popular Science Magazine Review

“The future now”—you may recognize this bold phrase as the tagline for Popular Science magazine.  Released monthly, Popular Science—or PopSci—focuses on the latest innovations in technology and the most recent of discoveries (like a robot that not only has an organic heart, but uses it to propel itself).  However, you don’t need to be a scientist to understand it.  PopSci walks the fine line between dumbing things down and keeping them smart.  Terminology isn’t always explained, but if it is not, it is put into context where it can be comprehended.  This may be one reason that the magazine has been around for so long.

An Abbreviated History

Founded in 1872, Popular Science has followed the major advancements of humanity.  In the last part of the 1800s alone, it covered the electric light, telephone, phonograph, and automobile.  It also followed the newest of thought processes.  Famous people who wrote articles for this magazine included “[p]assionate luminaries like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, T.H. Huxley, and Louis Pasteur” (http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2002-07/history-popular-science).

Popular Science included more information about automobiles as they enhanced (and, to this day, will always have one page in the “What’s New” section dedicated to a car).  They interviewed Henry Ford, creator of the Model T.  During World War II, battle technology was surveyed.  Then, in the 1950s, PopSci not only told about the latest inventions, but also handed out DIY instructions (i.e. “PS Builds a Laser... and So Can You”).  During the ‘70s, when everyone was in a panic about energy, it investigated green and alternative energies.  In May 1979, the magazine released an article by Arthur Fisher, who, as the Science and Technology Editor of the magazine, decided to research Soviet nuclear power plants.  He called them dangerous.  On April 26, 1986, Chernobyl happened, just nine years after Fisher’s warning.  Technology became something to fear as much as revere.

The ‘80s brought with them computers, the ‘90s—the Internet.  After following the trials, errors, and innovations of the Internet for years, since it was Arpanet in 1969, PopSci released its own website in November of 1996.  Since then, its digital presence has only expanded.

As of now, Popular Science is the “the fifth-oldest continually published monthly magazine in existence.”

 

The Who and Why of Reading

Popular Science makes a clear impression as to where humankind is going by keeping us up to date about where we are now.  It’s not always just about what is on the market.  It’s also about what will, can, and could be released soon.  I wouldn’t exactly recommend it for Christmas shopping ideas, but I would recommend it for anyone who likes to keep tabs about what technology is being developed, especially if they want to feed that curiosity in an educational and entertaining way.

The entertainment comes from the brief bouts of humor incorporated.  They are light and interspaced enough to make reading more pleasurable without overriding the professional feel of the piece.  Better yet, the jokes remain simple.  Their enjoyment is not exclusive to people with a PhD in that particular field.

Note: There are many fields.

PopSci is variety.  Instead of being singularly mechanical science or chemical science or any other type of science you might wish to define, it keeps a balance.  In this way, it appeals to a wider audience.  It’s worth it even if you want to skip over the pieces about space and focus on those concerning the newest pharmaceutical.  However, having so many options gives you the opportunity to broaden your horizons.  Maybe you do prefer pharmaceuticals over space exploration, but learning a little about the other can be interesting, especially with the way the articles are written.

Have you ever sat in a class and thought, “How could I possibly use this is real life?”  Question, meet Answer.  PopSci offers ways that the discussed development can relate to the consumer’s everyday life.  Sometimes, it is more direct, like a product.  Other times, it is a technological advancement that would affect the world as a whole rather than any single purchaser.  The hook is this: the science applies to you.

It is a prospect to contemplate.  If you’re a fan of sci-fi, you may be reminded of a story or, hey, maybe it could inspire you to write one.  After all, technology is grand and possibility is profitable.  PopSci picks subjects that can create major impact.  The ones with the most potential impact usually end up on the front page.  Their promise is baiting and you could be further reeled in by something even as simple as the practical structuring of the magazine.

Articles are rarely continued in a different section.  That is to say: there aren’t often any articles interrupting the start of the article being read and the end of it.  This keeps the reader’s attention on the page because of an obligation to finish what was started, where the break-up introduces a stopping point.  As a method of motivation, it works well, as does the usage and spacing of the images.

Images can compel or repel.  They can teach or explain.  There are a plethora of images in this magazine, all bright and eye-catching and relevant.  Some pictures are those of inventors and inventions, some are those of far away galaxies and fantastic gadgets, some are great machines and powerful ideas, and some are the diagrams to explain them all.  When this is combined with all other aspects, it becomes a solid technique to get information across.

Sections and Specials

There are four sections in every regular issue of Popular Science.  Below are their titles and brief descriptions along with the occasional pro and con.

What’s New:

This section is filled with the newest gadgets and gizmos to grace the market—and some that haven’t yet.  It’s broken down into two segments: items that are immediately purchasable and items that are in-the-works.  In the first segment, each item comes with a picture, a description, and a price.  It’s a little like a short, techy version of SkyMall.  The downside is that about half of the merchandise extends up into hundreds of dollars.  In the second segment, each item has its own article detailing the invention and its benefits.

Headlines:

Big, recent, scientific and technological advancements are discussed here. These are the creations that can affect the world and the new frontiers out there for us to face.  In the March 2013 issue, Popular Science covered a possible cure to blindness using gene therapy, which is slated for human testing in 2014.

How 2.0:

It comes with the tag, “Tips, tricks, hacks, and do-it-yourself projects.”  Notably, this section tends to use more terminology and can require more foreknowledge.  In other words: it’s geekier.  Some of the projects can be complicated and expensive to the everyday person.  A fine example of this is the $800 Tesla coil gun designed by Rob Flickenger.

FYI:

Basically, a Q and A section dedicated to those who send in questions via email or twitter.  The responses come in two parts.  The first is the Short Answer, which is but a handful of words that, in their brevity, can be humorous.  The second is the Long Answer: a small article that includes more science, more explanation, and generally less humor.

 Aside from these four main sections, special issues also have their own sections.  Annually, there is a “How It Works” issue, an “Invention Awards” issue, and a “Best of What’s New” issue.

 

How It Works:

“How It Works” offers explanations on the systems of everything from spaceships to beehives.  Using diagrams and captions, the reader is given a fairly detailed overview of the topic and some basic statistics.

 

Invention Awards

This is a list of ten inventions from the year, compiled by PopSci.  Home-made inventions are selected for the ability to solve problems and go on the market.  Understandably, the majority of those selected relate to health and safety.  Each article, which spans a page, includes a short bio on the inventor(s), the general workings of the invention, and how it benefits modern-day life.  One of the winners from 2012 was a “modular cast.”  This cast can be removed in sections as the bone gets closer to being fully healed, reducing the long period of stiffness caused by extensive immobility.

Best of What’s New

Every December, the inventions of the year are sifted through and judged.  Out of them all, only the top 100 are chosen to be featured.  Popular Science claims that this is their best-selling issue of the year.

 

In Conclusion

Popular Science is an educational, intriguing, up-to-date read that stays true to its title and deserves its longevity.  If you are a scientist, an engineer, a wannabe, a sci-fi geek, or someone who carries enough curiosity enough to kill ten cats, this is something to look into.  Right now.  Go.