Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics helps the reader master the modern world, presenting trusted information about his home, his car, his technology and the world around him. With tool tests, building projects, car reviews and more, Popular Mechanics shows the American man how to upgrade his life. And the magazine's analysis of the latest developments in technology and engineering keeps him in the know about the science behind the news-from alternative energy to military technology to digital privacy. Each month, nearly 9 million curious minds turn to Popular Mechanics for advice and in-depth reporting. Get Popular Mechanics digital magazine subscription today.

Popular Mechanics

2 Can’t Stop Thinking About

Why It’s So Hard to Mine the World’s Largest Lithium Deposit

GO DEEPER DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH POP MECH PRO • Current print subscribers can now access hundreds more science, military and DIY stories with Pop Mech Pro for just $5/year.

The Army’s Drone-Killing Laser Weapon

How the World’s Largest Spherical Structure Was Built

The Right Way to Use a Fire Extinguisher

WHAT DA VINCI USED TO PAINT THE MONA LISA

How This Particle Could Break Our Understanding of Reality

IF EMBODYING SOMEONE ELSE IN VR CAN CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR

POPULAR MECHANICS TOOL AWARDS 2024 • For more than 120 years, Popular Mechanics has been a heavy-duty brand. We see no reason to change that now. That’s why producing our annual Tool Awards package involves countless hours researching, testing, and writing. It’s worth it, because tools are important to us. And we know that tools are important to you, too—and that they help you perform well. You have skin in the game. You own things and you work on them, whether it’s your house, car, gadgets, or furnishings. And having spent more than 120 years representing the interests of the owner-builder and the owner-repair person, we take the obligation seriously. This year’s awards will help you profit from our work.

How Three Amateurs Solved the Zodiac Killer’s ‘340’ Cipher • The mysterious code stumped the FBI and NSA for 53 years. What does the key, and the resulting solution, tell us about the infamous murderer?

BUILDING COLLAPSES • Engineers are still investigating the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, but early findings shed light on a risk facing poorly constructed residential and office buildings.

CSI FOR BUILDINGS • In the aftermath of a collapse, the various involved parties—governments, building owners, insurance companies, contractors—hire forensic engineers like Liberty Janson, former president of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers, to gather evidence about how the building fell.

Cutting the Cord

Restor-A-Finish | $10

5 59 Years Ago in PopMech • // A PORTAL INTO POPMECH’S PRESCIENT AND OCCASIONALLY ABSURD PAST //