5 Best Portable Induction Cooktops, According to Our Tests

CR assessed five portable induction cooktops from about $60 to over $200. Members can read our evaluations of the best and worst portable induction cooktops below. Four of these cooktops have only a single burner, while one has two burners. All use a standard two- or three-prong cord that plugs into a regular 110- or 120-volt…

Read More

Research Reveals the Optimal Way to Optimize

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In 1939, upon arriving late to his statistics course at UC Berkeley, George Dantzig—a first-year graduate student—copied two problems off the blackboard, thinking they were a homework assignment. He found the homework “harder to do than usual,” he would later recount, and apologized to the…

Read More

Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition Review: Rock-Solid Typing

The stabilizers are PCB-mounted, which is preferable to the typical plate-mounted units that many keyboards use, and are lubricated from the factory. The lube on these stabilizers, while a bit excessive (there were small clumps of lube visible on the outside housings, which is not typical), feels great. The stabilized keys are smooth and consistent,…

Read More

Scientists Are Sending Cannabis Seeds to Space

He’s also not the only researcher working to expose plants to higher radiation levels than previously studied. Porterfield, who is one of the scientists working on NASA’s LEAF mission—a lunar plant-growth experiment that will go to the moon with Artemis III in 2027—says we know “almost nothing” about the impact of radiation exposure beyond low…

Read More

DHS Has Been Collecting US Citizens’ DNA for Years

The expansion has been driven by specific legal and bureaucratic levers. Foremost was an April 2020 Justice Department rule that revoked a long-standing waiver allowing DHS to skip DNA collection from immigration detainees, effectively green-lighting mass sampling. Later that summer, the FBI signed off on rules that let police booking stations run arrestee cheek swabs…

Read More

Best Toilet Paper for You—and Your Plumbing

If you’ve ever found yourself in a restroom with single-ply toilet paper you needed to use a lot of, you know what I mean.  Comfort and softness are critical to a good roll of toilet paper, but other factors come into play as well. We tested 15 different types of toilet paper through rigorous testing…

Read More

Should You Lower Tire Pressure to Gain Traction in Snow?

When it comes to winter driving, most people know the importance of having good tires to provide a sure-footed grip for ice and snow. But a question that often comes up in the winter months is whether lowering the tire pressure can give you even better traction in the snow. Off-roaders and beachgoers sometimes reduce…

Read More