Science and Tech Archives - Page 3 of 13

Getting Texts From ‘Unknown’ That Use Your Name? Here’s What It Really Means

January 16, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

How scammers use your name to trigger replies and steal information.

Getting a text from an unknown number that opens with your name can feel unsettling. It sounds personal, casual, and just familiar enough to make you wonder if you’re forgetting someone. That reaction is exactly what scammers are counting on.

These messages are part of a growing wave of low-effort, high-volume scams designed to start a conversation, not finish one. The goal is to get you to reply, click, or engage just enough to move the scam forward.

Knowing why these texts work, how scammers got your name, and what to do next can help you shut them down fast without putting yourself at risk.

If You Receive a Text Claiming to Be Your Bank, Don’t Click—Here’s What to Do Next

January 16, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

How to spot bank text scams quickly and protect your money before damage is done.

Plain white background, woman in denim shirt checks phone, portrait composition, bright even lighting, editorial style, one person. — ©Image license via iStock

Bank text alerts have become so common that most people barely pause when one appears. Messages about unusual charges, locked accounts, or security checks often feel routine, especially during a busy day.

Scammers rely on that familiarity, copying real bank language and timing to lower suspicion. Their goal is urgency, pushing people to react before verifying what’s actually happening.

Understanding how these scams work and knowing the right next step can prevent a harmless-looking text from becoming a costly mistake.

Why Your Phone Says “SOS Only” and What It Means for Your Service

January 16, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

When your phone can still call for help but not connect to a regular network.

Most people glance at their phone dozens of times a day, so when something unfamiliar appears on the screen, it’s easy to feel a jolt of concern. Seeing “SOS Only” instead of your usual signal bars can feel especially alarming, even if everything seemed fine moments earlier.

The message sounds serious, but it doesn’t usually mean your phone is broken or that service is permanently gone. In most cases, it’s a temporary status tied to coverage, network access, or location.

Understanding what “SOS Only” actually means can take the panic out of the moment. Once you know what’s happening behind the scenes, it becomes much easier to decide whether to wait it out or take action.

NASA’s Supercomputer Just Revealed How Long Earth Can Still Support Life

January 15, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

Models suggest a tipping point where oxygen-rich air may no longer be sustainable.

Using advanced climate and atmospheric models on NASA’s supercomputing systems, scientists have estimated when Earth will no longer be able to support most forms of life.

Their simulations suggest that in roughly one billion years, rising solar radiation will cause oxygen levels to collapse as photosynthetic organisms die off.

Without oxygen, complex life—including animals and humans—would disappear, leaving only microbial life. While that timeline is distant, researchers say it reveals how fragile Earth’s long-term habitability truly is.

Why a Colored Puddle Under Your Car Should Never Be Ignored

January 14, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

What different fluid colors can reveal about hidden car problems before they get worse.

A puddle under your car is easy to dismiss, especially if the vehicle seems to run fine. Condensation from air conditioning systems is common, and rainwater can collect overnight without meaning anything at all.

But when that puddle has color, it’s often a warning sign. Different fluids play very specific roles in keeping a car running safely, and leaks rarely fix themselves.

Understanding what you’re seeing can help you decide when it’s safe to drive, when to schedule a repair, and when to stop using the car altogether.

These 11 Things We Take for Granted May Not Last 5 More Years

January 13, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

Why the routines and systems we rely on every day may be far more fragile than they seem.

Life feels stable because change often happens quietly. Technologies improve in the background, systems adapt without notice, and familiar routines continue, until suddenly they don’t. What once seemed permanent can shift faster than most people expect.

Experts across technology, economics, and urban planning warn that many everyday features of modern life are approaching major transitions. These shifts aren’t always dramatic, but they can reshape habits, access, and expectations in subtle yet lasting ways.

Understanding what may soon change helps explain why the future can feel unsettling even when nothing seems wrong today.

Why Saving for Retirement May Not Matter in 20 Years, According to Elon Musk

January 13, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

How AI, automation, and abundance could upend everything people have planned for retirement.

Retirement planning used to be simple: save, invest, then slow down. But Elon Musk says that within 10 to 20 years, saving for retirement could feel pointless because AI, robots, and cheap energy may create abundance.

On the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis, Musk imagined “universal high income,” where healthcare, education, and goods become widely accessible. It sounds comforting, but it also raises a harder question: what happens in the messy years in between?

This gallery looks at what Musk claims, what other tech leaders and economists debate, and what it could mean for people over 40 making real decisions right now.

How Scientists Think Mars Could Be Made Fit for Humans

January 13, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

What researchers think would need to change before humans could live there.

Mars is the most explored planet in our solar system after Earth, yet it remains one of the most hostile places humans could try to live.

Its air is incredibly thin, temperatures plunge far below freezing, and the surface is exposed to intense radiation because the planet lost its protective magnetic field long ago. Terraforming Mars, meaning altering its environment to make it more Earth-like, has moved from pure science fiction into serious scientific discussion.

Researchers now debate whether warming the planet, thickening its atmosphere, or changing its chemistry could one day make human life possible. Even the most optimistic scientists agree this would not be quick or easy.

If You Notice An Orange Dot on Your Phone, Here’s What It Means

January 12, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

It appears quietly, but it’s meant to reveal something happening behind the scenes.

Phones are full of tiny signals we rarely question. Colors, icons, and brief flashes appear and vanish so quickly that they blend into the background of everyday use. Most are easy to ignore because they never seem important.

The orange dot is different. It wasn’t added for decoration or convenience, but to quietly expose something users rarely see. It shows up without explanation, which is why many people notice it only after months or years.

Once you understand what that dot represents, it changes how you experience your phone. It turns a passive screen into a subtle transparency tool, revealing activity that normally stays hidden unless you go looking for it.

Humans May Have 33 Senses Not Just Five, Say Scientists

January 9, 2026 by Barrie Davenport

Researchers say the nervous system tracks dozens of signals beyond the five classic senses.

For most of us, school taught the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. But modern research suggests that’s only part of the story. Psychologists and neuroscientists now argue humans can have many more sensory systems—possibly up to about 33 distinct senses

Beyond the classic five, scientists point to senses like proprioception (awareness of body position), interoception (perception of internal body states such as hunger or heart rate), and balance via the vestibular system.

These discoveries don’t rewrite biology textbooks overnight, but they expand how we understand perception, showing that the way we experience the world and our own bodies is far more complex and integrated than the traditional model suggests.