“I AM HANS. And I am French. And we want to pump you up.
Yes, that’s a three-decade-old reference to one Saturday Night Live sketch. I process most things through a lens of pop culture, randomly expelling memories. Blame a kids’ entertainment diet of Saturday morning cartoons and rushing home to watch Alf with my brother on Sunday night. So when the Popular science editors started talking about a theme of “Muscle,” my mind shook a snapshot of Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon working out in gray tracksuits.
The skit encompassed an era of obsession with ripped muscles. A poster of Hans and Franz’s idol, Arnold Schwarzenegger, even hung in my elementary school gymnasium with the intimidating message, “I want YOU!” To commit to getting fit.” We’ve taken this narrow definition of what it means to be strong and made it into a whole culture.
For the summer 2023 issue of PopSci, we expanded the concept of muscle to explore what being powerful means beyond the comically bulging biceps of an 1980s fitness ideal. While we couldn’t find a falcon that can use the elliptical, Laura Baisas did investigate the raptors that attack pizza-stealing seagulls overwhelmed on Ocean City’s famous boardwalk. Ali Blumenthal guides us through the world of plant species predators by zooming in on the brutal beauty of carnivorous greenery. Christopher Payne traveled to rural Ohio for an inside look at the guts of the massive aircraft engines that power air travel. In Arizona, Erica Gies explores the “slow-water movement,” which uses proven native techniques to tame floods and fight droughts. Kenneth Rosen weaves the story of how Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine could have derailed a Mars rover mission if not for the determination of European Space Agency engineers.
Finally, we spend some time in the gym with Urmi Bhattacheryya as she navigates life with fibromyalgia. That all comes with Rachel Feltman’s breakdown of big booties and a special Ask Us Anything section on effective and safe exercise — from mixing the perfect pre-workout drink to curing your post-workout aches with pasta.
Muscle was a fitting theme for my first song as PopScieditor-in-chief. I witnessed the power of a newsroom dedicated to improving its storytelling skills with engaging readings. Now that I’m warmed up I know you’ll be ready for what’s to come, no need to break a sweat.
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