The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week - podcast cover

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Popular Sciencewww.popsci.com
At Popular Science, we report and write dozens of science and tech stories every week. And while a lot of the fun facts we stumble across make it into our articles, there are lots of other weird facts that we just keep around the office. So we figured, why not share those with you? Welcome to The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week. For advertising opportunities please email PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com   We wanna make the podcast even better, help us learn how we can: https://bit.ly/2EcYbu4  Privacy Policy: https://www.studio71.com/us/terms-and-conditions-use/#Privacy%20Policy
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Episodes

Olympic Weirdness: Barefoot Marathons, Medals for Artwork, Pistol Dueling

The weirdest things we learned this week range from gold medals for art to underwater hockey. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFe...

Jun 23, 202158 minSeason 4Ep. 16

Parachuting Cats, Butt-Breathing, Secret Uses for Viagra

The weirdest things we learned this week range from flying cats to breathing through your butt. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/Rachel...

Jun 09, 202143 minSeason 4Ep. 15

Science Meets Magic, High-Tech Murders, Bees?!

Writer and game designer Jonathan Sims joins the show! The weirdest things we learned this week range from bees telling time to death by apple core. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our te...

May 26, 202159 minSeason 4Ep. 14

Art Crime Doesn't Pay, Canines Cooking Meat, Eggs Gone Wrong

Comedian and writer Josh Gondelman joins the show! The weirdest things we learned this week range from dogs cooking in kitchens to chickens laying eggs inside of themselves. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us A...

May 12, 202155 minSeason 4Ep. 13

Radioactive Horses, Sipping on Pee, Sleeping With One Eye Open

The weirdest things we learned this week range from vertically sleeping whales to fake motion sickness cures. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twit...

Apr 28, 202154 minSeason 4Ep. 14

A Quick Weirdest Thing Update!

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsM...

Apr 20, 20212 min

Q&A: Cubed Poops, Forked Penises, Murderous Squirrels

Producer Jess Boddy joins Rachel for a listener voicemail Q&A episode! The weirdest things we learned this week range from wombat poop to possum penises. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltma...

Apr 14, 202148 minSeason 4Ep. 13

Radioactive Bananas, Self-Decapitating Sea Slugs, Maine's Jumping Frenchmen

Theoretical physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein joins the show! The weirdest things we learned this week range from non-trinary particles to kleptoplasty. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! Click h...

Mar 31, 202147 minSeason 4Ep. 12

Get a Good Brainwash, Museum Tragedies, Scary Smart Cuttlefish

The weirdest things we learned this week range from literal brainwashing to the marshmallow test. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our team on Twitter! Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/Rach...

Mar 17, 202149 minSeason 4Ep. 11

Ask Us Anything: Can you boost your immune system?

Check out the first episode of Ask Us Anything, a brand new podcast from the editors of Popular Science! Claire and Jess dive into whether you can boost your immune system, giving it ninja-like capabilities to vanquish any infectious critter that crosses its path. Click here to subscribe to Ask Us Anything's feed! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-us-anything-by-popular-science/id1556759897 Ask Us Anything is a bite-sized show that answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions—fro...

Mar 16, 202113 min

Astrology’s Hidden Sign, Ancient Brunch, The Uncanny Valley

The weirdest things we learned this week range from eating poison oak to creepy animated babies. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Kiley Watson: www.twitter.com/SaraKileyWatson Pur...

Mar 03, 202148 minSeason 4Ep. 10

The Truth About Soy Boys, the Sexiest Number, the Potato King

The weirdest things we learned this week range from soy boy panic to a magic number found in peregrine falcon dives and Robert Pattinson's face. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara C...

Feb 17, 202150 minSeason 4Ep. 9

Immortal Jellyfish, Cocaine Hippos, Potato Chip Controversy

This episode celebrates our latest print issue hitting newsstands! The weirdest things we learned this week range from a jellyfish that can live forever to invasive cocaine hippos. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: ...

Dec 09, 202043 minSeason 4Ep. 8

Moon Allergies, Singing Statues, Secrets of Famous Movie Sounds

Dallas Taylor, sound designer and host of Twenty Thousand Hertz , joins the weirdos as a guest host. The weirdest things we learned this week range from statues that sing first thing in the morning to the animal sounds that make up Star Wars' tie-fighters and Jurassic Park's dinosaurs. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tw...

Nov 25, 202042 minSeason 4Ep. 7

Meat Rain, Medicinal Sword Swallowing, a Nuclear Kodak Moment

The weirdest things we learned this week range from meat raining down from the heavens to swallowing swords to help doctors look down esophaguses. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Clai...

Nov 11, 202044 minSeason 4Ep. 6

Dog Mayors, Zombie Presidents, Death By Voter Fraud

In this special episode, the weirdest things we learned this week range from Edgar Allen Poe's peculiar death to how salamanders influenced the term Gerrymander. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/Rac...

Oct 28, 202059 minSeason 4Ep. 5

Toxic Animal Boyfriends, Birding for Freedom, Egg Yolks Explained

The weirdest things we learned this week range from stage-five-clinger anglerfish to Harriet Tubman's birding expertise. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Chodosh: www.twitter.com/...

Oct 14, 202045 minSeason 4Ep. 4

Exploding Underwater Mountains, Boar Sex and Celery, Hidden History of Vaccination

Contributing editor Kat Eschner joins the weirdos as a guest host. The weirdest things we learned this week range from the surprising link between pig sex and celery to blowing up a mountain underwater. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Tw...

Sep 30, 202052 minSeason 4Ep. 3

Hot Dog Sports, Sexy Pseudoscience, Intestinal Power Walking

The weirdest things we learned this week range from a beetle that can waltz through frog intestines unscathed, to the a man who thought he could capture sexual energy in a cage. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www...

Sep 16, 202041 minSeason 4Ep. 2

Catch our live show TONIGHT!

Tonight, September 15th, we'll be doing an exclusive live-streamed show. It'll be all of the fun of a classic Weirdest Thing Live show—your favorite hosts (calling in remotely), weird facts, drinks, jokes, atmosphere—but delivered straight to your living room! Click here to grab tickets that give you access to the show link—there are even higher priced tiers that include merch discounts, handwritten postcards, and a live zoom happy hour with the Weirdest Thing crew. See you soon! Find tickets he...

Sep 15, 20202 min

Your Car is Full of Spiders, the Cloud Whisperer, She Who Invented N95 Masks and Bugles

Welcome to Season 4! For this first episode, Kendra Pierre-Louis, former Popsci editor and current reporter for the Gimlet podcast How To Save a Planet , joins the weirdos as a guest host. The weirdest things we learned this week range from thousands of cars being recalled due to spider infestations, to the story of a woman who invented N95 masks from bras. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. ...

Sep 02, 202043 minSeason 4Ep. 1

We're Back! Season 4 & Live Show Updates

Hey weirdos! We have two very exciting pieces of news for you. First, Weirdest Thing is returning every other Wednesday starting September 2nd! Second, on Tuesday, September 15th, we'll be doing an exclusive live-streamed show. It'll be all of the fun of a classic Weirdest Thing Live show—your favorite hosts (calling in remotely), weird facts, drinks, jokes, atmosphere—but delivered straight to your living room! Click here to grab tickets that give you access to the show link—there are even high...

Aug 31, 20204 min

Boning Baseball Bats, Rolling Cheese, Playing With Wallpaper Cleaner

It's the Season 3 Finale! The weirdest things we learned this week range from breaking bones chasing cheese down a cliff and rubbing baseball bats with cow femurs. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/R...

May 20, 202051 minSeason 3Ep. 24

Evasive Genital Maneuvers, A Nazi Carrot Hoax, Eternal Daytime

Rose Eveleth, host of the hit podcast Flash Forward, joins the weirdos as a guest host! The weirdest things we learned this week range from a Russian experiment that tried to make daytime last forever to moths jamming bat radar with their genitals. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more a...

May 06, 202043 minSeason 3Ep. 23

Sailing Boulders, Mom-Eating Worms, the Most Humongous Fungus

Happy Earth Day! We're celebrating with facts about worms that eat their moms' skin, the fungus bigger than a blue whale, and rocks that sail across deserts all by themselves. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.t...

Apr 22, 202048 minSeason 3Ep. 22

Bonus: Sprained Teeth, Pina Coladas, Flying Snakes

Surprise! It's Rachel and Jess, and we're popping in your feeds with a bonus episode. Join us as we listen to some voice messages submitted by you guys, and delve into facts about tooth ligaments, giant iguanas, sexy orangutans, and more. We'll be back on Wednesday, April 22nd with a regular (Earth Day-themed!) episode. Thanks for listening, weirdos! The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or twee...

Apr 16, 202048 min

Getting Green Blood, Animal Crossing's Rarest Fish, Bird-Like Plague Masks

This week, we've got the first half of our remote live show! The weirdest things we learned this week range from Animal Crossing's most fascinating fish to a man with forest green blood. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Fel...

Apr 08, 202040 minSeason 3Ep. 21

Join us for a special livestream on March 30

Hey weirdos! On Monday, March 30th, we'll be doing two livestreamed episodes in partnership with Caveat, our favorite New York City venue. It'll be all of the fun of a classic Weirdest Thing Live show—your favorite hosts (calling in remotely), weird facts, drinks, jokes, atmosphere—but delivered straight to your living room. Make sure to follow us on Twitter @Weirdest_Thing to get the live link on Monday. And until then, you can subscribe to PopSci and Caveat on YouTube, where the live show will...

Mar 27, 20204 min

Terrifying Tumbleweeds, Coffee Poops, Three Peters Who Changed Childbirth

The weirdest things we learned this week range from tumbleweeds that terrorize entire towns to a tantalizing obstetrical secret. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us ! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Sara Chodosh: www.twit...

Mar 25, 202045 minSeason 3Ep. 20

A Weirdest Thing Update

Hey weirdos! We just wanted to drop in and update you all on what's happening with our show during the pandemic. Since we're all working remotely to help flatten the curve in New York City, it would be a huge help if you submitted voice messages via the Anchor app or website . You can also send us weird facts, questions, or friendly messages through Twitter , Instagram , or Facebook . With your help, we'll be able to whip up some super fun voice message episodes, or maybe something in an entirel...

Mar 23, 20203 min
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