The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

By Popular Science

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Subscribers: 2894
Reviews: 7
Episodes: 191


 Nov 16, 2023

Keaton Shoults
 Oct 23, 2020
super informative and entertaining! the long back log is great to get thru my work day


 Mar 6, 2020


 Jul 6, 2019


 Mar 27, 2019

Description

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

Episode Date
Elephant Pranks, Ghost Armies, Would You Still Love Me If I Was A Silkworm
Dec 04, 2024
Casting Smell Spells, the Quantum Slap, the Boniest Jigsaw Puzzle
Nov 20, 2024
Introducing What It's Like To Be with Dan Heath
Nov 19, 2024
Cheesy Mummies, Ant Farmers, When Superstitions Actually Help
Nov 06, 2024
Old Bay's Secret History, Midwestern Hells, Mad Gasser of Mattoon
Oct 23, 2024
Why Hammerheads are "Like That," Cartoon Crush Psychology, Entering the Vulture Dimension
Oct 09, 2024
Secrets in a Silk Dress, Mice Afraid of Men, Crawfish Clone Overlords
Sep 25, 2024
Literal Treasure You Can Hunt For Right Now, A Nuanced Blue, Manhattants
Sep 11, 2024
The Forbidden Experiment, Too Annoying To Die, Bonny Clabber
Aug 28, 2024
Dropout TV's Lily and Grant talk Presidential Possums, Napoleon's Penis, and Split-Level Toilets
Aug 14, 2024
Surgery For Ants, Hot Sharks, Too Many Galaxies
Jul 31, 2024
Olympic Tug-o-War, Leaping Leeches, Card-Carrying Women
Jul 17, 2024
Pointy-Headed Vikings, Apocalypse Popularity, Perfect Prism Poops
Jul 03, 2024
Reptilian Theater Kids, Gay Giraffes, Impatient Birds
Jun 19, 2024
Robotic Roller Derby, Orangutan Skincare Routines, That Good Pet Stink
Jun 05, 2024
Hyrax Heaven, Underwater Bees, Carbonated Oceans
May 22, 2024
Screaming Frogs, "Talking" Mushrooms, Nonbinary Birds
May 08, 2024
Traveling Barber Uprising, Rats Taking Selfies, Honeyguide Helpers
Apr 24, 2024
Lotion Spider Brouhaha, ADHD Superpowers, Earth's Evil Twin
Apr 10, 2024
Freaky Eclipse Rituals, Cosmic Serendipity, Solar Mysteries
Mar 27, 2024
Stargazing Poop Bugs, Ancient Beer Ladies, Secret Internet Slang
Mar 13, 2024
Bird Milk, Space Lube, Hermit Crab Housing Crisis
Feb 28, 2024
Government Cheese, Mitochondria NOT Powerhousing, Dawn of the Cockroach
Feb 14, 2024
Nature's Weirdest Sleepers, Iron Maiden Myths, Parking Psychology
Jan 28, 2024
LIVE SHOW: Trees are Fake, Fortune-Telling Cheese, Sunscreen Secrets, Magical Misogyny
Dec 20, 2023
Eating The Rich, Menopausal Chimps, Darwin's Taxidermy Teacher
Dec 06, 2023
The Truth About Quicksand, Release the Tea Kraken, Learning Without Brains
Nov 22, 2023
Taxidermy Robots, Talking to Dolphins (and Aliens), Methuselah the Fish
Nov 08, 2023
American Hippo Ranchers, Peacock Vasectomies, Leave Einstein Alone
Oct 25, 2023
Ancient Tweezers, Modern Leprosy, Space Rock Recycling
Oct 11, 2023
Defensive Puking, Self-Cooling Curls, Zambia's Teen Astronauts
Sep 27, 2023
How to Survive an Apocalypse, Teeth with Secrets, Birds Who BBQ
Sep 13, 2023
Our Swolest Ancestor, Climate Fungi-pocalypse, Terrifying Bananas
Aug 30, 2023
Catch Weirdest Thing Live TOMORROW!
Aug 23, 2023
Bird Chess, Monkey Selfies, Crocodile Dung Birth Control
Aug 16, 2023
The First Constellations, Surprisingly Spicy History, Kids Find the Darndest Fossils
Aug 02, 2023
Butts: A Backstory, Parrot Social Media, Why We Eat Chickens
Jul 19, 2023
Weirdest Thing LIVE! on August 24th
Jul 13, 2023
George Washington: Swamp Ghost Hunter, Cockroach Chocolate, Science Scams
Jul 05, 2023
The Sleepiest Epidemic, Really Deep Holes, Goddess of Dirty Dishes
Jun 21, 2023
Ancient Enemies to Lovers, Landscape of Fear, Hoax of the Century
Jun 07, 2023
A Horse in the Toilet?!, Creepy Clowns, Superpowered Bug Pee
May 24, 2023
Worm Time in Whale City, Neanderthal Funk, Old-Timey Sauna Science
May 10, 2023
Science of Elden Ring, Walmart Entomology, Architectural %&@*-Measuring Contest
Apr 26, 2023
Eating Bog Butter, Disappearing Eels, Urinal Splashback Science
Apr 12, 2023
Brain Death Cocktails, Fur Seal Crimes, Fish Driving Cars
Mar 29, 2023
Lubed Up Chocolate, Ovaries Before Brovaries, Birds on the Moon
Mar 15, 2023
Deprogramming the Patriarchy, Metric Pirates, Earwax Types
Mar 01, 2023
'Silly Walk' Science, Trombone-Head Dinosaurs, Museum Secrets Revealed
Feb 15, 2023
Head Transplants, Criminal Koalas, Sneezing Sponges
Feb 01, 2023
A Weirdest Thing end-of-year update!
Dec 26, 2022
Flying Toad Butts, High-Speed Uteruses, Lemurs Picking Noses
Dec 14, 2022
Sex Rafts, Garbage Birds, Girded Loins, Security Geese
Nov 30, 2022
Evil Forrest Gump, Poopsmiths, Penis Legs
Nov 16, 2022
Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock and Fantastic Fungi’s Paul Stamets on Mushrooms & Mycelium
Nov 09, 2022
Introducing Inside Voice, A New Audiobook from Lake Bell
Nov 03, 2022
Birds Aren't Real, Everest Poopsicles, Actual Flying Cars
Nov 02, 2022
Vampire Epidemics, Parasitic Mind Control, Sasquatch Science
Oct 19, 2022
Knives for Hands, Gay Bombs, Bee-on-Bee Crime
Oct 05, 2022
Self-Destructing Octomoms, Exoplanet Adventures, Why Rats Don't Vom
Sep 21, 2022
Lice-Feeding Nazi Fighters, Bisexual Birds, EZ Pass Origins
Sep 07, 2022
An Innovative Erection, Secret Oyster Rules, Nuking Hurricanes
Aug 24, 2022
Human Echolocation, Extreme Pogo Sticking, Elephants Evading Poachers
Aug 10, 2022
Season 6 is coming SOON!
Jul 27, 2022
150 Years of Moon Crabs, Blowing Things Up, and Asbestos Obsession
May 18, 2022
A special announcement from Weirdest Thing!
May 09, 2022
Why Pain Hurts So Good, Growing Mutant Gardens, Emo Teen Puppies
Mar 09, 2022
A Delicious Chocolate Debacle, IBS In Orbit, the Tuffy Saga
Feb 23, 2022
Human Refrigerators, Poop Knives, Whacky Tongues
Feb 09, 2022
A Mid-Season Update
Feb 02, 2022
Teeny Frogs With Tarantula Bodyguards, the Science of Hair Magic, an Everlasting Lightbulb
Jan 19, 2022
Snake Island, Controversial Chimps, Brussels Sprout Vindication
Jan 05, 2022
Superheated Falcon Poo, Banana Babies, Gross (But Delicious) Bug Goop
Dec 22, 2021
Judging Meat, Vampire Fish Invasion, the Rise of White Castle
Dec 08, 2021
Mary Roach talks Moose Crash Test Dummies, Famous Ferrets, and Deadly Planets
Nov 24, 2021
Ancient Brain Surgeons, the Crows Have Eyes, Why Radiators are so Annoying
Nov 10, 2021
Haunted Vaginas, Fairy Floss, Books Made of Human Skin
Oct 27, 2021
Chimps Raised Like Humans, Blood Swapping, Polio & Candyland
Sep 21, 2021
Spooky Rivers, Eyes Wide Shut, Pet Crocodiles
Sep 15, 2021
Ask Us Anything: Can you cure a hangover?
Sep 08, 2021
A very weird live event is in the works...
Aug 24, 2021
Skyscraper Death Ray, History of Hot Tubs, Our Sun's Death
Jul 14, 2021
Q&A: Punkin Chunkin, Mysterious Shipwrecks, Midwestern Scorpions
Jul 07, 2021
Olympic Weirdness: Barefoot Marathons, Medals for Artwork, Pistol Dueling
Jun 23, 2021
Parachuting Cats, Butt-Breathing, Secret Uses for Viagra
Jun 09, 2021
Science Meets Magic, High-Tech Murders, Bees?!
May 26, 2021
Art Crime Doesn't Pay, Canines Cooking Meat, Eggs Gone Wrong
May 12, 2021
Radioactive Horses, Sipping on Pee, Sleeping With One Eye Open
Apr 28, 2021
A Quick Weirdest Thing Update!
Apr 20, 2021
Q&A: Cubed Poops, Forked Penises, Murderous Squirrels
Apr 14, 2021
Radioactive Bananas, Self-Decapitating Sea Slugs, Maine's Jumping Frenchmen
Mar 31, 2021
Get a Good Brainwash, Museum Tragedies, Scary Smart Cuttlefish
Mar 17, 2021
Ask Us Anything: Can you boost your immune system?
Mar 16, 2021
Astrology’s Hidden Sign, Ancient Brunch, The Uncanny Valley
Mar 03, 2021
The Truth About Soy Boys, the Sexiest Number, the Potato King
Feb 17, 2021
Immortal Jellyfish, Cocaine Hippos, Potato Chip Controversy
Dec 09, 2020
Moon Allergies, Singing Statues, Secrets of Famous Movie Sounds
Nov 25, 2020
Meat Rain, Medicinal Sword Swallowing, a Nuclear Kodak Moment
Nov 11, 2020
Dog Mayors, Zombie Presidents, Death By Voter Fraud
Oct 28, 2020
Toxic Animal Boyfriends, Birding for Freedom, Egg Yolks Explained
Oct 14, 2020
Exploding Underwater Mountains, Boar Sex and Celery, Hidden History of Vaccination
Sep 30, 2020
Hot Dog Sports, Sexy Pseudoscience, Intestinal Power Walking
Sep 16, 2020
Catch our live show TONIGHT!
Sep 15, 2020
Your Car is Full of Spiders, the Cloud Whisperer, She Who Invented N95 Masks and Bugles
Sep 02, 2020
We're Back! Season 4 & Live Show Updates
Aug 31, 2020
Boning Baseball Bats, Rolling Cheese, Playing With Wallpaper Cleaner
May 20, 2020
Evasive Genital Maneuvers, A Nazi Carrot Hoax, Eternal Daytime
May 06, 2020
Sailing Boulders, Mom-Eating Worms, the Most Humongous Fungus
Apr 22, 2020
Bonus: Sprained Teeth, Pina Coladas, Flying Snakes
Apr 16, 2020
Getting Green Blood, Animal Crossing's Rarest Fish, Bird-Like Plague Masks
Apr 08, 2020
Join us for a special livestream on March 30
Mar 27, 2020
Terrifying Tumbleweeds, Coffee Poops, Three Peters Who Changed Childbirth
Mar 25, 2020
A Weirdest Thing Update
Mar 23, 2020
Chicken Hypnotism, The One and Only Ferris Wheel, Interspecies BFFs
Mar 11, 2020
Syphilis But Make It Fashion, Cilantro Haters, Quarantine: From Typhoid to Coronavirus
Feb 26, 2020
Serial Poopers, Elephants on LSD, Whiskey Business
Feb 12, 2020
Fletcherize Your Life, Wawa Origins, Who's Your Zaddy?
Jan 29, 2020
Chainsaws for Childbirth, A Poop-Weighing Hero, Pregnancy on Command
Jan 15, 2020
A Very Weird Christmas Special
Dec 25, 2019
The Science of ASMR (And People Who Hate It)
Dec 18, 2019
When Death Was Sexy, The Knuckle-Cracking King, The Pouch You Never Knew You Had
Dec 11, 2019
Tying Up Penises, Dimple-Making Machines, Exotic Poop For Sale
Dec 04, 2019
A Marathon Catastrophe, Dangerously Spooky Tunes, Confused Cannibals
Nov 27, 2019
Coffee or Death, Radioactive Slippers, Literally Blinding Beauty
Nov 20, 2019
Harry Styles’ Nipple Count, Frankenstein’s Mom-ster, Madame Tussaud’s Macabre Origins
Nov 13, 2019
A special Q&A with Rachel and Jess
Nov 06, 2019
Blood Gourds, Tiny Taffeta Frog Pants, Dying for Weather Data
Oct 30, 2019
Bisexual Situations, Limey Sailors With Scurvy, Origin of Morons
Oct 23, 2019
Death By Rainbow, Face Blindness, Watermelon Snow
Oct 16, 2019
Pooping Magic Rocks, How We Ruined Bison, Common Cold Lies
Oct 09, 2019
Debunking Hymen Myths, Moving Corpses, Birth Control to Please the Pope
Oct 02, 2019
10k Steps is a Lie, a Secret Poop Factory, Eleanor Roosevelt's Mysterious Death
Sep 25, 2019
Spiny Female Penises, Goth Girl Summer, Hardcore Flamingoes
Sep 13, 2019
Calling All Weirdos For A Very Important Announcement
Aug 21, 2019
Feminist Butter Art, The First Celebrity Athletes, The Secret Lives of Algae
Jul 31, 2019
The Hungriest Boy, Eyeglasses for Cannibal Chickens, Champion Guppy Gulpers
Jul 24, 2019
Victorian Sex Drugs, Milk in Your Veins, Radioactive Dishes
Jul 17, 2019
Nazis Eating $@#!, The First Pregnancy Test, Permanently Swollen Feet
Jul 10, 2019
Running Naked Through 24 Time Zones, Virgin Births, Corpse Compost
Jul 03, 2019
The Secret to Perfect Sleep, Naked Mole Rat Royalty, Baby Shark (do do do do do do) Puke
Jun 26, 2019
Magical Pee, a Feline Telephone, an Infuriating Math Problem
Jun 19, 2019
Labor-Inducing Salad, White Hair Overnight, Coyotes Vs. Cats
Jun 12, 2019
Wendy Zukerman talks werewolf tomatoes, overdosing on placebos, and snapping necks
Jun 05, 2019
Bill Nye talks killer clowns, mermaids, pigeon poo, and deadly bicycles
May 29, 2019
A very weird guest host is coming to Weirdest Thing!
May 24, 2019
Historical Sex Toys, Killer Trains, Charles Fricken Dickens
May 10, 2019
Here's your chance to be on Weirdest Thing!
May 02, 2019
Fetish Origins, the Big Oyster, the Most Luxurious Fruit
Apr 24, 2019
Animal Prostitution, Pavlovian Pee Responses, Painful Ginger Genes
Apr 17, 2019
Man-Eating Deer, History’s Top Counterfeiters, a 12-Foot-Tall Bird
Apr 10, 2019
Falcon Sex Hats, #HumanBones, Sleepy Muscle Twitches
Apr 03, 2019
Disney’s Military Tech, DIY Mummies, Forgotten Female Scientists
Mar 27, 2019
Asses on Trial, The Brown Dog Riots, An Apple a Day…
Mar 20, 2019
Poodle Science, The Great Pigeon Race Disaster, Artificial Hips
Mar 13, 2019
Astronaut Farts, Deadly Dancing Plagues, A Shocking Art Scam
Mar 06, 2019
Naked Founding Fathers, Jalapeño Thumb, Counting Vampires
Feb 27, 2019
The Most Man-Eating Tiger, Historical Balloon Riots, Baseball’s Curses
Feb 20, 2019
Sideshow Babies, Strange Sneezes, Rust for the Rust God
Feb 13, 2019
Biting Cow Lips, Death by Molasses, Shopping for a New Finger
Feb 06, 2019
Ladies Dueling Topless, Eating Every Animal, Birth via Pseudopenis
Jan 30, 2019
The Sweetest Butts, Flaming Birds, The U.S. vs. 40 Barrels and 20 Kegs of Coca-Cola
Jan 23, 2019
The Deadliest Surgery Ever, Severed Foot Epidemic, Toe-Touching Athletes
Jan 16, 2019
Torturous Treadmills, Champagne and Balls, History's Calendars
Dec 25, 2018
The Weirdest Things We Learned in Season 1
Dec 05, 2018
Halloween Spooktacular 2018 (Season 1 Finale)
Oct 31, 2018
Glowing Civil War Wounds, Bubble Wrap's Origins, Historic Font Disputes
Oct 24, 2018
Taxidermy's Dark Secret, Woman "Births" Rabbits, The Parthenon's Optical Illusion
Oct 17, 2018
Vanishing Twins, The Poison Squad, Levitating Frogs
Oct 10, 2018
The Economy of "Frozen," Hopping Space Robots, Animals on Drugs
Oct 03, 2018
Illegal Cheese, The Worst Dairy Disaster, Holes in People (and Cows)
Sep 26, 2018
Two Facts and a Lie with PopSci Editor-in-Chief Joe Brown
Sep 19, 2018
Sucked into a Bottle, the Ultimate Exercise Hack, the Statue of Liberty’s Big Secret
Sep 12, 2018
Fatal Insomnia, Astounding Poops, NYPD Bees
Sep 05, 2018
The Beauty of Corpses, Zombie George Washington, Solar-Powered Telegraphs
Aug 29, 2018
Organ Meats, Fitness and Sweating, The World's Largest Dog Ban
Aug 22, 2018
Laughing Gas Parties, Human Femur Flutes, Domesticating Zebras
Aug 15, 2018
Skin-Peeling Soup, Chlorinating the Ocean, Secret Drug Toilets
Aug 08, 2018
Detachable Sex Organs, Human Skin Artwork, 17th Century Thought Experiment Solved
Aug 01, 2018
Bears in Ejector Seats, Nobel Prize for Giving Patients Malaria, The Secret Origins of Beer Yeast
Jul 25, 2018
Le Pétomane (The Fartiste), Tesla Loved a Pigeon, Meat Lozenges
Jul 18, 2018
Poisonous Wallpaper, Cruise Ship Poop, The Best Ultramarathon Runners
Jul 11, 2018
Sex Magick, The Oldest Mac and Cheese, Contagious Writer's Block
Jun 27, 2018
Corpses Doing Yoga, The Loneliest Island, Biblical Quail Rhabdo
Jun 20, 2018
Ketchup Consistency Standards, Implanting Memories, People Inside of Sperm
Jun 13, 2018
The First Underwater Video, Ballooning Over the North Pole, The Call of the Void
Jun 06, 2018
Medical Cannibalism, Hildegard of Bingen, Predicting the Weather
May 30, 2018
The Best Dog, Carnivorous Mushrooms, Naming Groups of Animals
May 23, 2018
Smoke Enemas, Secret Acoustic Engineering, Volcano Traps Lighthouse
May 16, 2018
The First Celebrity Diet, Animals Adopting Animals, Believing You Are Dead
May 09, 2018
Giant Sloths, Caged Babies, Spicy Horse Butts
May 02, 2018
What is The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week?
Apr 27, 2018