Popular Science

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Science EN ↓ 231 episodes

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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Popular Science

Episodes

The Sweetest Butts, Flaming Birds, The U.S. vs. 40 Barrels and 20 Kegs of Coca-Cola 23.01.2019 33:27

The weirdest things we learned this week range from the sweetest smelling butts to birds that were used as candles. 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 on social media: www.facebook.com/groups/theweirdestthing www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdest...

The Deadliest Surgery Ever, Severed Foot Epidemic, Toe-Touching Athletes 16.01.2019 34:32

On season 2 premiere of Weirdest Thing, the weirdest things we learned this week range from dozens of severed feet that wash up in the Pacific Northwest to an operation on one person that killed three people. 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 on so...

Torturous Treadmills, Champagne and Balls, History's Calendars 25.12.2018 33:04

On the this special New Year's episode, the weirdest things we learned this week range from the origins of treadmills (your New Year's resolution) to the origin of the sparkling wine and the New Year's ball to the origin of the modern calendars. 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 wei...

The Weirdest Things We Learned in Season 1 05.12.2018 35:08

We learned a lot of weird facts in season 1 of this show. Rachel and long-suffering producer Jason reflect on the first 25 episodes of The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week and go through the data to figure out the weirdest things we learned, what types of stories win most often, and who taught us the most weird things. Plus, we answer your questions from social media! The Weirdest Thing I Learne...

Halloween Spooktacular 2018 (Season 1 Finale) 31.10.2018 41:20

On the season 1 finale of "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week," four of our original hosts jump behind the mic to share their spookiest facts, in honor of Halloween. The weirdest things we learned this week range from fetuses that turn to stone to a newt that sticks its ribs through its body to defend itself from predators. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? Th...

Glowing Civil War Wounds, Bubble Wrap's Origins, Historic Font Disputes 24.10.2018 29:39

The weirdest things we learned this week range from the origins of bubble wrap to Civil War soldiers whose wounds glowed in the dark. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdestthingpod Follow our team on...

Taxidermy's Dark Secret, Woman "Births" Rabbits, The Parthenon's Optical Illusion 17.10.2018 34:41

The weirdest things we learned this week range from a piece of taxidermy with a dark secret to a woman who claimed to give birth to rabbits. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdestthingpod Follow our t...

Vanishing Twins, The Poison Squad, Levitating Frogs 10.10.2018 40:36

The weirdest things we learned this week range from levitating a frog with electromagnets to the idea that absorbing a twin in utero gives you superpowers. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdestthingp...

The Economy of "Frozen," Hopping Space Robots, Animals on Drugs 03.10.2018 40:54

The weirdest things we learned this week range from the science and economics of the kingdom in the movie "Frozen" to the most (and least) wholesome scientific studies of animals on drugs. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.c...

Illegal Cheese, The Worst Dairy Disaster, Holes in People (and Cows) 26.09.2018 34:35

The weirdest things we learned this week range from the world's worst dairy-related disaster to a Sardinian cheese that is illegal to sell. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdestthingpod Follow our te...

Two Facts and a Lie with PopSci Editor-in-Chief Joe Brown 19.09.2018 6:53

The weirdest things we learned this week are weird things we've already learned! In this mini-episode, Popular Science editor-in-chief Joe Brown plays "Two Truths and a Lie" about past editions of Weirdest Thing. Play along with him and see how many you can get right! The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us on Twitter: w...

Sucked into a Bottle, the Ultimate Exercise Hack, the Statue of Liberty’s Big Secret 12.09.2018 39:48

The weirdest things we learned this week range from turning the Statue of Liberty into a battery to a man whose penis was sucked into a bottle with an explosion. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? Buy tickets to our live show in NYC! www.popsci.com/wtlive The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories w...

Fatal Insomnia, Astounding Poops, NYPD Bees 05.09.2018 40:15

The weirdest things we learned this week range from a plan to bring George Washington back from the dead to a solar storm that powered telegraphs with no batteries. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? Buy tickets to our live show in NYC! www.popsci.com/wtlive The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and storie...

The Beauty of Corpses, Zombie George Washington, Solar-Powered Telegraphs 29.08.2018 41:24

The weirdest things we learned this week range from a plan to bring George Washington back from the dead to a solar storm that powered telegraphs with no batteries. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? Buy tickets to our live show in NYC! http://www.popsci.com/wtlive The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and...

Organ Meats, Fitness and Sweating, The World's Largest Dog Ban 22.08.2018 41:26

The weirdest things we learned this week range from what organs you can and can't eat to the world's largest dog ban. Whose story will be voted "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week"? Come to our live show in NYC on Sept. 14! https://www.facebook.com/events/205753813627165/ The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us on Tw...

Laughing Gas Parties, Human Femur Flutes, Domesticating Zebras 15.08.2018 40:54

The weirdest things we learned this week range from flutes made from human femurs to trying to tame zebras. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdestthingpod Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: ww...

Skin-Peeling Soup, Chlorinating the Ocean, Secret Drug Toilets 08.08.2018 38:38

The weirdest things we learned this week range from a soup that makes your skin peel off to secret drug-finding toilets in airports. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdestthingpod Follow our team on T...

Detachable Sex Organs, Human Skin Artwork, 17th Century Thought Experiment Solved 01.08.2018 41:12

The weirdest things we learned this week range from animals that detach their sex organs during or after sex to artwork you can hang in your home on a human skin canvas. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #...

Bears in Ejector Seats, Nobel Prize for Giving Patients Malaria, The Secret Origins of Beer Yeast 25.07.2018 41:20

The weirdest things we learned this week range from the Air Force testing ejector seats with black bears to a doctor winning the Nobel Prize for infecting his patients with syphilis. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/wei...

Le Pétomane (The Fartiste), Tesla Loved a Pigeon, Meat Lozenges 18.07.2018 41:06

The weirdest things we learned this week range from a flatulist who became the highest-paid performer in France to meat lozenges. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdestthingpod Follow our team on Twit...

Poisonous Wallpaper, Cruise Ship Poop, The Best Ultramarathon Runners 11.07.2018 41:19

The weirdest things we learned this week range from poisonous wallpaper that people voluntarily put in their homes to an exploration of what happens to poop on a cruise ship. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_th...

Sex Magick, The Oldest Mac and Cheese, Contagious Writer's Block 27.06.2018 40:35

The weirdest things we learned this week range from a NASA engineer who believed in sex magick to the world's oldest recipe for macaroni and cheese. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weirdestthingpod Foll...

Corpses Doing Yoga, The Loneliest Island, Biblical Quail Rhabdo 20.06.2018 40:35

The weirdest things we learned this week range from rhabdo, a potentially fatal medical condition first mentioned in the bible, to the most remote inhabited island on Earth. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thi...

Ketchup Consistency Standards, Implanting Memories, People Inside of Sperm 13.06.2018 41:12

The weirdest things we learned this week range from the standards and grading of ketchup to the idea that people were fully-formed inside of sperm before being born. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest_thing #weir...

The First Underwater Video, Ballooning Over the North Pole, The Call of the Void 06.06.2018 41:29

The weirdest things we learned this week range from finding lost footage of the first-ever underwater video to a daring attempt to fly over the North Pole in a hydrogen balloon. 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 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weirdest...