Mary Roach—author of incredible books like Gulp, Bonk, Spook, and most recently, Fuzz—joins the show 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!
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Aug 13
Medical Butt Chugging, Ancient Ice Cream Pyramids, "The Thing" but Midwestern
Mary Roach RETURNS to Weirdest Thing to share her new book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy! From this phenomenal new read, she discusses a section on breathing through your butt, a thing not only turtles can do, but also apparently humans. Plus, Rachel talks about t ... Show More
56m 1s
Jul 30
Bette Midler and the Salamander, How Marathon Swimmers Pee, D+D is Good for Your Brain
The wonderful Ryan Mandelbaum is BACK to discuss their latest animalian interest: salamanders in New York City! Laura also explains how peeing while swimming a marathon is shockingly complicated, and Rachel gets into why Dungeons and Dragons is therapeutic for your noggin. Go che ... Show More
1h 5m
Jul 16
The Bone Collector, Threads of God, Cloacal Chamber
Scientific illustrator and Twitch streamer Liz Clayton Fuller (ipaintbirbs) joins the show once more to talk all things cloaca -- and why some birds lack them. Plus, Jess hops behind the mic to talk about the world's rarest pasta, and Rachel dives into carnivorous caterpillars th ... Show More
49m 46s
Feb 2025
Pourquoi parle-t-on de "pomme d'Adam" ? 🍎
La pomme d’Adam, appelée en langage médical la "proéminence laryngée", est une bosse située en haut de la gorge... Et aussi bien chez les femmes que chez les hommes, même si elle est bien plus visible chez ces derniers. Dans cet épisode, découvrez à quoi sert cette "pomme d'Adam" ... Show More
4m 1s