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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Produced by Jes ... Show More
Today
Beaver Skull Obsession, Aussie Widowmakers, Koalas Eating $#!%
WELCOME TO SEASON 10! Jess hosts the show solo while Rachel is on maternity leave, but brings on a pair of her creator friends to chat about how beavers keep wildfires at bay, koalas eating their moms' poop (kind of), and exploding Australian trees. Follow rickypeacock: https://w ... Show More
1h 9m
Dec 17
Bat-Devouring Rodents, Penguin Retirement Home, Chicago "Rat" Hole
Kendra Pierre-Louis joins Weirdest Thing for the season 9 finale! She talks about the rats chowing down on bats, producer Jess Boddy explains the scientific study on Chicago's rat hole, and Rachel talks about the wonderfully heartwarming penguin retirement home at the New England ... Show More
58m 22s
Dec 3
Vintage Antivaxxers, Horror Flick Psychology, Robin-Eating Bats
Coltan Scrivner joins the show to talk about the strange empathy of horror movie enjoyers. Plus, Sara Kiley talks about bats dogfighting and devouring birds, and Rachel delves into the bizarre history of the first anti-vax movement. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a pod ... Show More
56m 31s
Aug 2024
HISTORY This Week is coming back!
After a long, long wait, we are very happy to be bringing HISTORY This Week back to our listeners around the world. New episodes start releasing on September 16th, but in the meantime, we’ll be airing some favorite HTW classics in our feed. If you haven’t already, make sure to fo ... Show More
1m 8s
Sep 2024
Coming Up On Science Vs [VIDEO]
We will be BACK with brand-new episodes in just one week! Join us for pun-packed science romps on microplastics, social media, climate tipping points, narcissism, fiber, lucid dreaming — and a ton more. Fact you Sept. 12! Video production by Bobby Lord. Mix and sound design by Bo ... Show More
3m 1s
May 2023
What if I've had the wrong enneagram type for years? | Q&A Episode
Today I am answering a question texted into the podcast phone line about mistyping yourself. As a reminder, you can get your enneagram, self-care, creativity and time management questions answered at 828-338-9127. -- Thank you to this week’s podcast sponsor: BETTERHELP: Our liste ... Show More
18m 31s
Sep 2025
Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang
From viral slang such as “skibidi” to the rise of so-called brain rot, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, aka the “Etymology Nerd,” and associate editor Allison Parshall, who covers the mind and brain, unpack how social media and algorithms are reshaping the way we commun ... Show More
26m 55s
