This week, Rachel explores Walmart for new insect species, Jess divulges the science behind Elden Ring's corpse wax, and John talks about New York City architects hiding spires in their buildings to one-up each other.
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 ... Show More
Jul 29
Boob Backwash, Nighttime Radio Secrets, 10 Toes Down on Tommy
Sarah Dern and Emma Gommetz join Rachel this week to talk a trio of extra weird things. We've got babies spitting backwash into the boob, radio's biggest op being literal "night", and a gender-bending squirrel beloved by military veterans named Tommy Tucker. The Weirdest Thing I ... Show More
55m 25s
Jul 15
The Greatest Con in Mushroom History, Secret Weapon: Normal Dogs, a Bee's Benis
Bee scientist Kit Prendergast joins the show to talk about... well... the birds and the bees. Plus, Rachel explains how portobello (portabella?) mushrooms are not exactly real. And Sara Kiley tells us how a spotted lanternfly's worst enemy could be a normal dog. The Weirdest Thin ... Show More
1h 17m
Jul 1
Fallout Shelter Fads, The Library of Cocaine, Mosquito Nepobaby
Ben Bradford, host of the podcast Are We Doomed?, joins the show to talk about when buying fallout shelter goods was all the rage. Plus, Laura tells us how she's related to mosquito royalty, and Rachel explains why the Library of Congress is holding onto Freud's "friend's" cocain ... Show More
1h 6m
Feb 2022
S5 Ep379: Cool Science Rundown & The “Well to Hell"
<div>Kathleen’s putting her New Scientist membership to good use and bringing back Cool News Rundown: Science Edition! Then, Bethany tells the story behind her all-time favorite urban legend, the “Well to Hell” and the “screams” that came out of it. Plus, a crazy scary story from ... Show More
1h 9m
Jul 2020
Are Cicadas The Only Ones Having a Hawt Gurl Summer? with Dr. Jessica Ware
On this week’s Getting Curious, Jonathan is taking the creepy out of crawly with entomologist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Jessica Ware. We’re talking periodical cicadas, cockroaches, dragonflies, and more. Dr. Ware is a curator of Odonata and non-Holometabolous insect orders a ... Show More
1h 3m
Apr 2024
Things We Don’t Understand (PART 2)
This week, the girls are back with their school caps on! They deep dive into some interesting topics they didn’t understand & explain it in ~valley girl~ terms. They talk about telescopes, how birds mate, dry cleaning, blimps, & more!Watch us on YouTube: WWS YouTube ChannelShop o ... Show More
1h 20m