logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
1h 2m

Pointy-Headed Vikings, Apocalypse Popula...

POPULAR SCIENCE
About this episode
Dr. Jessica Ware from the American Museum of Natural History joins the show to talk about the most perfectly shaped poo. Plus, Laura talks about being popular in the apocalypse, and Rachel explains why some Vikings and other folks had especially pointy heads. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts an ... Show More
Up next
Nov 19
Footless Goose Murder, Sex in Space, Viking Sicko Mode, Sports Bra Tech
Behold: our LIVE show from earlier this year at Caveat in NYC! Rachel, Jess, Moiya McTier and Claire Maldarelli each bring a weird fact to the stage. Topics run the gamut this week. We've got an avian murder mystery, why having sex in space sucks, how preworkout is kind of like b ... Show More
1h 18m
Nov 12
Check it out: 'Ask Us Anything' from Popular Science. On this episode, GOOSEBUMPS
Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions—from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. On this episode: Goosebumps are a valuable tool for many animals. They keep mammals with thick fur warm by trapping ... Show More
14m 50s
Nov 5
What Rats are REALLY Saying, Cosmic Caffeine, Lamarck was RIGHT?!
Tom Lum joins the show to reveal what rats are ACTUALLY saying to each other. Plus, Rachel talks about the color of the Universe, and Lauren explains one evolutionary exception. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and ... Show More
1h 4m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
159: Sadism, Sex Potions, & Deer Musk?? History’s Most Disturbing Aphrodisiacs
<div>Hi friends, happy Wednesday!<br> <br> Since ancient times, people have sought out aphrodisiacs—those mysterious foods, herbs, and even animal parts thought to ignite desire, spark passion, and awaken romance. <br> <br> But do these so-called love enhancers really work? Are t ... Show More
45m 47s
Sep 19
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
Aug 2024
Bonus: Fun Fact or Fake Factoid?! A Chemistry and Trivia Showdown
<p>In this bonus game edition of 'Chemistry For Your Life', host Melissa, co-host Jam, and guest Claire embark on an entertaining journey of debunking or verifying popular 'fun facts' submitted by their listeners. The game, titled 'Fun Fact or Fake Factoid', involves dissecting q ... Show More
28m 6s
Oct 3
The Thick of It: 20 Years On, with Armando Iannucci, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and Rebecca Front (Part One)
Malcolm Tucker. Pet ASBOs. A law requiring everyone in Britain to carry around a plastic bag. It’s been twenty years since Armando Iannucci‘s The Thick of It first brought the chaos and drama of the fictitious ‘Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship’ into our lives. First a ... Show More
37m 26s
Sep 10
Make Oversharing Your Superpower with Tefi Pessoa
What happens when two professional oversharers get together? Pure magic... and a little chaos. JVN is joined by the incomparable Tefi Pessoa — culture commentator, internet big sister, and now host of her brand-new podcast Tefi Talks. Come for the tea, stay for the wisdom, and le ... Show More
53m 2s
Sep 2
A fossil, a hat and a T-Rex
Catherine gets an invigorating lesson on the corner of Bedford Square, in London’s Bloomsbury.---Named 'Podcast of the Year' by Radio Times and picked as 'Best Podcasts of the Year 2023' by the Financial Times, Observer, Pod Bible and The Week. ---The conversations that follow ar ... Show More
9m 25s
Mar 2025
PRETTY CURIOUS | Oscars 2025, the Censure of Rep. Al Green, and the Decreasing Butterfly Population
Queens, we have so much to catch up on! This week on Pretty Curious, JVN and senior producer Chris are going all in on current events, the Oscars, and debriefing from last week’s Getting Curious on being your authentic self at work - MUCH vulnerability. Buckle up, babes—this epis ... Show More
37m 56s
Nov 5
Cozy Autumn Mysteries
Autumn may have more cozy signifiers than any other season—though we all have our own favorites. Maybe for you it’s sweater weather, football games, spooky season, apple picking, leaf peeping, or mainlining candy corn. Whatever it is, in today’s episode we’re looking closely at t ... Show More
55m 1s
Feb 2025
Exploring the Hidden Life in the Air around Us with Carl Zimmer
Scientists now agree that COVID spreads via airborne transmission. But during the early days of the disease, public health officials suggested that it mainly did so via close contact. The subsequent back-and-forth over how COVID spread brought science journalist Carl Zimmer into ... Show More
16m 47s
Mar 2022
Noah’s Sisters Spill The Tea (feat. Haley and Tatum Beck)
Buckle in for an intense family therapy session. Noah’s sisters, Haley and Tatum join to give us the dirt on growing up with Noah. Tatum gives us an inside look at her life, and the group discusses their toxic traits. Want to be featured on the show? Submit your message to the Pu ... Show More
1h 2m