The microbiome is back! In 2018, we chatted with Dr. Elaine Hsiao - a UCLA microbiome researcher– and learned all about the hot cauldron of your guts. In this 2025 update bonus, we chat again with Dr. Hsiao to get updates on the last 7 years of her research. We also stop by White Plains, New York to hang out with Dr. Miguel Freitas, lead nutritional microbio ... Show More
Dec 18
Ornithorhynchology (PLATYPUSES) with Tahneal Hawke
Duck bills. Beaver tails. Underground lairs. Eggs. Milk. Venom? A platypus has it all. Scholar, conservationist, and Ornithorhynchologist Dr. Tahneal Hawke is here to run through the baffling anatomy and answer all of our WHAT’S THE DEAL, WHAT EVEN *ARE* THEY questions, and chat ... Show More
1h 9m
Dec 10
Astrobromatology (SPACE FOOD) with Maggie Coblentz
Dehydrated eggs. Airborne tortillas. Pouches of chicken. Tang. Work up an appetite for space food with artist, designer and Astrobromatologist, Maggie Coblentz. She shares how the intersection of design and science led her skyward, doing experiments on zero G flights, and shippin ... Show More
1h 11m
Sep 2024
Hibernating for Deep Spaceflight with Ryan Sprenger
<p>How close are we to enabling astronauts to go into deep sleep for long space journeys? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, & Gary O’Reilly team up with Ryan Sprenger, Senior Research Scientist at Fauna Bio, to explore whether humans can hibernate like animals do.</p><p>NOTE: Sta ... Show More
45m 17s
Jan 2022
Teeny Frogs With Tarantula Bodyguards, the Science of Hair Magic, an Everlasting Lightbulb
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! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Click here to follow our sibling podcast, Ask Us Anything! -- Follow our ... Show More
43m 16s
Mar 2022
Why Pain Hurts So Good, Growing Mutant Gardens, Emo Teen Puppies
Leigh Cowart, science reporter and author of Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose, joins Weirdest Thing for the season finale! The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Faceboo ... Show More
52m 53s
Sep 10
Alone in Zambia: Scorching Sun, Out of Water
Chaz Powell is determined to walk the full length of the Zambezi River, from source to mouth. 2,000 miles through harsh terrain, even harsher weather and some of the hottest temperatures on Earth. After two months, he’s making good headway… until his progress grinds to a sudden h ... Show More
51m 36s