Popular Science. Demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872.
The CIA once trained cats to be Cold War spies
Project Acoustic Kitty went about as well as you’d expect.
Having to pee makes you scientifically better at video games
Plus what space smells like and other weird things we learned this week.
Rachel Feltman
At Popular Science, we report and write dozens of stories every week. And while a lot of the fun facts we stumble across make it into our articles, there are lots of other weird facts that we just keep around the office. So we figured, why not share those with you? Welcome to The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week.
Latest Articles
7 Kindle settings you should change
Make sure your e-reader is set up exactly the way you want it.
Medieval women used falconry to subvert gender norms
Long before ‘Hamnet,’ medieval women used falconry to signal power, skill, and status.
The world’s oldest wild bird has a new grandchick
Biologists have been tracking Wisdom, the roughly 75-year-old Laysan albatross, since the 1950s.
Autonomous firefighting robot can drive straight into a 1,000 degree blaze
The tank-like vehicle is already being tested in South Korea.
‘Pokémon Go’ players have been unknowingly training delivery robots
The massive crowdsourcing effort could use real-world to help robots deliver pizza.
World’s largest steam locomotive heads out on tour
Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 will travel coast-to-coast in commemoration of the semiquincentennial.
Scammers use AI-generated images of lost dogs to target pet owners
‘In our new reality, you can no longer trust your eyes or ears.’
11 wild photos show the Amazon River in its glory
New photography book takes readers on a journey down the world’s longest river.
Popular Science Cover Art Store
Own a piece of science history.
Browse all coversPopular Science has been demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872. We explain the inner workings of the phone in your pocket, explore world-changing innovations, and examine everything from the marvels of deep space to the secret lives of staples like bread. We deliver an engaging, approachable, and inclusive look at emerging technologies and scientific advances.
Daily, Popular Science unpacks the science behind the top current new stories, dissects the latest technology and digital trends, and helps readers live smarter, safer, and happier through clever DIY projects.
Meet the team
Our writers and editors