Popular Science. Demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872.
What is shivering? Why our bodies shake when it’s cold.
Involuntary muscle contractions keep us warm and even fight infections.
Vintage vaccine skeptics thought medicine would turn kids into demon cows
Plus horror movie empaths 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
Ancient ‘dirty dishes’ may have led archaeologists astray for decades
A new study questions if Bronze Age dishes really do have traces of olive oil.
German hairy snails are disappearing from London’s River Thames
Londoners are scouring riverbanks to save the endangered mollusk.
The strange Wild West tale of the first cow-buffalo hybrid
Inside cowboy Charles Jesse “Buffalo” Jones’s get-rich-quick scheme to restore the plains 100 years ago.
Sardine-inspired washing machine filter removes 99% of microplastics
The home appliance can easily generate as much as 500 grams of microplastics each year.
Hubble Space Telescope caught a second glimpse of comet 3I/ATLAS
The interstellar object is still soaring through our solar system.
Ruby the turtle needs a new greenhouse. Dance companies are stepping up.
Conservation takes center stage.
A pilot turned an old plane into a two-bedroom apartment
Jon Kotwicki jokes that converting an aluminum plane in Alaska is the “worst idea that a person could possibly have.”
Why did this ancient bird die with tiny rocks in its throat?
The 120-million-year-old fossil may also be a choking hazard PSA.
Why using a donkey to treat whooping cough makes sense
3,655 Irish folk cures show how folk remedies help our brains in uncertain times.
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Popular 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.
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