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person petting a turtle
Endangered Species

Trafficked turtles get a second chance at life in New Jersey sanctuary

The Turtle Conservancy is rescuing reptiles, while preserving their precious DNA.

By Laura Baisas

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Why some scientists say our universe is Sad Millennial Beige 

Plus loud rats and other weird things we learned this week.

Rachel Feltman

Rachel Feltman

Host

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

An octopus camouflages itself with the seafloor.
Wildlife

What octopus camouflage has to do with sunscreen

The cephalopod’s disappearing act could help your next sunscreen blend in.

By Margherita Bassi

Comet 3I/ATLAS streaks across a dense star field in this image captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South at Cerro Pachón in Chile, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab. This image is composed of exposures taken through four filters — red, green, blue and ultraviolet. As exposures are taken, the comet remains fixed in the center of the telescope’s field of view. However, the positions of the background stars change relative to the comet, causing them to appear as colorful streaks in the final image. See a version of the image where the stars have been “frozen” here. These observations of Comet 3I/ATLAS were conducted during a Shadow the Scientists program hosted by NSF NOIRLab. A full recording of the session can be found here.
Solar System

3I/Atlas isn’t deep space aliens and didn’t ‘change color’

Don’t believe the comet conspiracy theories.

By Andrew Paul

A bright, close-up photograph of a poison dart frog with a glossy black body and vibrant yellow and light green stripes along its back and legs. It is perched on a mossy, dark-brown log in a natural environment.
Animals

Animals that eat poisons and don’t die

Critters consuming species that contain deadly toxins have evolved a suite of clever strategies to keep out of harm’s way.

By Katarina Zimmer / Knowable Magazine

a sunrise over a desert landscape
Conservation

13 perfect panoramic images from the 2025 Epson International Pano awards

The overall category winners of the 16th annual panoramic photo competition hail from Italy, Germany, and the United States.

By Popular Science Team

screenshot of google photos
Tech Hacks

How to back up all your photos and videos to Google Photos

Keep your photos and videos safe and available across all your devices.

By David Nield

an orange car parked in a black room
Vehicles

For sale: Batmobile, John Wick’s Mustang, and more Hollywood cars

Own a piece of the ‘Fast and the Furious’ for $500,000.

By Kristin Shaw

A medium close-up of an elderly bald man, James D. Watson, wearing a dark sweater over a white shirt and tie. He is looking directly at the camera with a slight smile. The background is dimly lit with a blue hue, and a blurred image of a DNA helix structure is visible over his left shoulder.
Science

James Watson exemplified the best and worst of science–from monumental discoveries to sexism and cutthroat competition

The biologist is primarily remembered for discovering DNA’s double helix structure.

By Andor J. Kiss / The Conversation

AI created video of bunnies on a trampoline
AI

AI videos of animals could be dangerous. Here’s how to spot them.

Researchers warn that they can distort our connection to wildlife.

By Margherita Bassi

A historical color photograph of the large Great Lakes freighter, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, sailing on the water. The ship has a prominent white superstructure at the bow with a dark red hull and a tan smokestack near the stern emitting a plume of black smoke. The weather appears overcast.
Weather

How the Witch of November doomed the ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’

Fifty years after the Great Lakes freighter sank, scientists can explain the weather that still haunts Lake Superior.

By Bill Gourgey

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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.
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