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woman walking with green fart cloud
Fitness & Exercise

You should start taking “Fart Walks”

The name may inspire snickers, but the benefits are no joke.

By Eric Alt

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Chicago’s rat hole wasn’t made by a rat

Plus a retirement home for penguins 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

a light green aurora over a waterfall
Space

12 ethereal images from the 2025 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year awards

The aurora danced across the skies of Iceland, New Zealand, Estonia, and more this year.

By Popular Science Team

A close-up of a small, dark gray rat with prominent whiskers and large dark eyes, peering over the edge of a light-colored wooden box. One of its pinkish paws rests on the rim of the box, and bits of straw or nesting material are visible in the soft-focus background.
Archaeology

I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists

The scraps rats stash in walls and attics can preserve centuries-old artifacts.

By Alexandria Mitchem Hansen / The Conversation

Astronaut working inside International Space Station module
NASA

Tour the International Space Station in new NASA walkthrough

The new video highlights the (cramped) life aboard the ISS.

By Andrew Paul

Woman in her twenties with open eyes and extended eyelashes
Medicine

5 breakthrough health innovations in 2025

By Julia Daye

close-up of Grey/Gray squirrel holding a walnut
Wildlife

Squirrels can find 85% of the nuts they hide

Our furry neighbors use a whole toolkit to locate their caches during the winter.

By Popular Science Team

Painting of horned Viking at bow of ship looking off at the ocean while two others row behind him.
Archaeology

How we unlocked the secrets of Denmark’s oldest plank boat–with the help of an ancient fingerprint

Chemical analysis of boat tar and a preserved fingerprint reveal how far Iron Age warriors traveled by sea.

By Mikael Fauvelle / The Conversation

a global density map of the world's buildings
Engineering

Browse a 3D map of the world’s 2.75 billion buildings

GlobalBuildingAtlas includes almost every habitable structure on Earth.

By Andrew Paul

red and white and red and green candy canes on a green background
Engineering

The magic of making candy canes by hand

How the candy makers at Hammond’s Candies have made the sweet treats for over 100 years.

By Laura Baisas

A person’s gloved hand holds up a clear 96-well laboratory microplate against a glowing blue background. In the blurred distance, a screen displays bright orange and white horizontal bands, resembling a DNA electrophoresis gel or genetic sequence visualization.
Medicine

Genetic ancestry doesn’t tell your whole story

If you’re looking for your genetic origin story, your DNA will only take you so far.

By Carles Lalueza-Fox / MIT Press

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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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