Popular Science. Demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872.
Why don’t we remember being a baby? New clues in memory mystery.
They may still exist—but we still don’t know how to unlock them.
Here’s the secret to getting songs unstuck from your head
Plus, rich people used to keep squirrels as pets and a flooded Colosseum.
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.
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 A small amount of penguin poop is enough to spook krill
‘Smells like rotten shellfish. Not pleasant to handle.’
An original E.T. from 1982 movie could fetch $1M at auction
Warning: Reese’s Pieces not included.
Humanoid robots are breakdancing, with mixed results
Is the Boston Dynamics Atlas robot a better dancer than you? It’s time to find out.
Man tests if Tesla on Autopilot will slam through foam wall (spoiler: it did)
YouTuber Mark Rober claims the Model Y might have avoided the ‘Looney Toons’ wall if it had Lidar sensors.Â
We finally know how parrots ‘talk’
Budgie brains reveal parallels between parrot and human speech.
Astrophotographers help crack mystery of ‘sprite fireworks’
A remarkable thunderstorm provided an opportunity to better understand the vibrant phenomena.
Messing with mouse brains during sex leads to unexpected discovery
Yeah, sex is cool, but have you ever discovered how the interaction of two neurotransmitters makes sex work?
A craze for tiny plants is driving a poaching crisis in South Africa
South Africa’s Succulent Karoo is the most biodiverse arid region on the planet, with thousands of plants found nowhere else. But to meet a demand fueled by social media, criminal networks have been poaching these colorful succulents by the millions and smuggling them overseas.
Wearable ring translates sign language into text
SpellRing is trained on 20,000 words in American Sign Language.
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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, PopSci 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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