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A person in a blue jacket holds a labeled glass jar filled with grain seeds while standing in a narrow aisle of a genebank. The room is filled from floor to ceiling with shelves holding hundreds of similar jars for long-term storage.
Ask Us Anything

The seed vaults that could save humanity

These genetic libraries plan for worse-case scenarios.

By Julia Daye

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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 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

a small cat walking on leaves
Endangered Species

Tiny wild cat spotted in Thailand for first time in 30 years

The flat-headed felines are the smallest wild cats in Southeast Asia.

By Margherita Bassi

a variety of products
Earbuds

5 personal care products that solved real problems in 2025

From world-class headphones that double as hearing aids to a perfume bottle that prioritizes accessibility.

By Rachel Feltman

a black horse on dirt
Wildlife

12 award-winning photos of our beautiful world

From a breaching whale to fighting birds.

By Popular Science Team

An aerial, high-altitude view looking down at a vast formation of billowing white cumulus clouds. The clouds appear thick and textured, with some peaks rising higher than others, casting soft shadows on the lower cloud layers and the dark blue atmosphere below. The composition captures the "clumping" effect of moisture in the upper atmosphere.
Weather

When clouds flock together

Scientists are discovering that clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways—driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding.

By Clare Watson / Knowable Magazine

veteranarians sit in an inflatable pool with a large sting ray
Fish

Giving a 140 pound stingray a check-up requires 8 people

The male leopard whiptail ray also boasts a four-foot-three-inch wingspan.

By Laura Baisas

An artistic, mixed-media collage with a vintage aesthetic, set against a light beige textured background. The central figure is the back of a woman’s head with long, dark wavy hair. A rectangular cutout on the back of her head reveals a black-and-white sketch of hair strands overlaid with a complex white chemical molecular structure. The woman wears a bright green garment with white polka dots, rendered in a flat, paper-cut style. Surrounding the figure are botanical elements: a large, light-colored chrysanthemum-like flower to the left and a dark, serrated leaf to the right. At the bottom, a torn strip of aged paper features a list of ingredients in a serif font, including "keratin, lignin, chitosan," "Hydroxyethyl cellulose," and "Sodium laureth sulfate."
Sustainability

The science of green hair care

A push to move away from petroleum products—plus the perception that natural is gentler—has scientists lathering up new ingredients, from wood and fungus extracts to engineered proteins.

By Carolyn Wilke/Knowable Magazine

a telescope image of an oval shaped star cluster
Solar System

Hubble spots massive sandwich-shaped blob in deep space

Nicknamed Dracula’s Chivito, the disk is 1,000 light-years away from Earth.

By Mack DeGeurin

a variety of gadgets
Best of What's New

The 5 coolest gadget innovations of 2025

From a UV printer to a 360-degree camera drone.

By Stan Horaczek

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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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