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A Bengal cat licks the forehead of a young white boy in a striped shirt. The boy has dirty blonde hair and smiles. The cat sits on a table and there's a grey drape pulled to one side of a window behind them.
Cats

Why do cats lick you? An expert explains.

Grooming is only one way cats say, “I love you.”

By Sarah Durn

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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 shark tooth next to a spoon used to excavate it from sand in Oman
Sharks

In ancient Arabia, people dined on sharks and stingrays

‘We know that these were not just ordinary proteins, but proteins from the top of the food chain.’

By Andrew Paul

an iguana with mostly green scales flecked with some orange, blue, and yellow
Wildlife

Don’t pick up frozen iguanas

When the temperatures drop, so do Florida’s iguanas.

By Laura Baisas

This LOFAR DR2 image of J1007+3540 superimposed over an optical image by Pan-STARRS shows a compact, bright inner jet, indicating the reawakening of what had been a ‘sleeping’ supermassive black hole at the heart of the gigantic radio galaxy.
Space Telescope

Black hole space volcano erupts after 100 million year nap

Spanning 1 million light-years, J1007+3540’s plasma jets are nearly 10 times wider than the Milky Way.

By Andrew Paul

Woman paying for something on laptop while holding credit card
Internet

Congress trying to make it easier to unsubscribe (again)

Two representatives re-introduced a ‘click-to-cancel’ bill to end sneaky fee traps.

By Andrew Paul

a close up of a mummified cheetah preserved in a laboratory. it's sharp front teeth are visible
Endangered Species

Mummified cheetahs could help save the critically endangered big cats

Cheetahs were spotted on the Arabian Peninsula as recently as 1977.

By Laura Baisas

A vibrant, conceptual digital illustration of a translucent, bright red gelatin mold (Jell-O) against a gradient yellow background. Visible inside the gelatin is a small, dark silhouette of an airplane, suspended as if frozen in place, visually representing the metaphor of turbulence feeling like being stuck in Jello.
Ask Us Anything

Is turbulence really like Jello-O? Pilots weigh in.

Science backs up the goofy analogy.

By Cat Rainsford

a mosquito drinking human blood
Insects

Without forests, mosquitoes turn to human blood

Deforestation might lead to more deadly mosquito bites.

By Tom Hawking

a large machine crushes an ebike
Electric Vehicles

Australian police smash e-bikes in crackdown on unruly teens

Police say at least 25 kids used e-bikes and scooters to evade arrest and intimidate drivers.

By Mack DeGeurin

a deer stands by a river
Wildlife

Deer markings actually glow

The scrapes and rubs the mammals leave behind shine under UV light humans can’t see.

By Laura Baisas

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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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