Popular Science. Demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872.

Could we really make Captain America’s shield? A materials scientist weighs in.
Vibranium might not be real, but mixing and matching materials is.

Yes, ginger ale really does taste better on a plane. Here’s why.
Plus other weird things we learned this week.

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.
POPULAR SCIENCE VIDEOS
Popular Science on YouTube is a laboratory of stories from the future, past, and present. It’s like a time travel learning machine—in video form.

What do Egyptian mummies smell like? Surprisingly pleasant.
Scientists and sniffers teamed up to study the ancient scents for the first time.

Baby seals are wearing heart monitors–for science
The pups head out on their own after only 15 to 20 days of nursing.

Butchered skulls point to Europe’s Ice Age cannibals
‘It… seems unlikely that cannibalism was practiced out of necessity.’

500,000 years ago, a bunch of animals fell into a Florida sink hole
Hobby fossil hunters found over 500 fossils in the murky waters of the Steinhatchee River.

Which body parts do humans not need?
Evolution left us with some organs and functions we no longer need.

Return of the California condor
North America’s largest bird disappeared from the wild in the late 1980s. Reintroduction work in the United States and Mexico has brought this huge vulture back to the skies. This is the story of its comeback.

A promising rookie takes on the world’s most grueling off-road race
A duo of Americans and Polaris take home the win in the 2025 Dakar’s SSV Class.

Listen to chilling underwater audio of the OceanGate ‘Titan’ implosion
The controversial submersible’s catastrophic failure killed five passengers en route to the ‘Titanic.’

Genetically modified zebrafish and fruit flies munch on mercury to make it less toxic
Scientists added naturally detoxifying enzymes found in microbes to lab embryos.
Popular Science Cover Art Store
Own a piece of science history.
Browse all coversPopular 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.
Meet the team
Our writers and editors