Popular Science Podcasts

Popular Science podcasts unearth the universe’s strangest histories. They answer your most mind-burning questions. They tell spin yarns about scam artists and celebrity diets and video games and poodle haircuts. PopSci’s shows are simply the best science and tech podcasting: shamelessly entertaining, painfully smart, and fiercely fascinating.

Looking for a visual we mentioned on Weirdest Thing? Every single one of our episodes has a corresponding write-up published on the same day—that’s where you’ll find photos, videos, cited sources, and more. Check them out here!

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is where PopSci editors go to unleash the most bizarre stories they can find. You’ll be shocked, delighted, and ready to fill awkward silences for the rest of your life.

Ask Us Anything

Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions—from what the universe is made of to why not everyone can touch their toes. Join Popular Science staff as they work through questions big and small.

Latest Articles

a pod of orcas swimming
Whales

Orcas smash dead sunfish into bite-sized pieces

Scientists in the Gulf of California caught this explosive never-before-seen feeding method on camera.

Sun in the sky covered by orange hue denoting extreme heat
Global Warming

Is today the hottest day of the summer? The ‘Old Farmer’s Almanac’ has 30 years of data for an answer.

The worst of summer’s heat depends on where you live.

people sitting in crowded airplane.
Ask Us Anything

Airplane seats really are getting smaller

And why we should all be grateful for airplane mode.

This illustration shows the system around the star CD-35 2722, with the newly found moon-like object at the centre. The star –– the point source to the left –– has about half the mass of our Sun, and it is orbited by a brown dwarf, the reddish-brown object seen here in the foreground (right). The brown dwarf has about 37 times the mass of Jupiter: too massive to be a planet, but not massive enough to have sustained nuclear fusion like stars. This brown dwarf is, in turn, orbited by a newly discovered object at least as massive as Jupiter, seen at the centre of this image. This new object, found with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), is difficult to label. It behaves like a moon in the sense that it orbits an object that orbits a star. But this ‘moon’ is massive enough to be a planet, and the object it orbits, a brown dwarf, is neither a planet nor a star.
Moons

‘Super weird’ object may be space’s first confirmed exomoon

The object about 72 light-years away from Earth could be the first satellite discovered outside our solar system.

The projection room at a Sony Theater showing the 3D IMax Movie "Wings Of Courage" (Photo by James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images)
Engineering

Why 1960s technology makes seeing ‘The Odyssey’ in 70mm IMAX so difficult

Christopher Nolan’s new movie uses cutting-edge special effects, but the film tech is practically ancient.

avocados growing on a tree
Land

Humans packed avocados before migrating across the Americas 5,000 years ago

Those same ancient avocado lineages could help protect the popular fruit today.

a sperm whale swimming in clear blue waters with its mouth open
Whales

Sperm whales change how they communicate when ships are nearby

Sailing by a sperm whale? They may be talking about you.

Primary image for an expensive developer toolkit is currently hiding behind this discount Stack Commerce sponsored deal

A $500 developer toolkit is currently hiding behind this $30 deal

Visual Studio Professional brings coding, version control, testing, and debugging into one streamlined workspace.

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This $20 bundle can teach you how to get Claude to use Excel for you

Find the best prompts and strategies for integrating AI with one of the most frustrating apps in the world.