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Woman having lunch on an underground station platform, Berlin, Germany. She's wearing a plaid jacket and has dark curly hair.
Ask Us Anything

Is it okay to eat standing up? A doctor weighs in.

That grab-and-go lunch might be the real problem.

By Julia Daye

Featured

Gear and Reviews

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Channel cover

Phosphorescent paint inspired Victorian-era Australians to dress up as ghosts and pull pranks

Plus, Louis Pasteur’s secrets 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 colorized historical photograph captures a group of railroad workers posing with a large steam locomotive on a wooden trestle bridge. The workers, a diverse group including several men in rough work clothes and hats, are clustered around the front of the black engine, which features a prominent cone-shaped smokestack. The trestle bridge curves through a dense evergreen forest with a rocky hillside in the background, illustrating the challenging terrain of early American railroad construction.
Engineering

7 captivating photos of train travel’s first century

In the 1800s, nowhere did trains like the United States.

By Sarah Durn

Black and white family photograph showing six people in a family. One brother's face is scratched out.
Mental Health

The troubling rise of family estrangement

As more adults cut off their parents, a researcher calls for closer scrutiny of causes and effects, and suggests paths to reconciliation.

By Katherine Ellison / Knowable Magazine

three blue-green eggs in a nest sitting in a tree
Birds

10 wild photos of bird eggs

From speckles to blue-green shells, there’s no need to paint these springtime beauties.

By Popular Science Team

NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. A fiery flare erupts from the rocket sending off plumes of smoke.
NASA

Artemis II’s long countdown–a space historian explains why it has taken over 50 years to return to the Moon

Political and fiscal support hasn’t always come easily.

By Emily A. Margolis / The Conversation

a person holds a video game controller illuminated by white light with dark buttons
Robots

Humans can still beat AI at video games

AI may have teams of engineers on its side, but humans have lived experience and better learning skills.

By Mack DeGeurin

a close up of a baby chick
Birds

Baby chicks like gentle pets—like really gentle

Your toddler is probably doing it wrong.

By Margherita Bassi

Ants are eating onion on the kitchen tile floor.
Insects

3 myths about keeping ants out of your house

Don’t bother with cinnamon.

By Justin Pot

Close up of braces on Hispanic boy's teeth. He's wearing a blue collared shirt and there's light streaming in behind him. All we see is the bottom of his nose and chin.
Evolution

Ancient humans didn’t need braces. So why do we?

Short answer: Blame your food.

By Popular Science Team

Screenshot of The Weather Channel's RetroCast Now website showing forecast with its aesthetics from the 90s and 2000s
Weather

Watch The Weather Channel like its 1999 with the official RetroCast

Smooth jazz included.

By Andrew Paul

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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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