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Two nuggets made from lab-grown chicken meat served on a bao with a dark sauce. This close up photograph shows a white person's hand holding the bao.
Nutrition

Is ‘lab-grown’ meat actually safe?

It isn’t identical to regular meat, but that might be a good thing.

By Clarissa Brincat

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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

Macro photograph of a venomous brown recluse spider, commonly known as a fiddleback spider, crawling through a web filled pipe. There is much detail in the face and fangs of the spider. There is some grain due to the low light and high ISO that was needed to capture the image.
Spiders

How does spider venom damage human cells? 

Researchers uncover the killer mechanism of recluse spider toxin.

By Matthew Cordes / The Conversation

computer
Tech Hacks

How to rescue an old laptop by installing Linux on it

Linux offers a lightweight, simple operating system for your aging hardware.

By David Nield

Rendering of a reconstructed polybolos within a virtual environment derived from reality-based documentation of the city walls. Digital survey and 3D model by S.B.; rendering and animation by V.C. with Lumion Pro Student 2024.
Weapons

Rome unleashed an ancient ‘machine gun’ on Pompeii

The polybolos was centuries, if not millennia, before its time.

By Andrew Paul

A person drinks Starbucks ice coffee in Krakow, Poland on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)
Pollution

Your ‘widely recyclable’ Starbucks cup is still trash

A new label promises single-use cups are recyclable. But that doesn’t mean they actually get recycled.

By Joseph Winters / Grist

a pink orchid with delicate petals
Bees

Beware, bees! This wildflower will trap you in a floral escape room.

Pink lady’s slippers are to bees what Venus fly traps are to flies.

By Margherita Bassi

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

LG appliances on sale at Home Depot
Smart Home

LG’s spring sale at Home Depot Cuts up to 43% off stoves, refrigerators, washers, and more

LG’s March Madness sale at Home Depot takes up to 43% off more than 200 appliances, including $1,800 off a smart wall oven, $1,500 off a French door refrigerator, and $1,200 off a slide-in range.

By Stan Horaczek

Terracotta incense burner with the investigated ash residues. The rim is adorned with three female figures, probably depicting deceased persons who were venerated after their death.
Archaeology

What did Pompeii smell like before it burned?

Ash from Roman incense burners indicate families burned tree resins from thousands of miles away.

By Margherita Bassi

Person holding large pile of colorful clothes close-up on white background
Sustainability

What to do with clothes you can’t donate

Worn-out, stained, or outdated clothes don’t have to go to the landfill. Here’s how to reuse, recycle, or responsibly dispose of them.

By Debbie Wolfe

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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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