Popular Science. Demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872.
Mysterious ‘ship goo’ contains new life forms
No one quite knows how the tar-like substance got on a Great Lakes research vessel.
Could women actually be better suited to weight lifting than men are?
Plus horny fruit flies and 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.
How to make sure your eSIM doesn’t get hacked
New cellphone technology is more secure than the old stuff—but it’s not ironclad.
3D-printed model of a 500-year-old prosthetic hand hints at life of a Renaissance amputee
Engineering offers historians new tools to examine physical evidence.
The oceans may contain much, much more plastic than previously thought
A new study finds there are 27 million metric tons of invisible plastic particles in the North Atlantic alone.
Neolithic moms decorated baby carriers with dog teeth
The 4,500-year-old remains were uncovered by a crew preparing to build a power line in Germany.
This parasitic fly gives birth inside of crickets
Embryos develop in a uterus-like structure while the insect feeds on its host.
Indigenous calendars could make solar power more efficient
Using ecological cues may allow for more localized AI solar farm forecasting.
How does your brain know something is real?
Your brain blends imagination and reality—sometimes too well.
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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.
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