Popular Science. Demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872.
100 years of deep-sea filmmaking and ocean exploration
In 1917, a civil engineer pioneered the first deep-sea vehicle to attempt filming underwater.
Here’s the secret to getting songs unstuck from your head
Plus, rich people used to keep squirrels as pets and a flooded Colosseum.
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.
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Electromagnetic fields and dinosaur choir win international instrument contest
The 27th annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition also included the aptly named Udderbot.
Spreading AI-generated content could lead to expensive fines
Anti-deepfake laws are finally starting to show their teeth, from Spain to South Dakota.
Dinosaur footprints unknowingly displayed in a high school for 20 years
The slab in the Australian school’s foyer is covered in tiny, chicken-like footprints.
Poor sleep can make you more susceptible to conspiracy theories
Lack of sleep and insomnia, along with depression, may lower your guard against misinformation.
The remote locale that shielded plants during Earth’s biggest mass extinction
About 252 million years ago, 80 to 90 percent of life on Earth was wiped out. In the Turpan-Hami Basin, life persisted and bounced back faster.
1.4-million-year-old bones deepen mystery of who reached Europe first
‘Pink’ may have been a member of the Homo erectus family.
Which planet has the most moons? Saturn dethrones Jupiter.
The International Astronomical Union recognized 128 newly discovered moons orbiting the ringed planet.
This extinct tree-dwelling mammal may be among humans’ closer relatives
Mixodectes pungens lived only a few million years after the dinosaurs went extinct.
Please stop releasing pet goldfish into the wild
The pet fish have ‘bottomless appetites’ and will wreak havoc on local watersheds.
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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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