The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Rachel Feltman

Booking Overview

A science-and-technology fact-comedy show built around unusual stories, typically featuring subject-matter experts, historians, creators, and fellow podcast hosts alongside the regular Popular Science team. Credible pitches include scientists, naturalists, historians, science communicators, authors, and experts with an entertaining niche story or surprising research; booking difficulty is medium because the show favors distinctive, accessible expertise rather than major celebrity status.

Metrics

Episodes: 236

Frequency: Biweekly

Rating: 4.6/5.0

Estimated listeners: 10k-100k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: USA

YouTube: 138.0k subscribers

Instagram: 1.8k followers

Contact Information

Publicly listed emails

podcasts@studio71us.com

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Host

Rachel Feltman - Science journalist, writer, and Popular Science host who explains unusual scientific and cultural facts in an accessible, entertaining style.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium

Typical Credentials:

Subject-matter experts, science communicators, historians, authors, creators, and fellow podcast hosts with a distinctive niche, unusual research finding, or entertaining real-world story.

Required Achievements:

Professional expertise in a specialized scientific, historical, or cultural subject, Published or broadcast work that makes complex or unusual information accessible, A distinctive research topic, book, show, or public-facing project

Recent Guest Discussions

Liz Clayton Fuller - Birds And Pantone

Alexis Nikole - Juneberry Etymology And Naming

Greg Jenner - King Tutankhamun’s Underwear And Ancient Egyptian History

Emma Gommetz - A Historical Radio Operation And Nighttime Broadcasting

Sarah Dern - Infant Backwash And Breastfeeding

Recent Topics

Science, Natural History, Biology, Zoology, Technology

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Hector the Tickle Robot, Eyeball Teeth, a Little Bit of ~Spice~ (and Neuroscience)

September 09, 2026

Author and food historian Priya Mani joins the show to talk about the neuroscience of spice. Plus, Laura explains why whales have teeth on their eyes (SERIOUSLY), and Rachel gets into why a tickle robot exists. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tweet at us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Pantone-deaf, Naked Mole Rat Perfume, a Berry of Many Names

August 26, 2026

Alexis Nikole joins the show to talk about the heinous etymology of the juneberry (if that's even it's real name...). Plus, Liz Clayton Fuller returns to explain how birds are behind Pantone, and Rachel details the ins and outs of Naked Mole Rat society -- and what it has to do with their STINK. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Literal Love Languages, Royal Dog of Madagascar, King Tut’s Undies

August 12, 2026

Greg Jenner joins the show to unravel all of the secrets hidden in King Tut's undies. (Seriously. There are a lot.) Plus, Sara Kiley tells the story of the crusty white dog from Madagascar, and Rachel goes down a rabbit hole about only marrying someone who DOESN'T speak your language. Check out Greg's show! https://link.mgln.ai/YDTM-Weirdest-Thing The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Publicly listed emails

podcasts@studio71us.com

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