The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Rachel Feltman, Jess Boddy
podcasts@studio71us.com (+5 verified host & producer emails)

Booking Overview

Popular Science’s “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week” is a light, curiosity-driven science & tech roundup built around odd facts and behind-the-scenes discoveries. It’s a good booking fit for scientists, engineers, and science communicators who can make niche topics approachable (and delightfully strange).

Metrics

Episodes: 228

Frequency: Weekly

Rating: 4.6/5.0

Estimated listeners: 10k-100k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: USA

YouTube: 129.0k subscribers

Instagram: 1.8k followers

30s Ad: 1084 - 1232, 60s Ad: 1281 - 1429

Contact Form

Contact form available - Official Form

Host

Rachel Feltman - A science journalist and science communicator at Popular Science known for making technology and research topics accessible with humor and clarity.

Jess Boddy - Producer for Popular Science’s podcast series, associated with “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week.”

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium
Typical Credentials:  
Recognized science/tech experts or prominent science communicators (academics with public profiles, authors, or media-active researchers) who can explain complex ideas in a fun, accessible way.
Required Achievements:  
Published books/articles or regular media appearances, Academic or research leadership (for scientist guests), Established public communication presence (podcasts/YouTube/newsletters)

Recent Guest Discussions

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein - Unusual Science Facts Including Neutrino Classification And Other Odd Discoveries; Joins As Guest Host.

Recent Topics

Science Communication, Science, Technology, Physics, Biology, Medicine, History, Space, Computing, Research

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week
:

We Did it Joe (Pilates), They Did Surgery on a Cocaine Hippo, Steinbeck Digs Deep (Literally)

May 20, 2026

Ben Lillie joins the show to talk about John Steinbeck doing very in-character things on a scientific expedition out on the open ocean. Plus, Sara Kiley talks about Joseph Pilates (yes, that Pilates), and Rachel explains why people are doing surgery on those cocaine hippos. 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...

A Musical Secret Weapon, Low Cortisol Beakmaxxing, Roller Coaster Science

May 06, 2026

Dropout's Grant O'Brien joins the show to talk about all things weird roller coasters. Plus, Jess hops on to discuss how a Gregorian chant has infiltrated all of our favorite media, from Shrek to Elden Ring. And Rachel gets into how having less of a beak can actually make you more of a chad. 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Cannibal Caribou, Charming Worms, Strawberry-Flavored Neutrinos

April 22, 2026

Rachel's officially back! Chanda Prescod-Weinstein also joins as a guest host. This week, they talk about self-made caribou snacks, how to charm a worm, and why neutrinos can be classified as nontrinary. 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! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to learn more about all...

Get your clients booked on top podcasts

Try us risk free with a FREE 3 days trial.

Start Your Free Trial

Join hundreds of PR teams using Podseeker to pitch and land bookings