Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions—from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Join our editors as they explain it all, with new episodes every other Wednesday. Submit a question for a future episode at https://popsci.com/ask
Welcome back to our show! PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert had a little time off, but they return to figure out just how passengers ended up with barely enough room on airplanes for bodies to fit, and what it might mean for passenger safety. Read the Popular Science story that inspired the episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/why-are-airline-seats-so-small/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why are most people right handed?
We're talking hands, and that's no jive, as PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert gesture wildly through a conversation about why roughly 90% of humans have right-hand dominance. Also a special conversation with archaeologist Dr. Anna Goldfield about right and left-handedness in humanity's ancient ancestors. Read the Popular Science story that inspired the episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/why-are-most-people-right-handed/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What makes childhood summers last forever?
It's summer and the days are just packed, as PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert dig deep through their memories to figure out why summers stretched seemingly forever as kids, but go by in a flash as adults. Read the Popular Science story that inspired the episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/why-childhood-summers-felt-longer/ Learn all about cognitive offloading, the good and the bad: https://www.popsci.com/health/how-documenting-everything-changes-your-brain-cognitive-offloading/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is real-life storm chasing like the movies?
You've seen Twister AND Twisters, now let PopSci Editors Sarah Durn and Laura Baisas clue you into what storm chasing is life in the real world, through an eye-opening conversation with meteorologist, storm chaser and author Cyrena Arnold, who's also host of the Storm Front Freaks Podcast. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/real-storm-chasers-tornadoes/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How do airplane toilets work?
There's more than a little bathroom talk in this episode, as PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and News Editor Laura Baisas laugh and learn all the ins, outs, and ugly secrets of airplane toilets. Read the Popular Science story that inspired the episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/how-do-airplane-toilets-work/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How come some birds talk like people?
So many shouting and singing birds in this episode, as PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert flap their way to an explanation for why birds learn to mimic human speech. Read the Popular Science story that inspired the episode: https://www.popsci.com/environment/why-birds-talk/ Learn more about how parrots use names to talk to each other: https://www.popsci.com/environment/parrots-using-names/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why can't we remember being babies?
Plumbing the depths of their childhood memories, PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert explain why almost no humans remember infancy or early childhood. Read the Popular Science story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/why-dont-i-remember-being-a-baby-study/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How come only modern humans need braces?
Chomping right through the history of orthodontics and human bone development, PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert investigate why human ancestors never needed braces, but so many modern humans do. Read the Popular Science story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/why-need-braces/ And make sure you check out our guests Erin & Erin on their show This Podcast Will Kill You: https://thispodcastwillkillyou.com If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Did any dinosaurs actually spit venom?
Digging deep into the fossil record, PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert investigate whether there really were venomous dinosaurs, like the Dilophosaurus depicted in the first Jurassic Park movie. Read the Popular Science story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/venomous-dinosaurs/ And make sure you check out the I Know Dino podcast, co-hosted by our special guest Garret Kruger: https://iknowdino.com/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What's the most eco-friendly burial option?
After a lifetime of trying to put things in the right bin, we all eventually arrive at the ultimate recycling dilemma: what to do with our bodies after we die? PopSci Editors Sarah Durn and Laura Baisas go on exploration to find out what is the most environmentally friendly option for handling human remains? Despite all the new technology, experts say there’s one clear answer, and it’s surprisingly old-school. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/technology/cremation-burial-most-eco-friendly/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why do (most) cats hate water?
From ancient deserts to kittenhood lessons, PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert (PLUS SPECIAL FELINE GUESTS) dive into why most cats are so averse to water. Read Sarah's story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/why-cats-hate-water/ And make sure you read all about Simon the cat, heroic member of the British Navy: https://www.popsci.com/environment/navy-cat-simon/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Surviving freezing temperatures: How low can humans go?
Humans are homeotherms, meaning that our core body temperature stays roughly constant, but what happens when conditions drive that body temp down? PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert bundle up to get to the bottom of just how cold humans can get and still survive. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/coldest-temperature-humans-can-survive/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Decoding wintery precipitation: What causes snow, sleet and freezing rain?
Are you as tired as we are of winter weather? Well, at least it helps to know how it works! PopSci Editors Sarah Durn and Laura Baisas go on a wintry expedition through all our least favorite types of precipitation. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/environment/chance-of-precipitation-explained/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How fast would NYC crumble without people? Featuring 'Survivorman' Les Stroud
In a world without people, how fast would NYC fall apart and nature take over? PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert go through the timeline for re-wilding America's densest city. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/environment/abandoned-nyc-what-would-happen/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How do squirrels find their buried nuts in winter?
Every fall, squirrels hide thousands of acorns—but how do they find them again in the winter? PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert get a little nutty to find the answer. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/how-squirrels-find-nuts/ To learn more about Tommy Tucker, visit: https://www.popsci.com/environment/famous-ww2-squirrel-tommy-tucker/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What happens to your bag after you check it in?
Each year, roughly 500 MILLION bags are checked at U.S airports, with only 0.4% getting lost - so how DO airlines move your bags around and keep track of them. PopSci Editors Sarah Durn and Laura Baisas go on a journey to explain it all. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/technology/what-happens-to-your-checked-bag/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What is human composting?
A growing number of Americans are choosing to return to earth after death—literally. Green burials, and specifically human composting, is an environmentally conscious, life-sustaining option that’s now legal in 14 states. But how does a human composting vessel work? And what exactly happens to Grandpa’s hip replacement once he’s been “recycled?” PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert dig deep to explain it all. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/how-human-composting-works/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why do we get goosebumps? Plus: RL Stine!
Goosebumps are a valuable tool for many animals. They keep mammals with thick fur warm by trapping air near their skin, or help make them look bigger when facing off against a rival. However, in humans a wide range of emotions can also induce goosebumps. BUT WHY? Join PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert as they explain the science AND chat with Goosebumps legend, RL Stine. Read the full story that inspired this episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/why-goosebumps-happen/ If you have a question for a future episode, go to https://popsci.com/ask 00:00 Exploring Personal Goosebump Triggers and Their Ancient Animal Roots 04:43 Unpacking the Autonomic Nervous System's Role in Cold and Fear Responses 07:38 Distinguishing Chills from Goosebumps in Response to Music, Art, and Awe 10:29 Goosebumps Author R.L. Stine Shares Origin of the Book Series' Name Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome back to Ask Us Anything from Popular Science
Join us as we dive into your weirdest, most mind-burning questions–from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. This is… Ask Us Anything. New episodes drop every other Wednesday starting November 12, with more AUA questions and answers here: https://www.popsci.com/category/ask-us-anything/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How do chatbots work?
If you remember chatting with SmarterChild back on AOL Instant Messenger back in the day, you know how far ChatGPT and Google Bard have come. But how do these so-called chatbots work—and what’s the best way to use them to our advantage? -- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AskPopSciPod Produced by Jess Boddy: https://twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq Art by Katie Belloff: https://twitter.com/Katie_Bellz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
