
Advertise on podcast: Ask Us Anything by Popular Science
Rating
4.7from
This podcast has
67 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Popular ScienceExplicit
No
Date created
2021/03/04
Latest episode
2026/10/29
Average duration
19 min.
Release period
16 days
Description
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 starting November 12th. Submit a question for a future episode at https://popsci.com/ask
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Check latest episodes from Ask Us Anything by Popular Science podcast
Why does candy taste different now?
2026/10/29
Just in time for Halloween, PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and News Editor Laura Baisas unwrap the mystery of why candy tastes so... different these days. Plus, an expert-level discussion of what makes candy taste amazing with Jack Bishop from America's Test Kitchen.
Read the Popular Science story that inspired the episode: https://www.popsci.com/science/why-candy-tastes-different-now/
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 don't humans have tails?
2026/10/16
So many mammals have useful, interesting, or just plain CUTE tails–so why not humans? PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert sit down (without tails of course) to figure out just where our tails went over the course of human evolution.
Plus, Flora Lichtman from NPR's Science Friday podcast stops by to talk about what makes for the best tail in nature, and to reveal her favorite tail from the animal kingdom.
Read the Popular Science story that inspired the episode:
https://www.popsci.com/science/why-humans-dont-have-tails/
And make sure to check to the episode of Science Friday all about which tail is the best:
https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/mammal-tails-balance/
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 best sleep position?
2026/09/30
Everyone knows that getting good sleep is the best thing you can do for your body, but... does it matter how you lay your head (and body)? PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert talk through their own sleep preferences before drifting off into the research on what's really the best way to position yourself for a good night's rest (hint: PILLOWS!)
Read the Popular Science stories that inspired the episode:
https://www.popsci.com/health/best-sleep-position/
https://www.popsci.com/health/can-tracking-sleep-make-it-worse/
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? (ENCORE)
2026/09/16
Note: Our show has grown a LOT recently and a ton of new listeners have joined us, so we decided it’d be fun to share one of our favorite episodes since we relaunched, which ALSO happens to be among the most-popular questions we’ve ever answered - ENJOY!
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 dogs tilt their heads?
2026/09/02
Dog behavior exploration incoming! PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert talk through their personal dog experiences before lolling their heads through the scientific explanations for why dog's often look like they're REALLY trying to understand what we're trying to tell them
Read the Popular Science stories that inspired the episode:
https://www.popsci.com/environment/why-dogs-tilt-their-heads/
https://www.popsci.com/science/how-to-test-pet-intelligence/
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 scary is Yellowstone's supervolcano?
2026/08/19
It's volcano time, as PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and Editor-in-Chief Annie Colbert dig deep into the structure of the Yellowstone Caldera to figure out what's brewing beneath it, and just how much devastation it could unleash if it ever woke up..
Read the Popular Science stories that inspired the episode: https://www.popsci.com/environment/what-if-yellowstone-volcano-erupted/https://www.popsci.com/environment/yellowstone-supervolcano-bulge/
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 are the most common sunscreen myths
2026/08/05
It's time to separate facts from fiction about sunscreen, as PopSci Editor Sarah Durn and News Editor Laura Baisas take us through the four most common misconceptions people have about suncreen and how it should be used. Plus, did you know that e.coli bacteria has been created that can manufacture organic sunscreen????
Read the Popular Science stories that inspired the episode:https://www.popsci.com/health/do-i-need-sunscreen-every-day/https://www.popsci.com/science/sunscreen-made-from-e-coli/
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 did airplane seats get SO small?
2026/07/22
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?
2026/06/25
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?
2026/06/10
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?
2026/05/28
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?
2026/05/13
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?
2026/04/30
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?
2026/04/16
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?
2026/03/31
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
Podcast reviews
Read Ask Us Anything by Popular Science podcast reviews
Kyle131 2026/04/30
Love the new hosts!
Annie and Sarah are so fun! I love listening to this on my quick 15 minute commute.
chabonic 2025/11/12
Loving the new hosts!
Sarah and Annie are awesome, and love that the episodes are short and fun
NikomiBlue 2023/10/14
Short Science Snippets
Cool little podcast to listen to for answers to random questions (some simple, some more complicated). Short and sweet, so you won’t have to dedicate...
PK Shep 2022/10/11
Reading answers
Love the content, but editors need to try to have natural conversations, not read answers aloud. Take the chance, guys. Could be a great show, but put...
Jess Boddy 2022/07/22
Great podcast for a quick commute!
This podcast is the perfect length for my under 15 minute commute to work. The hosts are always positive and upbeat while teaching me a little tidbit ...
Fluffin-A 2022/04/18
Childish
Really simple questions with dumbed down answers. The main host has a valley girl voice with an upward inflection at the end of every sentence so stat...
Mims_13 2022/01/02
Great podcast!!
I found this podcast because of Weirdest thing and love it! Even though it has short episodes, (which I don’t mind) they still fit tons of info into t...
JKMSJS 2021/06/20
Sounds like a Jr. High class assignment.
Interesting succinct snippets of science. The up talk/ Valley Girl speech pattern can grate on a listener; along with the little girl giggling over em...
MABritt 2021/05/06
Bite-sized info! Good stuff!
Sometimes you don’t feel like diving into a long-winded podcast episode. These are fun and short!
Randomfandombadger 2021/04/20
Love you guys!
I love popular science’s podcasts! Can’t wait for a bunch to build up so I can binge!
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