Ask us Anything by Popular Science

It's the season 2 finale! What did food taste like 50 years ago—and was it actually better than it is now? 

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There are regular cars, there are luxury cars, and then there are.... SUPER cars. But what even is a super car? As our host explains, it can often be more of a vibe than anything else—but there are some specific criteria to hit. 

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The sun is, to put it lightly, quite important to life on Earth. What would happen if it suddenly went poof?

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If you're looking for a sign to take a vacation... this might be it.

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We finally dive into the classic question—why can't we all touch our toes? And why the heck is it such a big deal?

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Sure, you can't literally smell IN space. But what if you could? Just how stinky is it out there?

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Homework—we've all done it. (Or avoided it.) But is homework truly necessary for learning and becoming a fully formed human?

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Most people will tell you to drink 8 cups of water per day—but what if we told you that the answer is SO much more complicated than that?

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Modern dinosaurs obviously taste like chicken—because they ARE chickens. But what would dinos like stegosauruses and T. rexes have tasted like back in the day?

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So... yes, this is a weird question. But electronics are hard to recycle, ok? Can't we just toss them down the hatch? What would they do to our bodies?

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In a pandemic world, we've gotta get a little creative in order to stay intimate. But even sending a nude can be dangerous—so how can we do it safely?

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Let's face it—hangovers suck. But what if there was a way to cure them?

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If you liked season 1 of our show, then you are going to LOVE Season 2. We’ll hit your feeds on Tuesday, September 7th, with new hosts and new questions to tackle—including how to safely send nude photos, what would a dinosaur taste like, how to cure a hangover, and so much more. So tune in on September 7th wherever you get podcasts for twice-a-week episodes. For more updates, you can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram @askpopscipod. Thanks for listening, and see you soon!

The world is teeming with colors we see everyday. But humans don’t see every color on the light spectrum. There is a whole world of color that we can’t recognize.

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As many of us know far too well, allergy season is upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere. But why do our bodies cause us such pain every spring? And why are people allergic to certain foods or animals? 

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On long days, it's not unusual to conjure up scenes of lush beaches, serene mountaintops, or even a cozy blanket fort and a good movie. But what's happening in our brains when we do that? And is it healthy to do this so often?

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For the last year and a half, we've really only had one big virus on our minds—and it's a very bad one. But are there good viruses out there? And what can viruses do for us?

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At first glance, a volcano’s hot lava seems ideal for incinerating our trash. But, like so many things in science, it’s so much more complicated than that.

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There aren't any recorded deaths attributed solely to marijuana—you can't really blaze yourself to death. But even so, is it possible to overdose on it? 

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If you know, you know—that jabbing, stabbing pain in your side just when you hit your groove in a work out. So what's actually going on in your body when you get a side stitch? 

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We all lead busy lives, so it's easy to skimp out on catching all of those Zs. But the question is, how much sleep can you get without sacrificing any cognitive function? 

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Black holes—humungous, dense, celestial objects—suck in everything that cross their jaws (also known as their event horizons). But what if one sucked YOU in?! Two words: lethal spaghetti. 

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Grocery shopping can be a chore. But what if, even hypothetically, you could survive by only consuming one food for the rest of your life? There's a way to do it—but it involves a whole buttload of potatoes. 

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Claire is 5'4", and Jess is 6'1", and most of the world is somewhere in between. But why is it that we don't just all end up being 10 feet tall? What's stopping us from growing sky-high?

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Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the classic flu season, many of us often wonder: is it possible to boost our immune systems so they can vanquish any threat? 

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Premiering Tuesday, March 16th, Ask Us Anything is a brand new podcast from the editors of Popular Science. It’s a bite-sized show that answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions—from what the universe is made of to why not everyone can touch their toes. If you like The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week, we promise you’ll love Ask Us Anything—and you’ll hear a few familiar voices on it, too! Check out new episodes of Ask Us Anything every Tuesday and Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.