Ask Us Anything by Popular Science

Welcome back to Ask Us Anything from Popular Science

Ask Us Anything by Popular Science

Show Notes

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/

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More from Ask Us Anything by Popular Science

Oct 16, 2026

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.

Sep 30, 2026

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!)

Sep 16, 2026

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!

Sep 2, 2026

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

Aug 19, 2026

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..

See all episodes →