Check it out: 'Ask Us Anything' from Popular Science. On this episode, GOOSEBUMPS

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Popular Science

Society & Culture, Science, Education

4.6 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 November 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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. On this episode: 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: PopSci.com/ask Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey weirdos, it's your producer Jess, and I have a really cool announcement.
0:08.1	Popular Science is relaunching the Ask Us Anything podcast, and we're dropping the first new
0:13.3	episode in the weirdest thing feed, right here, right now. This episode is all about goosebumps,
0:19.4	what they are and why we get them. It also features a very
0:23.1	special appearance by the king of goosebumps himself, R. L. Stein. And if you're interested in
0:28.6	human composting, and come on, who isn't, there's a second new episode available right now.
0:34.8	So subscribe and follow, ask us Us Anything wherever you get your podcasts.
0:38.6	Join host and Popsie editor Sarah Dern alongside the rest of the team as they answer your most
0:43.2	outlandish, mind-burning questions. Without further ado, enjoy learning all about goosebumps.
0:50.0	So we want to know what gives you goosebumps.
0:53.7	Touching the corduroy with the back of my hand?
0:57.0	Biting into cold fruit?
0:59.6	It sort of gives your teeth that jolt, but also I don't like it.
1:03.7	I get goosebumps on airplanes when I look out the window and kind of see this view of the world that like so many people, not even that long ago, never
1:12.0	got to see. Listening to music in the dark by myself on really good headphones.
1:17.6	The cold.
1:23.6	Welcome to Ask Us Anything from the editors of Popular Science, where we answer your questions about our weird world.
1:30.5	From, why can't we just chuck all our garbage into the sun to, are cats really scared of cucumbers?
1:37.5	No question is too outlandish or too mundane.
1:40.4	I'm Sarah Dern, an editor here at Popular Science.
1:43.7	And I'm Annie Colbert, editor-in-chief at Popular Science.
1:46.2	This week, we're talking all about goosebumps.
	...

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