# Hector the Tickle Robot, Eyeball Teeth, a Little Bit of ~Spice~ (and Neuroscience)

An episode of [The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1377843908), 9 Sep 2026, 1 h 10 min.

Audio: https://pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/135/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/swap.fm/track/i7NUCPwi3tJP053nG6mP/traffic.megaphone.fm/STU2684368885.mp3

Author and food historian Priya Mani joins the show to talk about the neuroscience of spice. Plus, Laura explains why whales have teeth on their eyes (SERIOUSLY), and Rachel gets into why a tickle robot exists. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a podcast by Popular Science. Share your weirdest facts and stories with us in our Facebook group or tweet at us! Click here to learn more about all of our stories! Links to Rachel's TikTok, Newsletter, Merch Store and More: https://linktr.ee/RachelFeltman Rachel now has a Patreon, too! Follow her for exclusive bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/RachelFeltman Link to Jess' Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jesscapricorn Link to all of Jess' content: https://www.jesscapricorn.com/ -- Follow our team on Twitter Rachel Feltman: www.twitter.com/RachelFeltman Produced by Jess Boddy: www.twitter.com/JessicaBoddy Popular Science: www.twitter.com/PopSci Theme music by Billy Cadden: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LqT4DCuAXlBzX8XlNy4Wq?si=5VF2r2XiQoGepRsMTBsDAQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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