The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week Atomic Priesthood, Space Smells Like Beef, the Power of Pee Fuel
Feb 25, 2026
Misty, a tech sales pro and amateur perfumer intrigued by language, brings ideas about nuclear waste warnings and ritualized long-term signaling. Lindsay, a full-time Twitch streamer and scent researcher, explains why space smells like beef and how chemists recreate it. They also touch on why having to pee can sharpen focus and improve game performance. Short, odd, and curiosity-sparking conversations.
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Astronaut Descriptions Vary Widely
- Astronauts describe the 'smell of space' variably as ozone, metallic, welding fumes, or even roast beef/cream of mushroom soup.
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) common in soot and charred meat likely explain the meaty and burnt notes.
NASA Smell Reconstruction Became A Perfume
- NASA commissioned a chemist to recreate the smell of space for astronaut training and the public, leading to a successful 2020 Kickstarter.
- The Kickstarter raised $614,376 and produced a consumer perfume sold for about $49 per 100 mL.
Different Worlds Would Smell Different
- Planetary atmospheres produce distinct odors: Jupiter's layers could smell like ammonia (cat urine) and ammonium sulfide (rotten eggs).
- Reports of the Milky Way 'smelling of raspberries' come from ethyl formate detection, but that compound appears in many substances.