Science... Sort Of

00:00:00 - The theme this week is 2.0. Meaning the Paleopals want y'all to create some content, and y'all did! Each story this week comes as a submission from the Paleoposse. Thanks, everyone! The Paleopals Patrick, Jacob and Ryan have formed a pack to hunt some science, as suggested by Jesse W., first by debating the potential of pack hunting dinosaurs as opposed to just good wholesome group shredding post-mortem Komodo dragon style. Fun for everyone! 00:18:26 - Unfortunately, the one thing the Paleopals can't easily crowd source are drinks, but they thought to bring there own. Jacob gets down with Irene by having a Magic Hat #9, fingers-crossed for continued availability post-storm. Ryan, with no intended commentary on the Paleoposse, sups a Certified Evil and makes Patrick commit the evil sin of envy. But Patrick is also packing tasty liquid in the form of a fresh hop ale from Sierra Nevada. 00:25:27 - Even Trailer Trash Talk got out-sourced this week! Brent suggested the trailer Margin Call on the Faceb

We did it! 00:00:00 - What are we drinking gets pushed to the front one more time as the entire former cast of the show (sans Justin) returns for the centennial episode! And everyone brought a beverage so hear what Ryan, Patrick, Charlie, Ben, Heather, Jacob and Kelly came to the anniversary show with. 00:09:35 - Game 1: Bleeping Science Show notes are a bit different this week because we did a game show style episode instead of the normal format, and our first game was Bleeping Science. Hear the Paleopals try to guess what was said in old clips from the show with a word removed! 00:31:20 - Patrick gets back to Moe regarding that whole Stitcher thing. Bottom line? We're now on Stitcher. Enjoy! 00:33:04 - Game 2: What did Charlie think? The second game is brought to the Paleopals by Ben when he makes them try to think like Charlie regarding old segments of Trailer Trash Talk. Were they able to get inside his mind enough to win? 00:45:53 - What would an anniversary be without sharing some memories? The Pal

00:00:00 - Dr. Jai Ranganathan, of the podcast Curiouser and Curiouser, joins the Paleopals to talk about his new initiative, the #SciFund Challenge, which is a radical new idea on how to fun science. The Paleopals have concerns, but Jai makes this sound just crazy enough to work. Definitely a story we'll be sticking with as it moves forward. 00:37:05 - One thing the Paleopals make sure to fund each week are some tasty drinks. Patrick gets his hands on a can of Old Chub. Charlie is unimpressed by a local IPA. Kelly steals an OK porter from the lab fridge. And Ryan man's up with a Sea Smoke Barleywine. 00:44:38 - This week Trailer Trash Talk focuses on what is best in life. Well, maybe not so much as there are mixed feelings about Conan. Ryan does his best to do right by friends while defending this pulp icon, but will the other Paleopals be convinced? 01:00:22 - Neoteny is a funny thing, and one of Ryan and Patrick's favorite subjects in biology. The critter in question is the above pictured axolotl, which

00:00:00 - Newly minted Dr. Brandon Murphy PhD joins the Paleopals to tell them all about the PETM and life on a boat. Turns out it's not like the popular music video would have you believe. It's much more like running to the sea floor and back while barely rocking at all. 00:24:14 - Per usual, drinks are consumed. Patrick steels himself for a Chardonnay, Charlie stands by with a Widmer Hefeweizen, Brandon kicks it with an agreed upon favorite, and Ryan records with a awkwardly named Vas Deferens Ale in hand. 00:32:16 - Patrick gets his stats nerd on with this week's Trailer Trash Talk subject Moneyball. He really cares more about the math than the sport and writes a blog post demonstrating just that. 00:43:51 - The US narrowly avoiding slamming into it's own self-imposed debt ceiling, and the Paleopals plus Brandon talk about what that means for science funding (which is what makes being a scientist a job rather than a hobby). Brandon takes a more philosophical bent towards the value of science, which we

00:00:00 - The Paleopals are pleased to be joined by Dr. Nicholas Pyenson to talk about his research into Gray Whales, possibly the dirtiest of the baleen whales. He thinks the Grey Whale might have been more adaptable than previously thought, which has implications for the future, which is the most epic type of paleontology one can do. Be sure to visit the Smithsonian Institution, where Dr. Pyenson is a curator for fossil mammals, and see this stuff in the bone-y flesh! 00:42:28 - While some whales gulp dirt the paleopals sup liquids. And what liquids they are! Charlie indulges in the summertime treat of a Seattle Margarita! Patrick keeps things nautical and keeps everyone happy with a Scrimshaw from North Coast. And Ryan tries to beat the heat with a Red Brick 16th Anniversary Ale aged in "bourbon" barrels. 00:46:09 - Fortunately a bit of ethanol can keep the germs at bay because this one Trailer Trash Talk the Paleopals are at risk of a serious Contagion. 00:56: 18 - Some statisticians have gone and p

It's a special edition show! These rare treats come about every now and again when an unusual opportunity to record arrives. This incident occurred during the PaleoPosse meetup at The Midnight in Gainesville, Florida on Friday May 13th, 2011. It includes a few familiar voices as well as a few new ones. Extra special guest is Jason Burchfield, PaleoPosse member and fellow podcaster on the Oklahoma Atheists Godcast. No real time-stamps for this mess. I know we at least mention superconductors in alcohol (as explained by ben while sober in Episode 48) and some study strategies to help you ace that upcoming test! Thanks for listening and come back Monday for a more regular episode!

00:00:00 - The Paleopals have returned to America and they've brought a show with them! The first topic on the chopping block is the US Senate putting corn-based ethanol on the chopping block. Some of you might know it as maize, others as a solution to oil, but the Paleopals try to set the record straight. 00:18:53 - Speaking of ethanol, the Paleopals are each consuming some. Charlie, having returned from France, is having some vermouth on the rocks as an apertif, whatever that is. Patrick has no treats from Alaska, but he's slogging through a Sommersault from New Belgium. And Ryan both has and explains his Mezcal Reposado con Gusano straight out of Mexico! 00:27:09 - It wasn't out when we recorded so Captain America, the latest in the string of summer comic book movies, takes center stage for Trailer Trash Talk. Will the Paleopals support their homeboy hero? Or will taste overcome patriotism? 00:41:44 - Charlie has gotten all excited about bacteria that claim to have things in common with Batman. Ryan tri

00:00:00 - Daniel H. Wilson joins the Paleopals to talk about the science of robots and the sort of novels. Namely his new one, the highly enjoyable Robopocalypse! Be sure to check out the rest of Wilson's literary catalog (including some very practical survival books) at his Amazon page. Keep an eye on thePaleocave Blogf or Ryan's review! 00:52:51 - How can you prove you're not a robot? Ingest some alcohol and hope Futurama has been wrong all these years. Ben eschews that test (very suspicious) in favor of some foreign Philippine nectar that we're waiting on authenticity confirmation from Pang. Ryan, after talking horrors of the future, sips on a Monster Ale from the past (2007) in the form of a Barleywine from the Brooklyn Brewery. And Jacob heads north with a Latitude 48 IPA from Samuel Adams, which is an IPA for everyone to enjoy! 00:58:34 - While you may have been underwhelmed in the theaters the second trailer for Real Steel with Hugh Jackman et al. looks far more promising, at least that's what the

00:00:00 – Julia Saltz rejoins Paleopals Ryan, Kelly and Jacob after her enthralling debut in Ep 87 to talk more about her own research and less about messy Hox genes. Her paper on social effects of aggression drive in male fruit flies pushes it way to the front of the discussion. 00:25:40 - Social situations are often distorted by alcohol, and while the Paleopals are of age and choose to imbibe, they hope it doesn't distort the discussions. Our guest Julia is cooling down with some white wine, while Jacob cools down with an In Heat Wheat. Kelly is prepping her tongue for SDCC with a Green Flash Double Stout Black Ale and Ryan is enjoying some rum that was made long before he could even consider drinking it. 00:34:01 –Jacob hijacks Trailer Trash Talk this week to talk about a video game! This week its Uncharted 3 but this all still ties into the theme because the Supreme Court just ruled that videos games are protected speech. The question then becomes: did they use sound science to draw their conclusion?

00:00:00 - This week Paleopals Ryan, Kelly and Ben are joined by a special guest Beverly Walker! She's come to us straight from Antarctica. Bev was down there last "summer" to do research but before we dive into the water and the science the Paleopals want to know just what life near the South Pole is really like, and Bev is happy to fill them (and YOU) in on the details! 00:19:21 - Thoughts of the cold and dry lead one to the warming and the wet. Kelly stays on the lighter side of dark with a beer not recommended by previous guest of the show Charles Bamforth. Ben has a weird chunky aloe-vera and honey concoction, and the less said about that the better. Whereas Bev has been given a summer beer which Ryan had previously and Ryan keeps things frosty with a winter Rye IPA from Saranac. 00:24:33 - Kelly introduces this weeks Trailer Trash Talk: 50/50 but doesn't have much positive to say. And the movie could very well be a downer, but it's too soon to tell. What say you noble, Paleoposse? 00:38:14 - Finally

00:00:00 - The show begins with possibly the best cold open ever and then descends into discussion of quantum computing as D-Wave Systems released the first commercially available quantum computer EVER! Its a big deal if you know what quantum computing is, so the Paleopals do their best to distinguish a qubit from a double slit. 00:26:06 - Charlie feels imperial from the lager side of things, and betrays and old favorite.  Patrick is reminded of his early days as a craft beer drinker. Ben has a juice with enough calories to make him second guess his selection. And Ryan has a beer from California that everyone agrees upon, which if you listen to the show you know is a rare thing! 00:32:44 - Trailer Trash Talk tackles Rom-Com for the first time and is left feeling Green with Envy. This one gets a bit silly, ben even does voices. 00:44:25 - Bigfoot "researchers" go into the woods and come out with "evidence." The remaining question is: Bigfoot or bear? The Paleopals have way too much fun (including the poking

00:00:00 - Ben starts off the show with the horrifying news that spiders literally cannot be killed. Not even by drowning. Be afraid, but very afraid. Or be a biologist, like Ryan, who has no fear, only awe. 00:13:00 - Without time to prepare Ben is left looking for spiders in a glass of water, Kelly kicks back a Shakespeare stout and and Ryan keeps it beneath the drink with an emphasis on the cryptozoologic. 00:19:39 - After the immortality of spiders the Paleopals consider the implausibility of magic (which may or may not have mass) in the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. 00:29:02 - Ryan survived the summer of the 13-year cicada invasion and decides that it's high time the Paleopals discuss the little loud critters and how they evolved their long-form lifestyles. Enjoy the singing! 00:54:23 - PalePOWs are like cicadas, they're always prime.  Kelly has an e-mail from Jesse (not Ryan's friend)  who is happy to have found her via SMBC. Ben has an e-mail from Doug which asks a questi

00:00:00 - Kevin "The Numero" Uno joins the Paleopals to discuss his new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences all about "Nutcracker Man" not doing what his name would imply. 00:19:42 - What are we drinking? Kevin paradoxically says that i's the water (not the grains), Charlie ponders new bottle shapes for and older brewery, Patrick experiments with pale ales and Ryan has a  Hibiki Birthday drink on the rocks thanks to a few fine ladies. 00:26:17 - Trailer Trash Talk gets historical this week as the Paleopals plus Kevin discuss the trailer for the upcoming documentary Project Nim, which tells the story of ape raising experimentation in the 70's. Yes, it's as messed up as it sounds. 00:38:58 - More science coming from hominid tooth isotopes as a new study from Nature suggests that Cavemen stayed put while Cavewomen searched for greener pastures. Kevin sticks around to help explain. 00:50:56 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like cavemen, rare and poorly understood. This week Charlie ha

00:00:00 - Whats the best way to look inside a mouse? Finely-tuned laser-excitable nanotubes of course! Ben has more in the way of explanations, but Ryan brings the analogies. 00:16:15 - Ben also has something weird to drink but he recommended it to all. Ben also brings his PaleoPOW to bear early with a voicemail from Anthony in AUS concerning som Vostok Space Beer. Charlie is calling back to an oldie but a goodie. And Ryan has a beer themed to go with our transition into... 00:25:19 -Trailer Trash Talk which is renewing it's lease in the show by reexplaining it's origins and purpose. Then we talk about Transformers: Dark of the Moon and why this trailer gets the science wrong within the first frames. 00:36:00 - Humans evolved eyes and the neurons to go with them, but sometimes people have eyes that don't work. A new study shows that clicking your way around the world actually involves processing in the visual cortex, therefor Batman just became that much more plausible. 00:52:37 - PaleoPOWs are a lot lik

00:00:00 - The show begins with the Paleopals discussing a story that sounds too good to be true. Namely that the interaction of river and sea can be used as a safe, nonpolluting form of power, but can the work be understood? Therein lies the rub. 00:23:06 - Jacob is teetotaling while in training, Ryan takes it back to the Olde Country, which is apparently quite wordy, but Charlie keeps is simple and South of the border. 00:30:26 - It's like starting all over again (at least back to High School) as the Paleopals discuss the trailer for the new film Beginners(staring sexy Ewan McGregor). 00:39:20 - After Fukushima, which we discussed in detail in Episode 84 with Brian Dunning, as well as the release of the new Marvel studiosmovie Thor, which Ryan wrote a piece about for Marvel.com, people are looking again at the element Thorium as a new source for nuclear power. The real mystery is why we haven't been using this stuff for years. 00:56:49 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like energy, you never have as much as you thi

00:00:00 - Julia Saltz joins the Paleopals Ryan, Patrick, Charlie and Kelly to finally figure out this genetics nonsense. The first part of the conversation focuses, as much as the show ever focuses, on Hox genes. Listen to find out why they're considered the dinosaurs of genetics. 00:24:17 - Rotten fruit isn't all bad. Sometimes Patrick drinks it, even if he admits that it sucks at first. Charlie has an Imperial IPA he wouldn't hesitate to hand to Patrick, which is saying something. Kelly keeps it practical and working class. And Ryan, per usual, keeps it weird, but with the help of Jesse Grove (who just finished his first year of law school, congrats!). 00:29:41 - Being chosen is a wonderful thing. Just ask Hal Jordan. Or ask the Paleopals what they thought of his trailer since they've chosen Green Lantern for this week's Trailer Trash Talk! 00:42:00 - Julia reappears to talk with us about how Fruit Flies fly, which is apparently like swimming. It's a confusing hodgepodge of genetics, mechanics, physics

00:00:00 - Crocodiles confuse even the best of biologists. Morphology, genetics and taxonomy collide as the Paleopals start the Gainesville show off with the wrong kind of reptile when discussing a new story of crocodile distribution and evolution. 00:14:42 - Patrick got something special for this. Cork special. Charlie continues his IPA tour as a trend continues to develop. And Ryan goes from humid to humidor with a cedar-aged IPA from Cigar City Brewing in FL. 00:21:24 - Trailer Trash Talk is going back to basics with a franchise maybe past its prime as the Paleopals discuss X-Men: First Class. 00:32:57 - Charlie makes the Paleopals read a whole chapter from a book about the evolution of being wasteful with energy. The merits of the specific arguments, evolutionary psychology as a field in general, and some specifics on personal energy consumption and mitigation are pontificated passionately. Step back folks, this one gets hot. 00:57:27 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like alligators, they strike when least expec

00:00:00 - This week the Paleopals are feeling Cuckoo for SCIENCE! Literally. Part of their parasitic ponderings are due to the newest Paleopal Kelly Weinersmith! Everyone say hi! Once she's properly introduced the discussion covers cuckoo basics, cuckoo benefits,cuckoo mafias, and sneaky host evolution. 00:30:24 - Kelly is exposing her mafia ties with some Payback, Ryan is feeling foolish, Patrick has a "really unique" wine and Charlie is hiding in plain site. 00:39:59 - Trailer Trash Talk goes on the prowl for myths and definitions as the Paleopals break down Troll Hunter. 00: 53:28 - The noob volunteers to go first with an iTunes review from LW whom Ryan assumes is a Munchkin. Ryan has donation and beer rec from Bec B. in Aus. Thanks, Bec! Charlie has website comments left by Stephen from NC regarding post-rock and creationism, seemingly unconnected, but life's funny like that. Be sure to check out Stephen's band The Farewell Monument. And finally Patrick has an e-mail from Ryan T. about how Idaho liste

00:00:00 - Friend of the show and fellow podcaster Brian Dunning returns after a long absence to talk about the details of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant problems in Japan. Plus why exactly radiation is bad for us, and what the crisis in Japan means for the future of nuclear energy. Definitely take a moment to look at Randall Munroe's most excellent radiation exposure chart. 00:33:49 - Podcasting has been known to lead to dry mouth. So to keep our oral cavities moist we enjoy a beverage. And this week was a weird one as Brian enjoyed some milk, Charlie had some water, and Ben had a weird cream soda thing. Patrick had an old favorite beer, and Ryan had a wheat whiskey he was sure could stand up to Dunning's scotch snobbery. Be sure to listen to Skeptoid and watch inFact or else Brian will be sad. 00:50:58 - This week Trailer Trash Talk is kind of a big hot mess as Ben derails the discussion of the trailer for the upcoming film The Big Bang. 01:04:02 - Is there anything meta-materials can't do? First

00:00:00 - Turns out Australia and Antarctica have more in common than just being giant deserts. A new study in Nature Geoscience reports that Antarctica is stealing Australia's moisture and it's all humanity's fault! C'mon Southern Hemisphere, can't you guys just all get along? 00:13:35 - This week Patrick is supping a grape fruit from New Zealand, Ryan kicks back a Fosters to then transition into a relatively palatable Harpoon Celtic Ale and Charlie requests sponsorship from his old standby, the Lagunitas IPA. 00:18:41 - Jacob jumps in mid-transition to help Ryan announce the upcoming Florida Science... sort of meetup. Details at the Paleocave blog! 00:21:27 - Trailer Trash Talks finds itself in a weird yet familiar place as the Paleopals discuss the 4th installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides. 00:30:28 - The pesky paleontologists have discovered a couple of new marsupials down in Aus. The crazy part is the convergent angle evolution between these basal mammals and some