Science... Sort Of

00:00:00 - This episode Ryan is joined by returning guest Daphne Pringle and first-time guest Dr. Jen Gallagher, a listener who wrote in to let us know about some of the positive changes that have happened at WVU's Department of Biology. We spend the first segment talking about Jen's research using yeast and genomics to study drug and pesticide resistance. One of her students has a paper coming out in PLoS One soon, so stay tuned! 00:25:08 - While we wait for the new paper to drop, why not enjoy a drink? Jen keeps it local with a Halleck Pale Ale from Chestnut Brew Works, a brewery that eventually hopes to make a beer with all West Virginian ingredients. Daphne keeps things Old Fashioned, literally, using the Yippee Ki-Yay blend from High West Distillery. Ryan rounds things out with Revival Sorghum Whiskey from Charleston (South Carolina), mostly so he can finish off the bottle and play a nice song in the transition to the next segment... 00:33:38 - Since Jen first wrote in to tell us about teaching biology

00:00:00 - A team at CalTech has figured out a new way to increase the rate that the ocean might be able to suck down carbon from our atmosphere. The overall plan is still missing a few steps, but it's an exciting step forward in how might get ourselves out of this climate mess. 00:20:45 - Drinks are another way we've figured out how to infuse carbon dioxide into liquid, but we let it out again once we drink it. Whoops. Charlie really enjoys his Bodhizafa IPA from Georgetown Brewing, which of course prompts a discussion of the themes of the 1991 classic film Point Break. Joe references another film franchise with his Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer, but we'll let you put the pieces together yourself. And Ryan wraps it all up with a La Cumbre Elevation IPA sent to him by Matty J. 00:31:45 - Because we're all happy to launch stuff into orbit but no one wants to bring it back down ever, space junk is becoming a big problem (which you can see for yourself here). A joint research team at JPL and Stanford have l

00:00:00 - Studying volcanoes is hard because they're really hot and acidic and just generally sort of deadly to we frail humans. But what about robots? OK, also sort of deadly to robots, but a team is still using an autonomous boat to map out a volcanic lake in Costa Rica, and that's pretty neat. To see Abe's diagram of how volcanic arcs form, click here. 00:31: 35 - Volcanic lakes can bubble up carbon dioxide, as can carbonated beverages. Joe goes first with a Death Valley cola since volcanoes are also hot and deadly? Ryan risks injury and sickness by drinking some homemade fermented pineapple drink known as tepache. Click here to watch a video on how to make it yourself. You'll need some jars, lids, and stones too. Abe surprises Ryan with some Mezcal Matra in his continuing quest to try every type of distilled agave beverage that Mexico has to offer. Smooth and smokey. 00:50:52 - And now, an update on our show's mascot, the always weird but always interesting naked mole rat! A new study has shown that nak

00:00:00 - Ryan and Kelly are joined by Mikhail "Misha" Gopko to talk about his latest paper exploring parasites controlling their fish host from inside their eye. Brain-infecting is one thing, but when you can see your parasite inside your own eyeball? That's just creepy. 00:24:44 - Kelly considers fibbing but opts for honesty as she drinks her water. Ryan has a Grolsch because he needs a resealable bottle for some home fermentation projects, and why buy empty beer bottles when you can just empty them yourself? 00:31:42 - Part 2 of our interview with Misha chats about the importance of parasite research, and what future projects Misha has in store. 00:49:51 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like parasites in bird guts, they always come out at the end. First up, we thank Terry R. for being a Patron of the show, which earns them a thesis title. There's is A Bird in the Hand: Mechanisms of manipulation of avian defecation by Diplostomum pseudospathaceum. Thanks, Terry! Kelly has a Facebook message from D Rex who ran half

00:00:00 - Something a little different this week as Ryan presents some audio from a project he did with the startup Anchor.fm earlier this year producing some science segments for a channel called Organized Curiosity. He's drinking a Manta Ray from Ballast Point Brewing Company, which will become relevant later, but for now, here are the topics that get covered: 00:03:40 - First up, an explanation of the station and why I chose the name Organized Curiosity. (Spoiler: It's from a quote in Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography) 00:07:14 - Better know a root: astro- 00:09:33 - News you probably cannot use: Monkeys pass the mirror self-recognition test 00:12:41 - Bio bios: Mexican blindcat (Prietella phreatophila)00:15:48 - Q&A: What is a theory? 00:18:37 - Falsifiability response from Ian Shapiro00:19:43 - My response on falsifiability 00:24:46 - Bio bios: Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) 00:29:56 - News you probably cannot use: NASA announces new exoplanets 00:35:08 - Better know a root: osteo- 00:37:58 - Bio

00:00:00 - This episode Ryan and Ben are joined by Dr. Rachel Brown Reid to tell us about her work with road killed coyotes. But first, we have to make sure Ben is up to speed with the basics of stable isotope analysis. Rachel and Ryan do their best to explain. 00:32:56 - Now that we've supped from the font of knowledge, how about just having some sips of a normal drink? We make the mistake of letting Ben go first. He's having some sort of nonsensical overly complicated health drink. Whatever. Rachel keeps it local with a 2011 B.C. India Style Brown Ale from Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, her favorite brewery in a region with lots of good options. Ryan rounds out the segment with a Tart Mango Cart from Golden Road Brewing given to him by listener and pickle-friend of the show Jerrold D. 00:44:19 - Rachel just had a paper come out, which you can read for free from PLoS One where she's analyzed stable isotopes of scat from road killed coyotes. What did she learn? Listen and find out! Also, sometimes coyotes a

00:00:00 - We are stoked to have returning guest Daphne Pringle back on the show! And while it's not the most upbeat topic, she is indeed here to talk about cancer. Turns out, cancer evolves just like any other organism, but we don't always study in the same way. Maybe we should? Discussion ensues based on the following papers: Cancer as an evolutionary and ecological process Metastasis as an evolutionary process And somehow: Sweaty T-Shirts and Human Mate Choice 00:36:34 - Nothing like talking about cancer to make one want a carcinogen. Daphne reps her local scene with a Tastes LIke Citrus from Two Row Brewing. Ryan has a Brazilian beer called Belô Petroleum: The Great Discovery, which gives him a chance to rant about the North Dakota Access Pipeline. Charlie honors our Utahn guest with his choice of a Uinta Hop Nosh IPA.  00:50:36 - We try to be the science podcast that actually follows up on stories from time-to-time, so it's well past time for us to update y'all on what's going on with the Tasmanian de

00:00:00 - First up, Ryan, Abe, and Joe discuss some research showing that arctic foxes inadvertently grow herbivore-friendly gardens above their dens, making them ecosystem engineers, which is pretty freaking cool.  00:20:45 - Arctic foxes bring the produce, but we bring the drinks. This time Joe is enjoying a Sprecher Cherry Cola. Abe is all about his Fancy Pants V3 from Jessup Farm Barrel House, complete with fox logo. Ryan tries out his Spanish to describe a Vieja Compa Picante (or Spicy Old Pal) made with Dominican Bermudez Aniversario 1852 and Habanero Bitters. 00:27:45 - After reading Catching Fire (not that one) geographer Michael Medler had an idea about humans and volcanoes. A map of volcanoes in the African Rift Valley where humans first evolved suggests that maybe our first fires came from lava, allowing us to cook our food and get big brains. Also, ravens (and corvids generally) are super smart, but the Canary Islands are named after dogs. You're welcome. 01:00:18 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like vo

00:00:00 - Kelly Weinersmith is here and she's got a book coming out co-written with some dude named Zach Weinersmith, whoever that is. The book is called Soonish, it's coming out soon, but you can pre-order it now. Pre-ordering is super important for their rankings on the sales charts, plus you get super cool rewards so get on it!  00:21:48 - One thing we hope doesn't change anytime soon is our enjoyment of delicious beverages. Ben has some "Boss Coffee" which Kelly and Ryan thought was a joke, but it's apparently not. Next up, Ryan gets bitter thanks to his wife. Seriously, she bought him some Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters added to some fine St. Lucian rum. Kelly unwittingly makes a London Fog with some Harney & Sons Earl Grey Supreme tea. 00:33:37 - Wolves are known for many things: pack mentality, becoming dogs, and howling. Tourists really like the howling part, including faking it to get the wolves to howl back. But how does that make the wolves feel? For the first time, a team in Canada h

00:00:00 - Ryan is joined by Rachel Silverstein (@irrelephantidae) and Marina Chanidou (@marinaloveschem) who were featured by Marvel as the inaugural Agents of G.I.R.L. In the first segment, we chat about Rachel's proboscidean paleontology at the Saltville Valley site, and Marina's work using chemistry to figure out what food was kept in very old pots.  00:21:32 - In the past, both elephants and ancient people had drinks, so let's keep the tradition alive! Rachel stays responsible with some water. Marina enjoys some Bramble Scotch Liqueur. And Ryan tries to keep things thematic with a Prop Culture from Odell. 00:30:46 - The reason this interview came about was because of comics, so we can't help but have a free-wheeling discussion about how Rachel and Marina wound up in Marvel's The Unstoppable Wasp #1, representation, and comics we love. The list of comics mentioned or discussed includes: Princeless Motor Crush The Secret Loves of Geek Girls Chew Saga The Autumnlands Black Road Heathen Unfollow The Flintst

00:00:00 - This week Ryan interviews W. John Calder, who just finished his Ph.D. studying fire ecology and paleoclimate. We spend the first segment talking about the basics of his research, and some admittedly nitpicky differences between their fields. 00:36:30 - Fires are best put out with liquid, but maybe not this kind of liquid. Ryan is sipping on some Bone Snapper Rye Whiskey with Bittermens Burlesque Bitters, both gifts from his wife.  0038:43 - In part two of Ryan's talk with John, they discuss his paper published in the prestigious PNAS as well as some of the work from his recently submitted dissertation. If you want to keep up with John and his work, you can follow him on Twitter: @W_John_Calder 01:31:38 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like fire, cool in the kitchen for a second, but then they aren't. Ryan thanks Philip O. for a recent donation, and asks how the rest of the audience feels about doing something special for the upcoming eclipse in North America. Also, we're now on Patreon if you're interested i

00:00:00 - Kelly has a new paper out! It's about wasps being parasites within other parasites right on campus where she works, so that's about as nifty as it gets. You can watch a video about the study here, and read the open access paper here. 00:20:15 - Nothing like thinking about having your brain infected by parasites to make you want a drink, right? Joe thinks he's being original but doesn't realize he's just Jacob because they both thought it would be cool to drink Soylent on the show. Joe's is chocolate flavored instead of coffee, so there's that. Ryan feels cheated with his supposedly 'Scandanavian' Cider that's actually made in Estonia. Not cool! 00:29:16 - Frog tongues, how do they work? Part of the answer is in their selectively stick spit. Also, they swallow with their eyes somehow? That's weird. Frogs are weird. But that doesn't mean you should steal them. Listen to Chunk and don't take amphibians that aren't yours. Joe also reminds us of dirty misspellings and makes puns, feel free voice you

00:00:00 - Do you ever wonder how those music ID services work so well? Well wonder no further because we've got Tim Dobbs here to explain it! 00:24:49 - That noise on the microphone? That's us drinking, but don't worry, we'll tell you what's in the glass. Patrick continues his quest to try beers Ryan hasn't had, this time with a Sierra Nevada Single Hop Cascade IPA, but you'll have to listen to see if he's bested Ryan. Ryan classes up the joint with a Chateau Palais Cardinal 2011 St. Emilion Grand Cru from Bordeaux. Dang. Tim finishes up the segment with a Shade of Gray, Black, and White IPA plus some silly RadioLab noises, because we're fairly sure that's not an overdone joke just yet. 00:33:05 - If you enjoy food then you should think about what you're listening to while you eat it, because research is showing that the sounds in your ears can affect the feeling and flavors in your mouth. Plus, super spooky ghosts and the sounds that make them (maybe). 01:02:48 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like seasoning, necessar

00:00:00 - Usually whenever you want to make up nonsense that sounds plausible, you throw in the word 'quantum'. We're all guilty of it from time to time. Fortunately, we have Ben Tippett here to explain the actual quantum happenings behind our first observation of quantum distortion in empty space. You can read the paper on the arXiv here.  00:27:19 - Extra long drinks segment because there's just so much to talk about! Ben's perfect memory of every previous episode fails him just this once when he has the Swedish holiday soda Dryck Julmust, just like Ryan already had on episode 234. Silly, Ben. Ryan is feeling ambitious, so he drinks an entire Galaxy from Funkwerks. Jacob, an adult with stuff to get done mixes a meal with his caffeine by giving Coffiest from (probably not using people as an ingredient but still suspicious) Soylent a try.  00:45:45 - When you think of radar, you probably think of green blips signaling enemy aircraft, but Google's ATAP group has just announced Project Soli, which aims to put

More of Ryan bumming around a professional meeting, microphone in hand. 00:00:00 - First up is Stacey Felgate (@StaceyFelgate) and Kim Gottschalk (@Kim_Gottschalk). Stacey tells us a little bit about her work on blue carbon storage in salt marshes. Next, Kim tells us about her project investigating the source of Antarctic bottom water with GO-SHIP. They both also have a lot of recommendations for how to get involved in research as an undergrad, which you can learn about with these links: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution NSF's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) NSF's Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) 00:23:04 - We end our AGU coverage shooting the breeze with our old friend Miles Traer (@Geo_Miles), who was also working the meeting from multiple angles and drawing cartoons the whole while. Per usual, the conversation strays from geoscience to pop culture asking the big questions lik

Ryan is live at the AGU Fall Meeting and people agree to talk to him. 00:00:00 - First, we chat Martín S Hoecker-Martínez about his philosophy of outreach and his work studying the carbon fluxing of the ocean around Antarctica with ORCAS (acronym, not the animal). Be sure to follow him on Twitter (@msmithma) and learn more with these helpful links: ORCAS project Website Flight planning Website Videos related to ORCAS The Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network run by The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (@NOAA_ESRL) Figure and related press release showing the boundary of 400 ppm CO2 air as they measured it across Drake passage NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory Which has been used to make cool visualizations of CO2 00:38:44 - In between segments we drink, but it's early so have some Holler Mountain coffee from Stumptown. 00:40:03 - Next up, former guest and friend of the show Jane Zelikova updates us on what's been keeping her so busy, and it's a lot:  Jane's not super happy about the upcoming Dru

00:00:00 - It's our annual Thanksgiving show! That means 100% for 100% of this one show. Enjoy it! First up, Bettina wants to know what Ryan, Patrick, and Charlie think about the concept of rewilding. Ryan discussed this topic on an episode of Generation Anthropocene, but Patrick and Charlie have their own thoughts to contribute as well. Plus it's already happening in Siberia because of course it is.  00:14:29 - Drinking helps many of us survive the holidays, and we're no exception. Ryan begins with some Epic Artisinal Turkey Sipping Broth. Sounds gross? Yeah, it kind of is. But it goes down smooth with Surly Hell. Charlie has some dirty Italian table wine, but he makes it sound good somehow. Last up, Patrick is worried the guys will snub his economic choice for a Founder's All Day IPA, but he is wrong... sort of.  00:21:49 - Next up, Keith has many many questions. The guys have fewer answer, but they try their best. Here are some of the topics considered: Why do so many tetrapods have five digits?  How a

To begin, a brief word on the election. More on what we can all do next to follow down the line. Stay tuned. 00:00:00 - Patrick and Ryan are very excited to be joined by Alex Hastings, Assistant Curator at the Virginia Museum of Natural History and all around crocodylian expert. We spend the first segment of the show pestering him about all things croc and croc-related, and there's a lot.  00:31:25 - Now is a time to come together, and possibly have a drink. Alex somehow found a beer dedicated to the giant snake Titanoboa, so what else could he possibly have had? Patrick keeps it local with a Little Red RooStarr Coffee Cream Stout, which sounds complex but also smooth. Ryan needs to give his stomach a bit of a break so opts for some Pepto-Bismol in lieu of alcohol. 00:35:52 - Alex, in addition to all his research and curation, was also in a documentary called Graveyard of the Giant Beasts from PBS about giant crocs fighting extra long snakes. Sounds far-fetched, but probably actually happened, and Alex got to

00:00:00 - Worried about your cherry supply in the coming years? Well, bears may have you covered. According to a new study out of Japan, mountain-climbing bears seem adept at moving cherry seeds uphill to escape rising temperatures. However, according to the most recent IPCC report, not all plants and animals will be so lucky.  00:19:45 - Some weeks you need a drink. This was one of those weeks. Ryan has an árcáná to get a little magic in his life. Patrick is proud to finally find a beer Ryan hasn't had with a Yee-Haw Eighty leading to a discussion of the peculiarities of Scottish beer. Charlie, in reference to hop's cousin, has a Topcutter IPA from a local vineyard-esque brewery. 00:30:50 - NEWSFLASH: As you get closer to a star, things heat up. All stars have a snow line, where water shifts from vapor to ice, and for the first time, we've spotted one around another star.  00:42:45 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like water, maybe kind of boring but undeniably important. Ryan is up first to thank former guest of th

00:00:00 - Thanks to Joe, it's the return of the Elon Musk Happy Hour! This time, Musk wants to send loads of people to Mars, probably forever. In traditional Science... sort of fashion we ask: is this a thing? And maybe more importantly, would you go? (Also, Ryan says go read Seveneves.) 00:31:03 - Mars is pretty dry, so it'll be important to stay hydrated once there. Kelly staves off feeling sick with water and Tums but manages to sneak in a plug for The Expanse series of books. Joe confuses everyone with his Fungal Fruit Soda. And Ryan has a beer called Bomb! because of integrity or something.   00:41:50 - This summer 183 miles of the Yellowstone River because an animal related to jellyfish evolved into a parasite millions of years ago. Kelly is amazed by this and explains why it's cool. And a final book recommendation for the episode: I Contain Multitudes by (future guest of the show?) Ed Yong 00:55:54 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like future guests of the show, both are riddled with uncertainty. Things begin