Probably Science

Comedian Ed Byrne (@MrEdByrne) joins Matt and Andy to discuss spiteful octopuses punching fish, using AI to solve protein structures, why recycling doesn't happen as much anymore (and Taiwan's amazing waste turnaround), and Europe's plan for a space claw to capture orbiting junk.

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Author, podcaster and behavioral economist Dr. Peter McGraw (@PeterMcGraw) returns to the show to talk with Matt and Andy about behavioral economics, cognitive biases, hellish comedy gigs, the science of humor, The Philadelphia Incident, Peter's new book Schtick to Business, stigmas surrounding unmarried life, flaws in happiness studies, how to support an aging populace that isn't being replaced, the new social media platform Clubhouse, Andy's recent shingles bout and Peter's latest podcast project Solo: The Single Person's Guide to a Remarkable Life.

Returning guest Alex Schmidt (@AlexSchmidty) of the podcast Secretly Incredibly Fascinating joins Andy and Matt to swap Jeopardy stories and discuss Doug the cat ruining equipment, grapefruit facts, The Ray Cat Solution to use glowing cats to warn future humans about radioactive waste, the monolith in Utah, Europa's mysterious glow and a beetle you can run over with a car.

This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus, offering Probably Science listeners a free 14-day trial with unlimited access by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/probably

Comedian Megan Gailey (@megangailey) joins Matt and Andy to talk about honeybees flying sideways, acoustic camouflage on earless moths, new moon rocks, meatless diets and brittle bones, the coolest dinosaur skeletons ever, fossil-hunting laws and Megan's podcast The Greatest.

Producer and current Jeopardy champion Charlie Fonville (@charliefonville) joins Matt and Andy, whose four-day Jeopardy streak Charlie put an end to just yesterday, to talk about sharing the stage with the legendary Alex Trebek, the game theory of Jeopardy, including Daily Double and Final Jeopardy betting strategies, the Two-Thirds Rule, and Andy's odd-seeming bet when facing Stratton's Dilemma, then diving into stories about the return of a rocket from 54 years ago, the launch of a doghouse-shaped satellite, mapping bees, more election fraud claims debunked with math, making diamonds at room temperature in minutes and Charlie's podcast Unremembered Hollywood.

Comedian Alex Falcone (@alex_falcone) of the podcast Read It and Weep (and a great NASA rejection letter) joins Andy and Matt to talk about why Benford's Law doesn't apply to election data, Hamburglar voting irregularities, Andy's upcoming Jeopardy appearance (this Monday, November 16th), whether or not Alex Falcone was named after Alex Trebek, some good news on using psilocybin to treat depression, British soldiers on acid , a ridiculously named new Covid-19 drug and Canada's top science prize recognizing work on gels that mimic human tissues.

This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus, offering Probably Science listeners a free trial with unlimited access by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/probably

Comedian James Austin Johnson (@shrimpJAJ) returns to the podcast after a seven-year hiatus to talk about dinosaur butts, water on the moon, cell phone networks on the moon, shocking your tongue to cure tinnitus... and for some reason President Donald J. Trump happens to call in to give his take on Sega Genesis reboots and lame duck hunts.

Author Michael Marshall (@m_c_marshall) joins Matt and Andy to talk about his new book The Genesis Quest, which explores the century-long effort to understand how life began on Earth and the many interesting characters who dedicated themselves to solving this massive scientific puzzle.

This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus, offering Probably Science listeners a free trial with unlimited access by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/probably

Comedian John Hastings (@thejohnhastings) joins Andy and Matt to talk about the questionable comedy of Roy Chubby Brown, neanderthal genes and covid-19, water bodies under the surface of Mars, and using balanced rocks to increase nuclear safety.

This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus, offering Probably Science listeners a free trial with unlimited access by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/probably

Comedian Gene Pompa (@genepompa) joins Matt and Andy to discuss methanol-fueled robot beetles, super long words, methylated alcohol, why the moon is rusting, smartphones knowing when you're drunk-walking and corn that makes its own mucus.