Science... sort of

00:00:00 - A theory is nice, but without the right tech it can sometimes be hard to test. Such was the case with the popular "selfish herd theory" and it took some very precise GPS and some perturbed sheep to finally prove it right.

00:17:12 - Drinks are more fun when you're in a herd. Charlie has mixed feelings towards his Hell or High Watermelon from 21st Amendment. Kelly is refreshed by a Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat. And Ryan has to explain his B-Craft Black Double IPA by Arcadia Ales.

00:21:14 - Trailer Trash Talk laments the over-exposure of the American electorate, The Black Keys, and the comedy duo of Will Ferrel and Zach Galifianakis in the new comedy The Campaign.

00:32:10 - Decades ago we launched some probes into the far reaches of space. They're out there still chugging along, but the Pioneer probes were chugging a bit slower than they should have been. After converting some very old data, scientists think they've narrowed down the options for the cause of the anomaly.

00:56:02 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like untested theories, we're pretty sure it's a good idea but have no way of knowing yet. Kelly has a most excellent e-mail for Temporal Tony, who knows exactly how long it's going to take before he hears it. Ryan appreciates the kind words of Shlomo D.'s iTunes review. And Charlie makes a social network exception to read a Facebook message from Brian E.

Discuss this episode and other podcasts from the Brachiolope Media Network on our forum!

Music for this week's show provided by:

Black Sheep - Metric

Six-Pack Summer - Phil Vassar

Gold on the Ceiling - The Black Keys

Don't Slow Down - Matt & Kim

00:00:00 - Brown snakes may have reached Guam, but once there how do they reach between tree branches? New research shows how these tiny snakes would rather go up than across.

00:19:26 - Drinks bridge the gap between sobriety and drunkenness. Patrick sups a Naked Grape pinto grigrio. Ben kicks back some guava nectar from Egypt. And Ryan has a Jashimi cocktail invented by Jacopo Falleni.

00:24:45 - Ben and Ryan argue over comparisons to other movies while Patrick laments the plot twist seen in the trailer for Robot & Frank, the subject of this week's Trailer Trash Talk.

00:37:28 - The same mine that gave us Titanoboa has also given us a very large, round, and flat turtle called Puentemys mushaisaensis. Was the shape a way to avoid swallowing or was it a better way to thermoregulate back in the day? We honestly don't know but we're sure as shooting going to talk about it.

00:48:42 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like reptiles, you think they're slimy but really they aren't. Patrick has a question from Kyle P. about tracking all the fossils paleontologists manage to find. Ryan has a very poetic e-mail from Sonny C. And Ben promotes the Brachiolope Media Network forum by giving us the results of the most favorite Paleopal poll!

Discuss this episode and other podcasts from the Brachiolope Media Network on our forum!

Music for this week's show provided by:

Up Above My Head - The Wood Brothers

Belly Full of Wine - Eureka Gold

Frank - Matt & Kim

Turtle Power - Partners in Kryme

00:00:00 - You might never need to plug in your electric car if we just went ahead and made the roads moving charging platforms. Expensive? You bethca! Worth it? Eh...

00:22:40 - One way to get a charge is via ethanol, which consumed in moderation should never require the insertion of wires into your body. You figure out what that means. Jacob went foul by freezing his Yuengling Black & Tan, but he doesn't mind a mixed beer slushy. Charlie enjoys the gift of Rittenhouse Straight Rye whiskey and shares a summertime cocktail treat. And finally Ryan picks the inspiring Lot No. 3 IPA by Evolution Craft Brewing.

00:33:32 - The guys try to remember the details of the original film in this week's Trailer Trash Talk: Total Recall.

00:47:19 - Orangutans are unequivocally awesome but consequently difficult to study. So a team in England has turned to parkour runners to imitate the movements of an ape for the purposes of science. And that's just cool.

01:00:55 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like parkour, circuitous and of debatable worth. Charlie starts us off with a charitable donation from Sarah B. who appreciates our company during yoga and cave/office time. No problem, Sarah, we're here to help! Jacob has a comment from Continuum in Episode 138, who thinks he's found a connection between nationality and zombie plans. Discuss. And finally Ryan poses a question he's been asked from Adrian Z. about flying through the atmosphere of Jupiter.

Discuss this episode and other podcasts from the Brachiolope Media Network on our forum!

Music for this week's show provided by:

Electric Feel - MGMT

Rye Whiskey - Punch Brothers

Memory - Sugarcult

Swing Life Away - Rise Against

00:00:00 - A new Zune review fails to distract the Paleopals from noticing just how hot it's been. According to NOAA, the organization not the dude, it really has been "hot as balls" out lately, and the weather has been whackier than usual too boot. The last time it got this hot might have been the PETM, which we mention here but have talked about in a bit more depth on a previous episode.

00:22:53 - Drinks help you beat the heat. Believe it. Patrick is feeling patriotic with his all-American (Belgian-owned) Budweiser. Ryan is also in the spirit of USA drinking an Independence Day ale from Innis & Gunn (from Scotland). And Charlie, in the true spirit of the states, has a homebrewed ESB, made by a British dude. We might have botched this round.

00:27:44- Trailer Trash Talk present a future "What did Charlie think" as the Paleopals feel conflicted over the 'documentary' Craigslist Joe.

00:38:47 - Male cuttlefish do their best impression of Harvey Dent to fool other dudes in the tank while courting the ladies. Recent works shows that these animals are not just masters of camoflauge but can also multitask with the best of them. And they're not "essentially snails," so don't even go there.

00:56:02 - PaleoPOWs are lot like cuttlefish, you never know if you're about to be tricked. Ryan tells the tale of Lee U. who set up a new recurring donation because that's what awesome people do for fun these days. Patrick presents an update on the "French cave of wonders" story from a few weeks ago via an e-mail from Vincete. And finally Charlie et al. try to help Michale M. pick some classes to help his move forward with SCIENCE.

Discuss this episode and other podcasts from the Brachiolope Media Network on our forum!

Music for this week's show provided by:

Just a Little Heat - The Black Keys

July, July! - The Decemberists

Help Me Find My Way - Rooney

Cuddle Fuddle - Passion Pit

00:00:00 - Lousiana wants to implement vouchers to send kids to private schools. Problem is some of these schools teach Creationsist science and math. And it seems the Loch Ness Monster is their ace in the hole to disprove evolution. So there's that...

00:25:07 - Drinks dull the pain of bad science. Ryan has a merlot with a marshmallow. It's a think he's been meaning to try. And Kelly kicks back a Cabernet Sauvignon, which apparently is an old favorite for her. Who knew? Jacob has a Bold City Brewery's Lamp Post Ale. He claims it's only OK, but he certainly didn't take long to finish it.

00:31:46 - Ryan couldn't wait any longer so this week's Trailer Trash Talk gets excited over the conclusion of Nolan's Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises.

00:45:51 - Everybody knows that cheetahs can outrun greyhounds, but how? A new paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology explores the distinctions by putting them both on a track. SCIENCE!

01:06:10 - PalePOWs are a lot like cheetahs, easy to tame but hard to catch. Kelly has an e-mail from Elio asking why exactly Jeff Goldblum is in Jurassic Park, other than showing off his "sensual chest." Jacob has an e-mail from Ben H. who, after reading James Gleik's Chaos and more, has some in-depth questions about chaos, computation, and other heady math stuff. Plus some fractals. Recurring donor Abigail A. sends along a belated missive explaining why as an artist she enjoys the show (as well as the podcast Dame is a Four Letter Word by listener Laurin P.) and her own efforts to spread the love of phenology locally.

Discuss this episode and other podcasts from the Brachiolope Media Network on our BRAND NEW FORUM!

Music for this week's show provided by:

Rebellion (Lies) - The Arcade Fire

A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of Spite - Houston Calls

Batman 2 (The Beginning is the End is the Beginning) - Smashing Pumpkins

At The Speed Of A Yellow Bullet - Head Automatica

00:00:00 - Supervolcanoes could striek at pretty much any moment. At least that's what Ayla has to say as she joins from a mid-reconstruction New Zealand to tell us all about her research into potentially destructive magma chmabers just waiting to strike!

00:25:53 - Drinks cool you down as the magma heats you up. Ben has some weird vita malt thing from Denmark. He loves it. Ryan suspects it tastes like beer and Ben just doesn't know what that tastes like. Ben washes it down with a banana, your guess is as good as ours. Ryan and Abe sip some sotol from the Chihuahua region of Mexico. It's like mezcal or tequila, only... not.

00:34:25 - Trailer Trash Talk debate the trailer tactics of Pixar in relation to their latest offering Brave.

00:44:45 - Dogs have been around for awhile. Some maybe more than others. New research attempts to combine the results of genetics, archaeology, and biogeography to shed new light on the origins of man's best friend.

01:09:03 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like dogs. No one is quite sure where or when they came from, but we know they're here now. Ryan tries to pick Ben up with a quote as recounted by Lee U. A quote which was so inspirational it sent Lee back to school. Go Lee! Ben then used that energy to give Andrew B. a very long answer about laser guns in sci-fi. And finally Abe has a tweet from Christina praising his "hot hard rock"-ness. OK, then.

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show:

Volcano - Presidents of the United States of America

Mexico - Cake

Gimme Sympathy - The Metric

Wild Packs of Family Dogs - Modest Mouse

00:00:00 - LeMans is a race that takes 24 hours. It's a Motorsport thing, which comes dangerously close to SPORTZ. So the Paleopals call in reinforcements in the form of Joe Batwinis. Why attempt to recreate Car Talk at all? Because the race was won by a diesel hybrid, and that's quite interesting.

00:21:07 - Drinks are also of interest, at least to the presenters of the show. So here's what they were having. Jacob was loving his saison from Smuttynose. Patrick is perplexed by his Harpoon IPA. Joe comes close to receiving Southern wrath with his mispronunciation of the popular Dixie soda Cheerwine. And finally Ryan goes pre-purity law with a 13th Century Grut Bier.

00:29:10 - This week on Trailer Trash Talk the Paleopals abandon Ryan in their overall dismissal of the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man.

00:47:54 - The guys may not know how to pronounce Chauvet, but they do know it's home to some old paintings, but just how old? And done by whom? Patrick and Ryan explain how we date the difficult, and whether or not neanderthals are to blame for the pieces. It's all part of science's new obsession with old pigments!

01:01:07 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like cave paintings, no one knows exactly how they started. This week: all foreign edition! Patrick gets a recurring yen donation from Curt S. who likes to wear his Science... sort of shirt while visiting foreign breweries. EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT SENTENCE IS BEYOND AWESOME! Thanks, Curt! Jacob has a question from Karl M. about bad science in movies and how that makes us feel. Ryan first makes up for not mentioning the new podcast Generation Anthropocene but ends with a "simple" question about dinosaurs from Luke J., the answer to which manages to confound and anger poor Jacob.

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

He Thought Of Cars - Blur

Hell Of A Season - The Black Keys

Spiderwebs - No Doubt

Rock of Ages - Gillian Welch

00:00:00 - Daniel H. Wilson returns to talk to us about his new novel Amped, as well as his recently published Wall Street Jounral op-ed about the futur eof human augmentation. Hear our first interview with Daniel where we discussed his first novle Robopocalypse in episode 95.

00:22:45 - Kelly has beer on the brain after trying the local craft offering: Good people coffee oatmeal stout. Charlie kicks back a Campari sprtiz and laments the loss of beetles in his beverage. And finally Ryan has an Old Engine Oil to commemorate our robotic guest.

00:26:00 - Trailer Trash Talk covers Seeking a Friend For the End of the World which forces them to think about the end and the existential questions imminent death presents, such as: Do we keep podcasting if we know an asteroid is about to destroy earth?

00:35:31 - Part 2 of our conversation with Daniel delves into the ethics of enhancement, plus there's even sports talk, and we like sports.

00:56:55 - PaleoPOWs are a lot novels. They're both new. Charlie starts off with a handsome donation from Rebecca W. Thanks, Rebecca! Ryan has a questioning comment from episode 136 left by Blaine B. And finally Kelly has a self-proclaimed enthusiastic iTunes review written by HerpetologyFTW!

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

Amped - Cypress Hill

Good People - Jack Johnson

You've Got A Friend In Me - Randy Newman

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk

00:00:00 - Because according the media, 3 disparate events make a global trend, the CDC had to come out and assure everyone that we are not at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. That being said, no reason you shouldn't prepare anyways, right?

00:17:08 - Jacob enjoys a Dark Night in Munich, a Longshot beer from Sam Adams. Ryan has a Stateside Saison from Maryland. And Ben kicks back with mango nectar from Egypt.

00:23:04 - The Americans try to educate the Canadian on US history, which is hindered by the subject of this week's Trailer Trash Talk, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

00:35:24 - Mars-One wants to send people to Mars using reality TV and your money. Sound like a bad idea? It probably is. We break down what might be going with these folks, including why they seem to have the support of Nobel laureate Gerard 't Hooft. For background on exactly why getting to Mars isn't easy check out our interview with Charles Doarn in episodes 69 and 70.

01:01:56 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like one way trips to space. WORTH IT! Jacob has an e-mail from Limnality, of Scienceseeker.org, hoping we keep up the good work as they listen through the back catalog. Ben has a voicemail from Tom asking for some nuclear clarification after listening to episode 20 of The Weekly Weinersmith. The answer might need a bigger show, but we do our best. And finally Ryan has an e-mail from Zachary G., a hiker of the Appalachian Trail who appreciates the company we provide.

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

When the World Ends - Dave Matthews Band

The Long Way Around - The Dixie Chicks

Gettysburg - Ratatat

Can't Go Back Now - The Weepies

00:00:00 - Turns out that thing your grandpa did, you know the one, well it's why you have green eyes. Or something like that. Epigenetics is tricky, thankfully Kelly is here to help sequence a new study about how mice respond to stress generations later.

00:24:17 - What you drink now could effect your great-grandkids, so why waste time? Patrick returns to a new favorite in the Loose Cannon, surprising Ryan with his embrace of hops. Ryan keeps it local with a West Mountain Brewing Co. IPA and a cup of the house roast from Common Grounds in Fayetteville, AR! And finally Kelly has soothing aloe infused lemonade. It tastes bad, like medicine ought to.

00:28:53 - Trailer Trash Talk goes back to the start of it all with Ridley Scott's prequel to the eventual quadrilogy, Prometheus.

00:39:24 - Patrick jumps the gun with his PaleoPOW by using an e-mail from Kirstie G. about the finding of fossilized cephalopod ink from the Jurassic. What is it with paleontologists these days always hunting for various colors? Either way the science is sweet.

00:52:50 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like prequels, you kind of know how they're going to end. Kelly has an iTunes review from Whackfoo who grinds the show to a screeching halt with the knowledge that a 4-year-old child is subjected to the show, but she wants to be a paleontologist, so let's call it practice. Now eat your vegetables, take a bath, and go to bed. It's what all good paleontologists do. Finally, Ryan has an e-mail from retroflatus with a Brachiolope and a newly purchased mug. He also has a question, so we bring in Ben for universal explanations.

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

My Generation - The Who

Coffee Shop - The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Before the Worst - The Script

The Taste of Ink - The Used