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 Facebook page, and the Paleopals oblige. Will a stock market thriller get a triple A rating from the guys? Listen to find out!

00:36:32 - Elliot M. thought the guys might like to talk about a trilobite orgy. Elliot M. was right. Safe for work if you're not an arthropod or overly-sensitive. And as promised, here's a PDF (head to sciencesortof.com) with WAY more info on crustacean mating, if that's what you're into.

00:47:22 - Jacob has an e-mail from Alysia K. about the ethics of cloning Neanderthals. The guys barely scratch the surface and want to know what the crowd thinks. Good thing we gave this one a whole segment, no way it would fit as a mere PaleoPOW. Speaking of which...

01:08:15 - PaleoPOWs are lot like the rest of the show: user submitted. Short and sweet this week. Patrick has two tweets from Dustin K. and Ben V. H. Jacob has a niceFacebook comment from Georgia C. and Ryan has an e-mail from Lazlo complaining about accents (not ours) and asking for more politics.

Thanks for listening AND submitted such great stories for the week! While you scour the internet for more stuff to send us, why not drop by the Paleocave Blog?

Music this week provided by:

Bleed It Out - Linkin Park

Hurricane - Something Corporate

Bankrupt On Selling - Modest Mouse

Hard to Find - Lit

Caveman - Jimmy Eat World

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 Paleopals reflect on 100 episodes. There favorite topics, their favorite guests, and whatever else comes to mind. Have a memory of your own? Let us know with any of the myriad methods available to get in touch with us!

01:05:09 - In other news: Science... sort of is expanding! Ben and Kelly are itching to do their own shows, but rather than let them go they'll be staying under the group umbrella as we form a network. This is pretty huge. We're all very excited. And we think you should be too!

01:10:36 - Game 3: Stars, man.

Patrick has combed over the iTunes reviews and reads a single sentence to the other Paleopals. Their job? Guess what star-rating the reviewer left!

01:26:26 - And finally, we end the show with a single PaleoPOW from Babbletrish wherein she sends us the awesome artwork you see above and at the Brachiolope Gallery. Then we decide to give away some prizes on the Facebook and Twitter pages as won by Sarah B., Edward A. and Dayna D. respectively. And finally a super secret tie-breaking game brought to us by Patrick. Thanks for listening all this time. You guys are the best, especially the ones who read to the bottom of the show notes. You know who you are!

We have a blog. It may soon even have an answer key for this episode. So check early and check often at Paleocave.com!

Music for this week's show:

Happy Birthday - Wynton Marsalis Septet

Just 2 Guyz - Incredibad

What'd I Say - Ray Charles

On the Radio - Regina Spektor

Charlie Brown Theme Song - Charles Mingus

Mic Like a Memory - Cunninlynguists

Let's Push Forward - The Streets

7 Stars - Apples in Stereo

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 serves as a prime example of the concept but will grow up with nothing more than a bit of iodine. Something science has known for nearly 100 years.

01:18:03 - PaleoPOWs are in many ways neotenous. They could grow up, by why bother? Ryan gets some botanical taxonomic corrections from Chris H. as well as abit of Special Edition love from Lisa V. S. Patrick gets positive with a bit of cash from Doug S. Thanks, Doug! Kelly gets a complimentary call from Colleen out of Michigan. And finally Charlie has some support from Julien on the Facebook page as the Paleopals push for 1,000 fans before next week.

Thanks for listening! Experience even more from the Paleopals at the Paleocave Blog!

Music for this week's show:

A Dollar And A Dream - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

It's Getting Boring By The Sea - Blood Read Shoes

Blood, Sex and Booze - Green Day

When You Were Young - The Killers

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 agree with, and he sent us avideo of former guest Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson advocating that same idea.

01:03:57- PaleoPOWs are always sort of a compromise between honesty and ego, and this week is no different. Charlie has an e-mail from Kim with a pressing and chaotic question. Patrick takes the crew to task with a 2-star iTunes review from poikkeus but Ryan has the antidote with some love from LP who is starting her ownScience... sort of inspired History podcast. Woot!

Thanks for listening! Our blog, now with new content from Patrick, can be found at Paleocave.com

Music this week provided by:

Long Hot Summer Night - Jimi Hendrix

Bottle of Blues - Beck

Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Billy Murray & Haydn Quartet

Money (That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong

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 pulled the rug out from under the alien hunters at SETI. Can the Drake equation pass muster? Should we keep looking for aliens? How long until Ryan and Charlie get philosophical? All important questions that will be answered... sort of.

01:08:06 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like whales. They've been hunted nearly to the point of extinction, and may never fully recover. Patrick has an e-mail from Moe about his adventures being a science cabby and a call to arms for the show to join Stitcher (which we're still working on, but stay tuned). Charlie has some commentary from this very website concerning experiences with corn based ethanol, the health and the fuel. And Ryan has an e-mail from Josh in Montana who's studying geology, presumably to reconnect with his mountain home of West Virginia. Ryan empathizes.

Thanks for listening! Go see the random etching on our cave-wall based blog: The Paleocave!

Music for this week's show:

Shades of Gray - Robert Earl Keen

Little White Lies - Deer Tick

Virus Human - The Ponys

Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello

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 tries to explain the science behind it. And then things get a bit philosophical before moving on to...

00:56:30 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like ethanol, humans smell them better than dogs. Patrick is excited for some Australia hair from Beck and plugs his project one last time. Charlie has a comment from Steve left at the Brachiolope gallery asking about mammal coloration. And Ryan was e-mailed an explanation for Jeff Sykes' behavior when he was a guest on the Conspiracy Skeptic!

Thanks for listening! The blog has more than just the Paleopals, it has guests too! Find it at the Paleocave.com

Music for this week's show:

The Engine Driver - The Decemberists

Señorita - Los Lonely Boys

America - Fozzie Bear (Available on Vinyl!)

Hangingaround - Counting Crows

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 Paleopals say in this week's Trailer Trash Talk!

01:08:14- PaloePOWs are a lot like robots, they have no regards for our feelings. This week Ben brings us a kanji iTunes review from Japan, Ryan has an e-mail from Seth E. about the joys of the Cincinnati-based culinary treat: Skyline Chili, and Jacob has a voicemail from Cameron of Minnesota asking our thoughts on the technological Singularity.

Thanks for listening! Our blog promises to spare you in the event of the Singularity, so thank it by visiting the Paleocave!

Music for this week's show:

Robots - Flight of the Conchords

(I know I used this song before in Episode 67 but that was the live version so this still counts.)

We Could Be The Same - MaNga

Brooklyn Blurs - The Paper Raincoat

Mr. Roboto - Styx

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?

01:07:34 – Our second topic of the week is still Julia and how interesting her work is. This time, we're discussing a paper on genetic variation in social environmental choice using... that's right! Fruit flies.

01:28:16 – PalePOWs are like Kelly, they get some people very excited. Speaking of, Kelly has an e-mail from Jordan, a Mormon who is upset about alternative medicine (which somehow got us talking about Miss USA and evolution). Ryan then fumbles his was through an Aussie iTunes review from Wednesday D. and lastly Jacob has an e-mail from Brad providing some followup on human echolocation in the form of Ben, an amazing young man who was able to "see" the world just by clicking his mouth.

Thanks for listening! Check out our blog: The Paleocave!

(Punk) Music this week provided by:

The Story of My Life – Social Distortion

Cool Under Heat – The Clash

Violence – blink-182

Reach for the Sky – Social Distortion

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 we find out what exactly Bev was doing in the deep deep south. And it was exploring the taphonomy ofophiuroids! (Don't worry, she explains what all that means.) So while her divers were making holes in the ice, and fighting off sea lions, Bev was solving the mysteries of the cold dark deep.

01:02:29 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like Antarctica, they've both had Bev on them once. And obviously Bev has no PaleoPOW other than her own opinion having just been on the show, which she enjoyed. Ben has an e-mail from Eirik about proper octopus plurals from way back in episode 17. 8 times the pendantry! Kelly has a truly awful iTunes review. And Ryan has an update from Steve on the Shackleton whisky expedition first reported on in the early days of episode 13. Since we still haven't gotten any we'll just have to send Bev off to get it for us!

Thanks for listening! Kelly has been (literally) parasitizing the blog all week so be sure to check it out at the Paleocave!

Music provided by:

Terra Nullius - DJ Spooky aka Paul D. Miller

who has also created the Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica based on field recordings from his time on the Antarctic continent which compliments his new book, The Book of Ice (get it on Amazon), with a mixture of essays, musics, photographs, interviews, architectural plans and even propaganda. I've had a chance to check out the book and it's really cool, I'll be posting a full review on the Paleocave soon!