Science... sort of

00:00:00 - We welcome back our old buddy Jacob Stump as he joins to discuss the evolution of the human big toe, which is more interesting than you might think because it showed up sort of lake to the walking around on two feet party.

00:30:21 - Using circular logic we have reason to celebrate with a drink because Joe is having a drink! A White Russian, to be precise. Jacob extols the virtues of Aldi, including their version of a Blue Moon. And Ryan is having a beer for charity in the form of Lifesaver from Solace Brewing Company, and a portion of the proceeds are going to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

00:42:26 - and how Elon Musk is single-handedly ruining the night sky for astronomers (sounds absurd, but it's true). That plus the usual segments coming your way soon!

01:23:18 - PaleoPOWs mix it up by putting the Patron thesis last, for reasons. So instead, Jacob reminisces about Science… sort of Theater with an e-mail from Cameron L. M. about how much those episodes made him laugh. Joe then reads a followup e-mail from Andrew S. some of the dark decisions that might have to be made regarding interstellar generation ships. Finally, we award Benajmin K. a BSso with a thesis entitled: Transmitted Olfactory Emissions (TOE): Using Satellite Uplinks to Distribute Smellular Data. Thanks, Benjamin!

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Music credit: Sneaker Chase - Podington Bear

00:00:00 - Asher Elbein (@asher_elbein) is still back but this time he and Ryan get really nerdy (if you believe that's even possible after the last episode). The first half of super nerd talk begins with a brief remembrance of Tom Spurgeon, who passed away last year. But it is mostly about the new status quo regarding the X-Men, which kicked off with Johnathan Hickman's House of X and Powers of X. Ryan has also discussed this topic over on iFanboy.

00:30:28 - Time is a flat circle so Ryan is still having the Thai spice teas from Running Byrd Tea Co. Tweet about your first tea with hashtag #firsttimeteatime, for some reason.

00:31:47 - In the second half of their chat (or really, the fourth quarter if you think about it), Asher and Ryan dig deep on some Star Wars (this was recorded just prior to the release of Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker). It gets real, feelings are felt.

01:04:03 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like wars in the stars, they can sometimes end in disappointment. But no disappointment today because we have a lovely 5-star iTunes review from Crue Taylor. Thanks, Crue!

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Music credit: Not The Droid - Podington Bear

00:00:00 - Asher Elbein (@asher_elbein) is back to talk about feral hogs! If you listen to Reply All you may have already heard some of his reporting on the issue, but we were able to dig deep and really get it into.

00:14:54 - Drinking alone means making healthy choices (sometimes), like this nice bottle of Thai spice tea Ryan has from Running Byrd Tea Co. Free ad for some fine tea.

00:16:40 - We keep it invasive in part two of my chat with Asher where we talk about 'invasive' donkeys on public lands. Are they really invasive? Who decides and then who decides what to do about it?

00:48:21 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like interviews, they can go on longer than you expect. But not this episode, this time because we just have a quick iTunes review from isisddog. Thanks and tune in soon for part two of my chat with Asher.

Also, Flowers in the Gutter, the book by former guest Kristina Gaddy, is now available for purchase. Check it out!

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Music Credit: Sage the Hunter - Blue Dot Sessions

00:00:00 - Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson returns to the show to talk about his new book, Letters from an Astrophysicist. In addition to book chat, he and Ryan also touch on the culture growth of pseudoscience such as people who believe the earth is flat, and 1960s sci-fi films like 2001 and Planet of the Apes.

00:26:46 - We have a segment for drinks. This is that segment. Abraham keeps it on topic with an Orbital Tilt IPA (Citra) from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. Joe is back onto the Rocket Fizz with a Gene Autry Root Beer, which leads to a discussion of root beer rankings. Ryan philosophizes about west coast IPAs thanks to a gift from Abe in the form of Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing.

00:36:57 - In part two of their chat, Ryan and Dr. Tyson talk about his philosophy regarding Twitter, and how he learns from making online mistakes. As well as why an espoused liberal scientist might work for a conservative presidential administration. And, finally, how science has and hasn't progressed in terms of recruiting and retaining underrepresented minorities and women. In addition to the new book, you can find Dr. Tyson on Twitter, his podcast, and his website.

01:00:59 - PaleoPOWs are delightful. 'Nuff said. We begin with a voicemail from Alex K. about veganism, which leads to a discussion about yards and archery. It follows, we promise. Ryan reads an e-mail about Robin Hood cameos in literature from Rose E. And we double down on Patreon theses for Jerm (because we failed to remember that they got a thesis last episode) so Jerm's extra major was completed with a thesis entitled: Pierced with rejection: Archery Implemented Relays (AIR) Mail as a low-carbon method for feedback delivery in the scientific peer-review process. Thanks again, Jerm!

Thanks for a great year, looking forward to next year where you'll get a whole lot more SCIENCE… you know the rest.

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

00:00:00 - For our first topic, Ryan, Ben, and Joe explore the theory that the oddly-shaped space rock Oumumua is actually an alien reconnaissance ship. Seriously.

00:23:38 - If the threat of alien invasion doesn't make you want a drink, then we applaud your restraint. But it makes Ben want to hydrate and have sugar, so he's having some homemade sports drink. Which causes things to go more off the rails then one might expect. Ryan is finally getting around to the Beyond Resin IPA from Upland Brewing Company, which leads to a much more expected discussion on hop varietals. A brief cut later and Joe tells us that he's having a Butterbeer from Ozark Mountain Bottleworks. Which is "very butterbeer-y", according to Joe.

00:35:51 - Next, we talk about how busting apart asteroids, a la Armageddon, is actually a tougher job than we thought because of a pesky little thing called gravity but we're going to test some other asteroid deflection techniques with the upcoming DART mission, so don't despair yet!

00:55:22 - Finally, the PaleoPOW where we get feedback and give it back to you! First up is a thesis for the enigmatic Patreon supporter jerm, but that doesn't stop us from coming up with: Nascent Insterstellar Hyperbolic Aloha Orbits (NIHAO): DART-ing bye to say hello. Thanks, jerm! Next, Ben reads a Canadian iTunes review from Hawkbox which makes us feel good, so that's nice. And finally, Ryan has an e-mail from Rober Z. about gaming, because games are fun.

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Music credit: Ben Tippett and his ukulele

00:00:00 - For this episode, we're joined by Peter Brannen (@PeterBrannen1), author of the book The Ends of the World: Supervolcanoes, Lethal Oceans, and the Search for Past Apocalypses, which explains all the times when life has nearly been wiped out on our pale blue dot. Discussion ensues.

00:27:47 - In what may be the shortest drinks segment in the history of the show, we get right to it. Peter is having his favorite beer on planet earth, a Mexican Chocolate Stout from copper kettle brewing company in Aurora, CO. Ryan is also having a chocolatey beer from Off Color Brewing called Dino S'mores!

00:29:01 - Part 2 with Peter Brannen continues the chat about the worst days earth has ever had. No big deal. Probably not gonna happen again, except it probably will. Prepare.

01:03:39 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like mass extinctions; few get out alive. Ryan goes first with an e-mail from Joel S., who gives us an update on Tasmanian eucalyptus and their invasion of California as discussed in episode 296 and other forgotten comments, and then Ryan and Joe talk about Australia and other nonsense for a while. Joe has some feedback about Chessie from episode 312, left as a comment on Soundcloud by Taylor H. Ryan looks forward to the day where he can just type the show into existence, maybe coming soon? And we wrap up with a Patreon thesis for Charles L., who wants a t-shirt. Based on that and our discussion with Peter, his thesis is: Keep your shirt on: could smaller carbon footprints due to reduced fabric needs of deep v t-shirts significantly alter textile-based climatic impacts? And we're happy to send Patrons shirts if we have them.

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

00:00:00 - Paleontologist Adam Pritchard (@PTPritchard), post-doc at NMNH and future Assistant Collections Manager at VNMN, joins Ryan to talk about all things reptiles! Diapsids, crown versus stem, mass extinctions; this segment has something for everyone (who likes reptiles)!

00:32:59 - A brief drinks interlude to keep everyone (especially Ryan) awake. He's sipping on an Americano made with Ethiopian Mordecofe beans from Stumptown Coffee Roasters, so put that in your hopper and drink it!

00:36:06 - Adam and Ryan keep talking about reptiles, including best individual reptile (spoiler), and which reptile group is best overall (spoiler). Adam also does his own podcast Past Time, and it's past time you checked it out while you wait for your next fix of Science… sort of.

01:04:48 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like reptiles, more diverse than you may have originally thought. Dan W. writes in with some kind words but also to tell us about some sloth-y shoes he saw online, but instead of promoting those shoes directly, here's a clip on why for-profit shoe charities maybe aren't always that helpful to those in need. We also want to thank Doug S. for being a recurring donor after already donating twice before even if it confused our thanking system. Thanks, Doug! Finally, Caryne H. wishes she'd listened to episode 309 earlier while she was working on grad school essays, but better late than never!

00:00:00 - Joe brings his friend and historian Kristina Gaddy (@kgadz) onto the show to talk about Chessie, the supposed sea monster of the Chesapeake Bay (bay monster?). She wrote a piece about the history and cultural perception of this cryptid.

00:35:39 - It may not be surprising to hear that as a bona fide icon, Chessie is featured by some local breweries. Kristina is having a beer from RAR brewing that features a little Chessie on every can. Joe argues that his King Kong Cola is an appropriate choice given the theme. And Ryan enjoys a Grampus Smoked Nut Brown Ale from Hellbender Brewing to celebrate a beloved amphibian.

00:42:50 - Kristina also has a new book coming out about the true story of French teenagers resisting the Nazi occupation titled Flowers in the Gutter, available for pre-order now!

00:51:31 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like livestreams; we're not really sure how they work. This particular PaleoPOW was actually recorded during a Patreon livestream hangout where Ryan began by reading an e-mail from Tommy M. thanking us for his thesis, and then they brought in Patron Sam to help answer a question from RJ about how to decide what science to study when they go back to school.

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

00:00:00 - The boys are back and they're talking about meat. Specifically, how the idea that neanderthals ate mostly meat is being challenged by the idea that the chemistry can be tricked if the meat is already rotten when it's eaten. Yum. But also, healthier diets are actually better for your carbon footprint, so put that moldy steak down and eat a vegetable already.

00:38:11 - And then wash it down with something. For example: Charlie is having some fancy juice. Ryan finally embraces an Old Pal with some Far North Spirit. And Patrick eschews the mixers for some wallet-friendly blended Scotch whisky.

00:44:38 - 3D scans are all the rage these days, but for paleontologists, they present a bit of a conundrum. When you scan a fossil, who owns the scan? The spread, or lack thereof, of this new kind of data, and what the future holds for the field is discussed.

01:06:42 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like scanned fossils; everyone is willing to fight over them. Patrick begins by giving an overdue thanks to recurring PayPal donor Richard P. Thanks, Richard! Creepy Jeff has been catching up via the SoundCloud archive and has a perplexing martian question for Charlie. And Ryan fields a voicemail from Sean about how to sign up to be a part of this whole Patreon thing.

00:00:00 - After seeing a twitter thread about a recent publication, Ryan invited Jesse Alston (@IntegratEcology) on the show to talk about that paper and his scientific journey. They met up in Laramie and started with the latter, which is this segment.

00:33:30 - A brief interlude wherein Ryan is joined by Joe to discuss beverages. Joe is having leftover apple juice, and Ryan is having a cocktail in a can that he gussied up with some fancy homemade ice.

00:42:05 - Since Ryan and Jesse were chatting at Coal Creek Tap in Laramie, they're also having a drink. Ryan is having a Wyoming Toad Rye IPA, which prompts a discussion of a very rare montane amphibian. Jesse is having the Molly Blond Belgian Blonde, which seems to involve a dog. The rest of the segment is spent discussing Jesse et al.'s new paper which challenges some of the things we've talked about before regarding carnivore reintroduction and its knock-on effects. And be sure to check out Jesse's podcast Field Surveys.

01:10:04 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like reintroducing a species, you never quite know if it'll work out. After a quick reading of a twitter exchange with Kendal T., Joe reads an e-mail from Karl M. about the fraught topic of our increasing use of robots for war (Joe recommends the movie Good Kill for further exploration of the topic). We get to lighten things up a little with another e-mail from Zoe S. and also by granting a Patreon thesis to Patron Tom D. who has written a tome titled: Monitoring the sociological impacts of zombie reintroduction to the sustainability school walking routes for students of the New California Republic (NCR) via Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Thanks, Tom! If you need a good summer read, Ryan wrote a review of Underland for Science Magazine, which you can purchase via our Amazon Affiliate link.

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Music credit: Lamb And Wolf - Poddington Bear