Science... sort of

00:00:00 - Ben and Ryan are joined by Ben's actual friend Miya Warrington. Miya studies the behavioral ecology of animal communication, which we spend the first segment discussing the generalities of the research and why this type of research is important. You can learn more about her research at her website or by checking out the comic Jorge Chan did about her work in Ph.D. Comics.

00:44:24 - Talking about talking is thirsty work, so Ben and Ryan enjoy a drink. Ben has a Thai basil soda from Portland that doesn't sound all that great, but Ryan really enjoys his Two Claw Rye IPA which, of course, leads to a discussion about crabbing.

00:59:27 - For the second part of our chat with Miya, we discuss her recently published paper about how noisy equipment in the grasslands of Canada changes how birds are able to talk to each other, and what conservation implications this might have for the future. Important stuff! You can follow along with Miya on Twitter @miya_warrington

01:15:19 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like diesel-powered oil pumps, they don't inherently seem to make sense. First up is a thesis for Patreon supporter Alex K., which Ben absolutely nails on the first try with Descalate the alarms: A silencing method for counter-measuring early rising chirpers. Great job, Ben and congrats Alex on your BSso degree! Next, Ben and Ryan discuss an e-mail from Harper with a link to an article about a guy trying to predict the origin of life using entropy, which is a fun thing for a physicist and a paleontologist to discuss.

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

Music for this week's show: Bird Problems - Limbeck Crabbuckit - K-OS Bird On The Wire - Leonard Cohen

00:00:00 - Patrick and Ryan are joined by Justin "The Yeti" Yeakel who has a new paper in Nature Communications about a model he and his co-authors have developed about starvation and body size in mammals, turns out, bigger is generally better. The interview was conducted during Justin's commute, so the connection comes and goes, but it's always good to catch up with one of the originals. You can follow Justin on Twitter (@jdyeakel) and check out his lab's website here. And if you want to read more about big ideas in ecology, check out James Brown's seminal book Macroecology.

00:44:56 - Saying goodbye to Justin is so upsetting we need a drink. But first, Justin (safely off the road) sends us a quick audio update with a drink of his own, the Go West! IPA from Anchor Brewing Company. Next up, Patrick runs with the big dogs and enjoys a 9% collaboration Brown IPA from Heavy Seas and Stone, but Ryan one-ups him per usual with a 10% Higher Ground from Franklin's. You can't win, Patrick, he has the high ground.

00:52:12 - For our second segment, Ryan chats with Dr. Eloise Marais from the University of Birmingham about her idea to use the GPS in a smartphone to dynamically track a person's exposure to air pollution. The first attempt had some interesting hiccups but shows promise. You can read the abstract from her AGU talk here, and check out Eloise's lab website here.

01:25:22 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like air pollution; you can't avoid it no matter how far you run. First up, we are thrilled to have Jeff C. on board as a patron, and he lets us know a little about his story with geology, including some unfortunate discrimination. Sorry to hear about that, but glad you found a better place still in STEM. Jeff also get's a thesis, which in this case is: Hothouse techniques to develop ideal allometric size-constrained pollution resistant Coffea arabica beans: Hothouses for cold beans. Thanks again, Jeff! Next, Cliff E. wanted us to know about the Mammal March Madness based on an NPR article he read, spearheaded by Prof. Katie Hinde and an all-around swell idea! Patrick's geochemistry students are getting ready to produce some podcasts, you can listen to the last class' episodes on Soundcloud here. And Ryan is giving a talk at the Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers in Roanoke, VA as part of the Science Museum of Western Virginia's STEM Tavern series on April 11th, so come on by if you're in the area!

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

Music for this week's show: One Call Away - Charlie Puth Higher - Creed No Particular Place To Go - Chuck Berry

00:00:00 - This episode Ryan is joined by four (4!) guests to talk about their paper published in Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics about whether or not humans are to blame for the extinction of Caribbean mammals. What did they discover? You can read a summary of the work written by co-author Alexis Mychajliw here and then listen to find out even more!

00:31:08 - Island life goes better with a drink. Doing the show all these years means there are occasionally bottles with a very small amount of left in them being "saved for the show." This week, Ryan downs the final two ounces out of a batch 1 bottle of Barrell Bourbon, a very good overproof whiskey, if you like that sort of thing.

00:33:12 - Part two of Ryan's chat covers how a multi-first author collaboration even works, as well as what we can expect to see from their team next. We also discuss the recent hurricanes in the region, and what that means for both the people and for the science. You can help out by donating to Puerto Rican scientists and contributing to crowd-sourced projects to better understand hurricanes like this one. Follow along with each of the interviewees using these handy links!

Aleix Mychajliw: Website and Twitter Siobáhn Cooke: Website and Twitter Liliana M. Dávalos: Lab website and Facebook Nate Upham: Website and Twitter

01:05:18 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like localized extinctions: entirely avoidable but sometimes inevitable. This week we're keeping it short with a simple thanks to Lisa K. for her recurring donation. Thanks, Lisa! No thesis this week since Ryan is solo, but if you want your own thesis title, head on over to Patreon and sign up for the Avogadro's Army level or higher.

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

Music for this week's show: Main Title from "LOST" - Michael Giacchino Buttons - The Weeks Barrel of a Gun - Guster Change the World (Lost Ones) - Anberlin

00:00:00 - After a brief intro from Ryan and Abe, where explains his new job with the USGS (congrats!) we dive right into Ryan's yearly AGU catch-up with Miles Traer. The first section is mostly about food. You can find Ryan's mom's gumbo recipe here: seafood gumbo.

00:26:25 - Since they're recording in person, Ryan thought it'd be fun to exchange beers and Abe agreed. Abe gives Ryan a Hitachino Nest XH, and Ryan gives Abe a Free Will 5th of May. Juliana joins for a moment to give us her hot take on each.

00:33:39 - Ryan and Miles keep chatting, much as before, there's comic book movies, Star Wars, and probably something about the session they chaired at the meeting (i.e., the reason they were there in the first place). You can see Ryan's gator selfie on Instagram. You can read Ryan and Mile's session proposal here: Science and Sci-Fi: Using Real Science to Explore Fictional Worlds, you can read Mile's abstract for the session here: Stop saving the planet! Carbon accounting of superheroes and their impacts on climate change, and Ryan's here: InGen Inconsistencies: The "Dinosaurs" Of Jurassic Park May Not Be What The Corporation Claims. Doing the session was a lot of fun, and it was even written up in The Washington Post by Sarah Kaplan!

01:00:25 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like New Orleans, they're both big and easy. First up, we thank Zach B. for being a Patron and give him his thesis title. It takes a minute to figure out, but we now know his project is: Saved by the Salt: A Source Dependent Comparative Analysis of Nutrient Composition of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) Using Spectroscopic Satellite Image Data. Thanks, Zach! Next, Ryan celebrates our 501st iTunes review from Bettyk239. Thanks, Betty! Finally, Abe wants to encourage young Latino/a/x volcanologists to get some money from AGU to go a conference. If you know about a pool of money to help young scientists present their work, let us know so we can promote it!

Cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon!

Shrimp & Gumbo - Dave Bartholomew Salty Eyes - The Matches New Orleans - Trampled by Turtles

00:00:00 - Here begins our coverage of the 2017 meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Ryan is joined by Matt Candeias, host of Brachiolope Media's In Defense of Plants podcast.

00:02:58 - First, Ryan chats with Susheel Adusumilli about his work looking at changes in Antarctic peninsular ice over the last 20+ years using satellite imagery data. Plus, tips on how best to set up your home wifi network to get the fastest speeds!

00:19:13 - Next up is Mike MacFerrin, who takes us to the other side of the ice ball so we can learn about what's happening in Greenland. Mike has some great stories to share regarding his work on the firn of Greenland's ice sheet, how the sheet is changing, what that means for communities their, and his journey from teacher to scientist (and what scientists can learn from teachers). Awesome chat with an awesome dude.

00:43:05 - Ice goes drinks so let's have some. Matt enjoys a gin and tonic. Ryan says something probably incorrect about India. Ryan pretends to be classy with some Root: 1 Sauvignon Blanc, because the label is pretty, which leads to a discussion on grafting about which Matt says something probably correct. The wine is being used for mushroom pasta, and they both get excited about fungus.

00:51:20 - Rounding out part one is Sarah Arveson, who studies the core... of the earth! Ryan struggles to come to grips with how to use diamond anvils and lasers and high pressures all come together to understand how the earth works. She explains it better than we can type it. She also wrote and op-ed about the thankfully failed Republican tax bill that threatened to tax grad student tuition, which is a bad idea and we talk about why. She continues to serve her community via union organizing, which is impressive, bold, and empowering. Get to work helping your local area, people. What are you even waiting for?

01:29:59 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like the earth's core, they're both dynamic, but we're not quite sure how. Patron David M. is here for his thesis, and we aim to provide it, however clunkily. David, your thesis is: Glacial melt effects on light element incorporation into the terroir of wine growing regions in southern South America. Thanks, David! Next, Matt tells us about the documentary he has on Kickstarter, Botany of the Cascades. Consider pitching in a few bucks to get yourself some sweet rewards. Finally, a voicemail from an unknown caller about whether or not Storm's powers have anything to do with airborne algae. Matt and Ryan argue their sides, listen in to see who emerges victorious. If you want to read more about the plausibility of mutant powers, check out Science of the X-Men and tell Ryan if it holds up.

Cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon!

Music for this week's show: Ice Melts - Matt and Kim The Seed (2.0) [feat. Cody Chestnutt] - The Roots Parting of the Sensory - Modest Mouse

00:00:00 - Ryan is joined by Professors Christopher Jackson and Tom Narock. We begin by talking about their research. Chris uses seismic data to explore landform evolution over deep time. Tom is trying to use semantics and machine learning to help earth scientists wrangle all the data that's out there (or, if you're suspicious, he's securing his spot amongst the machines for when the robot uprising occurs).

00:28:56 - Drinks are a thing, and we have them. Chris enjoys a Camden Hells Lager from London, England if you can believe it. Tom has some triple hopped homebrew that we're still working on a name for. And Ryan enjoys a Creedence Pilsner because he needed something sessionable around for playing D&D.

00:37:40 - In part two of the discussion, Chris and Tom explain the new preprint server EarthArXiv they and others have been working on. We go over the basics of preprint servers, how they see the role of preprint servers in the publishing ecosystem (including an AGU preprint server of their own), and how simple it is to actually put your work on them. You can follow updates on their endeavor on Twitter @EarthArXiv as well as Chris (@seis_matters) and Tom (@tnarock) personally.

01:13:49 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like publishing, there's a long time between submission and publication. First up, a thesis for Patron James P., who, like Joe, is a bit of a 3D printer too. His thesis is: The Stability of Genius: Use of Machine Learning to Develop Algorithms for Controlling Tuned-Mass Dampers in Skyscrapers to Counteract Seismic Effects. Like, really smart ideas. Thanks, James! Ryan has a voicemail from Baylor, who seems like a right dude and wanted to just tell us he likes the show.

Cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon!

Music for this week's show: II. Earth: The Oldest Computer (The Last Night) [feat. Azealia Banks] - Childish Gambino London Bridge - Ed Sheeran and Yelawolf Give It Away - Andrew Bird

00:00:00 - Now for part 2 of our coverage of GSA's annual meeting in Seattle, WA. First up, Ryan's conversation with Robin Trayler, who does stable isotope work on South American mammals (but not sloths, they're spoken for, thank you very much). He explains how stable isotopes from animals can teach us about past climate. You can read his abstract here: Ecology and Climate of the Early Miocene Santa Cruz Formation, Argentina

00:20:16 - Next up is the delightful Dr. Lindsey Yann, who is also working on stable isotopes in mammals, but she's looking at white-tailed deer from an archaeological site in Tennessee, so similar tools to answer different questions. Neat! Her abstract: Deer as Potential Climatic Recorders Through Time

00:39:11 - In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Ryan brought Patrick a beer, in this case, a pretty big one, the Megalodom from Ninkasi Brewing Company, named for a pretty epic (but definitely extinct) shark. A brief discussion of Ryan and Patrick's issues with taxonomy ensues.

00:52:38 - Finally, Ryan's field partner from undergrad, Harrison Gray, who is finishing up his doctorate in Geomorphology and does a great job of breaking down the methods he's developed for understanding the history of a rock and its role in the landscape. He also works for the USGS, though not for much longer, so we do speak a little about the politics of making it harder for government agencies to hire young scientists to serve the nation's interests. Strap in. His abstract: Testing Age Predictions Made with Portable OSL Measurements in Southern Nevada

01:13:32 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like spending time at a conference, you could bump into anyone! First up, we thank Ryan's parents, Bruce and Susan, for their support on Patreon. As part of the reward for their generosity, they get a thesis title: A quilted layering for Chondrichthyan cartilaginous insertion of the patellar joint, a test case performed in New Mexico, USA. It may be nonsense, but it's yours with our sincerest thanks. Next up, a fossiliferous update from Emma G. about the discovery of two fighting fossils Ryan mentioned in a previous episode. Last up, Kirstin M. asks why we stopped doing Trailer Trash Talk, her favorite segment, so we explain why while also sneaking in a quick peek at the teaser for Smallfoot, to really hammer the point home.

Cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon!

Music for this week's show: Change Of Season - Hall and Oates Oh Dear - Matt Costa Dead Sea - The Lumineers Lost In The Light - Bahamas

00:00:00 - Ryan and Charlie quickly introduce the premise of the episode: interviews Ryan did at the GSA annual meeting in Seattle, WA. The first interview is with Ph.D. candidate Khai Button about his work examining beaks in dinosaurs and birds (which are also dinosaurs), as well outreach work he does 3D scanning fossils with high school students. You can read about Khai's fieldwork at Expedition Live! and follow his outreach project on Twitter @fossilphiles.

00:31:57 - Drinks normally go one way, this time they go another way; embrace the difference. Ryan and Charlie are both drinking Americanos, which is espresso and hot water made to simulate a normal cup of coffee. Ryan, new to this, has many questions for Charlie, which he answers with gusto. Here's some Abe-approved coffee, a Charlie-approved espresso machine, and a thing that'll boil water real good.

00:45:32 - Next up, Ryan chats to Allison Jones about Jurassic petrofabrics in California with Dr. Kurt Burmeister's research group at the University of the Pacific. It sounds complicated, but as Allison explains they're really just out in the mountains tracing rocks onto plastic sheets and then doing science to them. You can follow Allison on Twitter @allison_jones1.

01:02:30 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like in-person interviews, they're better with friends. Doing things in sort of reverse order, we begin with Charlie reading an e-mail from Kris H. wondering about claims made by various shades of climate change skeptics and/or deniers. There's a lot to be said, but the take-home message is that all of Kris' links are pointing towards cranks of various stripes, so we won't link them again here. You can read more about the claims these folks are making and how to counteract them here: Skeptical Science Climate Myths, and check out the book The Two-Mile Time Machine if you want to learn more about how we actually take some of the measurement to build our climate models as discussed by Ryan and Charlie. Ending things on a happier note, we thank Patron Billy Nitro by conferring upon him a thesis title. Tying into the show's themes we present: Unraveling the Pop Culture Fabric: Tools to Convince the Public that Dinosaurs had Feathers and Beaks with Applications Towards Climate Skepticism Outreach. Thanks, Billy!

Cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon!

Music from this week's show: Birds - M83 Grindstone - Jackie Greene Black Rock - O.A.R.

00:00:00 - Ben and Ryan are joined by Matt Candeias from the In Defense Of Plants podcast, the newest member of the Brachiolope Media Network! With introductions out of the way, we get hyped to hear Ben tell us about a neutron star collision, known as a kilonova, detected by LIGO.

00:31:12 - Drinks also contain neutrons, which collide with the neutrons in our mouths. Matt begins with some Oktoberfest style homebrew from a buddy of his. Ben is very excited by a flan-flavored drink from Japan. Good for Ben. Ryan has a sour barrel-aged cider called Hawk Knob, named after the highest point in WV.

00:39:31 - Now for some bad news, a new study has shown that pikas, a cute lagomorph related to bunnies, are locally extinct around Lake Tahoe, which probably spells doom for the rest of the species. We explain why and just generally lament the state of things.

00:58:34 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like local extinctions, part of you wishes they'd just get it over with. First, we power through Ben's connectivity issues to get Patron Richard H. a thesis title as thanks for supporting the show. His title is Neutron Star Collisions Increase Gold, Ultimately Decrease Pikas (Ochotona princeps): The Sad Story Of Alpine Pikas In A Warming Climate: The Thesis. Thanks, Richard! Next up, Matt has an e-mail from Xander O. about how small changes, like 1 degree of temperature, can have really big effects around the globe. Ryan ends things with a voicemail from Josh from VA, who has kind words for us all, so that's nice. Don't forget to check out the other shows in the network, The Titanium Physicists and In Defense Of Plants, and you can check out Ryan talking about five minutes of John Carpenter's The Thing beginning with minute 41 on The Thing Minute.

Cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon!

Music for this week's show: Collide - Corey Smith Waiting for October - Polaris Pokémon Theme Song - The Original Gameboy Game

Recorded using Zencastr. Use promo code SCIENCE for 20% your order.

00:00:00 - Kelly and Ryan are joined by Abby Howard (@AbbyHoward) to talk about her new graphic novel Dinosaur Empire! Journey through the Mesozoic Era, the first in her Earth Before Us series of all ages paleontology focused books. We chat with her about how she got her start drawing comics, especially those of a dinosaurian variety.

00:27:05 - We normally don't record in the morning, but when we do, you can expect a very different drinks segment. This is one of those times. Abby is kicking back some water because it's important to stay hydrated. Kelly is having a decaf skim milk latte because it's also important to stay caffeinated, but not too caffeinated. Ryan, advocating for the exact opposite lesson, is having homemade cold brew concentrate straight from the jar. Tastes slightly better than rubbing it right in your eyes.

00:31:36 - Next, we keep chatting with Abby about what she learned about dinosaurs in making her book, and what she learned through the process of trying to teach others about dinos. It's all just sharing and learning in this segment, good vibes. You can find more of Abby's work at her website, Junior Scientist Power Hour, and support her in creating comics on Patreon.

01:01:23 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like all-ages books, they're good for all ages. Ryan begins with a thesis title for Jacob W. (as a reward to supporting us on Patreon). Suspecting that Jacob might be related to a certain cinematic assassin, we grant him the title: Did Velociraptor hunt Protoceratops for money? A theory of dinosaurian currency in the late Cretaceous. Kelly winds things up with a somewhat somber and heartfelt e-mail from Leigh, about the state of the world and turning towards science for comfort. Thanks for the kind words. Also, Kelly's book, Soonish, is out now if you want to feel hopeful(ish) about the future.

You can now find some of our episodes on Youtube, if that's a thing that works for you.

If you're looking for ways to help those recovering from the various recent hurricanes, consider donating to the Houston Food Bank and/or the World Central Kitchen.

Music: Picture Book - The Kinks Caffeinated Consciousness - TV On The Radio Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime - Beck