Science... sort of

304 - AGU Part IV, To see an Ocean in a grain of a foram

00:00:00 - Dr. Heather Ford (@hl_ford), who was featured alongside a certain Paleopal for National Fossil Day, meets up with Ryan at Atlas Brew Works with her pup Sammy to talk about her work as a paleocenagropher, which apparently involves shooting lasers at tiny fossils to take the ocean’s temperatures. 00:28:18 - Since they’re already at a brewery, why not have a drink? Heather has the Blood Orange Gose and Ryan is having the Coffee Common, both from Atlas Brew Works, obviously. And thanks to the folks at the brewery for letting us record there! 00:31:45 - Back in the studio for drinks round two! Charlie’s up first with some more Ito En unsweetened green tea to get that sweet sweet caffeinated buzz. Patrick is trying to confront past demons with some Bruichladdich Classic Laddie Scotch whisky. And Ryan mixes up an artichoke manhattan by adding in a little Cynar. 00:39:52 - In part two of our conversation with Heather, we chat about her work examining gender and racial equity in speaking opportunities at meetings such as AGU. Get a peak behind the scenes of how big meetings are organized, some thoughts on what allies can do to pull their weight more, and advice to young folks just getting started in their scientific careers. 01:11:09 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like the ocean, they say they have no memory. First up, longtime listener Edward A. has completed the requirements for a BSso in part with a thesis titled: Foremost ramifications: Sexual dimorphism in metabolic processing of ethanol versus caffeine in Scottish foraminifera. Thanks for supporting the show, Edward! Next up, Frank O. has done a deep dive into some old episodes of ours and has thoughts. This leads to a discussion of whether or not it’s worth debating science with deniers (related: Ryan’s episode for Skeptoid countering some common and less common creationist claims). We end with an e-mail from Aleesa S. who follows up on our publishing discussion in episode 295 with a thought about the publish-or-perish paradigm and the role scientific societies might play in the future of publishing. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music credit: Drop of Water In The Ocean - Broke For Free

303 - AGU Part III, Erupting with Creativity

00:00:00 - Jill Shipman and Brandon Gellis join us to talk about their AGU eLightning session titled Art and Science: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Data Exploration and Communication. We talk about this novel presentation format, one of the featured talks, and Jill’s collaboration to make music using infrasonic recordings from a volcano (which serves as the featured music for this episode!). 00:30:53 - One thing that can make folks more musical is a drink, so let’s have one! Kelly classes up the joint with a Cabernet Sauvignon from J. Lohr. Ryan, inspired by Backwards Distilling in Wyoming, attempts a Rum & Coke Old Fashioned with Mexican Coke syrup and Doctor Bird rum. It’s all a bit much. Joe doesn’t know the implications of his Faygo Rock & Rye, but Ryan has some ideas about rock candy whiskey and juggalos. 00:41:59 - We start the second segment chatting about Brandon’s work using drones with scientific sensors to make art, and about the deeper connections of what it means to be an artist that focuses on using the cutting edge of technology to push the boundaries of art. Find out more and Jill and Brandon’s projects are their websites, http://www.brandongellis.com/ and http://jillshipman.com/, respectively. 00:59:05 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like volcanoes; they occasionally decide to shake things up. We shake things up this episode by not doing our normal order of things. Kelly starts off with a kind comment from Patreon supporter J. Crichton, an individual with obvious great taste. Next, Joe has an email from Steve O. about how we would build a multi-generational starship to colonize new worlds. We get into it. If you’re interested in some good fiction on the topic, check out Seveneves and The Expanse series. And if you’re interested in how emerging technologies might make these sorts of trips possible, check out Kelly’s book Soonish, which comes out in paperback, wait for it, soon. Finally, we turn our attention to Patron Bradley S., who has earned a BSso with his thesis: All Aboard: Multi-generational transitions from mutualism to parasitism in a space-faring human meta-micro-biome: There and not back again. See ya when you get back, Brad, and thanks! Kelly is working hard on some upcoming BAHFest shows, so get your tickets soon, Joe is looking for volunteers for upcoming Baja SAE events, and Ryan has recently been on iFanboy, so check all that out while you wait for another episode from us! More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music for this episode: Pele’s Fury - Trevor Adams

302 - AGU Part II, Dune or dune not, there is no dry (ice)

00:00:00 - In part two of our AGU shows we begin with dunes! Ryan chats with Tom Ashley (@ThomasCAshley) and Rob Mahon (@RobertCMahon) about their work looking at how dunes form and move in a variety of conditions on, and off, Earth! And students, Robert is looking for grad students, so check out his website if you’re interested. The topic reminds Charlie of this old book a guy wrote about dunes because he was bored at war. 00:37:44 - All this talk of particle hops gives one a powerful thirst. Patrick returns to an old favorite to see if he still like it and it’s Port! It’s sweet, but which definition of that word you use is up to you. Charlie is in his office so pops the tab on a Tangerine La Croix. Fancy. Ryan keeps it cryptic with a Skrrt! Skrrt! from Braven Brewing Company and their potentially Brachiolope inspired logo. 00:45:46 - Next up, Mike O’Connor tells us about his work poking holes in the ground in the Arctic Circle and what that might mean for future carbon emissions. Plus, Mike spent some time on the policy side of science and tells us about his experience working with lawmakers and how scientists can be better lobbyists for our cause. 01:16:13 -PaleoPOWs are a lot like congress; constantly needing to be reminded what to do. Brachiolope artist and patron supporter Sonya A. has earned herself a thesis. After some deliberation, we land on: The aeolian effects of sandy and tundra environments on the sexual dimorphism of the nares of Brachiolope podcastensis: Implications for sexual selection and mating vocalization across climatic extremes. Our first thesis featuring a Brachiolope, congrats, Sonya! Next up, Charlie reads an e-mail from Tom S. letting us know an important fact about Blade Runner, which leads to a brief discussion of the original and sequel films. Finally, Chen R. L. wants Ryan to finally learn Git and/or GitHub, and provides a video with some instructions. Nice try, Chen. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music for this episode: River Below - Billy Talent Tangerine - Led Zeppelin Beneath the Ice - Jeremy Soule

301 - AGU Part I, The Fifth Element

00:00:00 - Photographer, filmmaker, and lapsed geomorphologist James Balog (@james_balog) joins Ryan and Abe to talk about his new film The Human Element, which screened at AGU and is available to stream now! After quizzing him about his Masters’ research, we spend some time learning about the inspiration for his new film and the challenges that come with trying to tell the stories of real people affected by climate change. 00:39:54 - A spicy, salty, bubbly, beverage would incorporate all four elements, but would you drink it? Joe goes the sour route with a Choya Yuzu place, to make up for Ben recent lack of Asian beverages. Thanks for stepping up, Joe. Ryan and Abe are sharing a crowler of Creek Life (Denali) from Attaboy Beer picked up during a recent PA/MD adventure. 00:47:25 - Because Ryan is bad at saying no to things, he wound up running a podcasting workshop at AGU with Abe and Jackson Watkins (@ProbablyJackson) of the Humanizing Science podcast. Ryan chatted with Jackson briefly prior to the workshop at the meeting, then he and Abe talk a bit about the aftermath of teaching scientists to podcast. 01:04:20 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like humans, messy but loveable. First up, Joe asks us to come up with a thesis for former freeloading but now Patron Tommy M. Based on a supposed love of plants, Tommy’s thesis is: Freeloading in the plant word: Anthropogenic carbon surplus pushes vegetation to the extremes… are we heading from Anthropocene to a new Plantacene? Thanks for supporting the show, Tommy! Abe is up next with an e-mail about Czech pronunciation (as developed by Jan Hus) from our old friend Robert Š. Did we get it right? Who knows! (Robert, that’s who.) Finally, Ryan gets corrected by Will S. regarding stream law! That’s right, you now know your legal rights regarding naturally-occurring rivulets of water. Enjoy! More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music for this episode: You Better Believe It - Vintage Trouble Beech Creek Dirge - Old Crow Medicine Show Human - Big City Rock

300 - This... is... SCIENCE

00:00:00 - To celebrate our 300th episode and make up for skipping Thanksgiving this year we’re doing an all feedback segment! Patrick starts off with an e-mail from Stephen H. who has spotted a potential relative of the Brachiolope (see below) and wants our take on its potential evolutionary pathway. Ryan comes next with an e-mail from Prof. Ken C. trying to help settle a long-standing debate about the appropriate prefix for supervillains versus superheroes. Charlie follows up on the pigeonhole debate with many facts from potential etymologist Ascii Aardvark, even if Charlie can’t remember why said facts are relevant. And finally, Abe prefers Icelandic to Spanish when it comes to describing the ice features found on Europa as reported by Emma G. Thanks, everyone! 00:41:54 - Drinks are better with friends, and thankfully we have some. Patrick keeps it popular with a gin and tonic, hailing back to the early days of the show without even realizing it, made using Explorer’s Gin and Fever Tree tonic. Lime type remains unspecified. Charlie has Ito En Oi Ocha green tea from Japan to help him keep his wits about him. Ryan reflects that with a Mirror Mirror that’s been aging since before the show began, no joke. And Abe relies on some Rocket Science to get him through to the next segment. 00:50:05 - Abe surprises the others with a round of SCIENCE… IN… JEOPARDY!! Patrick, Charlie, and Ryan face off against each other in a game designed for 5th graders (play along here). Who will prevail? You’ll have to listen to find out… 01:33:02 - No need for a traditional PaleoPOW segment this week since we covered it at the beginning of the show, instead Ryan has a quick conversation with Tim Dobbs, audio engineer and host of Encyclopedia Brunch, about his history with the show and various other nonsense, as well as asking the others what the show means to them and ending everything with a melodious (or cacophonous) “sort of” chorus submitted by y’all. Thanks to everyone who sent in their “sort ofs” for the chorus, you helped make a milestone extra special! Music for this episode:Cold Forgiver - Ha Ha TonkaTrick Mirror - The Mountain GoatsI Lost On Jeopardy - Weird Al Yankovic