Science... sort of

294 - Owl Hollow's Eve

FIRST OFF: GO VOTE 00:00:00 - Asher Elbein (@asher_elbein) is here to chat with Ryan about his journey to becoming a science journalist. Topics include: being a Bitter Southerner, snake handling, a new Odyssey translation, how great the show Justified was, and more! 00:27:26 - Speaking of milking snakes, let’s have a drink. Asher works through some water purchased when the Texas taps couldn’t be trusted. Ryan explains and enjoys a crowler of the Main Drag Double from Molly Pitcher Brewing Company in PA. 00:35:28 - In part two we shift to more bird-focused topics… sort of. We were going to talk about some fossil bird lungs, but it’s fall and the siren song of the now Midwestern mothman (also known as: an owl) calls out to Ryan, so they mostly talk about that and all the weird folkloric goodness therein. If you’re into spooky Appalachian tales and have already read The Mothman Prophecies, consider supporting Asher’s Kickstarter Anna O’Brien: Ghost days Anthology. 01:17:27 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like owls: scary when encountered in an unexpected place. We give our long overdue thanks to Denise C. for being a recurring donor in the old Paypal days. Thanks, Denise! More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music: You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive - The Ruby Friedman Orchestra Good Golly Miss Molly - Little Richard To the Ghosts Who Write History Books - The Low Anthem

293 - Libations and Liquefactions

00:00:00 - We begin with some very old beer (or slightly alcoholic porridge, if you prefer) before moving on to one of the latest advances in brewing technology (e.g., making yeast mimic hops), so covering the entirety of all beer in one segment. No big deal. 00:31:53 - We were talking about beer so let’s have some! Tim has a Tropic Plunder IPA from TW Pitchers Brewing Company. Abe then takes his time telling us about an exotic Pale Ale procured from Gæðingur Öl Brugghús in Iceland. And Ryan literally rolls the dice to decide upon some Gray Wolf Timber Sassafras finished gin, a plant relevant to some recent adventures. 00:43:24 - When the earth quakes, sometimes the real damage isn’t done by the seismic waves themselves but by the liquefaction they induce. Abe explains and also gives some non-legally-binding advice for how to escape quicksand. Some more resources: Liquefaction did more damage than shaking in Christchurch, NZ When Earthquakes Liquefy Soil, Devastation Can Follow Good animation of how liquefaction happens Mexico City’s geology and earthquakes Make your own non-Newtonian fluid USGS Earthquake preparedness CDC Zombie preparedness How to escape quicksand (probably, but just try to avoid it in the first place) 01:18:16 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like seismic events, very difficult to predict. First up, former guest of the show and patron Robert “Doc Sloth” McAfee has earned a BSso in addition to his Ph.D. Robert’s less legitimate thesis title is: Liquefaction-based agitated fermentation of H. lupulus derived beverages: fermenting beyond the barrel with shaken, not stirred, yeast strains. Thanks, Robert! Next, audiophile Tim presents a voicemail from Karen in Austin, TX who uses science to solve crimes and wanted to tell us how she got started on that path. Finally, Ryan has an e-mail from Lucas H. who thanks us for some continuing education inspiration for which he is very welcome. Our pleasure *hat tip*. Be sure to check out Tim’s podcast Encyclopedia Brunch or if you’re in the Bay Area meetup with him to make a robot. Ryan recently appeared on These Are Not The Nerds You’re Looking For to talk about Star Wars: Clone Wars and is giving a talk at the Geological Society of Washington if you’re in D.C. and are into that sort of thing. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music:When Bitter Met Sweet - HoneycuttersSassafras Roots - Green DayShakey Ground - The Temptations

292 - Matryoshka Moochers and Median Magma

00:00:00 - We are thrilled to be joined by Kelly’s collaborator Scott Egan, whose lab at Rice University recently found an example of parasitism on a parasite. No matter how much we’ve talked about it before, we still have a lot of questions of the complexities of these interactions and some harsh judgments for the leeching lifestyle. 00:35:59 - Nothing like a drink after you’ve been drained. Kelly claims to enjoy a Potter’s cider with added hops and guava. Ryan continues to lament the sorry state of East Coast IPAs but still likes his Juiced In Time. And Abe gets weird with Wicked Weed’s Freak of Nature. 00:42:47 - You may have heard that the Katla volcano in Iceland is about to erupt, but those reports have the author of the paper that got it all started shaking her head. Abe explains why some CO2 emissions aren’t the same thing as an impending eruption. And if you think that it seems like volcanoes are going off more than usual, turns out that psychology more so than geology. Fortunately the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program is happy to keep you up to speed on all the magma that’s about to spew. 01:11:39 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like volcanoes; they’re both closely monitored, but why? After a brief announcement we get back to the fun stuff, and first up is a BSso thesis for Patron Julie S. Julie studied Heat-seeking Haemosporidians: Parasitic Drivers of Human Inhabitation of Thermally-regulated Volcanic Ice Caves. Thanks, Julie! Kelly has an e-mail from Travis about how great former guest Abby Howard and her book Dinosaur Empire are. We agree, obviously. Finally, Abe has an iTunes review from a pretty august author questioning our topic priorities. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music for this episode: We Intertwined - The Hush Sound Weeds - Marina and the Diamonds Prove the World Wrong - Ha Ha Tonka

291 - Getting to the Root of it All

00:00:00 - Matt from In Defense of Plants joins Joe and Ryan to talk about F.R.E.D., which is an acronym for a root-database that just reached version 2.0! Why does having a bunch of root data available matter? What’s the point of databases in general? Listen and find out! 00:22:43 - Roots drink, we drink. It’s all the same. Ryan has a typically convoluted thing in the form of a Papes Off the Crust Appalachian-style kvass ale brewed with pumpernickel bread, apples, fig leaves, and coconuts. Juli weighs in with her thoughts and the dog gets excited. Joe can’t really answer our questions about his Reading Draft Creamy Red Birch Beer. Sap extraction discussion ensues. Matt keeps things sharp with a Baileys-spiked Caribou coffee. 00:34:23 - Just when you think you know how to measure a thing, the standard may change. As whimsical as we get about THE kilogram over in France (aka Big K), the International System (SI) may be ready to move on to something more fundamental for a few of our favorite units. 00:46:55 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like precise instrumentation; easy to use improperly. First up, Patron Magnus C. has earned a fake degree by writing the fake thesis: A Mole of Nutrition: Modeling Soil Aeration of Fine Root Web Systems via a fossorial mammal. Thanks, Magnus! Next up, Joe reads an iTunes review from TheBoomstick! And Ryan wraps it all up with a tweet from @MountainVole recommending the show to a friend on Twitter, which is just the best.   More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!   Music in the episode: Fred Jones, Pt. 2 - Ben Folds Cold Bread - Johnny Flynn Who’s Gonna Take The Weight? - Gang Starr

290 - Because Science Live

00:00:00 - Sometimes life finds a way, to get in the way, so instead of the show we were supposed to record, here’s another from the archives. This time, we’re rolling back the clock to October 2014, mere moments after the live show you heard in episode 214. After our show, Kyle Hill (@Sci_Phile) took the stage to do a Because Science live panel discussion lead by him featuring Patrick House (@drmisterpatrick), Zach Weiner (@ZachWeiner), and our own Ryan Haupt. Topics in part one include: Jurassic World’s lack of feathered dinosaurs Asimov’s Laws of Robotics Star Trek communicators Cordyceps parasites in the video game The Last of Us Toxoplasma Ulcers and personality Disease attenuation ‘Mutated’ neutrinos from the film 2012 and just what is going on with the Hulk 00:33:15 - Ryan breaks in for a moment to insert a drinks segment and he’s having some sherry, which sounds like something fancy from a Poe story, but he mostly just uses it for cooking. 00:34:10 - Part 2 of the panel begins with a discussion of more realistic science fiction, including the books Blindsight, Solaris, and the Space Odyssey series, and movies like Upstream Color, Deranged, Interstellar, and even Iron Man. Plus how organizations like the Science and Entertainment Exchange (see episode 40) can help steer Hollywood in the right scientific direction. We end with a discussion of the media’s role in make people afraid of things like diseases, and also what’s really scary from a scientific perspective. Thanks again to Kyle for putting together the panel, make sure to check out his Youtube series Because Science from the Nerdist.com! 01:02:34 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like panels, it’s good to have some diversity. Only one this week and it comes from Thomas K., who has kindly contributed some money via Paypal and has some feedback regarding the evolution of the show, and our recent attempts to do other types of content like fossil hunting! More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music for this episode: Don’t Look Back In Anger - Oasis Sherry - Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons First Step - Hans Zimmer