Science... sort of

285 - Pterosaur in the Sky

00:00:00 - Ryan and Juliana sit down with Kevin Hoch (@krhoch) to talk about pterosaurs! They're not dinosaurs but they're still great. We begin with some pterosaur basics to make sure everyone is up to speed. 00:21:52 - Much like pterosaurs at presumably some point in the past, we are in Tulsa, OK. Kevin provides some beer, including a Bump in the Road from Dead Armadillo Craft Brewing for Ryan and Kevin, and a Sundown Wheat from Marshall Brewing Company for Juliana. PSA: Don't touch dead armadillos. 00:28:20 - Next we grill Kevin about his maters research where he took a close look at Rhamphorhynchus, including scans of a 3D skull from Germany. We also touch on the cryptid beast the "Ropen" thought by some to be pterosaurs that have survived to modern day (spoiler: they haven't). 00:49:01 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like the evolution of flight; they've both happened more than once. Just Ryan for this segment and he's got a question Liam T. about the limits of biology when it comes to identifying species, especially from the fossil record and our own hominid lineage. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon! Music for this week's show:Reading Rainbow Theme SongGoin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad - Eric Bibb & Habib KoitéFly Away - Lenny Kravitz

284 - Pay It Forward

00:00:00 - Kelly and Ryan are joined by author Carl Zimmer to discuss his latest book: She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity 00:24:28 - In which Kelly and Ryan take a quick coffee break, even if Kelly goes decaf.  00:28:17 - Part two of our chat with Carl. If you simply must have more then you should definitely just get the book. You can find more books on Carl's website and follow him on Twitter @carlzimmer. 00:49:46 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like inherited traits, you think you can predict them, but it can always go wrong. First up, Patron Stu P. (AKA Stoop) gets a BSso thesis with the title: Growing a funny bone: how babies cells modify a mother’s laugh. Thanks, Stu! We also must thank modernarts for their recent 5-star iTunes review pushing us back up the charts! Bonus fact: the tongue-twister inspired by a paleontologist More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon! Music for this week's show:Sons & Daughters - The DecemberistsCup of Coffee - Johnny CashMy Father's Eyes - Eric Clapton

283 - Definitely Maybe

00:00:00 - We're starting off this episode with a bit of news about the ongoing Kīlauea eruption in Hawaii. Abe explains the basics of what's happening and if you want updates you can read the USGS reports on the situation and follow their topical @USGSVolcanoes Twitter account. But for our actual first subject we're talking about hitting asteroids with HAMMERs because if they're coming for us, we better be ready. Joe tells us about the current state of our asteroid defense (HINT: not great) as well as some things we could do to beef up our meager defenses against an assured eventual threat. 00:26:19 - Nothing like existential terror to make on want a drink. Joe keeps it soft but bilingual with a Johnnie Ryan's Black Cherry Soda, and like most cherry sodas, he enjoys it. Abe blinds himself and finds out that he's enjoying a Stone Xocoveza, a hard one to guess even in the best of circumstances. And Ryan is having a Black Flag Mambo Sauce, which fortunately does not taste like actual mambo sauce because that would be weird. 00:33:56 - Predicting when volcanoes will go off is hard, we've covered that much before. But a new technique is aiming to make it just a little bit easier. Abe discusses the new idea, how it could help, and some of the continued hurdles that come up when trying to understand what's happening under our feet.  00:58:17 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like asteroid impacts, you know they're coming and they may hurt. First up, Patreon supporter Rich B. has completed his coursework and written a thesis titled: Love taps: Using bulk impactors to induce hammer shock for mapping crustal magma pathways in active volcanic edifices. Thanks, Rich! Next, Frank has sent in a story about old beer. Ryan has an update, and he and Abe disagree about whether this is a beer worth sampling. Finally, Joe has a voicemail from Jonathan in Illinois about the future of internal combustion engines. Joe is a big supporter of electric, and suggests you find out how your own vehicle stacks up here: How Clean is Your Electric Vehicle? You can call in and give us your results at 312-PALEOPALS (312-725-2672). More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon! Music of this week's show:No Hammer To Hold - The Milk Carton KidsCherry Cola - Eagles of Death Metal Warning - Green Day

282 - Anchor's Away, Part 2

00:00:00 - We're doing another Anchor-themed clip show! Following up on episode 266, we have another round of short audio clips that Ryan created for the podcast startup Anchor under the banner of Organized Curiosity (explanation of the name here). Enjoy! 00:02:02 - Bio bios: Magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) 00:07:12 - News: Bobcats are back! (in New Hampshire) 00:09:56 - Bio bios: Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) 00:13:51 - Better know a root: iso- 00:16:35 - News: Turkeys circling goes viral 00:19:13 - Bio bios: Common mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) 00:23:28 - Better know a root: gyno- 00:26:55 - News: New continent found in the Pacific 00:30:40 - Bio bios: African civet (Civettictis civetta) 00:35:07 - News: Head of EPA says CO2 doesn't affect climate 00:40:19 - Q&A: How to read a scientific paper? (Two-parter! No link because it's all me, BABY!) 00:49:07 - Pi Day! What is pi? 00:53:00 - Pi Day! The history of a number 00:56:41 - PaleoPOWs are sort of like the opposite of anchors; they lift you up. This week we're trying to climb our way back to a 5-star iTunes rating, so Ryan reads a few recent reviews that are helping us get there. Thanks to jeffluckclub, Nd power, Willcrimson, Kittie396, and Steven767 for taking a moment to help us out! Song for this week's show:XXV - Broke For Free

281 - Poli Sci... sort of

00:00:00 - Abe, Joe, and Ryan are joined by volcanologist Jess Phoenix, who is stepping away from science to run for Congress in California's 25th district. In our first segment, we talk about how she got started in science with a strong outreach focus to help prepare the next generation of field scientists in her community with her organization Blueprint Earth. 00:28:42 - We take a break from trying to help to have a beverage. Abe tells the tale of Shackleton's failed Antarctic expedition that eventually led to some recovered Scotch whisky that has been recreated at a more affordable price point, which he enjoys with a little ice (probably not Antarctic ice though). You can read about the expedition in the graphic novel Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey. Joe struggles his way through some wax to open his Indian Wells Brewing Co. Death Valley Black Cherry Soda, which he says is really good. Ryan makes a Drunk Uncle cocktail with some common (read: uncommon) ingredients using the same Scotch that Abe has. It's almost like they planned it! 00:40:16 - In part two of our chat with Jess, we talk about her decision to transition into the political realm and how she feels her scientific worldview shapes her position on various policies. Plus what lessons scientists can learn from Jess' experiences out on the campaign trail. If you want to learn more or are interested in donating or volunteering to her campaign, you can do so at her website, and follow along on Twitter and Facebook.*  01:04:56 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like campaign promises, we hope you believe them but understand if you don't. First up, we have a BSso to grant to patron Morgan Marshall, who writes in to tell us how excited he was to hear about research happening in his own backyard on a recent episode. His thesis title is: The effect of free coffee of observations of Fata Morgana within Fata Morgana in the Desolation Wilderness, CA. Thanks, M^2! Next up, Abe has an e-mail from Les I. in Canada who comes up with a Brachiolope Brew Pack. Help us out, home-brewers! Finally, Joe has a 5-star iTunes review from BoilerUp75 which is great even if the title throws a bit of a curveball.  More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon! Music for this week's show:Blueprint for a Slow Machine - 65daysofstaticI Will Go Sailing No More - Randy NewmanRun Run Run - Phoenix *But of course we have to point out that none of us live in her district so we can't vote for her nor should our interview be considered an explicit endorsement of her campaign. You know the drill.