Science... sort of

333 - AGU Brought To You

00:00:00 - Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the AGU Fall Meeting had to go all online, but that didn’t showing up and recording some interviews. But plot twist! This year we sent Producer Tim Dobbs to do the interviewing and Ryan is just along for the ride. In his first interview, Tim talks to Amato Evan about his work looking at how dust clouds from the Sahara in Africa have climatic affects as far away as the other side of the Atlantic AKA Godzilla Dust Storms! 00:33:18 - A little dust in the throat goes away with a quick drink. This episode, Ryan is amazed by the color of his Kyoto Bakushu Matcha IPA (seriously, clickthrough on the link to see it). Whereas Tim is trying to figure out what to do with his bottle of BarMatt Equatorial Ceylon Tea Liqueur. Ryan provides suggestions. 00:42:33 - Tim’s next chat is with Joshua Bregy, who, no joke, uses wood from old coffins to asses past climate. It’s as cool as it sounds. What more even needs to be said here? Just go and listen already. You can check out Josh’s data on Github. Tim and Ryan wrap up by discussing some of the ins and outs of a year of all online meetings. As well as talking briefly about their own poster that they presented in a session about helping scientists get better at communicating. Go figure. Ryan also mentions AGU’s Voices for Science program, which he’s been participating in the last year and they’re accepting applications for next year’s cohort. If you’re an earth scientist interested in communicating science or science policy, go apply! 01:19:06 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like dust storms; they get everywhere. First, we thank Rohit R. for being a recurring PayPal donor. Thanks, Rohit! Then we have a voicemail from Richard P. who has an excellent question about why rodents are so nibbly? You’ll have to listen to find out the answer, but it is an area of active research believe it or not. Lastly, go check out Tim’s BioArtBot project! You can support us and local bookstores by shopping at our store on Bookshop.org and even more cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music credit: Dust In Sunlight - Podington Bear Audio Production by Tim Dobbs (@TimSDobbs)

Special Edition 15 - TENET

00:00:00 - Ryan is joined by Jesse B. Gove V to discuss the highly anticipated sci-fi action thriller, Christopher Nolan’s TENET. Jesse is drinking an Outer Realm from Original Pattern Brewing Company and Ryan is drinking The Magic Touch by American Solera and they are both IPAs because that’s the kind of guys they are. Be sure to check out the Sator Square and here is a link to the graphic timeline mentioned towards the end of the episode. Tune in to find out just how much they did, or didn’t, or did like the film! You can also follow Ryan (@haupt) and Jesse (@LintonFellows) on Letterboxd.com to keep up with their movie-watching habits. And apologies to Doughboys for riffing on their format. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Audio Production by Rob Heath

332 - Anchor's Away Part 4

00:00:00- We're doing another Anchor-themed clip show! Following up on episodes 266, 282, and 326 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). 00:01:43 - Ryan explains the ‘Up-Goer Five’ challenge, reads an abstract he wrote using the Up-Goer Five Text Editor, tries to explain what the abstract actually means, and then shares some thoughts on whether or not this exercise is effective. 00:17:57 - News you probably cannot use: Cheerios included some seeds in their cereal boxes to help folks grow flowers for the bees. A nice idea, but unfortunately still might do more harm than good. 00:23:22 - It’s the holidays so Ryan is drinking glögg and eating raisins. It’s tradition. Make your own glögg AND make your own raisins so you can enjoy some too. 00:24:50 - Q&A: Paul from Cork, Ireland calls in to talk about how he hopes his daughter takes an interest in science (us to!) and to talk about whales. Ryan then tells the tale of the time he met a wild humpback, which was amazing but smelly. 00:31:20 - A new study suggests a pretty fundamental shakeup of the dinosaur family tree. First, he explains how dinosaur diversity was previously organized. Then he explains what the new study actually found. 00:40:40 - Bio bios: dog (Canis lupus familiaris) 00:45:44 - Q&A: Tachi calls in to leave some comments about the “Up Goer Five” challenge, Ryan responds. Also, go read The Elements of Style, it’s great. 00:47:10 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like clip shows; they comfort you in dark times. In this episode, we thank Zachary G. for his recurring donation via PayPal. Thanks, Zachary! Ryan also appeared on the podcast MonsterTalk to talk about the Loveland Frog so go check that out. Thanks for getting through 2020 with us, see you on the other side. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music credit: Golden Hour - Broke For Free

331 - Just Another Mammoth Monday

00:00:00 - Abe and Ryan are joined by paleontologists Lindsey Yann and Advait Jukar (@amjukar) to talk about all manner of proboscideans! First up, hundreds of mammoth fossils have been found underneath the construction site for a new airport outside Mexico City. An amazing find with some similarities to the Waco Mammoth National Monument where Lindsey was just hired as the park’s first in-house paleontologist. And as the park’s paleontologist, she is actively soliciting new research projects so if you have ideas get in touch! 00:26:05 - We may not have built-in straws but we can still enjoy a beverage. Ryan heeds Advait’s advice and grabs a bottle of Old Monk Very Old Vatted XXX Rum, which has expanded Ryan’s view of the diversity of beverages available from the subcontinent. Advait himself is enjoying a pilsner from East Rock Brewing Company from his new hometown of New Haven, CT. Whereas the only paleontologically-themed beer in Abe’s fridge was a Tyrannosaurus Flex from New Real Brewing Company. And in exploring Waco’s brewing scene, Lindsey scored the perfectly appropriate Hidden Herd from Brothwell Brewing. 00:38:14 - Next, Advait explains some of the key differences between the sometimes-confused mammoths and mastodons. A new study of the latter looking at the mitochondrial genomes of different groups of mastodons suggesting they migrated with the ice. It’s a very cool way to determine how these massive animals moved around their environment. 01:08:15 - PaleoPOWs also move in herds. First up, Abe thanks Jesse O. for a recurring PayPal donation (a much-appreciated holdover from the pre-Patreon days). Thanks, Jesse! And Ryan thanks former guest of the show Alex Hastings for a shoutout in the Star Tribune. Thanks, Alex! Alex also has his own podcast now called Squabbling Squibs, check it out! Ryan has also recently appeared on the iFanboy Pick of the Week Podcast #754 talking about comics (obviously) and AGU’s Third Pob From The Sun talking sasquatch and ground sloths, because why not? More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Audio Production by Rob Heath Music credit: Lakeside Path - Blue Dot Sessions

330 - Amber Waves of Sap and Problems of Pollen Prairies

00:00:00 - Researcher Daniel Katz and journalist Lucas Joel (@LucasVanWykJoel) join Ryan to talk about Dan’s research into Detroit’s pollen problem. Too many vacant lots means a lot more ragweed for the residents of the city to deal with. Want to get involved with Dan’s research? Check out his citizen science project Pollen Tracker! 00:41:26 - After the allergy-inducing first segment, a drink is enjoyed by all. Ryan Escapes with the help of Offshoot Beer Co. Lucas is having his very favorite South African rooibos tea. And Dan is having Electric Jellyfish from Pinthouse PIzza which isn’t thematic but “oh well”. 00:54:14 - Some recent fossil finds in Burmese amber have been making the news, but unfortunately, it’s unclear if the amber is being ethically sourced and it may even be funding the genocide of Myanmar’s Kachin Christian minority. Is it ok to be publishing on specimens obtained this way? What does it mean when the studies get quickly retracted? And how are scientific societies addressing the issue? A sobering but important topic. 01:37:31 - A quick PaleoPOW to thank Dan K. for his continuing support via PayPal. Thanks, Dan! And if you’re in the US, go VOTE! More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Audio Production by Rob Heath Music credit: Detroit - Podington Bear