Science... sort of

314 - You win some, you lose some

00:00:00 - For this episode, we’re joined by Peter Brannen (@PeterBrannen1), author of the book The Ends of the World: Supervolcanoes, Lethal Oceans, and the Search for Past Apocalypses, which explains all the times when life has nearly been wiped out on our pale blue dot. Discussion ensues. 00:27:47 - In what may be the shortest drinks segment in the history of the show, we get right to it. Peter is having his favorite beer on planet earth, a Mexican Chocolate Stout from copper kettle brewing company in Aurora, CO. Ryan is also having a chocolatey beer from Off Color Brewing called Dino S’mores! 00:29:01 - Part 2 with Peter Brannen continues the chat about the worst days earth has ever had. No big deal. Probably not gonna happen again, except it probably will. Prepare. 01:03:39 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like mass extinctions; few get out alive. Ryan goes first with an e-mail from Joel S., who gives us an update on Tasmanian eucalyptus and their invasion of California as discussed in episode 296 and other forgotten comments, and then Ryan and Joe talk about Australia and other nonsense for a while. Joe has some feedback about Chessie from episode 312, left as a comment on Soundcloud by Taylor H. Ryan looks forward to the day where he can just type the show into existence, maybe coming soon? And we wrap up with a Patreon thesis for Charles L., who wants a t-shirt. Based on that and our discussion with Peter, his thesis is: Keep your shirt on: could smaller carbon footprints due to reduced fabric needs of deep v t-shirts significantly alter textile-based climatic impacts? And we’re happy to send Patrons shirts if we have them. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

313 - Debating Diapsids

00:00:00 - Paleontologist Adam Pritchard (@PTPritchard), post-doc at NMNH and future Assistant Collections Manager at VNMN, joins Ryan to talk about all things reptiles! Diapsids, crown versus stem, mass extinctions; this segment has something for everyone (who likes reptiles)! 00:32:59 - A brief drinks interlude to keep everyone (especially Ryan) awake. He’s sipping on an Americano made with Ethiopian Mordecofe beans from Stumptown Coffee Roasters, so put that in your hopper and drink it! 00:36:06 - Adam and Ryan keep talking about reptiles, including best individual reptile (spoiler), and which reptile group is best overall (spoiler). Adam also does his own podcast Past Time, and it’s past time you checked it out while you wait for your next fix of Science… sort of. 01:04:48 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like reptiles, more diverse than you may have originally thought. Dan W. writes in with some kind words but also to tell us about some sloth-y shoes he saw online, but instead of promoting those shoes directly, here’s a clip on why for-profit shoe charities maybe aren’t always that helpful to those in need. We also want to thank Doug S. for being a recurring donor after already donating twice before even if it confused our thanking system. Thanks, Doug! Finally, Caryne H. wishes she’d listened to episode 309 earlier while she was working on grad school essays, but better late than never!

312 - A 'Peake at Chessie

00:00:00 - Joe brings his friend and historian Kristina Gaddy (@kgadz) onto the show to talk about Chessie, the supposed sea monster of the Chesapeake Bay (bay monster?). She wrote a piece about the history and cultural perception of this cryptid. 00:35:39 - It may not be surprising to hear that as a bona fide icon, Chessie is featured by some local breweries. Kristina is having a beer from RAR brewing that features a little Chessie on every can. Joe argues that his King Kong Cola is an appropriate choice given the theme. And Ryan enjoys a Grampus Smoked Nut Brown Ale from Hellbender Brewing to celebrate a beloved amphibian. 00:42:50 - Kristina also has a new book coming out about the true story of French teenagers resisting the Nazi occupation titled Flowers in the Gutter, available for pre-order now! 00:51:31 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like livestreams; we’re not really sure how they work. This particular PaleoPOW was actually recorded during a Patreon livestream hangout where Ryan began by reading an e-mail from Tommy M. thanking us for his thesis, and then they brought in Patron Sam to help answer a question from RJ about how to decide what science to study when they go back to school. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

311 - Eat, Scan, Love

00:00:00 - The boys are back and they’re talking about meat. Specifically, how the idea that neanderthals ate mostly meat is being challenged by the idea that the chemistry can be tricked if the meat is already rotten when it’s eaten. Yum. But also, healthier diets are actually better for your carbon footprint, so put that moldy steak down and eat a vegetable already. 00:38:11 - And then wash it down with something. For example: Charlie is having some fancy juice. Ryan finally embraces an Old Pal with some Far North Spirit. And Patrick eschews the mixers for some wallet-friendly blended Scotch whisky. 00:44:38 - 3D scans are all the rage these days, but for paleontologists, they present a bit of a conundrum. When you scan a fossil, who owns the scan? The spread, or lack thereof, of this new kind of data, and what the future holds for the field is discussed. 01:06:42 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like scanned fossils; everyone is willing to fight over them. Patrick begins by giving an overdue thanks to recurring PayPal donor Richard P. Thanks, Richard! Creepy Jeff has been catching up via the SoundCloud archive and has a perplexing martian question for Charlie. And Ryan fields a voicemail from Sean about how to sign up to be a part of this whole Patreon thing.

310 - Ecosystem Disservice

00:00:00 - After seeing a twitter thread about a recent publication, Ryan invited Jesse Alston (@IntegratEcology) on the show to talk about that paper and his scientific journey. They met up in Laramie and started with the latter, which is this segment. 00:33:30 - A brief interlude wherein Ryan is joined by Joe to discuss beverages. Joe is having leftover apple juice, and Ryan is having a cocktail in a can that he gussied up with some fancy homemade ice. 00:42:05 - Since Ryan and Jesse were chatting at Coal Creek Tap in Laramie, they’re also having a drink. Ryan is having a Wyoming Toad Rye IPA, which prompts a discussion of a very rare montane amphibian. Jesse is having the Molly Blond Belgian Blonde, which seems to involve a dog. The rest of the segment is spent discussing Jesse et al.’s new paper which challenges some of the things we’ve talked about before regarding carnivore reintroduction and its knock-on effects. And be sure to check out Jesse’s podcast Field Surveys. 01:10:04 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like reintroducing a species, you never quite know if it’ll work out. After a quick reading of a twitter exchange with Kendal T., Joe reads an e-mail from Karl M. about the fraught topic of our increasing use of robots for war (Joe recommends the movie Good Kill for further exploration of the topic). We get to lighten things up a little with another e-mail from Zoe S. and also by granting a Patreon thesis to Patron Tom D. who has written a tome titled: Monitoring the sociological impacts of zombie reintroduction to the sustainability school walking routes for students of the New California Republic (NCR) via Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Thanks, Tom! If you need a good summer read, Ryan wrote a review of Underland for Science Magazine, which you can purchase via our Amazon Affiliate link. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon! Music credit: Lamb And Wolf - Poddington Bear