Science... Sort Of

00:00:00 - Not to alarm you, but it's possible we're all living in a simulation (see Rationally Speaking for a primer). Some physicists have thought up a measurement that might prove our reality or show it for the farce it is. Ben poo poos, and the conversation meanders back and forth between philosophy and physics, eventually just settling on The Matrix. 00:36:28 - Drinks can help you simulate happiness. Ben enjoys the oddly spelled Jamaican Cream Soda Sof Drink. Charlie has risks his tongue trying the Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale made from Rogue. And Ryan experiments with a quinoa old-fashioned mixed up with Corsair's new Quinoa Whiskey. 00:44:42 - Trailer Trash Talk tackles the legacy of 007 by breaking down our thoughts on the upcoming 23rd installment of secret agent James Bond, Skyfall. 00:59:34 - Methane on Mars, if it's there the Curiosity rover intends to find it. Charlie helps break down what such a discovery would mean, and the instrumentation that could make it happen. 01:13:147 - PaleoPOWs are a lo

00:00:00 - Elphant hair: curious leftover or useful coolant? New research suggests the latter, and Derek Mead of Motherboard is here to fill in the sparsely haired gaps! 00:18:02 - Elephants spray water on themselves to keep cool. Since humans sweat, we don't waste precious liquids on our skin when they can easily be put in our mouths. Derek is double-fisting a hometown favorite Sierra Nevada Tumbler brown ale and a new experience in the Peak Hop Noir. Patrick justifies his Gnarly Head Zinfandel 2012. And Ryan is excited by the beer availability of Colorado as demonstrated with a Paragon Apricot Blonde. 00:23:27 - Found footage is all the rage, and there is clearly much rage in the upcoming horror film Bigfoot: The Lost Coast Tapes which is the laughable subject of this week's Trailer Trash Talk! 00:34:35 - Noble gases are impressive by nature, especially in sign form. But unfortunately we're running low on some, like helium, and never had that much of others, like xenon. A new study in Nature explores why

00:00:00 - After some time back east Patrick has started wondering if we should kill all the mosquitos. An article from Nature intern Janet Fang explores the issue and the paleopals discuss their own awesome ideas on the matter. 00:25:00 - Like male mosquitoes, the paleopals also prefer plants to blood, but for the purposes of the show the guys usually weight for it to ferment a bit first. Patrick "enjoys" a Corona light, Ryan points out that his beer is overpriced based on it's isotopic composition. Because he's a jerk. Ryan is having a hard cider with the addition of a bitters infused sugar cube. Jacob is intrigued, but is himself having a Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat, leading to vociferous lamentations of autumnal beers. 00:35:00 - If you survived a plane crash would you care if the pilot happened to be drunk? What if him being drunk was the reason the plane landed at all? These questions and more are explored in Trailer Trash Talk via the preview for the upcoming film Flight. 00:48:30 - Neal Stephenson wrot

00:00:00 - Diane Kelly decided to tell the story of how she came to accept scientific sacrifice through the lens of the armadillo penis. This, somehow, leads a larger discussion of scientific storytelling prowess. 00:23:55 - Drinks are a lot like penises, often unexpected and sometimes disappointing. Ryan enjoys the Canadian-made Unibroue Grande Réserve 17, because somebody has to represent the beers of the great white north. Ben enjoys the 'soft' version of the piña colada as made by SoBe. And Kelly calls back to the previously enjoyed Leinenkugel Summer shandy, that she enjoys while also calling back to the #SciFund Challenge which is about to start Round 3! 00:30:57 - Kelly is also super stoked for the upcoming found footage horror movie The Bay, which involves the evolution of isopod causing them to parasitize humans instead of cute fishies. THE HORROR! 00:42:22 - Ben talks about how physicists claim that they can build a clock lasting longer than the universe. Ryan and Kelly are skeptical because it i

00:00:00 - Dave Hone talks to Patrick and Ryan about his research into tail length. Turns out there is a lack of consistency and it just might throw everything into a tizzy. Ryan seems fixated on mammals like a jerk. Plus we get an update on the state of his various web project including the ever-entertaining Ask a Biologist, of which Ryan is a proud contributor. 00:37:06 - Drinks are a lot like tails, they vary in length and strength. Jacob touts his "perfect" margarita. Charlie and Ryan take issue. Jacob loses. Charlie is ready for fall, thus forcing down a Sierra Nevada Tumbler Brown along with the appropriate autumn sountrack, whatever that means. And Ryan celebrates the Pacific Northwest, friendship, and a tasty brew with Eylsian's The Immortal IPA. 00:43:26 - Trailer Trash Talk makes Jacob feel like he's been pegged into a stereotype, much like the main character in the nostalgic upcoming CG-film Wreck-It Ralph. 00:56:00 - Someone finally had the good sense to ask if wind power was worth it. It is. A

00:00:00 - Ryan chats with some of the geographers from the Floating Sheep blog about their stastically rigorous maps charting beer vs. church in the tweets of Americans. What state will win? What state will lose? How will this affect the electoral college? Tune in to find out! 00:36:21 - Big data projects like the one above require alcohol. Literally. It was one of two search parameters. The Paleopals are silmialr in this regard. Patrick has Old Dominion's English Style Ale. Again. Nothing new there. Charlie has homemade soda water. Everyone agrees this is good and that soda water machine companies should sponsor the show. Ryan has a religiously themed beer to try and bridge the gap with a Salvation golden-style ale from Avery Brewing Company. 00:41:04 -Trailer Trash Talk lacks the ability to back in time to assasinate segments we no longer like, but if we did, we may run the risk of being forced to kill ourselves, much like the sexy protagonists of the new time-travel crime thriller Looper. 00:53:04 - Th

00:00:00- Scottish Loch Ness tour guide Captain George Edwards claims to have the best phoot of Nessie yet and Steve D. wants to know what the Paleopals think. We're not impressed, scientists find new species regularly. Neither is the uncredited token skeptic from the clip Benjamin Radford, who hosts the Monster Talk podcast. Ryan attempts to debunk, Charlie finds a conflict of interest, and Patrick comments on the aesthetics. The faithful will no doubt remember that our first episode started with a Nessie story, so it's only right to keep that going on our anniversary. 00:16:31 - Drinks are a lot like Loch Ness, deep, dark, and possibly hiding something wonderful. Charlie returns to a sage-muddled whiskey spritz. Patrick defends the value of wine blends. And Ryan captures a yeti (stout) with a brachiolope (glass). 00:23:19 - Trailer Trash Talk goes back to Santa Cruz with a tangent filled segment obstensibly talking about the preview for the SC-based surf movie Chasing Mavericks. 00:38:37 - Jake C. heard

00:00:00 - Phil Edwards, the Senior Fake Scientists at Fake Science Labs, joins Patrick and Ryan to talk about his new textbook: Fake Science 101, for when facts are too confusing. Be sure to follow the continuing adventures of the unreal reality by following the Fake Science tumblr blog. 00:39:37 - Drinks can make you feel things that a fake, best just to bottle it up. Kelly joins the show just in time to ruin Ryan's surprise by drinking a gifted Yazoo Hefeweizen. Ryan has a long story involving multi-state travel to eventually wind up with a Aviator Brewing Company's Devils Tramping Ground Tripel (bought from the excellent Peabody's Wine & Beer Merchants in Boone, NC) out of a Terrapin Brewing Company glass given to him by Kelly. Was that sentence totally necessary? Yes. Yes, it was. Finally, Patrick continues to enjoy the beers offered by Heavy Seas, even the oft-maligned style exemplified by the Peg Leg Imperial Stout. 00:47:29 - Trailer Trash Talk promises many things, but one thing it never promis

00:00:00 - PhD Candidate Trey Mack joins the Paleopals to talk about KELT, a tiny telescope that's able to find planets orbiting other stars. Trey gives us the basics, then we get sidetracked asking him just how he got into this whole astronomy gig in the first place. 00:17:53 - Drinks can also be hard to find, especially if you've already have a few to begin with. Ben, who can't have artifical colors, settle for a Glaceau Vitamin Water Lemonade flavor, to help him through a 'hot' Canadian day. Whatever that means. Ryan and Trey share a Brooklyn Black Ops. And Patrick promotes a new East Coast standard in Old Dominion's Dominion Ale. 00:24:11  - This week Trailer Trash Talk takes a page from This American Life whilst discussing the new, possibly funny, film Sleepwalk With Me.  00:38:49 - We decide to let Trey stop talking about himself long enough tell us more about his amazing planet-hunting science. 00:55:33 - PaleoPOWs are lot like planets, it helps if you have some idea where to look for them. Ryan i

00:00:00 - Much like podcasters, frogs try to avoid talking over each other. It really screws with getting noticed by a mate. They do such a good job that tech nerds are trying to figure out how have networks work the same way. Ribbit. 00:21:05 - Frogs like to take a dip in the drink, whereas the Paleopals like to dip drinks into their mouths. This week Ryan begins with a Triple Digit Aftermath Scotch Ale, just because he can. Ben is very excited about his not too sweet Jamaican grapefruit pop Ting. Patrick has one of Ryan's favorite IPAs, a Bell's Two-Hearted Ale. And finally Jacob has some whipped-cream vodka and orange soda abomination that he calls a "creamsicle."  00:29:10 - The Paleopals have fun making fun of the trailer for Hit & Run in this week's Trailer Trash Talk. 00:40:55 - The funny sounding lab of Picatinny have developed a FREAKING LIGHTNING GUN. Ben says he had the idea first, but didn't want to unleash such horrors upon the world. At least he can explain it to the rest of us. 00:59:3

00:00:00 - A theory is nice, but without the right tech it can sometimes be hard to test. Such was the case with the popular "selfish herd theory" and it took some very precise GPS and some perturbed sheep to finally prove it right. 00:17:12 - Drinks are more fun when you're in a herd. Charlie has mixed feelings towards his Hell or High Watermelon from 21st Amendment. Kelly is refreshed by a Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat. And Ryan has to explain his B-Craft Black Double IPA by Arcadia Ales. 00:21:14 - Trailer Trash Talk laments the over-exposure of the American electorate, The Black Keys, and the comedy duo of Will Ferrel and Zach Galifianakis in the new comedy The Campaign. 00:32:10 - Decades ago we launched some probes into the far reaches of space. They're out there still chugging along, but the Pioneer probes were chugging a bit slower than they should have been. After converting some very old data, scientists think they've narrowed down the options for the cause of the anomaly. 00:56:02 - PaleoPOWs are a

00:00:00 - Brown snakes may have reached Guam, but once there how do they reach between tree branches? New research shows how these tiny snakes would rather go up than across. 00:19:26 - Drinks bridge the gap between sobriety and drunkenness. Patrick sups a Naked Grape pinto grigrio. Ben kicks back some guava nectar from Egypt. And Ryan has a Jashimi cocktail invented by Jacopo Falleni. 00:24:45 - Ben and Ryan argue over comparisons to other movies while Patrick laments the plot twist seen in the trailer for Robot & Frank, the subject of this week's Trailer Trash Talk. 00:37:28 - The same mine that gave us Titanoboa has also given us a very large, round, and flat turtle called Puentemys mushaisaensis. Was the shape a way to avoid swallowing or was it a better way to thermoregulate back in the day? We honestly don't know but we're sure as shooting going to talk about it. 00:48:42 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like reptiles, you think they're slimy but really they aren't. Patrick has a question from Kyle P. abo

00:00:00 - You might never need to plug in your electric car if we just went ahead and made the roads moving charging platforms. Expensive? You bethca! Worth it? Eh... 00:22:40 - One way to get a charge is via ethanol, which consumed in moderation should never require the insertion of wires into your body. You figure out what that means. Jacob went foul by freezing his Yuengling Black & Tan, but he doesn't mind a mixed beer slushy. Charlie enjoys the gift of Rittenhouse Straight Rye whiskey and shares a summertime cocktail treat. And finally Ryan picks the inspiring  Lot No. 3 IPA by Evolution Craft Brewing. 00:33:32 - The guys try to remember the details of the original film in this week's Trailer Trash Talk: Total Recall. 00:47:19 - Orangutans are unequivocally awesome but consequently difficult to study. So a team in England has turned to parkour runners to imitate the movements of an ape for the purposes of science. And that's just cool. 01:00:55 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like parkour, circuitous and

00:00:00 - A new Zune review fails to distract the Paleopals from noticing just how hot it's been. According to NOAA, the organization not the dude, it really has been "hot as balls" out lately, and the weather has been whackier than usual too boot. The last time it got this hot might have been the PETM, which we mention here but have talked about in a bit more depth on a previous episode.  00:22:53 - Drinks help you beat the heat. Believe it. Patrick is feeling patriotic with his all-American (Belgian-owned) Budweiser. Ryan is also in the spirit of USA drinking an Independence Day ale from Innis & Gunn (from Scotland). And Charlie, in the true spirit of the states, has a homebrewed ESB, made by a British dude. We might have botched this round. 00:27:44- Trailer Trash Talk present a future "What did Charlie think" as the Paleopals feel conflicted over the 'documentary' Craigslist Joe. 00:38:47 - Male cuttlefish do their best impression of Harvey Dent to fool other dudes in the tank while courting the l

00:00:00 - Lousiana wants to implement vouchers to send kids to private schools. Problem is some of these schools teach Creationsist science and math. And it seems the Loch Ness Monster is their ace in the hole to disprove evolution. So there's that...  00:25:07 - Drinks dull the pain of bad science. Ryan has a merlot with a marshmallow. It's a think he's been meaning to try. And Kelly kicks back a Cabernet Sauvignon, which apparently is an old favorite for her. Who knew? Jacob has a Bold City Brewery's Lamp Post Ale. He claims it's only OK, but he certainly didn't take long to finish it. 00:31:46 - Ryan couldn't wait any longer so this week's Trailer Trash Talk gets excited over the conclusion of Nolan's Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. 00:45:51 - Everybody knows that cheetahs can outrun greyhounds, but how? A new paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology explores the distinctions by putting them both on a track. SCIENCE! 01:06:10 - PalePOWs are a lot like cheetahs, easy to tame but hard to

00:00:00 - Supervolcanoes could striek at pretty much any moment. At least that's what Ayla has to say as she joins from a mid-reconstruction New Zealand to tell us all about her research into potentially destructive magma chmabers just waiting to strike! 00:25:53 - Drinks cool you down as the magma heats you up. Ben has some weird vita malt thing from Denmark. He loves it. Ryan suspects it tastes like beer and Ben just doesn't know what that tastes like. Ben washes it down with a banana, your guess is as good as ours. Ryan and Abe sip some sotol from the Chihuahua region of Mexico. It's like mezcal or tequila, only... not. 00:34:25 - Trailer Trash Talk debate the trailer tactics of Pixar in relation to their latest offering Brave. 00:44:45 - Dogs have been around for awhile. Some maybe more than others. New research attempts to combine the results of genetics, archaeology, and biogeography to shed new light on the origins of man's best friend. 01:09:03 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like dogs. No one is quite sur

00:00:00 - LeMans is a race that takes 24 hours. It's a Motorsport thing, which comes dangerously close to SPORTZ. So the Paleopals call in reinforcements in the form of Joe Batwinis. Why attempt to recreate Car Talk at all? Because the race was won by a diesel hybrid, and that's quite interesting. 00:21:07 - Drinks are also of interest, at least to the presenters of the show. So here's what they were having. Jacob was loving his saison from Smuttynose. Patrick is perplexed by his Harpoon IPA. Joe comes close to receiving Southern wrath with his mispronunciation of the popular Dixie soda Cheerwine. And finally Ryan goes pre-purity law with a 13th Century Grut Bier. 00:29:10 - This week on Trailer Trash Talk the Paleopals abandon Ryan in their overall dismissal of the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man. 00:47:54 - The guys may not know how to pronounce Chauvet, but they do know it's home to some old paintings, but just how old? And done by whom? Patrick and Ryan explain how we date the difficult, and whether or no

00:00:00 - Daniel H. Wilson returns to talk to us about his new novel Amped, as well as his recently published Wall Street Jounral op-ed about the futur eof human augmentation. Hear our first interview with Daniel where we discussed his first novle Robopocalypse in episode 95. 00:22:45 - Kelly has beer on the brain after trying the local craft offering: Good people coffee oatmeal stout. Charlie kicks back a Campari sprtiz and laments the loss of beetles in his beverage. And finally Ryan has an Old Engine Oil to commemorate our robotic guest. 00:26:00 - Trailer Trash Talk covers Seeking a Friend For the End of the World which forces them to think about the end and the existential questions imminent death presents, such as: Do we keep podcasting if we know an asteroid is about to destroy earth? 00:35:31 - Part 2 of our conversation with Daniel delves into the ethics of enhancement, plus there's even sports talk, and we like sports. 00:56:55 - PaleoPOWs are a lot novels. They're both new. Charlie starts off

00:00:00 - Because according the media, 3 disparate events make a global trend, the CDC had to come out and assure everyone that we are not at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. That being said, no reason you shouldn't prepare anyways, right? 00:17:08 - Jacob enjoys a Dark Night in Munich, a Longshot beer from Sam Adams. Ryan has a Stateside Saison from Maryland. And Ben kicks back with mango nectar from Egypt. 00:23:04 - The Americans try to educate the Canadian on US history, which is hindered by the subject of this week's Trailer Trash Talk, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  00:35:24 - Mars-One wants to send people to Mars using reality TV and your money. Sound like a bad idea? It probably is. We break down what might be going with these folks, including why they seem to have the support of Nobel laureate Gerard 't Hooft. For background on exactly why getting to Mars isn't easy check out our interview with Charles Doarn in episodes 69 and 70. 01:01:56 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like one way trips to spac

00:00:00 - Turns out that thing your grandpa did, you know the one, well it's why you have green eyes. Or something like that. Epigenetics is tricky, thankfully Kelly is here to help sequence a new study about how mice respond to stress generations later. 00:24:17 - What you drink now could effect your great-grandkids, so why waste time? Patrick returns to a new favorite in the Loose Cannon, surprising Ryan with his embrace of hops. Ryan keeps it local with a West Mountain Brewing Co. IPA and a cup of the house roast from Common Grounds in Fayetteville, AR! And finally Kelly has soothing aloe infused lemonade. It tastes bad, like medicine ought to. 00:28:53 - Trailer Trash Talk goes back to the start of it all with Ridley Scott's prequel to the eventual quadrilogy, Prometheus. 00:39:24 - Patrick jumps the gun with his PaleoPOW by using an e-mail from Kirstie G. about the finding of fossilized cephalopod ink from the Jurassic. What is it with paleontologists these days always hunting for various colors? Eit