00:00:00 - Science keeps chugging along, and the media keeps reporting it wrong. This week Patrick and Ryan go toe-to-toe in the friendliest of ways with recurring guest Brian Switek and newly minted guest Derek Mead in a discussion of how the science gets reported based on an article by Derek and a how-to guide by Double X Science.

00:32:27 - Having been told that reporters drinks, the Paleopals decide to do the same. Derek downs a Modelo Especial sin Lima, because apparently cirtrus in "chincy." Don't worry, Ryan asks what it means while he also drinks a Restraining Order cocktail. Patrick isn't sure if he's drinking a Magic Hat #9, and he also isn't sure if he likes it.

00:36:40 - Time travel may not yet be possible, but if it was don't expect a warranty especially if you're responding to the classfied ad which inspired this week's Trailer Trash Talk: Safety Not Guaranteed.

00:42:41 - The Paleopals et al. discuss the recent failures of mainstream science journalism that prompted the discussion part 1 of this very episode! Brian has been hard at work debunking the recently promoted nonsense concerning space dinosaurs, aquatic dinosaurs, and of course, flatulent dinosaurs.

01:15:36 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like bogus science reporting, they happen more often than your might expect. Patrick regales us all with tales from Betsy and her adventures taming a supposedly aquatic brachiolope, which you can judge for yourself in the Brachiolope Gallery. And Ryan has an e-mail from an Aussie in exile, Graeme N., concerning some of our fruit and marsupial based distinctions discussed in episode 131. Thanks for the clarifications, mate!

And finally, we didn't have time to talk about them but helps the theme make sense: FOSSIL FLEAS FEEDING ON DINOSAURS

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

I Got News - Sweatshop Union

Bozo's Lament - Jonathan Coulton

Push It (Feat. Sean Kingston) (REMIX) - Be South 13

Where We Went Wrong - The Hush Sound

This short special edition is a recording of the speech I gave to a group at a rally on April 14, 2012 opposing HB0386 and supporting good science education in TN. My open letter to the governor is available here, and the following is a transcript of my speech:

My name is Ryan Haupt, I'm a graduate student at Vanderbilt University. I came to Nashville specifically to study how species evolve in response to climate change, so this bill hits very close to home. I was raised in a state where evolution and other "controversial topics" were not taught in schools, but in my home I was taught to question everything, so by actively taking courses that challenged me in college, I was able to learn about evolution and its role in the natural world. This knowledge inflamed a passion that has driven me to dedicate my life to the study of science, and the exploration of the natural world through the scientific method.

However, my story is likely the exception, not the rule. I should not have had to wait until college to be taught about the basic fundamental principles of biology. My story is a story of luck, and students in Tennessee should not have to rely on luck to get a good education.

Furthermore, allowing special interests to push forward legislation that singles out particular politically-charged theories does nothing but damage the educational reputation of our state. Just the other week Governor Haslam announced funding for new schools designed specifically to promote science and technology education, but with him allowing this bill to become law he might as well give back the money because what good are schools designed to promote science when teachers are going to be encouraged to teach inaccurate science?

The bill claims to be one of academic freedom.  However, academic freedom should not include the freedom to teach falsehoods to students, and enough freedom already exists to allow the teaching of the most up to date and accurate science.

The thing that most angers people of my generation is that laws like this are enacted by people much older than me and my peers. Climate change is a real problem; a problem created unknowingly by our ancestors, but now willfully ignored by our elders, only for my peers and my descendants to suffer. Legislation that undermines those younger than me from having a complete understanding of climate change creates a legacy of ignorance that threatens efforts to actually confront and deal with forthcoming problems. This is the exact opposite of what legislation should be doing. It is the exact opposite of what the majority of my generation thinks they should be doing. I am reminded of a Greek proverb, "A society flourishes when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."

All this bill does is grant license to those who would salt the Earth rather than plant a tree. It presents a Trojan horse of academic freedom but actually carries troops of disinformation and political propaganda, neither of which belongs in a science classroom. I have been opposing this bill for over a year because I believe it is at best unnecessary and at worst a detriment to the education of young people inTennessee. I think the best thing we can do now is let our teachers know that we support them teaching sound science and that they don't need to "teach the controversy."  Instead, we want the next generation to be a best prepared as possible and that means sound science education. Thank you.

00:00:00 - Jason Head joins us to talk about Titanoboa, the largest snake ever found and subject a new documentary starring Dr. Head himself. Part 1 tackles the initial discovery and piecing together of the biology of the snake. We actually recommend watching the documentary (or play the game) first, but you're a smart person, you'll figure it out regardless.

00:27:29 - Some snakes function better in the water, some scientists podcast better with a drink. Charlie tries his hand at cider, Patrick calls back to an old-faithful Pinot Noir, and Ryan compliments his recently acquired Biere De Mars from Jolly Pumpkin.

00:31:28 - Trailer Trash Talk tangents into board game territory, i.e. anything to avoid talking about how bad Battleship looks.

00:43:50 - Part 2 of our interview with Dr. Jason Head finishes the story of The Infamous Biting of John Bloch, as well as discussing the paleoecological significance of this awesome find. We also ask about the process of having a documentary made about your work. All in all, a good time is had.

01:02:10 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like fossil snakes, easily lost to the rigors of time. Charlie has an iTunes review from an underaged fluffyraptor decrying his lack of ability to donate. We come up with an alternate, more collegiate use for the money. Speaking of money, Eric C. decides to set up a recurring donation, and Patrick is quick with the praise. And finally, Ryan has a question from Kyle H. concerning which scientific topic the guys would most like to see animated.

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

Crawling Snake King - The Doors

Johnny Appleseed - Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros

The Battle of Who Could Care Less - Ben Folds Five

So Long - Guster

00:00:00 - This week the Paloepals are joined by Ryan Brown of the Glacial Till blog! He joins us to break down some space rock basics for diving into our second segment. SYNERGY!

00:16:55 - In the future drinks might come from asteroids. For now they just come from bottles. Ryan B. has a Down Under Stout by Red Hook. Charlie believes in Ninkasi's Believer. Patrick wades into Heavy Seas with a Loose Canon. And Ryan H. tries to balance confusing weather with a Dogfishhead 75 Minute IPA.

00:23:34 - This week on Trailer Trash Talk the guys all start by giving their opinion of Wes Anderson, then their opinion of fonts, then finally their opinions on his new movie Moonrise Kingdom.

00:36:33 - Charlie pulls his PaleoPOW trigger early by using an e-mail from Michael S. as the introduction to our second segment discussion the new startup Planetary Resources, which hopes to mine asteroids for all their astro-goodness. Can they do it? What does Jacob think? Will they hire Charlie? We tackle the big questions!

00:54:11 - PaleoPOWs are lot like startups, everyone starts off really excited but most just fall apart. Ryan Brown is his own PaleoPOW, promoting his various internet wares mostly concerning his blog and twitter feed. Check them out! Ryan H. has a Facebook post from Charles Insandiego who's working his way through the old shows. Good luck! And Patrick praises Bob M. for tossing a bit of cash our way via a donation. Thanks, Bob!

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

The Sky is Fallin' - Queens of the Stone Age

Beer Beer Beer - The Clancy Brothers

Full Moon in June - Black Prarie

Planetary (GO!) - My Chemical Romance

00:00:00 - Tyranosaurs be feathered! David Hone joins Patrick and Ryan to talk about the cuddliest of all megapredators just released from the fertile fossil fields of the Orient!

00:27:57 - With new dinos out of the way the guys kick back for a cold one. Charlie keeps consistent with a Coors Light, Patrick thinks it's a lovely day for a Guinness, Zach Weiner has a NEW handcrafted cocktail: Thai Iced Weiner. And Ryan harkens back to Zach's first appearance and tries to show him how to do a fruity malt beverage right with a Bridgeport Brewing Stumptown Tart!

00:34:14 - The criticisms flow like water for the upcoming shock-umentary Last Call at the Oasis which is the subject of this week's Trailer Trash Talk!

00:49:36 - Hyenas will eat just aobut anything, so what happens when the nearby humans drastically change their diet for 40 days? Well the hyenas have to go on lent too, at least that what scientists have found by going through their poop. Donkeys beware when Ethopians stop chowing down on delicious goats. Plus, special bonus content concerning hyena taxonomy. YAY!

00:59:39 - PaleoPOWs are lot like hyenas, people say they steal your children, but they really don't. Zach Weiner is his own PaleoPOW, which also makes him an oroboros. He's got his fingers all over the internets, go enjoy his wares, won't you? Patrick brings us a different sort of bones from Great A. in the form of a donation. Thanks, Greg!  Ryan has a randomly selected iTunes review from mattgoranson chosen out of the many after the deluge from the offering of prize packs. And finally Charlie has an e-mail from Daniel R. asking about how to design a baby Brachiolope costume. Halloween can't come soon enough!

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

Fuzzy - The Incredible Moses Leroy

Silver and Cold - AFI

Treading Water - Alex Clare

Give It Up - The Format

00:00:00 - A new study sheds light on the effects of social hierarchies in monkeys, which may then help us understand why those of lower social status are less healthy than their well-to-do peers. Finally, monkeys helping the poor instead of just messing stuff up.

00:11:39 - Drinks, they're what monkeys wish they had to unwind. Charlie ups the ante with a Drake's IPA. Patrick keeps it local with a Starr Hill Jomo lager. And Ryan is perplexed by the hipster can of his Sixpoint Resin Imperial IPA.

00:16:11 - This week's Trailer Trash Talks discusses the pleasant lack of found footage, the creepiness of little girls, and the propensity of Russians for drink all contained within the preview of Chernobyl Diaries.

00:26:04 - Fossil raindrops be falling! We know they happened, but under what conditions? A new study sheds light upon the status of the atmosphere whence old rain fell. Further, this also helps explain the 'faint young sun paradox'. All that science from one old rock with dimples! Thanks for Manuel G. for submitting this story via our Facebook page!

00:38:09 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like fossil raindrops, they can both be used as proxies for the atmosphere of the room. Patrick rejoices in the addition of a NEW RECURRING DONATION via Tommy G. all the way from Lund, Sweden! Ryan gets slightly self conscious over a website comment left by Shanna. And Charlie reads our first new iTunes review in over a month from Sciencer44, who may just want a prize pack, but was willing to give us 5 stars to get it!

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

My Monkey - Jonathan Coulton

I Like Beer - Tom T. Hall

Under Pressure - Queen

Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival

00:00:00 - What's the point of being smart if you don't get to argue about the little things? The Paleopals start the show by breaking down some of the pedantic scientific distinctions brought up on io9.

 00:27:09 - While there may be no real distinction between left and right, we know for sure that at least one hand of each Paleopal holds a drink, the question is, what is it? For Patrick it's and Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout. Kelly enjoys a Real Ale Rio Blanco, complete with a drawl. Ryan enjoys an Aviation from Juliana. It's a classic pre-prohibition cocktail, and Juli has been mixing up a storm. Finally, Charlie imbibes a silver bullet. 

00:32:42 - Will Ryan been able to let the others speak when Trailer Trash Talk tackles Marvel's The Avengers? The only way to find out is to listen.

00:45:37 - We now know newts use their kidneys for sex. We're not sure exactly how, we're not sure exactly why, but we know that it happens. Thank you, science!

00:54:24 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like sex kidneys, if you really want one you'll have to go and find it. Ryan has a bit of coin in the form of a donation from Doug S. Thanks Dough! Patrick answers a question from retroflatus, who in return promises to buy a mug. How'd we do, retroflatus? Charlie has an e-mail from Pedro P. critiquing the decline of our transitional powers. We do our best. And lastly, Kelly has a comment from Bob about where the atmosphere ends. How appropriate!

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

All Hands Against His Own - The Black Keys

The Bullet - The Devil Makes Three

Superheroes - Daft Punk

Kidney In a Cooler - Keller Williams

00:00:00 - The LRO, everyone's favorite lunar orbiter, has taken some photos of Space Race era Soviet landers which has finally answered pressing questions such as: did the lander fall over? and, why was this rock so weird?

17:24 - It's easier to drink on Earth than on the moon, especially carbonated beverages such as Ben's Canada Dry ginger ale or Jacob's Cold Nose brown ale. Ryan, however, would be sipping just fine on his Balcones Rumble, whatever the gravity.

00:23:22 - Trailer Trash Talk gets cutesy with the upcoming Disney documentary Chimpanzee. 

00:36:23 - Jacob wishes we could live long enough to take advantage of ion thrusters (which he's written about before on the Paleocave blog), Ryan wants to know what this means for TIE fighters, and Ben finally understands the aerodynamics of the Star Wars universe.

00:53:47 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like ion thrusters, they take a long time to get going but are hard to stop. Ben has a tangent promoting e-mail from Peggy. Jacob helps Randy answer an elementary math question. And Ryan reads a website comment from Kevin with a bit more info on pterosaur taxonomy.

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show provided by:

To The Moon & Back - Savage Garden

Rumble - Nigel Goodrich (Scott Piglrim Original Score)

Take Care of Me - Jonathan Coulton

Momentum - The Hush Sound

00:00:00 - Amateur astronomers have been pouring over a cloud on Mars. What could it be? No one is quite sure, but no matter what it's a game-changer for the red planet.

00:16:55 - Mars may be dry but the Paleopals are not. Charlie has an IPA that would be good if not for a better one earlier in the week. Ryan cracks open a microbrew in a tallboy. And Kelly supports gay rights with a decaf Starbucks coffee.

00:22:49 - This week's Trailer Trash Talk is on the trail of a The Hunter, a new movie about looking for Tasmanian tigers amidst intrigue and drama. The Paleopals also spend some time talking about Thylacines and marsupials in general.

00:36:15 -  For awhile the Universe was missing mass. An Australian student finally looked in the largest objects ever known and found it. What were the odds?

00:48:28 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like galactic filaments; they both take up more space than expected. Ryan has a new recurring donation for Abigail A. Thanks, Abigail! Charlie answers a question about exoplanetary atmospheres and Goldilocks zones from Corey B. And finally Kelly has a website comment from Chelsea R. letting us know Ep 127 may be her favorite yet!

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show:

Floating (Time Isn't Working My Side) - Portugal. The Man

So Right - Dave Matthew's Band

Dead and Gone - The Black Keys

Something's Missing - John Mayer

00:00:00 - Male fruit flies hit the bottle harder after rejection from females. There's brain chemistry involved which might actually help humans suffering from depression and PTSD. A study of drunk flies that could help humans? Potentially the perfect win-win science study.

00:16:26 - In the wake of St. Patrick's Day, what are the Paleopals enjoying? Jacob has a faux-Irish beer with a Killians. Charlie has a possible bourbon with Maker's Mark (including an excellent sounding recipe for bread pudding). And Ryan experiments in the world of Irish whiskey with a Charlie-approved Tullamore Dew.

00:24:14 - Ryan doesn't quite seem to get the title of this week's subject of Trailer Trash Talk: The Hunger Games. Thankfully, Jacob and Charlie are there to explain, along with helpful hints for how to utilize your town's digital library.

00:34:40 - Jacob is excited about the new hot thing in rocket launch technology, Ryan just wants to reminisce about the good old days. Can they find an accord? Yes, yes they can.

00:54:53 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like The Hunger Games, Ryan hasn't read a lot of them. Jacob starts off with a new recurring donation from Allison B. Thanks, Allison! And thanks again every month! Ryan has a long overdue e-mail from Brooks E. concerning podcast convergences from times past. And finally Charlie provides a Facebook roundup from Thom G., who's enjoying his Science... sort of swag, and Andy B., who laments our failure to defenestrate in last week's episode.

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show:

Reject - Stroke 9

Blood of Cu Chulainn - Jeff Danna and Mychael Danna

Put You On The Game - The Game

Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams) - B.o.B.