Palaeo After Dark

When the gang eagerly decides to drink a festive high alcohol content holiday beer while discussing how species are named, the three young scientists are unprepared for the baffling complications that will arise. Join them as they unravel in “The Curse of the 11% Beer” (Palaeo After Dark Gang #22).

Direct download: Podcast_22_-_And_the_Curse_of_the_11_Beer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

The gang discusses a paper about scientific error and spin that into a larger discussion on error and reproducibility in science in general. Also, Amanda and Curt start the "Canada Appreciation Moment", James discusses the natural human response to snow, and everyone gets super excited as they come up with the plot to the single greatest movie of all time, "The Time Traveler's German". 

Direct download: Podcast_21_-_In_Your_Box.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

In this episode of Palaeo After Dark we discuss Van Valen's Red Queen Hypothesis, as well as recent reviews of the concept. Meanwhile, James  freely partakes in historical revisionism to tell us his fictional accounts of the life of Lewis Carroll, Amanda briefly considers leaving the planet, and Curt finds a joke that is so played out he can't bring himself to say it... so James does!

Direct download: Podcast_20_-_Chasing_the_Red_Queen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

The gang soldiers on against the horrible vexations of internet lag and losing an hour of recording to discuss a fascinating set of papers looking at fossilized arthropod brains from the Chengjiang. Meanwhile, James invents a new game in the laundry room, Curt discusses nightmares, and Amanda outlines the perfect Nature paper.

Direct download: Podcast_19_-_Lagging_Brains.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Having fixed the audio problems from the last podcast, the gang reconvenes at the Denver Geological Society of America Meeting to discuss the cool and exciting new research that was presented at the conference. Meanwhile, James talks about Land Before Time, Amanda misses her cat, and we are briefly joined by Palaeocast's own Dave Marshall to have a thrilling discussion about hamburgers.

 

Also, Curt gets drunk... very drunk. 

 

Day 2 starts at 24:32

Day 3 starts at 1:02:13

Direct download: Podcast_18_-_Live_from_GSA.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

With everyone scattered across the country, the gang attempts to use the mystery box called the internet to still record a podcast...

Things could have gone better.

Audio glitches and echoes abound, but we'll do better next time.... right?

 

Right?

 

Anyways, in this episode James makes puns, Curt drinks weirdly topical beer, and Amanda visits the fictional city of Lost Vegas as we attempt to discuss a really cool paper about placoderm jaws with surprising consequences for our understanding of the evolution of vertebrates as a whole.

 

 

Oh right, and we have a new recording of the intro. Send your complaints to palaeoafterdark@gmail.com

Direct download: Podcast_17_-_Jawsome.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

In this episode of Palaeo After Dark, the group talks about an interesting and enigmatic fossil species from the Burgess Shale called Siphusauctum gregarium, which looks somewhat like a crinoid but is possibly completely unrelated. The group also gets sidetracked into conversations about  echinoderms, the importance of the Burgess Shale, and shipping grandfather clocks on the Oregon Trail.

Direct download: Podcast_16_-_TUBE_FEET.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:47pm EDT

In this episode we discuss a paper about cats, specifically trying to use the shape of bones to estimate the preferred habitat of modern and fossil cats. Meanwhile, Amanda and James discuss Game of Thrones, and Curt is left alone as the entire podcast becomes derailed by an  insect sighting....

 

Things get weird.

Direct download: Podcast_15_-_Game_of_Cats.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am EDT

This episode of Palaeo After Dark is the RAWEST, as we discuss the  controversial primate Darwinius. Also James communicates telepathically, Amanda is constantly bombarded by texts, and Curt gets the "facts".

Direct download: Podcast_14_-_The_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21pm EDT

This week we desperately try to remain on topic as we talk about fossil beds with exceptional preservation....

 

We fail...

 

Instead, James discusses anger, Amanda wants Robocop because she's OG, Curt confuses gaseous with geishas, and the whole goup details the perfect plot to a hypothetical Predator 3.

Direct download: Podcast_13_-_Columbo_meets_Gary_Busey.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:39am EDT

In this episode, we discuss two studies that try to piece apart the effects that the ecological niche breadth (i.e. the range of habitats an animal can survive in) of an animal has on its potential to diversify and/or survive over long periods of time. Also, Hell freezes over as James manages to come up with a perfect reference to the band "The Descendents".

Direct download: Podcast_12_-_All_its_Decendents.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

In this week's episode, we discuss evidence of some early single-cellular life, and James gives the group a passionate lesson in mathematics...

 

A veeeerrrrryyyy passionate lesson.

 

Meanwhile, Randol returns and Amanda joins us from lovely scenic Michigan via the miracles of the internet.

Direct download: Podcast_11_-_Early_Life_is_a_Battlefield.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

In this episode, while Randol is away Amanda gives the group a lesson in American History, Curt ruins illusions, and James fills the void with his best Randol impressions. Also, after about 18 minutes of random banter they finally get to talking about the bizarre case of  the tyrannosaurid Raptorex, as well as the importance of ontogeny and proper dating. That is... until Amanda falls asleep from jet-lag and exhaustion.

Direct download: Podcast_10_-_Adventures_in_Dating.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

This week we talk about a controversial worm-like Cambrian fossil called Diania cactiformis that some think may be the ancestor of all arthropods, and other people think those people are crazy.

 

Also SNAAAAAAAAAAAKE!

Direct download: Podcast_9_-_Diania_solid.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

On this week's episode, we discuss the science of ichnology (the study of trace fossils), and for some reason we can't stop making stupid pop culture references.

Direct download: Podcast_8_-_References.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:00am EDT

In this episode Amanda writes Freddy Mercury slash fiction, Randol condones eating babies, James feeds the 5000, Curt has a conversation which only involves "meh"'s, and the group kind-of/sort-of discusses ichthyosaurs.

Direct download: Podcast_7_-_Fish_Lizards.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

In this podcast, Randol invents a cat related song, James reinvents the story of the Ed Fitz, Amanda talks about space ducks, Curt cuts the entire conversation short for chinese food, and the group actually talks science about the evolution of feathers  (despite Amanda's beliefs that some of them aren't feathers).

Direct download: Podcast_6_-_Space_Ducks.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

Today we are joined by our pal Paula and talk about Pikaia, Pokemon... and poop.

Direct download: Podcast_5_-_Pikaia_Pikaia_Pikaia.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:27pm EDT

In this week's podcast, Amanda spends the first four minutes talking about shipwrecks, James and Randol discuss their creepy new children's program, and nearly everyone gets distracted when a squirrel runs by the window. We also desperately try to stay on topic as we talk about Evolutionary Faunas.

Direct download: Podcast_4_The_Wreck_of_the_EF.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:26pm EDT

In this week's podcast we discuss the importance of ontogeny and development in the evolution of new body forms. Also alimony.

Direct download: podcast_3_Growing_Pains.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:15pm EDT

This week's podcast we eventually get to talking about Molecular Clock studies dealing with early divergence times and the colonization of land... Also Christopher Lambert

Direct download: Podcast_2_-_Clocklike_Clocks.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:16pm EDT

In which we eventually get to talking about interpretations of ambiguous fossils, and discuss a redescription of a strange fish.

Direct download: Podcast_1_The_Interpretive_Dance.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:32pm EDT

Our pilot episode which originally was conceived as a companion piece to Palaeocast. Since this was our first run, we all apologize for the lack of pop filters. Otherwise, enjoy the discussion of taphonomy which begins with burying my corpse in the backyard and only gets weirder from there.

 

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns send them to:

 

palaeoafterdark@gmail.com 

 

Also a sincere shout out to Palaeocast (www.palaeocast.com).

 

Cheers,

Curt

Direct download: Podcast_0_-_Taphonomy_is_a_Process.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:58pm EDT

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