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Probably Science

Andy Wood, Matt Kirshenprobablyscience.com
Professional comedians with so-so STEM pedigrees take you through this week in science. Incompetently. Featuring hosts Matt Kirshen, Andy Wood (and sometimes Jesse Case or Brooks Wheelan) along with a rotating cast of special guests from the worlds of comedy and science.
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Episodes

Episode 366 - Cecil and Vincent Castellucci

Author of books, graphic novels and comics including DC's Batgirl Cecil Castellucci ( @misscecil ) joins Matt, Andy and her neuroscientist father Vincent to talk about her new graphic novel memoir Girl on Film , which intertwines the story of her life in the arts and schooling at Laguardia High School of the Performing Arts with sidebars on the neuroscience of memory and a look at Vincent's life's work in that field....

Dec 19, 201954 min

Episode 365 - Louis Katz

Comedian Louis Katz ( @louiskatz ) of the podcast Road Heads joins Andy and Matt to discuss robot deliveries , semen shocks (and overly detailed pictures ), honking dinosaurs , the Jurassic Park melodica cover , plants making noises , Mort Garson's music for plants , Brazil's museum that burned down, browncardigan.com , a robot space hotel and who's in space right now ....

Dec 12, 20191 hr 6 min

Episode 364 - Bil Dwyer

Comedian and game show-hosting veteran Bil Dwyer ( @BilDwyer ) returns to the podcast 7 1/2 years after his last appearance to talk about Dirty Rotten Cheater , more reasons to hate paper straws , the greatest prank call ever , BLEVEs , frozen dogs , shrinking birds , tattooed mummies , audiophile coral reefs and a possible fifth force of nature ....

Dec 06, 20191 hr 23 min

Episode 363 - Matthew D. LaPlante

Matthew D. LaPlante ( @mdlaplante ), author of the new book Superlative: The Biology of Extremes , joins Matt and Andy to talk about all creatures great and small (and fast and slow and strong and old and deadly...) and look at the many surprising things to be learned from nature's outliers.

Nov 28, 201956 min

Episode 362 - Chris Mancini

Comedian/writer/podcaster Chris Mancini ( @chrisjmancini ) of Comedy Film Nerds joins Andy and Matt to talk about the good Kickstarter for his graphic novel Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master (and a less-good one for this dumb wine thing ), what the deal with Pez is , toilet stickiness , Ohio religion laws , L'Hopital's rule , supernova blobs , pigeon bones , antibiotics resistance and why you may not have to finish taking all of yours , pig organs , tonight's northern lights , Andy's Guilty Trea...

Nov 21, 20191 hr 27 min

Episode 361 - Noah Gardenswartz

Comedian Noah Gardenswartz ( @noahgcomedy ) of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel joins Andy and Matt to discuss left-handed women's smell , cannibal ants , cg mustaches , an ebola vaccine , anti-vax Facebook ads , mouse deer and Mars air . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Probably Science listeners a free trial with unlimited access to thousands of lectures by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/probably...

Nov 17, 20191 hr 10 min

Episode 360 - Chris Duffy

Comedian and host of the radio show/podcast You're the Expert Chris Duffy ( @youretheexpert ) joins Matt and Andy to talk about rats driving cars , why measles is bad , the book Antisocial , fake news in Argentina, beavers on the moon , eagles racking up roaming charges , a thermal camera that spotted cancer , Google's quantum supremacy and the guy who coined the term , brewing beer in your stomach and why breathalyzers aren't to be trusted ....

Nov 04, 201959 min

Episode 359 - Dr. Stuart Russell

Artificial intelligence researcher and UC Berkeley Professor of Computer Science Dr. Stuart Russell joins Andy to talk about his new book Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control , which explores the concept of intelligence in humans and machines, what the benefits and drawbacks of creating superhuman intelligence are, and what AI researchers can do now to help usher in a future that's more utopian than dystopian....

Oct 31, 20191 hr 1 min

Episode 358 - Daniel Dominguez

Comedian-turned-writer Daniel Dominguez joins Matt and Andy to talk about his new animated Netflix series Seis Manos , Nobel Prize announcements in physics , medicine and chemistry , Ursula K. Le Guin , people with Goodenough names and implanting false memories in birds . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Probably Science listeners a free month of unlimited access to thousands of lectures by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/probably...

Oct 23, 20191 hr 9 min

Episode 357 - Troy Walker

Comedian Troy Walker ( @troywalkeresq ) joins Matt and Andy to discuss erector sets , owl pellets, scientists growing tooth enamel , aspen sunscreen , a Milky Way explosion , Dr. Magma , too many wallabies , university ripoffs and antibiotic resistance . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Probably Science listeners a free month of unlimited access to thousands of lectures by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/probably...

Oct 16, 20191 hr 24 min

Episode 356 - Matt Monroe

Comedian Matt Monroe ( @heymonroe ) joins Andy and Matt to discuss retirement community shows, Sandler on Netflix, the Salton Sea , the toilet water scale , Terence Howard science , lizard womb babies , lady rabbit orgasms , Sarah Morgan's web series , a tooth bird fossil , Matt Monro and Born Free ....

Oct 09, 20191 hr 19 min

Episode 355 - Nick Turner

Comedian Nick Turner ( @NicksTurners ) returns to the show seven years after his last appearance to talk about his podcasts Get Rich Nick and Recently Added , walking dogs, very slow zombies , a herpes vaccine , fun math with 3s , a new blackest black , Instant Hotel, cooking with ostrich eggs , Instant Hotel, Fastest Car and Hyperdrive, spiders flying with electricity and a play with a very controversial name. This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Probably Science ...

Sep 24, 20191 hr 16 min

Episode 354 - Dr. Ria Lina

PhD-having comedian Ria Lina ( @rialina_ ) joins Matt and Andy to talk about bioinformatics, her research in viruses, specifically the herpes family of viruses, predicting this year's flu, the definition of life, the other kind of beach bodies, pathology, terrorism hypotheticals, herd immunity, viral ontology and Ria's ukulele song for Alabama . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Probably Science listeners a free month of unlimited access to thousands of lectures...

Sep 19, 20191 hr 22 min

Episode 353 - Nick Vatterott

Comedian Nick Vatterott ( @vatterott ) of the new podcast Get Rich Nick joins Andy and Matt to discuss trivia, trypophobia , obscenity trials , mouthwash vs. exercise , vape deaths , Stackenblocken , a skull discovery , Lucy and whether there is a gay gene ....

Sep 13, 20191 hr 25 min

Episode 352 - "How To" author and xkcd creator Randall Munroe

Cartoonist/author/engineer Randall Munroe of the Hugo Award-winning webcomic xkcd joins Matt and Andy to talk about his new book How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems , in which he gives novel, ridiculous and technically correct tips on doing everything from digging a hole to winning an election. You can catch Randall in person on his book tour running through September 19th ....

Sep 05, 201941 min

Episode 351 - Chris Martin and Hanna Stanbridge

Comedians Chris Martin ( @ChrisMcomedy ) and Hanna Stanbridge ( @HannaStanbridge ) join Andy and Matt to talk about our Wired video , soap on a rope, some scientist listeners' corrections, burp-free cows and seaweed , July being the hottest month ever , how tongue rolling isn't fully genetic , vaccine-delivering Congo drones , asparagus pee, boney boners , Will Smith's penis, water-powered space craft and peeing in space . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Proba...

Aug 29, 20191 hr 11 min

Episode 350 - Pollyanna McIntosh

Actor/director Pollyanna McIntosh ( @PollyAMcIntosh ) of The Walking Dead, Lodge 49 and her directorial debut Darlin' joins Matt and Andy to discuss Dennis dentists, human-sized penguins , gay penguins with an egg , an ebola cure , good environmental news , bad environmental news and tails for old people . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Probably Science listeners a free month of unlimited access to thousands of lectures by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/pro...

Aug 22, 20191 hr 3 min

Episode 349 - Joyelle Johnson

Comedian Joyelle Johnson ( @joyellenicole ) joins Andy and Matt to talk about doctor rules, chlamydia vaccines , AI that can spot bad food , our surprisingly old moon and an excellent Fidel Castro conspiracy theory ....

Aug 19, 201947 min

Episode 348 - Jordan Doll

Comedian Jordan Doll ( @razorlou ) joins Andy and Matt to discuss old UK comedy, field archaeology, being a shovel bum, King Arthur's various swords, massive parrots , the periodic table of Jeopardy! , tardigrades on the moon , disinfecting Mars, water-filtering wood , toxic Paris , Maya Angelou ads , problematic pics and The Mechanical Turk . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Probably Science listeners a free month of unlimited access to thousands of lectures b...

Aug 12, 20191 hr 21 min

Episode 347 - KT Tatara

Comedian KT Tatara ( @kttatara ) joins Matt and Andy to talk about a CRISPR sickle cell cure , a mysterious radiation leak linked to Russia , Mr. Wizard , Bob Lazar and UFOs and bees' sense of the electric fields of flowers . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , offering Probably Science listeners a free month of unlimited access to thousands of lectures by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/probably...

Aug 02, 20191 hr 2 min

Episode 346 - Francisco Ramos

Comedian Francisco Ramos ( @FranciscoRamos ) joins Andy and Matt to discuss thermos technology, socialism, whether canned laughter works , an asteroid close call , quantum teleportation and an HIV cure for mice ....

Jul 28, 20191 hr 3 min

Episode 345 - Caitlin Weierhauser and TJ Chambers

Comedian and recent Portland transplant Caitlin Weierhauser ( @UncleCait ) joins returning guest TJ Chambers ( @tjchambersLA ) to talk about the surprisingly extensive history of McDonaldland characters , how dogs' eyes evolved to appeal to humans , a notably droopy dog breed , a recently scrapped Indian space mission , female jockeys being underestimated by the betting public , a recent study critical of psychiatric diagnosis and a magical island where the koalas are free of chlamydia . This ep...

Jul 17, 20191 hr 6 min

Episode 344 - Earthquake Talk with Jacob Margolis

Jacob Margolis ( @JacobMargolis ), KPCC science reporter and host of the podcast The Big One , talks with Andy about the two recent major California earthquakes, what they mean for those living on nearby faultlines, what to do to prepare yourself for future quakes , FEMA's earthquake safety checklist , Jacob's supply shopping list and and his podcast detailing the repercussions of a hypothetical catastrophic earthquake in Los Angeles . This episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus , o...

Jul 11, 201952 min

Episode 343 - Dr. Alex Platt

Population geneticist Dr. Alex Platt joins Matt and Andy to discuss the complex world of genetics and its role in shaping humans the world over, also dealing with the many misconceptions and blind spots people have about genetic diversity and the history of the human species.

Jul 04, 20191 hr 8 min

Episode 342 - Susy Kane

Actress/writer Susy Kane ( @kusysane ) joins Matt and Andy to talk about Stan & Ollie , eating a credit card's mass in plastic , a dubious claim about plastic straws , Canada's plastic ban , ISS tourism , InSight news , ladybug swarms and pterodactyls flying from birth ....

Jun 24, 201946 min

Episode 341 - Bri Pruett

Comedian Bri Pruett ( @bripruett ) joins Andy and Matt to discuss the invisible world, witchy things, a mosquito-killing GM fungus , saving the wasps , anxiety and gut bacteria , making kombucha, real plastic recycling and the resilience of tardigrades . See Matt in NYC next week . This episode is brought to you by Green Chef. For $75 off your first three orders, visit greenchef.us/psp75 . Come and see Matt in NY next week!...

Jun 12, 20191 hr 31 min

Episode 340 - Ismo Leikola

Comedian Ismo Leikola ( @ISMOcomedy ) joins Matt and Andy to talk about Finland, language family trees, university physics, snails, LIGO news , a giant Australian meteor , chimps cracking open tortoises , generating power on ships and the fact that Ismo is the first thing that comes up when you do a video search for "ass."...

Jun 05, 20191 hr 22 min

Episode 339 - Michelle Biloon

Comedian Michelle Biloon ( @biloon ) joins Andy and Matt to talk about RFK's assassination, credit card rules, Michelle's coding past, more cocaine in British sealife , living with MS, how kidney donor chains work and drones delivering organs ....

May 16, 20191 hr 21 min

Episode 338 - Tommy Johnagin

Comedian Tommy Johnagin ( @tommyjohnagin ) joins Matt and Andy to discuss Last Comic Standing, finding your passion , why farts are funny, Marsquakes , crazy expensive houses, soil damage fueling climate change and a few ships polluting more than millions of cars....

May 08, 20191 hr 16 min

Episode 337 - Zach Reino

Zach Reino ( @zachreino ), actor/writer/host of the improvised musical podcast Off Book , joins Matt and Andy to discuss ancient Chinese medicine's surprisingly recent history , Germany's weird Chinese tradition , Arthur C. Clarke's three laws , reactivating dead pigs' brains , a brain implant that produces speech , HIV curing a bubble boy , why vitamins from pills don't work and the Galileo Fallacy ....

Apr 25, 20191 hr 10 min
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