Probably Science

Comedian/podcaster/director/writer/producer/Viner Jason Nash (twitter.com/Jason23Nash) returns to the podcast this week just ahead of the release of his first feature film to talk with the gang about: Who gets credit for living at Bluebell? Jason’s Ron & Fez appearance! The upcoming movie JASON NASH IS MARRIED that Andy produced! Shooting scenes with Andy Richter and Jon Benjamin at Bluebell! Matt...

British comedy writer Sarah Morgan (twitter.com/sarahlmorgan) found herself stateside this week for MaxFunCon and was kind enough to join Matt, Andy and Jesse to talk about: What constitutes The Holidays! Teaching British comedy! Americans rooting for bro heroes! Jesse overhearing Andy's ukulele rendition of Tiny Dancer! The lyrical prowess of Boynie Toypin! Head trauma that created a math savant!...

Comedian and literal master of linguistics Myq Kaplan (twitter.com/myqkaplan) joins Matt, Jesse and Andy this week to discuss: Birthday shenanigans! Plug 'n' chug! John Lennon's true assassin Stephen King! A defense of puns! Competing against a computer in a joke-off! A smartphone app that detects bipolar mood swings by the sound of your voice! Paul Simon's recent arrest! The origin of the country...

Matt and Andy venture to Portland this week for a live Probably Science from the seventh annual Bridgetown Comedy Festival featuring comedian/director/actor Paul Provenza (twitter.com/PaulProvenza) and cyborg anthropologist Amber Case (twitter.com/caseorganic) who join together to discuss: Jesse's sitcom success! Confusing The Aristocrats with The Aristocats! Paul giving Dave Chappelle his first T...

Andy's in Portland, our planned guest is drunk, so Matt and Jesse fly alone on this one, as we talk about: Jesse's successes! Peeing outdoors! Hitler's disabilities! Stephen Hawking's worries! Building pyramids! Rock Paper Scissors! New elements! Nervous mice!

Comedian and past Probably Science guest host Auggie Smith (twitter.com/auggiesmith) returns to the show this week, joining Matt, Andy and Jesse to talk about: Craziness in Valley Village! Listening to police scanners! Reinventing the axe! A study that reveals the best way for men to dance! Being goofy-footed! A correction about Jesse's boneless, featherless chicken! A hacky plant that copies othe...

Radio personality, author, trivia whiz and cancer survivor Bryan Bishop (twitter.com/baldbryan) joins Matt, Andy and Jesse this week to talk about his experience battling an inoperable brain tumor en route to discussing: Bryan's upcoming book Shrinkage! Tumor tips! Changing doctors! Jumprope failures as cancer symptoms! Going through chemo and radiation therapy while planning your wedding! Getting...

Science communicator, teacher and podcaster Cara Santa Maria (twitter.com/CaraSantaMaria) lends her actual science pedigree to the proceedings this week, discussing: The Cosmos reboot! The unlikely funder of Karen Gillan's Oculus! Comparing goofy holidays! A listener's complaint about on-air eating that may relate to misophonia! Bath salts: They don't actually make you hungry for faces! Andy's fir...

Comedian Beth Donahue (twitter.com/bdonahueweedman) recently relocated from Nashville to Los Angeles, and she joins Jesse, Matt and Andy this week to get to talk about: Finding $600 and spending it on a shirt! Red flags in the form of KISS paraphernalia! Taking four-hour acid! Using 12-step meetings to work out comedy material! Former child sitcom stars who turn to standup! The truth about the ste...

Irish comedian, actress and voice artist Tara Flynn (twitter.com/TaraFlynn) joins Matt, Jesse and Andy this week to discuss: Fleet Week! Sex workers in the Pacific Northwest! Sharing a name with a porn star! Jesse spraying himself with urine before a callback! The Shewee! Saving the government $400 million by changing fonts! Ink cartels! Debunking St. Patrick! Carving off a sliver of Irish Spring...

To help us make sense of the biggest cosmology story of recent years, we invited three of our favorite physicists back to the show. Matt and Jesse are joined by an in-studio Dr. Larry Price, and, thanks to technical wizardry, NYC-dwelling Prof. Janna Levin and a Washington State-based Dr. Jamie Rollins, as they talk us through The Big Bang, what Inflation means, what this BICEP2 experiment did, wh...

We're going Dutch on this week's episode, as Netherlands-based comedian Stefan Pop (twitter.com/stefan_pop) joins American writer/comedian Rylee Newton (twitter.com/ryleenewton) to chat about: Dutch insults! Buying a goat for charity! Working at Microsoft! A Dutchman going to an American university in Spain! Stefan's cadaver dissections! HP Lovecraft movies! A more in-depth look at the drug Narcan...

Veterans of stage and screen Jimmy Shubert (twitter.com/JimmyShubert) and Matt Davis (twitter.com/mattdavis) join Jess, Matt and Andy this week to chat about: Performing for troops overseas! Rubbing strange lamps you find on the beach! Phillbillies! the Civil Rights Museum! Brooks Wheelan's 12 Years a Slave sketch on SNL! Baby tumors that have teeth! Unnecessary remakes! Dark matter that may have...

Comedian/writer James Bachman (twitter.com/MrJamesBachman, That Mitchell and Webb Look) and comedian/podcaster Danny Lobell (twitter.com/dannylobell) join Matt, Andy and Jesse to talk about: Almost failing physics and math at Cambridge! Nude women with flamethrowers at Burning Man! Sexy biology teachers! Having a Jewish-themed wedding! Jesse's high school friend dressing in blackface! Group theory...

Comedian and IT professional Andrew Solmssen (twitter.com/solmssen) joins the crew this week for a discussion of: Rating the podcast's hosts on Lulu! Getting matched with a comedian/prostitute on Tinder! Howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com! Gilbert chemistry sets! The Radioactive Boy Scout! Hacking the payphones in your dorm and the parking on your campus! Remembering 80MB hard drives that sold fo...

The hilarious and charming Wendy Wason (twitter.com/wendy_wason) makes her second appearance on the podcast to talk with Matt, Andy and Jesse about: Andy's swim meet! Jesse and Matt shaving their legs! Matt's serial killer neighbor! How John Wayne Gacy got caught! Beautiful equations that mathematicians appreciate as art! A computer-generated math proof that's bigger than all of Wikipedia! The sta...

This week's episode was recorded live at SF Sketchfest, with guests including sleep expert Professor Matthew Walker of UC Berkeley's psychology department, comedian Kurt Braunohler (twitter.com/kurtbraunohler) and a surprise drop-in from a Hollywood superstar!

Comedian and host of the Comedy Film Nerds podcast Graham Elwood (twitter.com/grahamelwood) joins Matt, Andy and Jesse to discuss: Volunteer firefighters! Squarespace's Super Bowl ad! The Ear Buds podcasting documentary! Jesse's multimedia promise for the upcoming live Probably Science! Suing NASA for not looking hard enough for aliens! Negotiating with scalpers! Marijuana lowering suicide rates!...

The delightful Karen Gillan (twitter.com/karengillan2) of Doctor Who and the upcoming films Oculus and Guardians of the Galaxy returns to the program this week to help Matt, Jesse and Andy celebrate the 100th episode of Probably Science, covering a wide range of topics including: Matt’s electrical problems! Andy's sugarfree gum-loving rats! The wonders of the number 100! Ab inflation! A message fr...

The hilarious Dwayne Perkins (twitter.com/funnydp) joins the crew this week to talk about: Piscopo-ing and Carrot Topping! Texting parents! Depressing 99 cent store purchases! Dogs aligning themselves with the earth's magnetic field to poop! The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island! A computer 1,500 years ahead of its time! Learning to drive as an adult! Squarespace's Care Bear Lair! Gigantopithecus b...

Science and comedy collide once again this week as Dr. Peter McGraw (twitter.com/petermcgraw), author of the upcoming book The Humor Code, and Man School podcast host Caleb Bacon (twitter.com/CalebEatsBacon) join Jesse, Matt and Andy to talk about: Jesse’s near death polar vortex experience! Whatever the Fahrenheit scale is based on! Pre-ordering The Humor Code! Michael McDonald’s Probably Science...

Comedians Emily Heller (twitter.com/MrEmilyHeller) and Auggie Smith (twitter.com/auggiesmith) join Matt and Andy on the first episode of the new year, discussing: Suck My Dick, New Yorker! Two and one half dollars! Cheat sheets! Eighth grade listeners and science fairs! Making belly button cheese! The polar vortex! Throwing boiling water in the air! The lack of great comedy sequels! Eclipsing bina...

This week Matt, Jesse and Andy are joined by Caltech Planetary Science Postdoctoral Scholar Bjoern Benneke and author Lee Billings to talk about the many topics covered in Lee's new book, Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars, including: Hunting for exoplanets! Dating sites for farmers! The Drake equation! Earth's recent trend toward radio silence! Oxygen: The first g...

This episode kicks off two weeks in a row of real science, as Matt, Jesse and Andy welcome Dr. Ainissa Ramirez, author of Newton's Football, and comedian/football fan Sarah Tiana (twitter.com/sarahtiana) to discuss Dr. Ramirez's new book, and more specifically: Footballs in humidors! Football suicide pools! Andy's football ignorance! The brutal early days of the sport! Football's concussion epidem...

Scottish comedy wunderkind Daniel Sloss (twitter.com/daniel_sloss) is here in the US to perform on Conan, and he stopped by Bluebell Ranch to talk with Matt, Jesse and Andy about: British comedian intros! Doing comedy at a rave! Scottish pride! Upkilt photographs! Ben and Jerry-inspired homophobic slogans! Bot Out Of Hell: Daniel and his father's Robot Wars competitor with a diamond sawblade! A ne...