Palaeo After Dark

In this week's episode we discuss a paper about using paleobotany to reconstruct paleoclimate, and then spin this discussion into a longer talk about niche conservatism. Meanwhile, Curt violates Godwin's Law by comparing something that is merely horribly unethical with something that is an absolute evil, James gives the Internet and by extension the world an ultimatum, and Amanda confesses to seri...

What started as a simple conversation about the Island Rule and small sauropods quickly became a fight for survival as the internet itself rose up to destroy the group. Separated and alone, silenced and cut off by the terrors of this monstrous world wide web, the gang fights to salvage a podcast from the terrible dreck that is, "Horror on Podcast Island 3".   THRILL as Curt creates the perfect des...

In this episode, the gang repeatedly violates Godwin's Law by comparing everything to the Nazis/Hitler. And they also discuss two papers which deal with understanding the complicated originations of evolutionary groups. Meanwhile, James discusses his future career options, Amanda willfully mispronounces the plural of LEGO, and Curt explains why he is never funny. Follow along at home kids and see...

In this episode, the gang gets vitriolic about people getting vitriolic as they discuss the unexpected drama that ensued after a seemingly benign paper on the phylogenetic position of fossil remoras was published. Furthermore, after angrily pleading for everyone to calm the hell down, Curt then proceeds to spread the hate around. Also, Amanda enjoys a delicious non-kosher ham and James extols the...

In this very special episode of Palaeo After Dark, the gang wrestles with the controversial topic of fossil commercialization. Furthermore, tragedy strikes when James discusses the butt-hurt level of animals, Curt needlessly segues into Wounded Knee, and Amanda’s injured back is actively ignored. Will the gang be able to survive this meandering discussion, or will their friendships be forever torn...

In this episode, the gang has a conversation about the various factors affecting total global diversity and how these factors might affect patterns of radiations. Also, Amanda finds a new twitter handle, James drinks a few 11% alcohol beers,  Curt details Winnie the Poo's crack addiction, and the whole podcast is routinely interrupted by random people showing up during the recording. Also, congrat...

In this episode, the gang is all back in the same zip code and celebrate by having a long discussion on the origin and extinction of the large mammals from the Cenozoic known as the Megafauna. Somehow this gets.... weird. Meanwhile, James defends the Star Wars Empire, Curt argues why turtles should be ninjas instead of mere heroes, and Amanda confuses Michael Bay with Roland Emmerich. Also, congra...

With thesis defenses on the horizon, the group looks to a comforting and familiar topic to escape their morose nerves; mass extinctions. Specifically, they discuss two papers about patterns of survivorship across mass extinction events and use this as a springboard to talking about general macroevolutionary patterns. Also, James fires Curt, Amanda fires James, and Curt decides to host his own priv...

In this episode, the gang “gives the people what they want” by talking about two papers that look at a giant theropod dinosaur from the Iberian Peninsula. Also, Curt discusses alternate Star Wars history, James requests that everything be cut, and Amanda goes “full dragon”.   References: Cobos et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 399 (2014) 31–41   Hendrickx C, Mateus O (2014...

In celebration of the podcast’s one year anniversary, the gang decides to discuss two papers about live birth in the fossil record. At least.... that was the plan.... however the second paper proves to be far more problematic than the gang had bargained for. What started off as a simple, breezy pun takes a... darker turn. Isn’t that how all birthdays go, though? Meanwhile, James discusses the impo...

In this episode, the evil forces of internet lag and food coma conspire to destroy the podcast gang.... and evil pretty much succeeds. However, despite being utterly defeated, the gang still has time to discuss several interesting papers about form and function in evolution, including one recent paper about forams. Also, James talks about disturbing cereal box mascots, Amanda claims to get drunk o...

In response to the slightest amount of "success", the gang immediately tries (and fails) to sell out the podcast with James and Curt racing to the bottom in a soulless attempt to cater the show to potential sponsors. They also have a #detailed #discussion on the #famous #Cambrian #arthropod #Anomalocaris. #pleasedon'tsueus     #hashtag

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. If only we had known that, despite our best intentions, we weren't prepared for the sheer insanity of trying to podcast about the ambiguous Burgess Shale taxon Wiwaxia. The conversation somehow drifts to the Kama Sutra, seething contempt, giant desserts, vomiting, snot, yiffing, spiny koopas and zoomers, and the evil nature of goats. Thankfully, James m...

In this episode, it becomes painfully obvious that James has been escaping the terrible winter rain by playing a bunch of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag since he somehow manages to take a discussion on macroecological patterns of the tropics and turns it into a discussion on pirates. Also, Amanda forgets Billy Mays's name, Curt tortures James by describing scenes from Final Destination and the podca...

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).

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". 

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!

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.

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, Cu...

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 disc...

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.

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.

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".

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.

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".