Episode 541 - Isak Allen

Comedian/actress/podcaster Helen Hong (@funnyhelenhong) joins Matt and Andy to talk about peeing in pools and reservoirs, male stripper shows, Helen's excellent quiz podcast Go Fact Yourself, pre-Darth Vader David Prowse PSAs, the dye in Doritos that can make mice transparent, a SpaceX rocket punching a hole in the ionosphere, mailing poo in a box and making pyrex invisible with vegetable oil.

Writer/producer Sam Pasternack (@sampasternack) returns to the podcast to talk with Matt, Andy and Jesse about awful bar trivia, Sam's new book "Walker," the history of pedestrianism, Land's End to John o' Groats, Andy's Burning Man updates, the dilemma of trombone utility and using massive python meals to help develop new human heart medicines.

Mystery Science Theater alum, comedian and author Frank Conniff (@FrankConniff) joins the crew to talk about his new audiobook Dark Apnea.  Plus horoscope doubts! Carl Sagan predicting the future! And where dinosaur killing asteroids came from! In the patreon bonus ep we talk about saving the banana from extinction. Sign up here!

Comedian Mark Cohen (@mark_coco_cohen) joins Jesse, Andy and Matt to discuss the two aging bursts humans experience, restoring Tonka trucks, weaning crocodiles off of cane toads, Mark's video game creations, using slime mold to help map dark matter, and stock photo artists who play Lawn Mowing Simulator. and Mark's possible record-breaking stint at The Comedy Cellar in Las Vegas.

Neuroscientist-turned-comedian Isak Allen (@isakallen) joins Matt, Jesse and Andy to talk about smashing flies, using fMRI to study brain activity as it relates to music and comedy, tonal languages, the Dong Song, Neuralink, dystopian futures and Isak's new Dry Bar special Culturally Unavailable.

We've got just the prescription for everyone out there with Olympic fever: A re-release of a 2013 episode in which Matt and Andy interview David Epstein, a Sports Illustrated journalist and the author of the outstanding book The Sports Gene, along with college basketball player-turned-comedian Paul Morrissey, to discuss the field of sports genetics research and try to get to the bottom of how elite athletes are made. Enjoy!

Comedy legend Cathy Ladman (@cathyladman1) joins Jesse, Andy and Matt to talk about creepy Foundation for a Better Life billboards, cancer battles, 1970s acid, the CrowdStrike software crash, how propofol tips your brain into chaos, the merits of comedy classes, Brazilian cocaine sharks and Cathy's September 7th Vegas show.

Producer David Brown joins Jesse, Matt and Andy to talk about creating entertaining science programming, the new Peacock show The Hungry Games: Alaska's Big Bear Challenge that David produced, Rhys Darby narrated and Matt and Andy worked on, the Emmy-winning pop-science show Could You Survive The Movies?, Andy's Top Gun cameo, Fat Bear Week, Goro's pecs, a south-of-the-border Orson Welles experience, using AI to figure out the sperm whale phonetic alphabet, Larry the cat and Boris Johnson and The Higgins Boys & Gruber.

Comedian Todd Barry (@toddbarry) joins Matt, Andy and Jesse to talk about his new special Domestic Shorthair, an FDA ban of a citrus soda ingredient, ginger ale vs. ginger beer, the quackery of Dr. Idz, new images of an asteroid that just whizzed by Earth, Jesse's air force base food poisoning story, whether toxoplasmosis causes crazy cat lady syndrome and Jackson Galaxy's Cat Camp.

Comedian Sid Singh (@mrsidsingh) joins Andy, Jesse and Matt to talk about being a Brexit and Biden bellwether, Mozart the millenial, weird tunings, 432 Hz bullshit, old-ass Washington cherries, SPATS updates, a clever way to curb rhino horn poaching, meat rice, debunking Novi's etymology and ant surgeons.