Episode 617 - Paul Jay

Comedian Paul Jay (@pauljaycomic) returns to the show after a 14-year hiatus to talk with Jesse and Andy about the comedy message board A Special Thing, the genius of Randy Feltface, Bobby Fingers' Depp Diorama, the surprising way that cuttlefish see color, tetrachromacy, The Baby, The Immigrant and The Guy On Mushrooms, and building a Martian home out of yeast and gelatin.

We took full advantage of our friend Katie Novotny (@katienovotnyyyyy) stuck at home recovering from surgery to get her back on the show! Her special Son of Your Dreams is free to stream on YouTube right now! We talk about a supersonic trebuchet! A new fecal transplant story, this time for food allergies! And also if your microbiome's linked to psychopathy! Plus massively long-lived sturgeon! How other sturgeon get it on! Musician Slash getting his own snake species! How the number of species is calculated, with a bit of help from our buddy Matt Parker! And fake mermaid science! In the Patreon bonus, there's some scientific proof of cats being dicks.

Chicago/NY comedian Luca Ferro (@lucaferrocomedian) joins the gang to talk about Dolphins using tools! And having names! Plus monkeys falling for (and "falling for") Monkey AI! Plus in the Patreon bonus ep we find out about a newcomer to the carnivorous plant club. Click here to support Probably Science via Patreon Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe in Stitcher

Comedian Jon Bennett (@jonbennettcomedy) joins Matt and Jesse to talk about how deep breaths can actually increase risk-taking behavior, the air on Titan being thick enough that humans could fly with strap-on wings, a bizarre new material discovered in Hiroshima bombing debris. and Jon's one-man show American't playing in Toronto through August 31st.

Writer/podcaster/host Dave Holmes (@daveholmes) returns to the show to talk with Jesse, Matt and Andy about his new Substack Cocksure, his memoir Party of One, the waning days of monoculture at MTV, Dave's excellent MTV history podcast Who Killed The Video Star?, Helen Twelvetrees, the band Rocket, Dan Taberski's Manifesto podcast, blocking out your inner cynical friend, the movie Ghost Dad, Dave's other excellent podcast Waiting For Impact, why cannibalism keeps popping up in human civilization, BALLS on the moon, volunteering for space mission simulations and how a heatwave revealed lost archaeological sites in Wales.

Comedian/writer Alison Leiby (@alisonleiby) joins Jesse, Andy and Matt to talk about her new memoir I'm A Lot, AI promotional scams, chronic back pain, how happiness can literally break your heart, takotsubo octopus traps, a breatkthrough in Alzheimer's-related sleep loss, plaque talk, inhaling CO2 to help with Alzheimer's, debunking the electric pangolin, giraffe math and ranking the intelligence of animals and demons.

Hannah Roeschlein (@handerpumprules) joins Jesse and Matt for half the episode before the computer gods get angry, forcing the two guys to finish the show solo. But between us we talk about Filipino divers! Synthetic cells! And Hobbits and Komodo dragons! In the Patreon bonus, we get into space fires, and hear how Matt got served by a legendary astronaut and Jesse angered BBQ fans. Click here to support Probably Science via Patreon Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe in Stitcher

Comedian Kirk Smith (@kirksmithcomedy) joins Jesse, Andy and Matt to talk about his books Rice Krispies with Ketchup and Movin, pools and jacuzzis, competitive eating champions, the science of fireworks, the lack of rap in the Billboard Hot 100 and Andy's upcoming Oregon tour.

Comedian/author Ryan Conner (@ryanconnercomedy) returns to the show to talk with Jesse, Andy and Matt about his new memoir 12 Guys Walk Into a Kitchen, Vietnamese refugees, Tippi Hedren's nail salon legacy, British soccer fans cleaning up in the US, the worst year to be alive, 2020 vs. 1968, hipster nostalgia, stomp clap tall bikes and nuclear (not atomic) clocks.

Zoologist/producer/composer/podcaster Laura Sams (@lauramsams) Jordan joins Jesse, Matt and Andy to talk about fliming grizzly bears in Alaska, studying hyenas in Africa, Laura's kid-friendly wildlife podcast The Happiest Animal Show, starting a production company with your sibling, interviewing six-year-olds, Laura's inflatable basking shark, the shocking actual appearance of basking sharks, the Horniman walrus, they're all in my Wildlife Treasury, a duck in a jersey and inserting a human language gene into mice.