Episode 212 - Dead and Alive

The answer to what Schrödinger and Venn would have talked about had they ever met.

00:00:00 - We first learn that Ben is not great at telling stories, but also that there was a guy Fermi who is known for one thing when he really did many thing. The thing he's known for is asking where all the aliens are, and while there are some pretty interesting potential answers to his questions (including Dyson Spheres as discussed on The Titanium Physicists), this week we're focusing on the new addition to the mythos: what if no one is out there because the zombies got them first?

00:30:06 - Zombies don't appear to be affected by alcohol, but living humans are and in a healthy amount we can even enjoy it. Abe kicks back an Anchor California Lager. Ben enjoys a Coco Rico, which causes Abe and Ryan to act very strange. And Ryan inevitably has The Last Word.

00:35:58 - Viruses, are they alive or what? Who knows, maybe The Weekly Weinersmith does. What we do know is that we found some viruses frozen in Siberia for 30,000 years and the best solution seemed to be to thaw them out and bring them back to life. What could possibly go wrong? In reality, almost nothing, they're not infectious to humans. Still a cool story though.

00:50:09 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like viruses; they probably serve a purpose but oftentimes just make you feel sick. Abe is happy to announce a new recurring donation from Logan S., who really liked Troll Hunter and wanted to know if we ever ended up seeing it after doing the trailer. You'll never guess our answer! Also, if you want to bribe Ben into doing more episodes, consider supporting him on Patreon. Ben comments on an article Nazhuret left on our Facebook page about Canada's increasingly poor handling of science. Boo hiss, Candada. Ryan finishes up with another donation from Liam T., who asks that people go fill out a survey about sexual and gender identity as it relates to mental health. It's open to all and will help him complete his graduate work, so consider donating a bit of time to that cause. Any questions can be addressed to him directly via e-mail.

Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!

Music for this week's show:

Walking Contradiction - Green Day

Sink - Big City Rock

Come Back Around - Feeder

Image credit: J. P. Ormiston