Episode 241 – Botanivores
Unless the plant has thorns, then it can defend itself.
00:00:00 – (Beginning with a brief plug from Joeseeking volunteers for a cool STEM even in the LA area, check it out here.) But today’s actual first topic is part one of our interview with Matt Candeias, Ph.D. student as well as author and host of the In Defense of Plants blog and podcast (which you can support onPatreon). We talk about his research into rare versus common grassland species, and what made him want to get into science outreach, particularly as a promoter of plants. In our typical rambling style, we also touch on a number of other topics, including how computers used to be rooms full of women.
00:52:06 – You may need to compute some things if you want to make your own booze, but it doesn’t take much math to enjoy the final product. Patrick is again disappointed to learn that Ryan has also tried the beer he’s having this week, the Faceplant IPA from Lost Rhino Brewing Company, whom we’ve interviewed before. Matt keeps it local with the Paw Paw Tripel from Scratch Brewing Company. And Ryan quizzes our guest to see if he can figure out that he’s drinking a dry martini made with The Botanist gin.
01:05:51 – And since we know you love it when we talk about booze, we keep the drink chat going with the handy reference manual The Drunken Botanist. Ryan solicits Matt and Patrick’s favorite booze-producing plants which leads to a discussion of the C3, C4, and CAM photosynthetic pathways. Somehow we made it about science, yay!
01:29:33 – PaleoPOWs are a lot like plants, they both grow like weeds when left unattended. Patrick begins with a new recurring donation from Lisa K., who also donated to Ryan’s current crowdfunding campaign to support his Ph.D. research. Thanks for both Lisa! Ryan is excited to present a new 5-stariTunes review from ViTuanPeterPhan, and it spurs a contest to drive our ratings up to 500! Write a review between now and the summer solstice (June 20th) and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free t-shirt!
Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!
Music for this week’s show:
Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree – Tony Orlando and Dawn
Drunken Lullabies – Flogging Molly
Keep Off The Grass – Todd Snider
Image Credit: In Defense of Plants
