Dr. Peter McGraw heads the Humor Research Lab (HuRL) at UC Boulder, and he joins Matt, Andy and returning guest Baron Vaughn for a special episode devoted entirely to the science of why things are funny. Peter’s Benign Violation Theory is an impressive explanation of humor in all its forms, and it’s the basis of Peter and Joel Warner’s upcoming book The Humor Code.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/episode-055-dr-peter-mc-graw
Probably Science completes the Austin Stories trifecta this week with writer/comedian LauraHouse, who sits in with Matt and Andy to talk about homemade bullets, detecting dark matter, vibrating steering wheels and valley celebrities.
Pride of Australia Wil Anderson makes his first appearance on Probably Science this week, joining Matt and Andy to discuss Yahoo Serious, exploding ATVS, crustaceans’ ability to feel pain, and the impending extinction of pubic lice.
Comedians Dan Telfer and Hannah Gansen make their Probably Science debuts this week, joining Matt and Andy to talk about wrinkled fingers, tiger quolls and underwater dolphin murder caves.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/episode-052-dan-telfer-and-hannah-gansen
As promised, Probably Science is proud to present the first episode of Jesse Case's Probably History! Jesse welcomes Richard Bain, Andy Wood and Jack Robichaud of the hilarious sketch group Dead Kevin to discuss the history of Christmas. Enjoy, and follow Probably History on Twitter.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/probably-history-episode-001-christmas
Troy Conrad wears many hats — he’s a comedian and writer, and recently directed Eddie Pepitone’s Runyon: Just Above Sunset. He’s also the creator of the hit improvised standup show Set List, which has been a standout at comedy festivals around the world and will soon air on Sky Atlantic HD. He joined Matt, Andy and Jesse Case to talk about beetles that evolved to have their own handles, his experiences in the Church of Scientology, and how to more effectively track space junk.
The ProbSci gang celebrate their 50th episode with their first repeat guest: Kyle Kinane! Kyle’s album and Comedy Central special Whiskey Icarus is getting rave reviews, and he’s prepping for a December 19th appearance on Conan, but he took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Matt, Andy, and Brooks about pigeon-eating catfish, deadly birds, a giant Texas meteor, and a pitch for a Bruce Springsteen reality show.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/episode-050-kyle-kinane-returns
The very funny Tom Sibley makes his first Probably Science appearance this week alongside Brooks, Matt, and Andy to brainstorm alternate endings to The Grey, debunk Miracle Balance energy bands, discuss alcoholic fly larvae, and explain why he was sent to the bathroom whenever his teacher wanted to talk about science.
MarianneSierk of Tru TV’s World’s Dumbest and the upcoming re-boot of Best Week Ever joins Matt, Andy, and Brooks this week to trade Breaking Bad impressions with Andy, talk about un-discovering an island, delineate the downsides of co-education, and give her take on the validity of art therapy.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/episode-048-marianne-sierk
If you’ve been to the movies in the last few years, you’ve no doubt seen TJ Miller, and chances are he was the guy who made you laugh the hardest. He invited Matt, Brooks, and Andy over to his apartment to learn a little about congressmen who don’t believe in evolution, the scary aspects of astronomy, Matt and Andy’s competing Movember mustaches, TJ’s surprising juggling skills, and the arteriovenous malformation that almost killed him while shooting Yogi Bear 3-D. Oh, and Gorburger. We can’t emphasize that enough. Go watch Gorburger right now.
Taylor Williamson of America's Got Talent, Last Comic Standing and The Late, Late Show joins Matt and Andy to discuss grapple forks and rock buckets, show-off sharks, the diabetes/flu link, and the novelization of D3: The Mighty Ducks.
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This week’s episode of Probably Science gets really handsome with guest Mike Siegel of TBS Movie Extra, the Travel Tales podcast, and film and television roles too numerous to mention. Mike sits down with Matt, Brooks, and Andy this week to discuss venomous duck-billed platypuses, the world’s largest teepee, a planet made of diamond, impromptu wrestling matches, and concrete that patches itself.
You’ve may have seen Chip Pope on MTV’s Austin Stories or Last Comic Standing, or enjoyed his writing on the latest incarnation of Beavis and Butthead, among many other shows. He joins Brooks, Andy, and Jesse Case this week to discuss decoding ancient writing systems, why Baby’s Day Out is hilarious, hermit crab key parties, Rugrats conspiracy theories, and using paintballs to save Earth from asteroids.
Comedians Josh Cheney and Dax Jordan join Brooks and Andy this week to talk about smashing galaxies, ball lightning, lazy science projects involving celery, and giving PTSD to mice. Oh, and Brooks finally gives the Probably Scientists what they’ve been asking for: a glimpse at his Red Hot Chili Peppers tattoo.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/episode-043-josh-cheney-and-dax-jordan
Emery Emery, host of the podcasts The Ardent Atheist and Skeptically Yours, joins Matt, Andy, and Brooks to talk about the Bogdanov Affair, Brooks and his self-given nicknames, robot bee brains, and Emery taking his revenge on Andy for insulting Penn Jillette.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/episode-042-emery-emery-mp3
Matt, Brooks, and Andy are together again, and they welcome comedian Richard Bain, a recent transplant to LA from Portland, to talk about insects with mechanical brains, dwarf vampire porcupine dinosaurs, a Nazi Buddha made from a meteorite, and whether voting is important.
Hampton Yount is one of the funniest young comics around, and he joined Brooks and Andy back in December of 2011 for an early Probably Science trial-run episode that was, until now, lost to the sands of time. We’re dusting off this early gem and bringing it to you now, when the ten-month-old science stories have perfectly ripened to comedic maturity. It’s a fun, funny episode — give it a listen.
Andy Haynes came up in the Pacific Northwest comedy scene before making his mark in New York and LA with appearances on Fallon and Conan, and he joins Brooks, Andy, and a tag team of Auggie Smith and Alice Wetterlund to talk about dead baby pandas, Space Shuttle flyovers, Central American revolutionaries, and the environmental scourge of grilled meat.
Mark Agee, as seen on Last Comic Standing, joins Andy and a fresh-off-the-plane Matt Kirshen on this week’s episode to discuss the downside of free drinks, the incredible Edinburgh Fringe Festival, computing withwater droplets, the evolutionary explanation of the placebo effect, and whether King Tut’s girlish figure led to his premature demise.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/webpage/episode-038-mark-agee
The Power Violence gang of Whitmer Thomas, Budd Diaz, Rodney Berry and Clay Tatum invite the Probably Science guys over to their house, which also happens to be where Brooks now lives, and the boys chat about golden space records, hurricane preparedness, Whit’s family’s involvement in the design of Challenger’s O-rings, and living down the street from Booger from Revenge of the Nerds.
http://probablyscience.libsyn.com/webpage/episode-037-power-violence
