How old did Aristotle think the Earth was? What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur? And how did our guest get into paleontology?           Support us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!           We also learn about: getting started in paleontology, shooting lasers at fossils, artistotle thought the earth was infinitely old, getting the 6,000 number from bible family tree math, it’s infinitely old because because, melting rocks is science, Lord Kevlin’s real name was William Thompson??? every big name in science wanted to answer this question, Darwin was embaressed and deleted his tweet about the age of the Earth, “there’s so much we don’t know, it’s hilarious”, the rock cycle, Patteron fought for lead safety, thousands millions and billions, it took 4 billion years for a species to know the age of the Earth, what is a dinosaur? “cladistics is confusing as hell”, we were naming dinosaursas as we were discovering them, rebranding dinosaurs, aquatic and flying reptiles aren’t dinosaurs, Taphonomy, who hasn’t fused their vertebra during a mating ritual, coprolite, this poop is going to inspire the shit out of someone, being okay with not using absolutes on tiktok, the new jurassic parks are trash.            Sources:                ---Aristotle's Age of the EarthKevlin's Age of the EarthClair Patterson And The Age Of The EarthHow to Calculate the Age of the Earth---Evelyn's TikTok RecommendationsArielMyria PerezHolly Simon

What happens when you gives bugs drugs? How many digits of pi do we actually need? And what is the drama behind the blackest black?Images we talk about:- Spider Webs on Various Drugs- Graph of Pi Approximations Across History- The Redemption of Vanity, MIT's Blackest BlackSupport us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!We also learn about: how do you give a bee cocaine? cocaine is a natural insecticide, the waggle dance, actually im not going to dance it’s embaressing, “I want to be a bee so badly”, bees get withdrawl, some caterpillars are insensitive to cocaine, weaponizing caterpillars, giving spiders drugs because you’re lazy, charlotte’s web blood spider drug tests, caffeine isn’t really that bad for us, “morals will not stop humans from doing stupid things”, maybe giving elephants 3,000x LSD is bad science, cheap date flies, some animals want to get high, my favorite drug is math, what is pi? ancient pi estimates, 62.8 trillion digits of pi, how many digits of pi do nasa use? we could work at nasa as a package deal, by the 1400s we had enough pi to get us to space, and by the 1600s enough for the universe, selfish of pi to have so many numbers, why do we keep counting, tom gets an existential crisis, we all get an existential crisis, the bean, vantablack, how can you have a color?, the pinkest pink, paying someone to flip them off, the new blackest black, 99.995% light absorption, the power of productive spite, um thaaanks.            Sources:                ---Bees on CocaineCaterpillar CocaineWeaponizing CaterpillarsThe Spider Web Drug StudyGiving an Elephant Too Much LSD---How Much PI Nasa UsesApproximations of Pi over TimeHow Much PI Nasa UsesRecord Number of Pi DigitsNPR on Record Pi Count---Vantablack's Copyright ControversyThe Pinkest PinkAnish Kapoor's Middle FingerThe NEW Blackest Black from MIT

If all these conspiracy theories were real, what are the statistical odds they'd be kept secret? Why did Pluto get demoted from planethood? And can animals make art?Images we talk about:- Pierre’s Brassau’s Art- Erased Dekooning Drawing- Sean Thomas’ “Case Study”- Monkey SelfieSupport us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!We also learn about: planes fly over Ella’s house? coincidence??, the conspiracy leak formula, gish gallop, the Tom & Caroline Show conspiracy, moon landing photos, the real conspiracy of climate change is with Exxon and Shell, pluto didn’t change - the definition of a planet changed, pluto is half the width of the US, what is a planet???, planets need a cleared orbit, the IAU assembly, it’s neptune’s fault! Ella quietly having an existential crisis, Mike Brown - the man who killed Pluto, why aren’t we talking about Eris?, what if we had 12 planets?, Ceres was also demoted like Pluto 200 years ago, the 8 planets are what aliens would want to visit, the kuiper belt isn’t packed with objects like you might imagine, Mike Brown’s humbleness of giving up Eris’ planethood, dwarf planet pokerap, what is animal art? what is art? Ella and Caroline write this topic apparently, Pierre Brassau, Erased DeKooning Drawing, enrichment, Naruto vs. Slater vs. Wikipedia, Lynda Barry and Howard Ikemoto on children’s art, everything is art!            Sources:                ---On the Viability of conspiratorial beliefsConspiracy Theories: Causes and CuresThe PRISM ConspiracyThe Tuskegee Syphilis StudyThe FBI Foresnic ScandalStudy on Disbelief of Moon Landing PhotosClimate ChangeShell and Exxon Climate Change ConspiracyHBomberGuy's Vaccine Video---Library of Congress: Why is Pluto No Longer a Planet?BBC: Why is Pluto No Longer a Planet?Washington Post: Ever wondered why Pluto is no longer a planet?-NASA: Pluto OverviewIAU 2006 General AssemblyMike Brown, Pluto KillerMetzger’s Thoughts on Pluto and what makes a Planet---Pierre Brassau's ArtJackson PollockErased de Kooning DrawingAnimal EnrichmentDo Elephants Enjoy Painting?Ars Technica on the Monkey SelfieNYT On Monkey SelfieUS Copyright Office Compendium of PracticesLynda Barry's Making Comics

What is the nuanced science behind homosexuality in animals and humans? Is there a single gay gene? No. No absolutely not. But how many songs could you fit into a gram of DNA, and why would you want to? And what are some of the most niche sports and why are they still so great?           Support us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!We also learn about: Tom is an ally, 1500 observed gay animals from shrimps to apes, the adelie penguin story hidden for 100 years, dynamic region translation, dolphins are messed up, it’d be weird NOT to talk about gay animals, how is gay behavior evolutionarily beneficial? nuanced questions and bad actors, the myth of the gay gene, genes are complicated and so is being gay, the rage inducing paper that inspired this topic, Caroline’s brain is loading big numbers, what would you put write into dna?, making 70 billion copies of your own book, what’s a floppy drive?, the first iPod, the cost of DNA storage, the double but, different types of memory, storing data for longer than ipods will be remembered, we’re not allowed to take the piss out of these sports, roller derby, is throwing a goat any weirder than a sheep’s bladder or pig skin?, reaching your peak in your 40s, the sport popes have played, tickles that jiggly knowledge thing in my skull.            Sources:                ---Homosexual Behaviour in Animals: An Evolutionary PerspectiveAn Alternative Hypothesis For the Evolution of Same-Sex Sexual Behaviour in AnimalsA Genetic Study of Male Sexual OrientationThe Gay Gene?The Proof Against the Gay GeneGenetics of Sexual BehaviorThe Bad Article that Inspired this TopicPink News Analysis of The Bad Article that Inspired this Topic               ---DNA Data ReviewThe First DNA Data, MicrovenusThe First Book in DNAAdditional Review of DNA Data200MB of DNA Storage with OK GOThe OK GO Music Video Stored in DNANYTimes on the First iPodTesting the Stability of DNA DataDNA Data Storage for 2 Million YearsThe Time it Takes to Write DNA DataComputerphile Explaining Reed-Solomon Compression---Home Game on NetflixRoller DerbyRoller Derby RulesBuzkashiMore BuzkashiCalcio Fiorentino/StoricoCalcio Fiorentino Nat Geo Interview

You've probably heard of Carbon Dating, but how are Astronomy, Biology, and Nuclear Physics involved? What are the problems with having babies in space, and how many animals have had babies in space? (surprisingly more than you'd think!) And what is the history of nail polish, and more importantly, our relationship with painting nails?Videos we talk about:- Mice in SpaceSupport us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!We also learn about: counting the rings in a carbon atom, Dendrochronology, Space & Life & Radioactivity, unstable tennis balls, a surprise callback to last episode, shoutout to baltimore! oh shit we can carbon date anything!! Ella is good at guessing, a rewrite of history??? OES, the real carbon dating was friendship, definitely points, what do you name a space baby? the ISS is not a safe form of contraception, sea urchin space sex, freeze dried mouse sperm resembling instant coffee, space sushi, space babies look cuter, jellyfish that don’t know the right way up, but snails do! how humans might evolve in space, Disney’s Moon Mouse Colony, what the moon teaches about Earth, Polish vs Varnish, our favorite color, fashion always goes in cycles, mummified pharaohs with nail polish, Van Gogh wasn’t color blind, he just had cheap paints, Mary Cobb was a girl boss if you will, car paint gave us nail polish, wear nail polish if you want to!            Sources:                ---History of Radiocarbon DatingRadiocarbon RevolutionJanet Ambers on Chronological MethodsDendrochronologyFritz Schweingruber on DendrochronologyCosmic Rays and Carbon DatingLibby's Nobel AddressLibby Carbon Dates EverythingCarbon Dating going 75,00 years BackOverly Dramatic Carbon Dating Error ArticleOES (Ostritrch Egg Shell)Carbon Dating gets UpdatedIntCal20 Calibration CurveEmilie Jager on Geochronology---Fertilization in MicrogravitySea Urchin Space SpermFreeze Dried Mouse SpermSperm Count in Space RatsMouse Space Baby DevelopmentJellyfish in SpaceSnails in SpaceDizzy Space RatsSpace and Bone DensitySpace AdaptationsRussian Space CockroachMice Adapting to Microgravity               ---The History of Nail PolishCleopatra and NailpolishNail Polish HistoryHow Stuff Works Nail PolishHagley History of NailpolishHistory of CosmeticsNail Polish Trends

What exactly are cosmic rays and how do they affect us? Why do humans have so many different eye colors? And why does everyone hate the triangle so much?Images we talk about:- The Sistrum           - The Angel Battle of the Bands           - The Triangle in the Painting           Support us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!           We also learn about: pions and tiny particles with delightful names, see the rave of space, OMG particle or the What What What particle, galactic cosmic rays, anomalous cosmic rays, shower of particles, lighting a lightbulb in space, highschool physics, auroral lights, lightning scientists, speedrunning glitches, DOTA_Teabag's single event upset, airplane failure, voter fraud, red eyes, albinism, squirrels with big ol’ baby blues, America vs the rest of the world, purple eyes, epithelium, collagen, melanin, the tingle effect, ella’s piercing blue eyes, Tom’s calming brown eyes, turn your eyes blue by drinking ocean water, climate, eye colour is a new adaptation, get that paternity test guys, everyone hates the triangle, triangle historian debate, angel music battle, Garden of Earthly Delights Where’s Waldo? the triangle belongs in hell, mmm this triangle sure sounds good, the sneaky triangle concerto, you can fill violin with 1,000 baked beans! Braham’s triangle drop, creole and brazilian folk triangle music I’m not like other girls I like the triangle, find the triangles in the world.            Sources:                ---Cern on Cosmic RaysMake your own Cosmic Ray DetectorThe OMG ParticleClive Saunders' Cosmic Ray Lightning TheoryDOTA_Teabag's Super Mario Speed RunFlight Report for Cosmic Ray IncidentCosmic Ray Election Error               ---American Association of Opthamology on Eye ColorsPercentages of Eye ColorsWhy Blue eyes are BlueEvolution of Eye Color---TV Tropes "Triangles are the Worst Instrument"James Blades' Encyclopedia Entry on the TriangleMark Berry's "From Angels to Orchestra" pt 1Mark Berry's "From Angels to Orchestra" pt 2The Percussion Encyclopedia with 5 Paragraphs on the TriangleLiza Young's Bosch Instrument AnalysisLiszt's "Triangle Concerto"Brahm's Symphony No.4 in E minorBois Sec Ardoin accompanied by TriangleAvioes' song with a triangle

This week we're releasing our very first test episode of the podcast! What are neural networks? Do butterflies remember being caterpillars? And what is Love Island?Content Warning: Mentions of suicide in the Misc TopicSupport us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!We also learn about: what is a dog? stem cell hotel, the giant squid axon, neural networks will be walking and talking soon, why is it called deep learning? Deep blue and Watson, love island AI, Amazon’s biased hiring AI, black hole imaging, completely meat circle, Janelle Shane, Getting flagged on the street to answer if butterflies remember, caterpillar soup, classically trained caterpillars, the y tube, tickling chrysalises, the rules of love island, casa amor, beauty airplane.            Sources:                NYTimes AI HypeAmazon’s Hiring AIBlack Hole Machine Learning AlgorithmJanell Shane’s AI Weirdness---Caterpillar Memory ExperimentChrysalis Memories Experiment

Follow Ella's new job's tiktok!When we say save the bees, which bees are we talking about? What happens when you repeat a word and it loses meaning? And how could you design an experiment to figure that out?  And what is speed running and why do we all love it?Support us with a Max Fun Membership!Join our Discord!We also learn about: solitary bees dance in their spare time, 25000 species of bees, send your enemies bees in the post, Bombus terrestris, human centric beekeeping, the billion pound honey market, honey bees are important, but also bad sometimes, local bee jobs stolen by foreign invaders, bee to bee pathogens, save ALL the bees, hanging out in the park and repeating words words words, good experimental design, the meaning test tube, tuning out meaning, Zeus, pitfalls of psychology, introspection, “familiar feels”, neutral words, clever Hans, the observer expectancy effect, dream of good experiments goodnight, don’t use flash when taking a picture of your screen, Dragster, Atari, Doom, pacifist runs, Quake done quick, games done quick, lowest percent, link stares at a rupee for 17 hours, bullet time bounceSources:                Caroline's Paper on the Western Honeybee---Sheila Black's Semantic Satiation ReviewTitchener's Early Description of Meaning LossSemantic Satiation for Poetic EffectJakobovits Naming Semantic SatiationBassett and Warne Introspective StudyLambert and Jakobovits Semantic Polarity ExperimentClever HansSchultz Constructively Criticizing Semantic SatiationSmith Category Verification ExperimentNeural Analysis of Semantic Satiation---A Brief History of SpeedrunningA Quick History of SpeedrunningActivisions Magazine Volume 1Marimoto Super Mario Bros 3 SpeedrunZikubi! Super Mario Bros 3 SpeedrunThe Speedrun Where Link Stares at Rupees for 17 HoursWhat is the hardest trick in Speedrunning?Psychonauts Devs React to SpeedrunnerTom’s Favorite TAS Speedrun

Explore the Turing Test and its implications, Ella's bodily quirks, and the origins of pub quizzes. Learn about the evolution of CAPTCHAs and the alignment problem. Discover genetic myths about tongue rolling and the soapy taste of coriander. Uncover the fascinating history of quizzes and tests. Enjoy random discussions and podcast production insights.

Exploring topics like domesticating foxes, the oldest potted plant, and the love-hate relationship with crosswords. Delving into the concepts of domestication syndrome, genetic relationships between red foxes and dogs, and the evolution of potted plants throughout history. Discussing the longevity of plants, the appeal of crossword puzzles, and unique clues in crosswords. Touching on themes like the immune privilege of the eye and diversity in crossword creation.