Don't Panic Geocast

This week, we dive into the fascinating world of coal—its origins, types, and the role it has played in shaping economies, past and present. We discuss coal’s formation in ancient swampy environments, the journey from mining to electricity generation, and the transition we’re witnessing as the world moves toward renewable energy sources. We wrap up with a Fun Paper Friday that challenges the classic "Infinite Monkeys Theorem"—could monkeys really type out Shakespeare if given enough time? How Coal Forms and Coal Types - World Coal Association Energy Density of Coal Types - Hypertextbook Mining Methods and Processing - National Academies Coal Transportation - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Coal’s Role in the Industrial Revolution - History.com Global Coal Power Statistics - Statista Future of Coal in Energy Transitions - International Energy Agency (IEA) Fun Paper Friday Can monkeys really type out Shakespeare? This study explores the probability of typing coherent text with a finite number of monkeys and limited time. Spoiler: even with thousands of monkeys, the odds are astronomically low, revealing the true limits of randomness. Woodcock, Stephen, and Jay Falletta. "A numerical evaluation of the Finite Monkeys Theorem." Franklin Open (2024): 100171. Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com @dontpanicgeo dontpanicgeocast@gmail.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin

Throughout human history, certain minerals have held immense power, shaping economies, societies, and entire civilizations. In this economic rocks series, John and Shannon discuss how essential minerals like salt, gold, and coal influenced historical events and continue to impact modern geopolitics. This week we start with salt and how it is essential to many aspects of our day to day. Learn More History of Salt in Ancient Civilizations - Learn how salt became an essential part of trade, diet, and religion in ancient China, Egypt, and Rome​:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}. The Role of Salt in the Roman Empire - Discover how the Roman Empire used salt as currency and a political tool to control its territories​:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}. The Impact of the Salt Trade in West Africa - Learn how salt was traded for gold and helped build the Ghana and Mali empires, creating a network of trade routes that shaped the region’s history​:contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}. Fun Paper Friday This week's Fun Paper Friday features a study on the leaf-mimicking abilities of Boquila trifoliolata. The vine is capable of changing the shape and size of its leaves to resemble those of neighboring plants, potentially as a form of camouflage against herbivores. But the most surprising part? It can even mimic artificial plastic leaves. This finding challenges existing theories that leaf mimicry is driven solely by chemical signaling or genetic exchange between plants, suggesting instead that Boquila may possess a form of plant vision through specialized light-sensitive cells called “plant ocelli.” This discovery opens new possibilities for understanding plant sensory and adaptive behaviors. White, J., & Yamashita, F. (2022). Boquila trifoliolata mimics leaves of an artificial plastic host plant. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 17(1), e1977530. Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com @dontpanicgeo dontpanicgeocast@gmail.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin

In our 400th episode, we take a moment to reflect on some of our favorite past episodes and Fun Paper Fridays that have brought joy, knowledge, and a good laugh to the show. From memorable guests to quirky science papers, this episode is a tribute to everything that makes the Don't Panic Geocast special. Join us for this nostalgia-packed episode where we look back at the highlights of 399 episodes! Highlighted Episodes Episode 350 - "Borehole to Hell" Episode 49 - "Would it blow your mind if I told you Africa is 14x larger than Greenland?" Episode 50 - "Some serious geometric voodoo" Projections Part 2 Episode 364 - Geology of War "I'm glad I listen to this podcast" Episode 6 - "What if you calibrated your candles differently?" Episode 358 - "Put a pin in it" Surveillance Balloons Episode 16 - "We are scared" Nature Calls Top Titles Episode 52 - "You pay for significant digits" Episode 4 - "Is that cumulonimbus cloud storage?" Data Backups Favorite Fun Papers Kuna, Václav M., and John L. Nábělek. "Seismic crustal imaging using fin whale songs." Science 371.6530 (2021): 731-735. Does removing something take more brain power than adding something? Adams, Gabrielle S., et al. "People systematically overlook subtractive changes." Nature 592.7853 (2021): 258-261. Science makes you feel stupid and that's okay!Schwartz, Martin A. "The importance of stupidity in scientific research." Journal of Cell Science 121.11 (2008): 1771-1771. Beaty, Chester B. "Great big boulders I have known." Geology 17.4 (1989): 349-352. Winter is coming, but why? Orbital mechanics to the rescue! Paradise, Adiv, et al. "The Long Night: Modeling the Climate of Westeros." arXiv preprint arXiv:1903.12195 (2019). Where do you go to find mythical creatures? There's a paper for that! Beconytė, Giedrė, Agnė Eismontaitė, and Jovita Žemaitienė. "Mythical creatures of Europe." Journal of Maps 10.1 (2014): 53-60. Yanai, Itai, and Martin Lercher. "The two languages of science." Genome Biology 21.1 (2020): 1-9. Meyer-Rochow, V. B., & Gal, J. (2003). Pressures produced when penguins pooh?calculations on avian defaecation. Polar Biology, 27(1), 56–58. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00300–003–0563–3 Dirksen, Neele, et al. "Learned control of urinary reflexes in cattle to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions." Current Biology 31.17 (2021): R1033-R1034. Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com @dontpanicgeo dontpanicgeocast@gmail.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making its way into academic research and writing, offering a range of tools that can help streamline workflows, enhance creativity, and improve productivity. In this episode, John and Shannon dive into some of the AI tools they’ve been experimenting with and discuss broader questions about fairness, disclosure, and the evolving role of AI in academia. Elsevier’s Policy on Generative AI in Writing Research Rabbit - AI-powered tool for literature discovery. GitHub Co-pilot - AI coding assistant. Elicit - AI for automating literature reviews and generating research insights. Magic To-Do - AI-based task management tool. Autodraw - AI-powered drawing tool. Fun Paper Friday Summary: So if AI takes over the world, what would it take to destory it? A solar flare should do it, and maybe us, in. The superstorms from space that could end modern life

This week, we delve into the fascinating world of the ancient dwelling mounds—terps—of the northern Netherlands. These man-made mounds served as elevated homes for communities living in low-lying, flood-prone areas. Join us as we explore the geology of these mounds, why they were essential for survival, and how modern technology is used to monitor soil subsidence and preserve these unique archaeological sites. Learn More: Wierdenland Museum: Information about the museum and its exhibits on dwelling mounds. Late-Holocene sea-level reconstruction and sedimentological data: An in-depth academic article on the evolution of the coastal landscape and sea-level changes influencing terp construction. Fun Paper Friday Summary: In this episode’s Fun Paper Friday, we discuss B.F. Skinner’s “Pigeons in a Pelican.” The paper recounts the story of "Project Pigeon," a World War II experiment that explored using pigeons to guide missiles by pecking at visual targets. Though the project faced skepticism and was never implemented in combat, it highlighted the potential of animal training and laid a foundation for behaviorist research. The study is a testament to how creative ideas can push the boundaries of science, even if they seem outlandish at first. Skinner, B. F. (1960). Pigeons in a Pelican.

This week John and Shannon summarize the GEARS 2024 workshop, lessons learned, and talk about a record air pressure that was just a fluke. Fun Paper Friday Bureau of Meteorology says quality checks reveal air pressure record not broken, miscalculations published online Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com @dontpanicgeo dontpanicgeocast@gmail.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin

Learn about the explosion at Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin site and what it means for the park. We also talk about drunk fruit flies and what they are teaching us about alcoholism. Fun Paper Friday Heberlein, Ulrike. "Genetics of alcohol-induced behaviors in Drosophila." Alcohol Research & Health 24.3 (2000): 185. Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com @dontpanicgeo dontpanicgeocast@gmail.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin

This week we look at a geological oddity in Turkmenistan and see how getting a puppy can give you the blues. Video of the Burning Crater Fun Paper Friday Ståhl, Aada, et al. "Development and validation of the puppy blues scale measuring temporary affective disturbance resembling baby blues." npj Mental Health Research 3.1 (2024): 27. Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com @dontpanicgeo dontpanicgeocast@gmail.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin

We went to watch Twisters and review it from the standpoint of two people who have chased storms professionally. Also what do philosophers have to say about the original movie and its mythological reconsiliations? Fun Paper Friday King, Geoff. "The scientist as pioneer hero: Hollywood's mythological reconciliations in twister and contact." Science as Culture 8.3 (1999): 371-379. Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com @dontpanicgeo dontpanicgeocast@gmail.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin

This week we talk about when and how things get revised from classes to papers to theories. Also we read a paper about a curious cure for poisoning. Fun Paper Friday Sasanami, Misa, et al. "Oral ethanol treatment for ethylene glycol intoxication." Cureus 12.12 (2020). Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com @dontpanicgeo dontpanicgeocast@gmail.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin