03:42 – We kick off the science this week with a story of a stranded red (planet) rover.  The spirit has finally left the little robot in a pile of sand.  Spirit still works, she just doesn’t get out as much as she used to.

00:13:30 – Trailer Trash Talk – This week we go down the rabbit hole to discuss the Disney/Tim Burton live action Alice in Wonderland. Apparently, this is an extension of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.  Best we can tell, Tim Burton just put the band back together.  Is that a good or a bad thing?  The Paleopals will set you straight.

21:56 – Dinosaurs were a colorful lot, at least according to this story.  Science finds evidence of coloration on dinosaur feathers.  Naturally, this news makes Ryan want a pet Velociraptor even more than he did.  We discuss melanosomes and whether pet theropods are a good idea or not.  Oh, they’re poisonous too, by the way.

36:34 – Tazmanian devils have cancer, so’s their face.  Wait it gets worse, it’s contagious (amongst the devils, not to humans).  As if Australia wasn’t deadly enough already.  The future doesn’t look bright for these guys.  Probably the best thing they can do have lots of sex with partners they aren’t likely to encounter in the first place.  That or quit biting each other.

41:33 – PaleoPOW. We give the Paleoposse their props and close out the show with some poll results on the ethical treatment of steak, I mean cows.

Bump Music this Week

Spinning Wheel -  Blood, Sweat, & Tears

I am the Walrus – The Beatles

Light as a Feather Polka -  Polkastra (More friends of ours, very nearly Grammy nominated but the Grammys dropped the polka category this year )

Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones

Thankyou (for loving me at my worst ) -  The Whitlams (Sorry, this one is an Australian import and as expensive as hell)

Direct download Ep 21

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00:00:00 Intro and what-are-you-drinking? Justin has decided to pursue a career doing actual science and thus leaves us stranded for this episode. So, we call upon Charlie again to bail us out.

00:03:57 Ecoterraforming Plot – How do we turn Mars into Earth? Well, driving some Hummers around the Red Planet would be a start. Charlie has a few other ideas but they all sound really hard. Maybe we’ll just hurl some nukes at Venus and see what happens. Ryan contemplates the future leggy Martian race, once the planet is livable.

00:21:25 The Morae River – Category: Best Faux Naturalist Art; and the Award goes to… Brynn Metheney. Brynn tells us how she thought up the Morae River and her plans for life after kicking her Velociraptor habit. We learn about her artistic process and then put in a request some future faux naturalist art. Outside of her blog, Brynn has a book on Blurb. Buy it, it’s only available for a limited time.

00:34:29 Trailer Trash Talk – The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Can Disney live up to past high expectations for swashbuckling? Can Jake Gyllenhaal play a convincing Persian? Why do bad guys always want to destroy the world, isn’t that a little short sighted? Has there ever been a good movie made from a video game? We look for answers to these pressing questions and more.

00:44:43 Updates and Listener Feedback: LCROSS update, there is water on the moon, no word yet on green cheese. Why can’t NASA go from being sort of awesome to just awesome? Also, we tackle comments from lunatics. The Paleopals wax poetic on science and almost get emotional.

Bump Music:
What Ever Happened? – by The Strokes

Black History Month – by Death from Above 1979

James River Blues – by Old Crow Medicine Show

Raging Bombs Over Baghdad – Outkast vs. Rage Against the Machine (DJ Casey)

Nothing From Nothing – by Billy Preston

SPECIAL GUEST: Charles Barnhart (UCSC)

• We contemplate the price of lunar bottled water and where to hide a space elevator from terrorists.

• Next we discuss NASA’s LCROSS mission, which is essentially launching a missile at the moon to see what happens.  If you’re wondering why NASA is allowed to do this, the answer can be found here.

• This is an oldie but a goodie.  Ryan reminds us that there may be dinosaurs on the moon just waiting for cyborg paleontologists to discover them.  Read the story here.

• We return to earth to discuss the upcoming Chinese epic, Red Cliff.  Patrick has a surprise up his sleeve and Justin and Ryan don’t care for it (I think they are just jealous).
• Are you going to die 3 billion years from now when our galaxy collides with another? Chances are you’ll be dead already but at least future humans will get to crown a galactic champion, or will they?  Read the layman’s version here or read the scientific article here.  See the cat and mouse galaxy here.

This Week’s Bump Music.

• Easy Star All-Stars – The Great Gig In The Sky (featuring Kirsty Rock)
• Radiohead – Airbag
• S.H.E. & Tank – Pasture Cattle Party (Fang Niu Party)
• Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun

Other media we briefly touched on…

• Robert A. Heinlein The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
• Warren Ellis Global Frequency Vol. 1: Planet Ablaze
• Kim Stanley Robinson Red Mars (Mars Trilogy)
• John Woo Face/Off
• Kip S. Thorne Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy

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