On Being Animals

Enough with the Lloyd's already, it's high time for Pye time. The wonderfully smart Jenn Pye picked the appropriately smart Playful Mimic for this Bonus Episode. It was a great conversation and we uncovered deep truths about nature vs nuture, rom coms, and dumpcano. Most egregious error: I said that Johnny Depp starred in a suspense movie called "Secret Garden". He definitely did not. It was definitely "Secret Window". I'm sure that in time, this the title of this movie will be a mystery...even to me. Science level: Semi-science. Lots of good anecdotes, but I didn't read any studies for this one. It's still a great one thanks to Jenn's great insights!

This podcast would not exist without the guests, and I wouldn't exist without this guest. The family series continues with my mom! She is fierce and wise and definitely picked the right animal, which is the Big Mother. Appropriate, right? It wasn't planned like that, but these things happen. Other notable discoveries were about crazy males, manners, and Hillary's compassion.   Most egregious error: I just love saying "genuses" even though I know it's genera.   Science level: Extremely high! We had a bit of a time constraint so we packed in the max amount of science possible.

The family series continues with my sister, the fierce and formidable Geneva. There's nothing she can't take on, including the Flexi Turn-Toothed Trailblazer. Side note: I think this may be her spirit animal on just about every level. Besides that discovery, we also explored food aggression, Buster, and sibling vulnerability. Most egregious error: there were a couple of bad facts about wolves and bears, but the most egregious error was when I neglected to ask her more about vulnerability. She shared how she felt as a child, but I really should have asked her about that as an adult woman. Especially since she has lived in dorms and in many cities away from home. Science level: some speculation, but about 90% facts.  

Download Episode! You've already heard Miriam, but here comes the rest of the family! My brother Clayton and I hunkered down between Mounts Field and Stephen at the Fireweed hostel to record this special episode on the Death Mouth Hookin Diver. We stumbled upon nuggets of insight into terrible nursery rhymes, Tinder expectations, and donkey superheroes. Most egregious error: We were teasing our mom about how early she booked the Fireweed hostel and we joked that it was in February. It was actually July, which was when it needed to be booked because it's a hot commodity. Mom found and booked it without help from us and it was by far the best ever. We love you! Science level: medium. We hit on a lot of facts, but there were a lot on very unscientific tangents.

My favourite chef stopped into the studio for a quick sizzle in the skillet. I've known Paul for over a decade and his has helped me through all sorts of tough times. His empathy and openness helped us discover the Speedy Oil Starship. Other notable discoveries: Nazi science, coping with decay, and hybrids. Most egregious error: There were many, but I think the most egregious was when I repeatedly said "water travels further in water". Yep, those are the words I said. What I meant was SOUND travels further in water than it does in air. It also travels faster. About 4 times faster and further. Science Level: A good bit of science in this one but not too deep. There was still time for many quick tangents into odd cul-de-sacs.

Did I just interview my mentor?!? Chris Hannay, the man who helped teach me improv, came by the OBA studio to discover more about the Gross Indestructible Worker Drone. He has such a breadth of interests and knowledge that we also discovered much about the monotony of plant tissues, abdominal testes, and the usefulness of silence. Most egregious error: It may not sound like it, but mnemonic definitely starts with an "m". Science level: Another high one! There's just so much to learn about this animal.

Download Episode! The list has been checked twice and y'all are just too nice! I'd like to share this gift with you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Trish, who's sharp mind is eminently beyond compare, helped me discover the Swelling Fringe Clicker. Other notable discoveries include: ecosystem services, Hugh Jackman's back, and travelling alone as a single woman. Most egregious error: I talk about the "Mi'kmaw", which is how you pronounce Mi'kmaq, but I did not realize it at the time. So I was saying the correct word, but I was using it as though it was some other tribe. It's not. I was referring to Mi'kmaq which is properly pronounced meeg mah. Sorry for my ignorance, but this mistake has led me to more discoveries! Did you know that "ni'kmaq" actually means "my friends"? Early europeans misheard and misunderstood and then named the l'nuk people mi'kmaq. All sort of other neat history can be found here: http://www.muiniskw.org/pgCulture0.htm Science level: very high! Trish is so dang smart that she

The Doctor is in! He may not be medical, but he is charming as all heck and he has a silly hat. Doctor Oz took time out of his busy schedule to discover more about the Molty Time Traveler. Other notable discoveries include: time travel (obvi), barber poles, and being immersed in other cultures. The Doctor's Siri also makes a special guest appearance.   Most egregious error I'm aware of: I did a pretty poor job of explaining parthenogenesis.   Science level: it's a extreme animal, so the science is quite high, but don't worry, get go well off topic a couple of times.

Be eeeeasy friends. On Being Animals hosted the chillest, kindest, most genial person around town. Tom helps us discover the Devil Piss Sniffing Necker. Other notable discoveries include hanging off beds, openness to new experiences, and dealing with confrontations. He also busts out "portmanteau" and I totally pretended that I knew what that word meant. I know now, but I definitely didn't at the time. Most egregious error: When talking about DMT, I said "god particle" but I meant "spirit molecule". The "god particle" is Higgs Boson. I'm pretty sure HB affects the body differently than DMT. Science level: Not quite 100% science because we had some nice culture tangents, but a pretty high level.    

Download Episode! En francais?! In French?! Canada has two official languages and so does this podcast! This is a fully (mostly) french bonus episode and the rest of these words are going to be in French. Je l'ai essayer et j'espere que tu peux le comprendre. La joli et patiente Julie m'a enseingé du francais pendant qu'on decouvrait l'ursus monasticus pouceus. Les autre choses qu'on a decouvert: la financement des parcs, facebook, et comment retrouver la nature. Mon erreur énorme: les fautes de grammaire....cette texte y inclus aussi Niveau de science: tres haute! Julie a une intellect forte et on a explorer plein de coins scientifiques!  

Oh wow. Just wow. It took us a while, but it was worth the wait. The sneakily insightful DJ had me over to the pinterest HQ. In this episode of On Being Animals, we take our time to fully explore the Whiskered Hot Clam-Sucking Penis Bone. Other notable discoveries include: male members, struggle-learning, and not sleeping with friends. Or sleeping with friends.   Most egregious error: I said sub-population when I should have said sub-species. There's a difference. I also probably miss-represented how much other animals have sex.     Science level: Lots of non-science tangents throughout. The tangents are pretty great, but I understand if it's a bit much. There are still lots of science discussions all the way until the end.

Finally introduced as On Being Animals! To celebrate, a sojourn Ash's lovely home was in order. Seriously, she has a pinterest home. Ash's keen intellect kept me on my toes with great questions on the Minute Sun Maker. On they way, we discovered things about diamonds, fluid dynamics, and hallway intimidation. Most egregious error: I said that the a colony female will be the grandmother to her babies. Sure, there are multiple generations of babies, but that doesn't make her a grandmother. She is still definitely the biological mother....even if she acts like a grandma. Science level: Real high. We left biology and crossed into other domains. Don't worry, we still had some nice non-science hits.  

BONUS EPISODE!!! There have been so many more listeners than ever I expected and I want to show my appreciation - Y'all deserve a BONUS! My absolute favourite person to ever walk this earth helps me discover the Triple Humpy Weird Piss. Her shrewd mind led us on a discovery of: hotness, things that aren't made of horse pee, and gender research discrimination. The homework for all you amazing the listeners is: look up the definition of feminism and get down with it!   Most egregious errors: I might have miss-represented induced ovulation. Also, I described the inside of the mouth as though it was a giraffe. That still might be correct, but I can say for sure.   Science level: Very high! Miriam kept me on task and there is a very high concentration of science facts throughout. This gets the first 24 karat science rating, enjoy!

This is number 4, although it is the first episode that I introduce as "On Being Animals". Hurray for proper introductions! The engaging MP came to the home studio a taught me a thing or two about the ol' Sharpy Magic Fat Lover. Other notable discoveries: Florida water, swimming pool lines, and the "B" word.   The most egregious error: None that I know of......but my mind is terrible, so the errors are there. Let me know what I messed up!   Science level: Very high! Non-stop science all over the place.

We had to make another episode because good things come in threes! I introduced it as "We Animals", but trust me, it is definitely a podcast On Being Animals. This time we recorded at Trish's verdant apartment and we even managed to capture Manfred's heartwarming bark for posterity. We love you Manfred! Between the barks, we discovered all sorts of fantastic things about the Urinating Poison-comb Paperweight. Other notable discoveries: being dead inside, culture, and bicycle safety.   Most egregious error: I called vertebrates "invertebrates". I did it several times and without a conscience. Please forgive me. Also, the title should probably be "Venom" not "Poison", but that's just how it happened.   Science level: Lots of non-science tangents at the start, but don't worry, we get to the animal facts eventually.

A second, yes, a second podcast happened. This time, we got On Being Animals in a different studio and with the smart 'n sassy Audrey. Much was discovered about the Filter Bill Dancer and each other! Other notable discoveries: hair feelings, contraception, and kidnapping.   The most egregious error I'm aware of: not all animals have really short mating sessions. Giant Pandas have been recorded mating for over 20 minutes.   Science level: Pretty high, but there is a lot of non-science wandering.

Download Episode! It is happening for real! This is the first episode of On Being Animals* and I had the smart as a whip Jovian on to discover more about the Milk-ooze Venom Swimmer. Other notable discoveries: macho fights, super sleep, and tickles. Most egregious error I'm aware of: Echidnas are definitely not birds. Not even close. Also, I may have over-shared a personal story. Science Level: Pretty high!   *at the time of recording, I was calling this "We Animals". I later fount out that someone had written a book by that title and didn't want to step on toes. I think the first 3 or 4 episodes are intro'ed as "We Animals".