Ep 188: Science... sort of - Reproducing Yetis

00:00:00 - Patrick and Ryan take a moment to tell everyone about an upcoming event. You can get tickets for our 2014 DC Meetup here.  00:01:59 - Two of long articles (here and here) about reproducibility in science leads to a long discussion. Everything from different types of errors, biases to only research certain types of questions, and attempts such as the Reproducibility Initiative to fix it are covered. 00:24:16 - Drinks are easy enough to reproduce, but we strive for novelty in this segment with Ben having black cherry flavored Canada Pure Sparkling Refresher. Ryan gives the Blood Orange Imperial IPA from Freedom's Edge Brewing Company a try. And Jacob has a glass of water, which brings about a discussion of hardness and how you can test your own taps for hardness. SCIENCE!! 00:29:18 - Trailer Trash Talk rolls its eyes at "Based on true events" tag in the preview for Skinwalker Ranch, a place so steeped in mystery that Brian Dunning already did a Skeptoid episode on it. 00:42:38 - In a shocking turn of events, it turns out a sample from a yeti is actually a bear. In an actual shock, it's a pretty cool bear sample worthy of discussion in its own right. 00:53:26 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like ancient bear specimens, held sacred and worshipped until further analysis shows their truth worth. Ryan has a recurring donation from Moe S., who would like to fund the end of the Timer Duck. We don't think that's quite fair to the original sponsor Christina H., but want to hear from her and others about how to handle the duck's fate. Ben has a correction about something with physics from high school student Tyler V. And Jacob, in convenient timing with a discussion at the office, is asked about dinosaur size from Chris B.   Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!   Music for this week's show: Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin Two Rocks and a Cup of Water - Massive Attack Intro (Body Snatchers) - The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker The Bear and the Maiden Fare - The Hold Steady