The Amoeba People Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Amoeba People
Where science and music collide! This season we are featuring The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon, our musical, scientific, sci-fi radio-style adventure series! Music. Science. It's The Amoeba People Podcast!
Once again, The Amoeba People Podcast features the latest installment of The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon!
General Gobsplotch and his subservient Meebling minion plot their escape from a dungeon deep beneath the SpaceX compound.
The Amoeba People and their human friend Beckford are regrouping after an unsuccessful time-traveling visit with Albert Einstein and Edwin Hubbel.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk is preparing to capitalize on the Amoebic technology he's stolen by launching the first manned mission to Mars!
In this special episode of The Amoeba People Podcast, we throw a Mars Party. We bring you 3 brand new songs about Mars, plus an interview with Dr. Fred Calef of JPL about the Perseverance mission, Martian cocktails with proper bartender Brad Walther, and Martian-themed B-movie picks from our Senior Geek Consultant Mario Salazar.
This episode is jam packed with all you need to throw a proper Mars Party! Onward!!!
Once again, this week The Amoeba People Podcast features the next installment of The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon!
The Meebs receive orders from the planet Crouton instructing them to search for General Gobsplotch at his last known location. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to The Amoeba People, the General and his annoying Meebling servant languish as captives of the devious E. Lawn Musk.
Beckford suggests that the Meebs use their record player time machine to drop in and say hi to Edwin Hubble and Albert Einstein during their historic meeting at Mount Wilson Observatory in 1931.
Once again, this week The Amoeba People Podcast features the next installment of The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon!
While continuing to learn about Earth's scientists from their friends at the M51 Records Laboratory, The Amoeba People are intrigued by the story of Mary Anning, the 19th century English fossil collector whose important work went largely uncredited during her lifetime.
Meanwhile, back on the planet Crouton, Dr. Beeple and Q receive a troubling data transmission from General Gobsplotch's ship, The Even Less Likely.
We’ve also included our interview with Cam Muskelly, who tells us about his own fossil hunting in and around his home state of Georgia!
Onward!!
Once again, this week The Amoeba People Podcast features the next installment of The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon!
The Meebs learn the remarkable yet tragic tale of Alfred Wegener from their friends Dr. Hindemith and Beckford of the M51 Records Laboratory. Inspired, The Amoeba People compose an epic science rock tune and summon Wegener by way of the Transmortifier, a vacuum cleaner that brings dead scientists back to life!
Meanwhile, General Gobsplotch languishes in captivity along with his obtuse Meebling minion after being abducted by the diabolical E. Lawn Musk. Who knows what the scheming tech entrepreneur has planned for the General and his Croutonian spaceship, the Even Less Likely?
Onward!!
Once again, this week The Amoeba People Podcast features the next installment of The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon!
General Gobsplotch has landed on Earth, and can finally stretch his Amoebic pseudopods after the 27 light year journey from the planet Crouton. Unfortunately, his arrival was noticed by the devious E. Lawn Musk who has sent a team of goons to the General's location.
Meanwhile, The Amoeba People receive an intriguing summons from their friend Werner Herzog, who requires their aid in his investigation of a mysterious legend. Join Herzog and The Meebs as they travel to Nepal in search of the fabled Oracle of the Theremin!
For a bonus, We feature an interview Ray did with world renowned Thereminist Dorit Chrysler for the Amoeba People Radio Hour celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Theremin. The interview took place in the summer of 2020, when Dorit was in Munich, after finishing a project with CERN (which is also discussed in the interview).
Onward!!
Join The Meebs for a very special Christmas episode of The Amoeba People Podcast! This week we're debuting our new quiz segment where Ray tests Dustin and Ryan on their knowledge of obscure Christmas-related triva! Also, we’re bringing you a special audio cartoon, The Complicated Saga of Eggnog and Yule Log! Merry Christmas, from The Amoeba People!
Onward!!
Once again, this week The Amoeba People Podcast features the next installment of The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon!
After the daring recapture of their ship The Improbable from E-Lawn Musk's SpaceX facility, The Meebs finally arrive at the M51 Records Laboratory.
As The Amoeba People are getting to know their new human friends, an angry General Gobsplotch is making his final approach to planet Earth, crammed inside his undersized vessel. Will he be able to rendezvous with his fellow Croutonians?
Onward!!
Once again, this week The Amoeba People Podcast features the next installment of The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon!
In this episode, The Amoeba People embark upon a clandestine mission to liberate their ship, The Improbable, from a top-secret sector of the SpaceX compound known as Hangar 19. Their success hinges upon assistance from Beckford's Crazy Uncle Leon, who works as a custodian at the facility.
Join The Meebs as they attempt to recover their ship before its technology is harvested by the diabolical E-Lawn Musk!
Onward!!!
In this episode, the Meebs are rescued from their crashed spacecraft, The Improbable, by none other than legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog.
Before the dust has settled, they encounter an unexpected menace. Join The Meebs as they make new friends and discover new challenges!
Onward!!!
In this episode, The Amoeba People lift off from planet Crouton in their camper-trailer style spacecraft and make the journey to Earth. The 27 light year distance is closed in a matter of days, thanks to cutting edge Hyperbole Drive technology.
An extra-terrestrial RV hurtling towards Earth at preposterous speeds; what could go wrong?
Onward!!!
On the planet Crouton, a strange species of sentient Amoebas detects radio wave transmissions from a distant world 27 light years away.
The Croutonian Council must now decide what these alien transmissions mean, and what to do next.
Join us as we begin the musical, scientific, sci-fi adventures of The Amoeba People!
Onward!!!
Season 2 features the sciency awesomeness of "The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon", a scientific, musical, sci-fi, serialized, radio-style adventure from The Meebs!
Come along with us on a journey across space and time as we battle our nemesis E-Lawn Musk, hunt for fossils with Mary Anning, learn about rapping from legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, and even get punched out by Edwin Hubble!
It's the most fun you'll ever have outside of science class!
Onward!!!
We're back! In this episode we preview our brand new scientific sci-fi musical adventure The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon from our brand new radio show The Amoeba People Radio Hour! In this episode we not only play a sample of our scientific sci-fi radio musical adventure "The Amoeba People Audio Cartoon," we also tell you where and how you can listen to the show. Our show broadcasts live on klbp.org Saturdays at 12 noon and Wednesdays at 4pm (PDT). You can find all episodes archived at mixcloud.com/theamoebapeople. Onward!!!
In this, the final episode of our first season, we talk about all the crazy exciting things coming in the near future from our Podcast Wars event to The Amoeba People Radio Hour on KLBP!. And we have some very special guests on this episode: us! Hear all about how The Meebs met and we became the cosmic Croutonian science rock band that the world knows and loves today. We also share some stories of our favorite memories and performances. Join us!
In addition, we break down our song "I'm a Geophysicist" track by track. Onward!!!
Let's get paleo-schooled! The Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology is unique in that it's on the campus of the Webb Schools, where high school students work side by side with professional paleontologists to learn the trade. Paleontologist Lucy Herrero, who works at the Alf, was one of those students. She tells us all about her experience as a student and how it led to a career in paleontology.
We also share a brand new unreleased tune called "Parasaurolophus (Sitting in my Office)." The song was inspired by Ray's visits to the Raymond Alf Museum and the plaster jackets and vegan meatball sandwiches he encountered. This episode is the only place you can find this song! Onward!!!
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Fred Calef about the incredible discoveries we have made on Mars. Dr. Calef discusses how scientists apply geologic concepts from Earth to other worlds, and he also talks about how scientists handle conspiracy theorists. In addition, we also break down the final 3 songs in our "Geology Folk Song Medley" from our album The Fossil Record.
Dr. Fred Calef of JPL talks to us about his work mapping the surface of Mars. He tells us about the non-linear path his life took that led him to the work he currently does, as well as the challenges of applying Earth-bound geologic concepts to other planets in our solar system, most significantly the red planet. This episode is part one of a two part episode with Dr. Calef.
We also break down our song "Geology Folk Song Medley" from out new album "The Fossil Record." If you're an earth scientist looking for that perfect campfire singalong, this is the song for you!
This episode is all about lava! Our guest Genna Chiaro walks us through different types of lava flows, the kinds of rock they form, and how the stories of ancient people often reveal the scientific truths of the land in interesting ways. Plus, we break down our song "The Aa Aa Pahoehoe Lava Rock Walk" one instrument at a time.
We also introduce the Dr. Evil test for magma! (It's simple, Scott, really it is.)
Onward!!!
Dino-ribs and Mesozoic-themed cocktails? What could be better? How about some live music from The Amoeba People?
In this special episode of The Amoeba People Podcast, we share some audio from a live acoustic performance we did at The Fossil Record Barbecue, an event we put on as a thank you to our friends (scientists, musicians, animators and artists), who helped during the two years we worked on "The Fossil Record," our most recent album. We also give a preview of some upcoming episodes of this podcast, as well as our participation in "Podcast Wars" coming in 2020! Onward!!!
In the 1950s, when Marie Tharp mapped the ocean floor and noticed what appeared to be a rift valley at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, her idea was ridiculed by a male colleague as "girl talk". But nowadays that rift valley is evidence that Earth's crust is in constant motion, resulting in earthquakes, volcanoes, and continental drift. Author Hali Felt, whose book Soundings details the life and work of Marie Tharp, talks with us about the process of writing such a fun and engaging book when people know so little about its subject.
We also break down our song "Girl Talk," a funky tune about Marie's amazing discovery.
Kirk Johnson, director of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington D.C., paleobotanist, author and science communicator extraordinaire, helps us understand the worst day in the history of Earth: the day an asteroid slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula and wiped out the dinosaurs.
We also break down our song "Chicxulub," a chipper-sounding tune about the site of that asteroid strike.
It's the perfect Halloween episode for the science-minded.
What would a battle royale of 16 Ceratopsians look like? Jared Heuck, Fossil Preparator of the Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology helps us understand the Mesozoic Era, better known as the Age of the Dinosaurs. And though he thinks we should NOT bring back a T-rex, a la "Jurassic Park," if we did, he wouldn't mind seeing a grudge match between 16 of the most awesome Ceratopsians ever assembled in one place. In addition to this incredible interview, we also break down our song "Rockin' the Mesozoic," a musical adventure that travels deep into the Age of the Dinosaurs. Onward!!!
Paleontologist Billie Guerrero was in the foster care system as a child and wound up homeless in her late teens. The idea that she might become a scientist one day was the furthest thing from her mind. On this episode she tells her incredible story of hard work and perseverance on the road to becoming a paleontologist. In addition, Ray and Dustin break down the process of writing "The Terrible Lizards" from The Amoeba People's new album "The Fossil Record." Onward!!!
We break down our song "The Ballad of Barnum Brown," about the greatest fossil hunter of all time. Then we talk with paleontologist Gabe Santos about his work at the Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology as collections manager and outreach coordinator, as well as the history of fossil hunting and his work with the Cosplay for Science initiative, a group of scientists who dress up as scientists and classic sci-fi characters and communicate real science at Comic-Cons and Nerd-Culture events. This is the ultimate episode for fossil lovers and anyone who wants to learn more about the remains of extinct creatures. Onward!!!
In this episode we talk with the legendary paleo artist Ray Troll, whose drawings of dinosaurs, fossils, fish, and geologic rock formations have become iconic all around the world. He's produced numerous books, most notably "Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway" and "Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline," both collaborations with Dr. Kirk Johnson, director of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. We talk about his influences and how he goes about trying to convey the enormity of deep time in a single image. We also break down our song "Back to the Beginning" and there's even some Scottish accents that find their way into this episode. It's got it all! Onward!!!
Could your head actually explode from the heat of a volcanic eruption? Is it possible to have a lightsaber duel while surfing down a lava flow? In this episode we ask the important questions about volcanoes. Our guest, volcanologist Dr. Arianna Soldati, helps us make sense of some of the crazy stories surrounding historic volcanic eruptions, and helps us understand the complexity of volcanoes and why life wouldn't even exist without them. We also break down our song "Volcano!" track by track and put it back together. This episode erupts with volcanic goodness! Onward!!!
This episode is all about fossilized poop! First, we break down our song "Coprolites" track by track, then we talk with paleontologist Dr. Tony Fiorillo of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas about how in the world something as soft as poop can become fossilized. He also gives us some insight into the history of "dung stones" and his own experience digging for dinosaurs in Alaska and looking for traces of anything they might leave behind (including fossilized fecal matter).
Dr. Anthony Fiorillo is Chief Curator of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science as well as Vice President of Research and Collections. He holds a Ph.D in vertebrate paleontology and resides in Dallas, Texas, except for summers when he can be found living out of a tent in the farthest known reaches of Alaska, searching for dinosaur bones.
The Amoeba People are a science rock band who also happen to be musical ambassadors from the planet Crouton, sent to Earth to study its natural history, to learn about its myriad life forms, and to parse the mysteries of the human species by learning its dance moves. Their songs and videos are played in science classrooms around the world from elementary school all the way to college science courses.
Their energetic lives shows have melted faces at the American Chemical Society's Annual Conference (get it? melted, chemistry, it's a pun), rattled bones at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles' "Dino Fest" for the last number of years, shared their musical ideas worth sharing at "TED Talks: Education Revolution," and have performed at numerous venues from science museums, book stores, community events, and science festivals to schools, clubs, and bars. They have collaborated with the Planetary Society and have twice shared the stage with Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye the Science Guy, as well as appearing on the Planetary Society's podcast on three different occasions. They are also the official house band of the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey, CA, their "home base on Earth" where they frequently perform.