The best part is the variety of topics used in the discussions. It’s even funny from time to time. The deadpan style of the one with the Manchester accent is borderline an art form. Just bare in mind to fact check them from time to time. These are not professionals, they are only academics.

Great podcast, and has been my favorite podcast for months now (basically since when I first discovered it). It manages to be both highly educational and highly entertaining. You feel like you’re sitting with a group of friends, laughing about the absurdities of life and science while talking about really smart stuff. I work in healthcare, and during this difficult time, this podcast has been my go-to for a distraction and to get my mind on happier things. They never fail to have me literally laughing out loud, and I always learn something new. Their commentary on the papers is insightful, fair, and informative. They give their honest opinion, and point out flaws without being too critical, as well as positives without being overly rosy. If you’re worried you won’t be able to understand it if you’re not a paleontologist, don’t be! I have only ever dabbled in paleo as a hobby, and I am able to follow their conversations fairly easily. Although there are some things that go over my head or I need to google, they do a GREAT job explaining the concepts and relevant terms for the paper. Overall, I cannot recommend this podcast highly enough. It reminds me of my own grad school days (albeit in a different subject) when we would just sit around and talk about the things that fascinate us. Amanda, Curtis, and James come across as real people, and the only regret you’ll have is that you’ll spend a lot of time wishing they were your friends.

This podcast is humorous, charmingly rambly, and informative all at once. It’s always fun listening to their discussions and banter and I never fail to learn something interesting each episode and always look forward to the next one. This podcast is a hoot and if you don’t mind a bit of rambling then it’s well worth a listen, it’s such great fun.

I think I’ve reviewed before but maybe it went away over the years... When you’re a graduate student trying to learn the literature, you often end up going to journal clubs, where you and a bunch of grad students sit around and try to do your best posturing-as-professors with dissecting the papers. You often go off topic, have cutting tangents referring to things no one has brought up in 3 years, and overall try to figure out if you can understand a paper well enough to see its flaws, and yet also see its promise. PAD delivers this experience in perfect simulacra, and I love it. I don’t this podcast speaks broadly to paleontology or even *wants* to, instead I think it’s just a great place to hear people try to see what is interesting in a couple of papers that looked way more interesting from the titles. Heck I have even been offended by some criticisms, but I don’t care anymore, because I really its really just showing how genuine they are, which is pretty true - regardless of alcohol percentage of the beer of choice. Also, love the Fiasco sessions! If conferences weren’t so exhausting I would suggest a game (maybe something shorter, like Lady Blackbird) could be arranged one evening during a meeting...

Reminds me of lunchtime discussions in graduate school. Needs more brachiopod content.

I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent listening to this podcast. I have finished every episode twice and am going on a third time around. Very funny hosts (especially after a few drinks) and an awesome subject to podcast on. Even if you don’t know anything they explain everything (as good as drunk scientists can). Give it a shot.

Can’t listen to this. The badinage is not as entertaining as real information would be, and it goes on for way too long.

At first I wasn't sure if I liked this podcast just because the meat of every episode is buried in talk and banter of the three hosts. But the digressions are frequently hysterically funny, and after a few episodes I find I'm interested in what the hosts are up to. It's like listening to your most intelligent, witty friends who like to occasionally discuss paleo- (sorry, palaeo-) related papers.

Other science podcasts may be a little (or a lot) more straightforward, but this one is the most fun to listen to. It feels like hanging out with a bunch of your snarkiest, nerdiest, not exactly soberest friends - who also happen to have a lot of expertise on a fascinating field. I spend most of my day glued to a screen working alone, and so I’ve ended up listening to a lot of podcasts. This one has become one of my favorites; keeps me awake, makes me smile, and teaches me a thing or two.

I love the more technical approach, but it’s often hard to follow with constant digression. The team is so intent on being cute and smart, I find myself just cringing between the real content and the posturing. I just wish they would spend that time with more background on the actual discussion topics. There is no shortage of podcasts ranting about movies, but intelligent talk about paleontology today, which has become so diverse and interesting, is not that common. I don’t mind argument, even beer influenced, if it’s on topic. The negative generalizations don’t help us a ton either. Point out problems, by all means. But less Fox News please. I’d love hear more about what excites the cast, less ranting about their frustrations. There are wonderful moments in the podcast, but the price to hear them can be high at times. Now, I’m sure there are fans who love it as is, but come on guys, you don’t have to impress us to this degree. Have fun, but don’t forget many listeners are really tuning in to learn more about current Paleontology, not how to use the F-word. We all know how to do that. :)

I'm not a paleontologist or even a biologist, but I enjoy the heck out of this show. The 3 hosts review a couple of paleo-related papers in every podcast, heavily laced with vehement editorializing, eccentric personal asides, weird pop cultural digressions, and colorful invective. I don't always have a clue what they're talking about (and sometimes I don't even care--there's not a single thing I want to know about brachypods [sp?], now or ever), but the podcast gives me the pleasant illusion that I'm totally hip with their science-nerd in-jokes. The only con would be that sometimes they forget to provide all the background explanations that outsiders could use (though Curtis, to give credit where it's due, does try.) Also, not sure if they take requests, but I'd love a few more episodes grappling with paleaobotany. And would it be possible to dip into paleoanthropolgy occasionally? Just as a sort of field trip into an adjacent field of study?

This is an excellent podcast in the ever burgeoning section on podcasts on palaeontology. The three hosts provide good explanations on topics related to the subject. Occasional diversions serve as necessary breaks from the heady material, but you'll leave each episode knowing more about the subject area.