Kaiju 101

In 1977 a Japanese fishing boat caught something unusual.  Some people suggested that it was a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that went extinct with the dinosaurs (it wasn’t).  The photo of a supposed ‘living-dinosaur’ eventually found its way into Godzilla movie history. In this episode I discuss the history of the incident, the science that solved the mystery, and its place in kaiju lore.   Plus I catch up on whatever it is I missed in the last 6 months Required reading:  Sea-monster or Shark?:An Analysis of a Supposed Plesiosaur Carcass Netted in 1977 Monster Talk:Fins & Fossil Footprints Talk Origins-Response to the claim that ‘living fossils’ refute evolution The Plesiosaur Directory   Redacted credits from Godzilla 2014 

This episode I do something a little different, no Kaiju science.  Instead I had writer Jase Short on to talk about some of the deeper meanings and themes of kaiju movies.  We had a fantastic conversation and Jase almost made sound smrt. Make sure to check out his blog, it includes some of the more thoughtful commentaries on the giant monster genre I’ve ever read.  Jase’s can be found here: The Ansible   Some of Jase’s Monster articles The Theory and Appeal of Giant Monsters The New Godzilla Movie: Was It About Anything King Kong Retrospective Does Fiction Have To Have A Deeper Meaning? Further Reading Fossils, by DG Valdron Monsters Of The Market: Zombies, Vampires and Global Capitolism Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction Daikaiju! Giant Monster Tales China Mieville Interview  

Godzilla vs The Smog Monster is definitely… unique.  But as weird as it was it was trying to say something substantive about an important issue.  It’s a weird trippy movie, and one that certainly polarizes fans.  Though it seems to have undergone a renaissance lately, with fans holding in higher regard than they used to (for some just for the camp value).  In this episode I talk about acid mist, acid rain and the worlds response to it.   Also I talk to Keith Foster, author of Kodoja, about his Godzilla, Kung Fu and their respective screen time trends.  And don’t forget to go contribute to the Kodoja kickstarter campaign.   Acid Rain – Wikipedia Environment Canada – Acid Rain Kodoja Kickstarter on SciFi Japan No clearing the air over neighbor’s pollution– Article about cross border pollution between China and Japan.  Not discussed in the episode, but still worth reading. Hydrolysis   Kaiju Quality Control! Here’s the graph Keith and I were referring to in the interview show the slight negative correlation between monster screen time and movie quality. As always the complete data set can be viewed here  

Legendary’s Godzilla has come and gone, and it has made a decent amount of money.  Enough to warrant two sequels. It also raised a few scientific questions. Questions about his massive size, sexual selection, EMPs, and the MUTO life cycle.   In this episode I review some of those questions, and I also talk to Kyle Yount of the Kaijucast about his Kickstarter campaign. Hail To The King: 60 Years of Destruction Documentary Also… sorry about the quality.  There is some hissing and cracking, I tried my best to clean it up. Perhaps I was hit with my own low level EMP attack. Reviewing the Science of Godzilla for Plausibility and Imagination The impossible science of Godzilla’s gait Could Godzilla Exist In Real Life? Here’s The Science Behind That Very Question (VIDEO) The Ever Increasing Size of Godzilla: Implications for Sexual Selection and Urine Production Nuke Your City VSauce3 Youtube Channel

In this episode I look at  how Godzilla spends his winters.  In King Kong Vs. Godzilla, Godzilla emerges from his icy tomb and walks straight into a simian smackdown.  But how long was he in there?  And what does it take for a giant reptile, and regular sized reptiles, to survive during hibernation.  Also I’ll tell you how much I loved the new Godzilla (OMG I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!) and about mushrooms that eat radioactivity for breakfast.  Also I have an animated bee and a robot playing the drums.  Best. Episode. Ever.

How many hot-air balloons do you need to float a 50 million pound drunk gorilla? Does Godzilla migrate? And why do his fins glow blue? All the answers can be found within 1962’s King Kong Vs. Godzilla! This episode marks the first episode of a new era for the podcast. It’s time to take this show to the next level (whatever that means). More content, more episodes, still in bite size episodes! Cherenkov Radiation The Frog in the Stone-Skeptoid Dinosaur Migration Electroreception Electric Eels Drunk Gorilla

Can people cause volcanoes? Should you spoil the new Godzilla for me?   Tip o’ the hat Erik Klemetti from Wired whose article (linked below) supplied the bulk of the information for this episode.   Stories are not spoiled by spoilers How to Trigger a Volcanic Eruption on Purpose

I’M BACK!!  In this episode I talk about Son of Godzilla and weather control, specifically cloud seeding,  and whether (get it!?) the experiments used by the scientists in the movie get anything right. I also explain my absence and give an update on the Kaiju Quality Control.   Does Cloud Seeding Work?  Cloud Seeding Wiki Can China Control The Weather? ‘Cloud Seeding’ not effective Difference Between Climate and Weather

What does the Red Bamboo and a mysterious yellow liquid have to do with boat maintenance!?  Yeah, this one is about paint, luckily I keep it short and sweet. Happy New Year! Anti-fouling paint – Wikipedia Focus on IMO (pdf) Kaijucast Emergency Broadcast

Rodan! Sonic Booms!  MATH!  This episode has it all!!  I also talk a little about viral marketing, trailers and the warming of the cockles of my heart.     NASA Fact Sheet Sonic Boom Wiki Preliminary Airborne Measurements For The SR-71 Sonic Boom Propagation Experiment (PDF)

  In this episode I talk a little about Robert Oppenheimer, a little about Godzilla  1985 and migration, and a little about a little project I’m undertaking.     Robert Oppenheimer Bio Magnetic Orientation In Birds (pdf) Avian Orientation Bird Migration Wiki

  Kaiju 101 has returned!  Your 3rd favorite kaiju based science podcast has returned to the airwaves.  In this episode I discuss the hypothetical horrors ravaged on the world by the Oxygen Destroyer, and how humans have already made those condition a reality here on earth.  Also I make fun of Godzilla: Final Wars… which is always cathartic. See you in September!  Just kidding…

  *SPOILER* *SPOILER*  I talk about Godzilla: Half Century War, and the stuff that happens at the end.  Listen if you dare. Also, I talk about the awesome stuff I get in the mail. Big thanks to Keith Foster for the music! Kodoja

In which I discover that giant insect are not only non-existent,they’re also physically impossible.  I also talk about the week that was and having Godzilla filming in my hometown. The Biology Of B-Movie Monsters The Physics Of The Large And Small (PDF)     P.S.  I use the term ‘Bug’ colloquially to refer to all arthropods.  In reality ‘bug’ refers to one  order of insects, hemiptera.  This is only likely to come up if you’re chatting with an entomologist.

In this episode I take a look at Moth reproduction in order to solve the age old mystery: Where did that egg come from?