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This week we jump from stand-up comedy, missing co-hosts, and fallen plant heroes in Real Life into pre-life genes, ancient genetic risks, and cosmic-scale evolution in Future or Now — before closing out with Predator: Badlands, franchise nostalgia, and a deep appreciation for Yautja lore. Real Life Ben was not present this week. The official explanation given: he's out marrying his sister. We chose not to ask follow-up questions for legal and emotional reasons, and instead moved forward with cautious respect and mild concern. Devon had a far more socially acceptable outing, hitting a comedy show and discovering a cool new cocktail bar right next to the venue — which is objectively the correct pairing for live comedy. He caught sets from Heather Shaw (https://www.instagram.com/heathershawiskidding/) and Tyler Elliott (https://www.instagram.com/tylerelliottcomedy/), both of whom absolutely delivered. Tight pacing, sharp jokes, and the kind of live energy that reminds you comedy hits different when you're in the room instead of watching clips online. Steven, meanwhile, has been locked into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and is fully endorsing it. Strong characters, grounded storytelling, and that classic slow-burn worldbuilding that rewards patience. On the tabletop side, his MCC game took a brutal turn when a player character died — goodbye Plank the Plantient. A true legend. A photosynthetic casualty. The kind of loss that only high-lethality RPG systems can deliver with a straight face. Future or Now Devon brought in a genuinely mind-bending scientific development: researchers are finding duplicated genes that appear to have existed before the last universal common ancestor of all life on Earth. In other words, parts of the genetic toolkit may predate what we traditionally define as "life" itself. By tracking these rare, ancient gene duplications, scientists can reconstruct how early cells may have functioned and what biological features emerged first. It pushes the origin story of life further back than expected and turns evolution into less of a starting point and more of a long prologue. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260210082913.htm This spiraled naturally into broader science discussion, including a Veritasium breakdown of complex scientific ideas and some internet discourse around aliens and political commentary, because no modern science conversation remains purely scientific for long. Veritasium: https://youtu.be/XX7PdJIGiCw?si=dRNcQst0xU_XKcYE Brian Tyler Cohen (Aliens & Obama discussion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0438rjwS7c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZP90ldOByo&t=134s Steven followed with a topic that sounds mythological but is very real: the so-called "Celtic Curse," better known as hereditary hemochromatosis. Researchers have now mapped the genetic risk across the UK and Ireland, identifying major hotspots in north-west Ireland and the Outer Hebrides. In some regions, roughly one in 60 people carry the high-risk gene variant linked to iron overload. The dangerous part is how quietly it develops — symptoms can take decades to appear, yet untreated cases can lead to liver cancer, arthritis, and other serious complications. It's a reminder that genetics isn't just about ancestry curiosity; it's about long-term health awareness. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260221000332.htm Book Club Next week's reading is All You Zombies by Robert Heinlein (1958), which means we are heading directly into time loops, identity paradoxes, and classic golden-age sci-fi mind-bending territory. https://lecturia.org/en/short-stories/robert-a-heinlein-all-you-zombies/19420/ This week's discussion centered on Predator: Badlands and, naturally, the broader Predator franchise as a whole. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator:_Badlands We talked about our personal history with the series, how it evolved from pure action-horror into something closer to mythological sci-fi, and where Badlands lands within that spectrum. Devon was a bit mixed on some of the action beats but still enjoyed the overall experience, while Steven leaned much more positive — especially when it came to the expanding Yautja lore. The cultural codes, the hunting philosophy, and the deeper worldbuilding continue to be the franchise's strongest hook. It's less about "monster shows up" now and more about an alien warrior culture with rules, hierarchy, and legacy, which makes revisiting the older films even more interesting in hindsight. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow the show, share it with a friend who loves sci-fi, genetics, and chaotic pop culture discussions, and check out our Patreon for bonus episodes, playlists, AI images, unedited recordings, and access to our Discord community. Come hang out, talk books, science news, and sci-fi with us — and don't forget to read All You Zombies before next week, because the timeline is about to get weird.
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Join Australian Traitors Annabel Claire Fidler and Australian Survivor's Philly Ferguson ( Aka ChiliPhilly) as they discuss THE END GAME, ALL STARS, A PLANK and more on a recap of Episode 10 of The Traitors US Season 4. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Happy Friday everyone!! Jim Jefferies joined us to chat about his upcoming tour in Australia later this year. The Voters are back and we had two listeners pitch to them why they want cash money $$ The Diary is back with the best bits on and off the air Have a great weekend! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports on a signficant loss for President Trump before the Supreme Court.
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KREF's Chris Plank joined John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara to give an opponent preview as Vols hoops prepares for Oklahoma.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
KREF's Chris Plank joined John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara to give an opponent preview as Vols hoops prepares for Oklahoma.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
KREF's Chris Plank joined John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara to give an opponent preview as Vols hoops prepares for Oklahoma.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sermon by James Plank Don't Lose The Treasure of Your Heritage Kansas State Holiness Association 2016 www.ihconvention.com
In this episode, I am joined by Stephen Brewster, founder of The Harmony Group, and Chelsea Plank, Worship Director at Southeastern University and leader of SEU Worship. Together, we explore how creativity and worship work together to communicate the Gospel, what it takes to build healthy creative cultures in the Church, and how SEU Worship is forming the next generation of spiritually grounded leaders. Don't miss this conversation on Kingdom creativity, authentic worship, and leadership that shapes culture for years to come.
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Sooner baseball's head coach, Skip Johnson, comes on to look ahead at the season ahead with opening weekend starting TODAY!
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Chris Plank and Arnie Spanier react live as the Seattle Seahawks dominate the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX! Steve DeSaegher delivers the best stats and outliers. Mary Mac has insight on Bad Bunny's Halftime Show. The guys debate who wins MVP and much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Our Aussie superstar Jacob Elordi was once described as a 'Plank of Wood".... but he has proven this certain troll very wrong and has revealed how he turned an insult into an Oscar nomination!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.