Jennifer Swanson woke up one day and thought, "what have I done with my life?" So at the ripe old age of 5 (yes, FIVE), she wrote and illustrated her first book about science. Since then she didn't do much - other than graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in Chemistry, taught chemistry, got a master’s degree in K–8 Science Education, gave a Ted Talk and wrote 55 more books. Kovi and Benjamin, however, have an assortment of rubber ducks.

As they watched a jar of Nutella float by, Kovi and Benjamin knew right then and there they needed to do an episode about all the goings on aboard Artemis II. From a broken toilet to googly eyes on the CO2 scrubber to the toilet breaking again, it was quite the ride. But also all the sentiment - a message from the first astronaut to go around the Moon, a flag from Apollo 18 that never got to fly, and naming a crater after a loved one.

Dr. Zoe Xirocostas joins Kovi and Benjamin to talk about peer reviews, getting grants for research, the effort behind getting a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA), and creating mutant super plants that can survive any habitat.

How do we explain this one? It's the 'Part Two' of Kovi and Benjamin's previous episode where they were waiting for their guest, Daniel Orvomaa of the Talking Ass podcast, who never showed up. It's 'Part Two' of a double episode done with the Talking Ass - 'Part One' of which is available on the Talking Ass right now. It's also Daniel's third time on the show but only his second time rapid-firing through the Questions & Quibbles at the end. Kovi kicks us off talking about islands and atoms, and then the gang discusses what's going on with our moon missions?

Hot Dogs and Toilet Paper and Action Figures, OH MY! All studied up and ready to record a double episode with the Talking Ass' very own Daniel Orvomaa - Daniel had a scheduling mix up, didn't make it, and that left Kovi and Benjamin just riffing. Well, we didn't get all dressed up for nothing! The boys talk about Vegas shows and try out some new Questions & Quibbles questions for future guests.

There are 1.5 million freshly minted engineers in India every year. One of them, this week's guest Naman Bajaj, said, "well, I guess they've got enough of those," changed course, became an astronomer, scored an insane amount of time on JWST (that, in itself, is amazing - which totally rocked Kovi's and Benjamin's minds), and found that protoplanetary disks - baby solar systems - lose 85-90% of their original mass by the time they're done forming. They do so in tremendous, huge jets - some of which, in turn, spark the beginnings of other baby solar systems.

Kovi and Benjamin were getting their questions and notes in order, preparing for another amazing episode with another amazing guest - when there was a sudden reschedule that left the boys alone, unprepared, and unsupervised. Join the gents as they just talk... well... they way they usually talk - NERD TALK. From NORAD, to data science, to something that goes great with maple, strawberry or blueberry syrup - Zel’Dovich Pancakes!

In this episode, Kovi and Benjamin dive headfirst into the Ig Nobel Prize, science’s annual celebration of research that makes you laugh first and think later. The lads cover everything from the prize’s origins and its wonderfully weird traditions to the unforgettable “winners” themselves, all while celebrating the curious, human side of scientific discovery. It is a reminder that science is not just serious. Sometimes it is very, very funny.

And because the Ig Nobels deserve a little swagger:

Iggy Iggy Iggy, can’t you see

Sometimes your prize entertains me

Thank you, Biggie.