The Sound Of Science | Shark Throuple

Summary

---

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: The Sound Of Science | Shark Throuple
Date: October 5, 2025
Host: Stephen Colbert
Core Team: Sidekick/Co-host, Science Segment Host, Assistant/Producer

Episode Overview

This lively episode of "The Late Show Pod Show" pivots around Stephen Colbert's signature comedic wit, the team’s banter, and a quirky “Sound of Science” segment. The key highlight? A playful deep dive into unusual scientific news—shark mating, enigmatic dinosaurs, and dazzling ocean photography. Listeners get Colbert’s trademark humor interspersed with surprising scientific headlines, all delivered with irreverent warmth.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pistachio Banter and Nut Technology (00:00–03:19)

• Nutty Introductions: Stephen and his team riff on Wonderful Pistachios with an extended comedic segment about snack choices, pistachio technology, and nut-based wordplay.
  • Stephen reminisces: “I was the wonderful pistachio spokesman for years. Yeah, I have a real close association with nut meat.” (00:09)
• Flavor Innovations: The team marvels at the array of new pistachio flavors (sea salt & vinegar, jalapeno lime, dill pickle, smoky barbecue), underscoring the rapid advancement of "pistachio technology."
  • Quote: “You see, it's been a while since I've been the spokesman for wonderful pistachios. I didn't realize we'd achieved new pistachio technology.” – Stephen Colbert (01:40)
• Pure Absurdity: Multiple nut puns and wordplay escalate, with the team repeatedly joking, “Nut me, nut, nut me with nut meat,” punctuating the show’s light, absurd tone.

---

2. The Sound of Science Segment (04:01–07:41)

Host: Science Segment Host (not explicitly named, but plays Colbert’s science correspondent role)

a. Unprecedented Shark Throuple (04:28–05:43)

• News Item: For the first time, a trio of leopard sharks mating has been captured on film in the wild.
• Comedic Spin:
  • Colbert quips about the new "Avatar" movie referencing marine mating rituals:
    “Man, the new Avatar is weird. Is that the way of water?” – Science Segment Host (04:32)
  • The event’s scientist, Dr. Hugo Lasausse, is cheekily referenced as publishing in "Shark Perv."
• Quote: “The freaky fish way over here was captured by shark researcher Dr. Hugo Lasausse... you can read all about his findings in next month's issue of Shark Perv.” – Science Segment Host (04:37)

b. Pachycephalosaur’s Allure (05:43–05:58)

• Discovery: Oldest, most complete dome-headed dinosaur fossil (pachycephalosaur) unearthed in Mongolia—adding insights into these enigmatic creatures.
• Comic Noirish Interlude: Science Segment Host transforms the dinosaur into a film-noir drifter, turning the fossil into an object of mystery and metaphorical allure, complete with “wispily smoking to forget.”
  • Quote: “No, I'm not from around here. I'm just passing through. Been on a run ever since the incident. Now I just look wistfully into the distance and smoke to forget.” – Science Segment Host (05:58)

c. Ocean Photography of the Year (06:30–06:47)

• Showcasing Winners: Reveling in the artistry of photos, featuring a larval pufferfish, a dwarf minke whale, and two squids mating.
• Running Theme: Colbert and the Host return to shark throuples, looping the episode’s motif of unusual animal couplings.

d. Behind-the-Scenes Antics (06:47–07:41)

• Safety First: To execute a “stupid dinosaur cigarette bit,” the Science Segment Host reveals necessity of a fire marshal on set, humorously introducing "Ed with the extinguisher.”
  • Quote: “What y'all don't know is just so I could do that stupid dinosaur cigarette bit, we had to have like a fire marshal over here. This is Ed.” – Science Segment Host (07:09)
• Teamwork Highlight: Banter about trusting one another, leading to jokes about dinosaurs, fugitive runs, and snacks.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Nut me, nut, nut me with nut meat.” – Stephen Colbert (03:05)
• “It's basically a flavor roller coaster in a nut.” – Stephen Colbert on jalapeno lime pistachios (01:48)
• “Man, the new Avatar is weird. Is that the way of water?” – Science Segment Host (04:32)
• “No, I'm not from around here. I'm just passing through. Been on a run ever since the incident. Now I just look wistfully into the distance and smoke to forget.” – Science Segment Host as a noir pachycephalosaur (05:58)
• “What y' all don't know is just so I could do that stupid dinosaur cigarette bit, we had to have like a fire marshal over here.” – Science Segment Host (07:09)

---

Episode Timestamps (Content Only)

• 00:00–03:19 — Pistachio banter, nut humor, snack flavor innovation
• 04:01–07:41 — "The Sound of Science" segment: shark mating behaviors, dinosaur discoveries, ocean photo awards, safety antics

---

Tone & Language

• Colbert’s signature: playful, quick-witted, slightly absurd humor with improvisational riffs
• The team’s energy: supportive, quick banter, with everyone in on the joke
• Science segment: Spoofs popular science coverage while still sharing genuine facts, wrapped in comedic commentary and over-the-top dramatization

---

For New Listeners

You’ll enjoy this episode if you love:

• Science facts spiced with humor and pop culture references
• Puns, banter, and irreverent discussion of trivial news
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses of Colbert’s crew and their comedic process

No prior listening required, just a love of laughter and odd science.

Transcript

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, everybody. Stephen Colbert here about to read the copy for our sponsor. This is from our friends at Wonderful Pistachios. And I was the wonderful pistachio spokesman for years. Yeah, I have a real close association with nut meat. Okay. You know what they say when they reach for a snack? Don't hold back. And that's exactly the approach with Wonderful Pistachios. The don't hold back snack. These little wonders are so tasty, it feels like getting away with something. But surprise. Each serving has 6 grams of protein and 0 grams of regret. That's right. No guilt. Just glory, glory in our nuts. Whether it's a satisfying crack of in shell pistachios, and that's capitalized in shell, or the smooth, instant gratification of no shells. No judgment. That's just it. Just eat. No judgment. I take issue with one thing. It's instant gratification. It's super tasty smooth.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

It's a hard nut smooth.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly. I mean, even out of the shell, it's still a nut.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

We can't disparage the nuts.

[Commercial Voice]

You.

[Science Segment Host]

I'm not disparaging the nut.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm describing the nut.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Don't disparage any flavors.

[Assistant/Producer]

I'm not.

[Stephen Colbert]

I am celebrating the pistachio right now. I'm on board. I love pistachios.

[Assistant/Producer]

I love.

[Stephen Colbert]

I love crushed pistachio. Like a pistachio crusted trout. Oh, unbelievable. Instead of a trout amandine, a trout pistachio. Fantastic. Enough butter?

[Science Segment Host]

Who cares?

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Very good.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I love pistachio ice cream.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Have you had the sea salt and vinegar? Wonderful pistachio. It's delicious. I get them.

[Stephen Colbert]

I didn't even know I get them.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Before the softball games.

[Science Segment Host]

But that's.

[Stephen Colbert]

You see, it's been a while since I've been the spokesman for wonderful pistachios. I didn't realize we'd achieved new pistachio technology.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. Wonderful pistachios has every snack style covered. Right now. There's an obsession with jalapeno lime. There is an obsession session. It's almost a disorder. It's spicy, it's zesty. It's basically a flavor roller coaster in a nut. Snacking on the go. Grab a bag of no shells. Feeling contemplative and want to work for it a little. So earning it, they're saying if you want to earn your nut, crack open those in shell beauties. Either way, it's snacking like a champ. So the next time hunger strikes, don't hold back. Unless it's a hunger strike.

[Science Segment Host]

And Then it's important that you do.

[Stephen Colbert]

Because whatever you're doing that for, I'm sure it's a worthwhile cause. Snack like you mean it with wonderful pistachios. Visit wonderfulpistachios.com to learn more.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

That was a wonderful.

[Stephen Colbert]

I wonder what more there is to learn. We just told them so much.

[Science Segment Host]

We just told them so much about pistachios. But evidently there's a whole other world.

[Stephen Colbert]

There's an unexplored vista.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

They got a bunch of flavors. They got dill pickle, jalapeno lime, as we learned, smoky barbecue. There's a lot of different flavors.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. And I would not disparage any of them.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

No, no, no.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bring it on.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Nothing bad to say.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nut me, nut, nut me with nut meat.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

We're nut.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, we got nothing but nut. Nutty, nutty, nutty, nutty. Talk about, talk about, talk about, talk about nutty.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Good mint is still $15 a month for premium wireless. And if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should. One, it's $15 a month. Two, seriously, it's $15 a month. Three, no big contracts. Four, I use it. Five, my mom uses it.

[Science Segment Host]

Are you.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a try.

[Commercial Voice]

@Mintmobile.Com Switch upfront payment of $45 per three month plan. $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer, first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com, it's the late Show Poncho with Stephen Colbert.

[Science Segment Host]

Folks, as I'm sure you know, I love science. In fact, it was my favorite class in grade school, right after English, History, Spanish, and the class where I got repeatedly hit in the face with dodgeballs. Math. And because I love science, I like to tell you all the latest science news in my science segment, the Sound of Science.

[Assistant/Producer]

Hello, science, my old friend.

[Science Segment Host]

First up on the Sound of Science. Thank you. First up in undersea threesome news, a leopard shark trio was captured mating in the wild for the first time. Man, the new avatar is weird. Is that the way of water? The freaky fish way over here was captured by shark researcher Dr. Hugo Lasausse, who spotted the female with two males grasping her fins and decided to record as he knew, quote, something was going to happen. Saying the filming event was so exciting, you can read all about his findings in next month's issue of Shark Perv. Next up on the Sound of Si, the oldest and most complete fossil of A dome headed dinosaur was found in Mongolia. And researchers say the fossil tells us more about pachycephalosaurs, the most enigmatic dinosaurs.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, and there's nothing more alluring.

[Science Segment Host]

Than an enigmatic pachycephalosaur.

[Assistant/Producer]

Hi. Hi. Hi. Me?

[Science Segment Host]

No, I'm not from around here. I'm just passing through. Been on a run ever since the incident. Now I just look wistfully into the distance and smoke to forget.

[Assistant/Producer]

You good.

[Science Segment Host]

Next up in science, the Ocean Photographer of the Year awards just took place. And there were lots of winners who took stunning photos. Like this one of a larval pufferfish. Or this one of a dwarf minke whale. Or this photo of two squids mating.

[Stephen Colbert]

Look, I don't want to bother y'.

[Science Segment Host]

All, but you down to meet three leopard sharks. Wow. Wow. And a very alluring dinosaur. What y' all don't know is just so I could do that stupid dinosaur cigarette bit, we had to have like a fire marshal over here. This is Ed.

[Assistant/Producer]

He works here. You ready?

[Science Segment Host]

Cause I can't do this. I can't do this without you standing there with that extinguisher.

[Stephen Colbert]

No.

[Science Segment Host]

Safety first. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube.

[Stephen Colbert]

Channel for more clips and exclusives.

[Pluto TV Advertiser]

This October, Pluto TV has all the scares, all for free. With fan favorite horror movies like Paranormal Activity, the ring, Scream and 2018 Days Later. Pluto TV stream now pay never now streaming on Paramount Plus.

[Science Segment Host]

Someone is trying to frame us until.

[Stephen Colbert]

Our names are cleared.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

More fugitives from interval like Bonnie and.

[Stephen Colbert]

Clyde with better snacks.

[Pluto TV Advertiser]

NCIS Tony and Ziva now streaming on Paramount plus.