Ologies with Alie Ward

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, masks, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

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Sound editing by Steven Ray Morris, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media and Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions

Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Emily White, & Erin Talbert

Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lemurology (LEMURS) with Lydia Greene Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

How did these tree-hopping furry angels evolve to be the cutest thing in the world, objectively speaking? They have saucer eyes, wet noses, chunky tails, toe claws, matriarchies, a feature film starring role, and all the mystery of 100 species spending millions of years on a remote island. Wildlife ecologist and official Lemurologist Dr. Lydia Greene finally joins me to bust flim-flam straight out of the gate and talk about Madagascar, aye-ayes, ring tailed lemurs, Zoboomafoo, evolutionary biology, hibernation, jumping, hopping, these endangered primates’ conservation, and so much more. If you thought you liked lemurs, just wait until you’re obsessed with them.

Visit Dr. Lydia Greene’s website and follow her and Dr. Marina B. Blanco on Instagram @lemurscientist

A donation went to the Mahaliana Labs

Other episodes you may enjoy: Gorillaology (Gorillas), Geology (ROCKS), Sciuridiology (SQUIRRELS), Dasyurology (TASMANIAN DEVILS), Primatology (MONKEYS & APES), Wildlife Ecology (FIELDWORK), Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Island Ecology (ISLANDS), Philematology (KISSING), Procyonology (RACCOONS), Raccoonology (PROCYONIDS), Oppossumology (O/POSSUMS), Ursinology (BEARS), Scatology (POOP), Urban Rodentology (SEWER RATS), Phenology (SEASONS), Conservation Technology (EARTH SAVING)

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Quasithanatology (NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES) with Bruce Greyson Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Tunnels of light. Unconditional love. Visions of dead aunts. And a lot of questions. What happens when you die… or almost die? GOOD QUESTION. Dr. Bruce Greyson chats about about brain activity during death, accounts from patients, out of body experiments, time dilation, the Swiss Alps, deathbed visions, accidental morgue visits, neurotransmitters, party drugs, religion vs. spirituality, and what matters most in life. As a world-renowned and respected psychiatrist and neurobiologist, he’s sought out answers for four decades and shares what we know – and don’t know – about the border of alive and unalive. Get out your phone and some scissors because it’s a real crush-texter & bang-cutter of an episode.

Visit Dr. Bruce Greyson’s website and shop his book, After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond

A donation went to the International Association for Near-Death Studies

Other episodes you may enjoy: Scotohylology (DARK MATTER), Quantum Ontology (WHAT IS REAL?), Cosmology (THE UNIVERSE), Astrobiology (ALIENS), UFOlogy (UNEXPLAINED AERIAL PHENOMENA), Thanatology (DEATH & DYING)

Full-length (*not* G-rated) Scorpiology episode + tons of science links

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Smologies #33: SCORPIONS with Lauren Esposito Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY.

Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248

Scorpions: the victims of undue shade. A handful of people on planet Earth have a PhD in scorpions and Dr. Lauren Esposito is one of them. She spills the beans on how venom works, what's up with the blacklight glow effect, how dangerous they *really* are, what all the movies get wrong, the best names for scorpions, where she's traveled to look under rocks, where a scorpion's butt is, if scorpions dance (SPOILER: YES), what good mothers they are, and how big they used to be millions of years ago. Get this one in your ears right away.

Learn more about Dr. Lauren Esposito on Wikipedia and follow her on Twitter

A donation went to Islands & Seas

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, masks, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Sound editing by Steven Ray Morris, Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media

Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Emily White, & Erin Talbert

Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Syndesiology (CONNECTIONS) with James Burke Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

He’s the guy pointing to a NASA launch behind him, in the most legendary shot in television history. He’s a science historian and Apollo Program correspondent. He’s the creator, host, and writer of the long-running program “Connections.” He is a science communication hero to millions and a global treasure. He is James Burke, and he chats about how connected historical events are, and how connection between humans is vital. We also talk about Napoleon’s toothpick, dog pee, shipworms, writer's block, TV shoots, and his new Connections season on Curiosity Stream. Also: (surprise!) they gave me a spinoff called “Quick Connections.”

Watch Connections with James Burke on Curiosity Stream and Alie’s spinoff, Quick Connections with Alie Ward

Browse books by James Burke including Connections and American Connections: The Founding Fathers. Networked.

A donation went to National Energy Action

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Pedagogy (SCIENCE COMMUNICATION) with Bill Nye, TikTokology (SCICOMM) with Hank Green, Molecular Biology (PROTEINS & SCICOMM) with Dr. Raven Baxter, Futurology (THE FUTURE), Eudemonology (HAPPINESS), Cosmology (THE UNIVERSE) Encore, Astrobiology (ALIENS), Maritime Archeology (SHIPWRECKS), Classical Archaeology (ANCIENT ROME), Egyptology (ANCIENT EGYPT), Delphinology (DOLPHINS), Mythology (STORYTELLING), Geology (ROCKS), Curiology (EMOJI)

Links to these books (& the Ologists’ episodes)

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Audiobook Mixtape 3: Gift Ideas from the Ologists’ Brains Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

You like Ologists. Ologists write books. You like books, so let’s dive into a new, curated sampler platter from your favorite guests’ books.. Fill your ears with dark carnivals, boney catacombs, Rocky Mountain bears and wolves, flies you should love, maggots that make you beautiful, fungus that might be evil, why you should not care what other people eat, queer dolphins, invisible moose, monkey facts, fitness/mental health tips, and how to save money at the salon. Let this melange of literary snippets serve as a refresher of favorite episodes, a teaser for ones you haven’t heard, or just a gentle nudge toward a bookshop. (Or the link below to buy online.)

2019’s Audiobook Mixtape 1 Episode

2021’s Audiobook Mixtape 2 Episode

A donation went to 826LA.org

Full-length (*not* G-rated) Nephology episode + tons of science links

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Smologies #32: CLOUDS with Rachel Storer Nov 25, 2023

Show notes

ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY.

Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248

Cumulus! Lenticular! Venti sugar-free stratocumulus stratiformis translucidus undulatus! Those light and fluffy things that hang overhead weigh thousands of pounds and form under all kinds of conditions. Cloud doctor and nephologist Dr. Rachel Storer chats about why she loves clouds, the different varieties of them, what makes it rain, whether sailors delight at red skies at night, why clouds are never square and where we can find diamond rain.

Visit Dr. Rachel Storer's website and follow her on Twitter

A donation went to WWF's Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Sound editing by Steven Ray Morris, Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio, and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media

Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Emily White, & Erin Talbert

Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Abstract Mathematology (UH, IS MATH REAL?) with Eugenia Cheng Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Math wants to be friends. Let mathematician, author and Abstract Mathematologist Dr. Eugenia Cheng introduce you to a secret world: the artsy and emotional side of math. Dr. Cheng helps answer the age-old and (recently viral) question, “IS MATH REAL?” We chat about Fibonacci sequences, golden ratios, common core, loving thy neighbor, slide rules vs. calculators, imaginary numbers, the nature of zero, infinite cookies, and more. Turns out that math can change your relationships and permeate your every thought.. if you let it. Also: wtf, Barbie?

Visit Dr. Eugenia Cheng’s website and follow her on Twitter

Browse Dr. Cheng’s books including Is Math Real?: How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics' Deepest Truths (2023), The Joy of Abstraction: An Exploration of Math, Category Theory, and Life (2022), and How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics (2016)

A donation went to Math Circles of Chicago

Other episodes you may enjoy: Quantum Ontology (WHAT IS REAL?), Dolorology (PAIN), Fearology (FEAR), Egyptology (ANCIENT EGYPT), Classical Archeology (ANCIENT ROME), Economic Sociology (MONEY/FREAKONOMICS), Tiktokology (THE TIKTOK APP)

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Road Ecology (ROAD KILL) with Ben Goldfarb Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Deer in headlights! Alligators in crosswalks! A possum in the oven? If you love wildlife, this is a must-listen to avoid killing critters with your car. Ben Goldfarb wrote the book on road kill and we chat about: wildlife crossings, skunk smells, moose impacts, ocelot facts, what to do if you see roadkill, how to avoid making more of it, and whether it's okay to pick up a dead thing. Ben is an award-winning science journalist with a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and I’ve waited LITERAL YEARS to talk to him about this topic as he wrote his latest book: “Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet.” Also: flip phones, sleep hygiene, and how to ask your boss for a raise.

Visit Ben Goldfarb’s website and follow him on Twitter and Instagram

Shop Ben’s book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet (2023), and his award-winning first read, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter (2019)

A donation went to Wildlands Network

Other episodes you may enjoy: P-22: The Life & Death of an L.A. Cougar, Cervidology (DEER), Lupinology (WOLVES), Testudinology (TORTOISES), Opossumology (O/POSSUMS), Neuropathology (CONCUSSIONS), Gustology (TASTE), Scuridiology (SQUIRRELS), Acarology (TICKS & LYME DISEASE), Bisonology (BUFFALO), Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE FOODS)

Full-length (*not* G-rated) Indigenous Cuisinology episode + tons of science links

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow @Ologies on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on Twitter and Instagram

Editing: Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts: Emily White of The Wordary

Website: Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song: Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Smologies #31: INDIGENOUS COOKING with Mariah Gladstone Nov 11, 2023

Show notes

ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY.

Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248

Dig in for a bite-sized episode about how native foods aren’t just a part of a past, but an essential and exciting aspect of the future. We talk flower bulbs, acorns, sunflower butter popcorn, frybread debates, mushroom foraging tips, corn magic, puffball mythology, decolonized diets, Instapots and – most importantly – food sovereignty with the WONDERFUL Indigikitchen cooking show host and environmental scientist Mariah Gladstone.

Mariah’s website, Twitter and Instagram

A donation was made to FASTBlackfeet.org