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PODCAST

Ologies with Alie Ward

Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket full of science knowledge and charming, bizarre stories about what fuels these professional -ologists" obsessions. Humorist and science correspondent Alie Ward asks smart people stupid questions and the answers might change your life.

science

All Episodes

01:14:33

Kinetic Salticidology (DANCING SPIDERS) with...

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/10/20

They dance. They flirt. They will steal your heart. They are spiders. Jumping spiders, specifically, and impassioned spider scientist Dr. Sebastian Echeverri is on board to tell you all about their sexy dances. How far can a jumping spider jump? What makes a good spider dancer? Why are they so cute? Can you sample their mating drumming and make a sick industrial-EDM track that feels like you’re in a Berlin discotheque? Buckle up for the grooviest Spooktober of your life. BUY the sick track

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01:02:18

Chiropterology Part 2 (BATS) Encore with Merlin Tuttle

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/10/12

PART 2: The stunning conclusion of a 3-hour gab session about frickin' bats with America's favorite chiropterologist, Dr. Merlin Tuttle. Learn about bat conversations, their close friendships, surprising dongs, where they keep their nipples, how to go bat spotting after the sun sets, more myths and misconceptions about bat danger, perhaps the grossest thing Merlin has ever put in his mouth, how to hang up a bat house for maximum bat party funtimes, the latest on white nose syndrome and how it feels

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01:40:56

Chiropterology (BATS) Encore with Merlin Tuttle

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/10/12

“People fear most what they understand least." Words of wisdom from explorer/American treasure/bat expert, Dr. Merlin Tuttle. As your internet dad/host takes care of her surgically recuperating husband this week, we revisit her visit to Austin. In 2019, Alie headed to the bat capital and sat down with the legendary chiropterologist to discuss wild field stories and close calls and caves and comebacks and bat chatter and what a bat actually is and how big they get and what's up with their smushy

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01:12:33

Corvid Thanatology (CROW FUNERALS) Encore with Kaeli...

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/10/05

Crows have funerals? CROWS HAVE FUNERALS. The inky black bird with the big brain warns and maybe mourns around their fallen friends and Dr. Kaeli Swift is here to tell us all about it. As an avid wildlife researcher and corvid specialist, she's observed death behaviors that will shock you to your bones and ruffle your hackles -- while somehow also making you cry about peanuts. Also: so much inspiration to keep being yourself and to work hard toward what you love. She is a hero. Dr. Kaeli Swift's

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01:15:09

Pyrotechnology (FIREMAKING) with Ellery Frahm

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/09/28

Grab your fire extinguisher and hang on to your eyebrows, we’re building FIRES today. Now, this is pyrotechnology in the anthropological sense; the kind covered in hair metal concert venue liability insurance will have to wait for another day, no no, these are the kind your ancestors made. Get ready for sharp rocks, hairy jello, sooty caves, glowing coals, iron sparks, burnt feet, wolf skulls, fluffy fungus, molten metal, ember tending and more with Yale anthropologist and pyrotechnologist, Dr

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01:06:59

Opossumology (O/POSSUMS) with Lisa Walsh

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/09/21

Teeth. Tails. Concentric nipples. This not-at-all-rodent has the distinction of being North America’s sole marsupial and so Alie hunted down lauded Opossumologist Dr. Lisa Walsh and launched an absolute torrent of giddy questions. How many ticks do they really eat, can we keep them as pets, how do we all convincingly feign death, opossum vs. possum, fingerprints, orphaned babies, the best possum jokes, the worst ones, venom immunity, bifurcated dongs, space portal vageens, being equally ugly and

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01:15:20

Ciderology (DELICIOUS APPLE BEVERAGE) with Gabe Cook

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/09/15

How ya like them apples?! Well, liquified. And fermented. Author, podcaster, cider-maker and globally lauded beverage historian Gabe Cook, aka The Ciderologist, is an enthusiastic champion of this tragically overlooked drink, and he joins with a bushel full of facts, well-spun yarns and tasting tips. Belly up for a foaming glass of friendly competition, bucolic farmhouses, DIY cider tips, film flam busters, cider recommendations from a pro, and a little ASMR. Cider: that cool friend in the corner

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01:10:33

Eudemonology (HAPPINESS) with Laurie Santos

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/09/08

HAPPINESS RESEARCH, straight up. What is happiness? How do our circumstances affect happiness? Why is the word “gratitude” kinda cringey? What can we do to feel better? Should we feel guilty for feeling happy? When is positivity “toxic?” Yale cognitive scientist, Eudemonologist, and host of The Happiness Lab podcast Dr. Laurie Santos chats about how scientists measure human happiness and what their research has shown helps achieve it, even during the worst of times. Also: silver medal face &

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01:00:33

Spesh Ep: Drawdown Design Project with C. Andrew Hall

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/09/01

Art meets science! Problems meet solutions! Climate change meets … hope? In this atypical episode, things get casual as hell as Alie sits down to talk about the Drawdown Design Project: an illustration non-profit started by filmmaker, Emmy-nominated television editor and longtime friend Andy Hall. When he’s not having to edit Alie on Innovation Nation, Andy is the founder and creative director of the Drawdown Design Project, which commissioned some of the world’s most sought-after artists to

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00:46:59

Is Your Carbon Footprint BS?: How to Save a Planet...

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/08/24

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. You loved her Oceanology episode and now she is in your feed to address everyone’s agonizing internal question: IS MY CARBON FOOTPRINT BS?! I don’t drop a lot of podcast episodes into my precious Ologies feed, but this topic was so wonderfully covered by Dr. Johnson and co-hot Alex Blumberg that I had to do it. And as a bonus, stay tuned for Wednesday’s episode between me and my old friend C. Andrew Hall, the creative director of the non-profit illustration collective,

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00:25:15

Smologies #4: BEES with Amanda Shaw

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/08/23

YA LIKE BEES? You will -- after this short, edited-for-all-ages Smologies cut of our classic Melittology episode featuring President of the Urban Beekeepers Association, Amanda “Mandy” Shaw. We chat about honeybees vs. native ones, hives vs. nests, honey, how to become a beekeeper, social structures, why a queen becomes a queen, how to keep Mason bees as outdoor pets, if you should eat honey to deal with seasonal allergies, and why planting some flowers could make you and the bees pretty

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01:01:35

Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE) with Amy...

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/08/17

Cultural burns. Prescribed blazes. A healthy forest. What exactly is “good fire?” Let’s ask Indigenous fire scientist Dr. Amy Christianson, who is a co-host of the podcast ...Good Fire. This wonderfully generous and informed scholar took a quick break from her Canadian wilderness vacation to fill me in on Indigenous history, collaborations between Western science & First Nations elders, Aboriginal thoughts on cultural burns, flim-flam, evacuations, snowmelt, hunting strategies, land stewardship,

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01:16:50

Fire Ecology (WILDFIRES) with Gavin Jones

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/08/10

As Smashmouth said, “My world’s on fire, how ‘bout yours?” Why yes, Mr. Mouth, it is, indeed, on fire. As so many of us around the globe are sharing in this burning sensation, what better time than now to sit down and fire off a lot of questions at Fire Ecologist, Dr. Gavin Jones. We talk about what fire is, how hot it burns, fire trends, tinderboxes, lots and lots of forest fire flim-flam, tolerant wombats, Angelina Jolie Movies, cunning pine cones, thick bark, Indigenous fire stewardship and more

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00:24:03

Smologies #3: TOADS with Priya Nanjappa

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/08/05

Ohaaay another edited-down, classroom-friendly Smologies! About... toads! Are they frogs? Do they have arms? What do they eat? How long do they live? What’s with the warts? Amphibian enthusiast Priya Nanjappa joins with a toadally awesome episode that will change the way you crouch down and shake hands with your tiny backyard grumpa.(And for the full version with NSFW stories, the link is below.)New full-length episodes of Ologies drop Tuesdays, and new Smologies come out every other Thursday.More

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01:02:07

Systems Biology (MEDICAL MATHEMATICS) with Emily E....

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/08/03

Biological mysteries solved with numbers! Graphs! Patterns! Data points! Systems biology! You never knew it existed, yet it’s keeping us alive. Systems Biologist Dr. Emily E. Ackerman join to chat about why the field appealed to her, how her work shifted during the pandemic, why she wants to scream at Excel sometimes, how computing might replace specific types of animal testing, accessibility in STEM, the immune system, why she loves being a disabled scientist and advocate, the ethics of CRISPR,

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01:04:03

Lampyridology (FIREFLIES) aka Sparklebuttology with...

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/07/27

We’re BACK! With a fresh new episode to light up your life and butt. World renowned firefly expert Dr. Sara Lewis of Tufts University joins to share her love of a bug that many think is merely a mythological delight. Learn how these tiny animals illuminate the night, the dos and don’ts of firefly observation, how to take good firefly photos, femme fatales, pink glowworms, secret languages, artificial lights, what’s up with their population numbers, why Western states can chill out with their

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00:26:35

Smologies #1: THE MOON with Selenologist Raquel Nuno

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/07/20

Introducing… SMOLOGIES. Smaller, shorter, G-rated episodes cut from your favorite classics. Listen to Smologies in classrooms, around people whose language is squeaky clean, and in safe-for-work settings. You get bite-sized info in a jiffy, and I get to reserve my filthy language for our longer, regular episodes that drop on Tuesdays. In this episode, planetary geologist Raquel Nuno chats about when the moon formed, what its made of, how moon phases work, gravity, conspiracy theories debunked, the

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00:19:22

Smologies #2: DINOSAURS with Paleontologist Michael...

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/07/20

Yes, a double dose of short, all-ages episodes to launch Smologies! We cleaned up the full version and polished it into a safe-for-work digest of dinosaur facts and tales from a paleontologist with Dr. Michael Habib. Learn about the economics of a dino dig, his favorite beasts, cloning from amber samples, which museum dinos are real vs. fakes, Jurassic Park flimflam and more. (And for the full version with NSFW stories, the link is below.)New full-length episodes of Ologies drop Tuesdays, and new

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00:26:25

Elasmobranchology (MORE NEW SHARK STORIES) with...

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/07/16

Lemon sharks! Goblin sharks! Bonnet sharks! Whale sharks! And ...sawfish? WE NEEDED A BIGGER BOAT. One shark episode was not enough, during this: The Week of the Shark. Sure, Alie just got married a few days ago, but that doesn’t mean we can’t throw together this bundle of wonder with a few of the incredible researchers from Minorities in Shark Science. Get ready to befriend Jaida Elcock, Jasmin Graham, and Amani Webber-Schultz as they spin yarns about wild field stories, explain why they love

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01:17:54

Selachimorphology (SHARKS) Encore with Chris Lowe

Ologies with Alie Ward ·

2021/07/13

SHAAAARKS. Leading shark researcher Dr. Chris Lowe dishes about bad shark PR, behind-the-scenes Jaws trivia, his thoughts on Sharknado, surfing safety, immune system marvels, cannibal twins, shark personalities, sea sex, and knife teeth in this, an encore-but-refreshed episode with your newly married pod-dad. Alie learns that sharks are not the ocean's a-holes but true evolutionary marvels who suffer from sensationalized reputations and sometimes inside-out butts. Listen up as a science primer

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