Ologies with Alie Ward - podcast cover

Ologies with Alie Ward

Alie Wardwww.stitcher.com
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.

Episodes

Medieval Codicology (WEIRD MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT ART & MEMES & SNAILS)

Medieval art memes! Human-faced animals! Drunk monks! And a preponderance of snails. Middle Ages manuscript expert, art history communicator, and Medieval Codicologist Evan Pridmore covers: what those golden illuminated Middle Ages manuscripts were made of, who drew them, why were people sometimes naked in them, what art trends came and went – and what does it say about our history and future, immigration politics, antisemitism, what exactly is a Salisbury steak, and so much more. Also: the perf...

Apr 02, 20251 hr 15 min

Domestic Phytology (HOUSEPLANTS) with Tyler Thrasher

Fungus gnats. Overloved cacti. Fiddle fig failures. $20,000 specimens. It’s house plants — and it’s wild, folks. Widely beloved author, artist, house plant expert and Domestic Phytologist Tyler Thrasher joins to talk about root rot, what to grow in a dark basement, the rarest plants in the world, the punishments for poaching them, grow lights for people and plants, houseplant ethics, how to keep your cats from taking whizzes in them, if you should name your plants, how often to repot them, how t...

Mar 26, 20252 hr 34 min

Post-Viral Epidemiology (LONG COVID) Part 2 with Wes Ely

Long Covid Part 2: Treatments. Studies. Histamines. Hormones. POTS. Clots. Hearts. Hope. Highly-respected Long Covid expert, Dr. Wes Ely, is back for all of your listener questions. We also check in with Physics Girl Diana Cowern on her years-long struggle with the disease. So start with Part 1, and then finish up with this episode addressing all your straggling questions, and great advice for patients and caregivers. Follow Dr. Ely on GoogleScholar Buy Dr. Ely’s book, Every Deep-Drawn Breath , ...

Mar 19, 20251 hr

Post-Viral Epidemiology (LONG COVID) Part 1 with Wes Ely

Dr. Wes Ely discusses long COVID, distinguishing it from other post-viral illnesses and addressing skepticism surrounding its existence. He covers symptoms, similarities to autoimmune diseases, and the impact on the vascular system. The episode also touches on the importance of patient-centered care and emerging research, plus the connection between Long COVID and ME-CFS.

Mar 12, 202556 min

Reality TV Sociology (‘TRASH’ TV) with Danielle Lindemann

Nude strangers. Icy roads. Brain rot. True love. Class warfare. Queer visibility. Scripted ad libs. Sociologist, professor, author of the book “True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us,” and straight up Reality TV Sociologist, Dr. Danielle Lindemann studies human behavior through the lens of pop culture and reality TV. Dr. Lindemann lays out the history of the medium, the complexities of why we watch, the effect on society at large, who signs up to be on these shows, how our reactions change to...

Mar 05, 20251 hr 14 min

Field Trip: Activism Art Panel Recorded at WonderCon

Exactly the inspiration you need. Exactly the perfect time. Pass it on to anyone who loves art and/or speaking up. I went to Comic-Con’s little sister, WonderCon, to moderate a panel on protest art with expert Carol Wells, the founder of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics and C. Andrew Hall, from the Spesh Ep: Functional Magic's Environmental Art episode we did in 2021 about the non-profit he founded. So come along to WonderCon – free admission – as we chat about protest art, differe...

Mar 01, 202535 min

Cardiology (THE HEART) with Herman Taylor

It beats. It throws blood. It breaks – but not if Dr. Herman Taylor can help it. He is a physician, professor and director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and an absolute legend. Cardiology is a vast field but Dr. Taylor joined for a 101 on how the heart works, and how to take care of it. Get pumped for valves, tubes, electrical shocks, Grey’s Anatomy glossaries, heavy metal hearts, the effects of long term stress and systemic oppression o...

Feb 26, 20251 hr 21 min

Erethizonology (PORCUPINES) with Tim Bean

Barbs. Grunts. Bone caves. Dogs who got too close. We got porcupines, folks. Dr. Tim Bean of Cal Poly is as charming an ologist you can get, fielding questions about porcupine squeaks, stanks, cartoonish noses, and some romantic gestures that will leave you wanting to bleach your brain. We also cover counting quills, male models, flim-flam about quill removal, how to spot a porcupine in the wild, how to gently detain one for research, and so much more. An absolute instant classic. Follow Dr. Bea...

Feb 19, 20251 hr 13 min

Agnotology (WILLFUL IGNORANCE) Updated Encore with Dr. Robert Proctor

Yes, there is an -ology for that. And yes, we’re airing this episode -– with a ton of 2025 updates -– because it’s never felt more relevant. Dr. Robert Proctor is a Stanford professor of the History of Science and co-edited the book “Agnotology: The Making & Unmaking of Ignorance,” having coined the word 30 years ago. We chat about everything from tobacco marketing, to the sugar lobby, to racial injustice, horse vision, the psychology of the Flat Earther movement, which countries have the highes...

Feb 12, 20251 hr 20 min

Hippopotomology (HIPPOS) with Rebecca Lewison

Do they sweat blood? Will one kill you? What are cocaine hippos? Is Moo Deng… okay? Actual real life Hippopotomologist Dr. Rebecca Lewison explains how hippos have some of the best – and worst – PR. We chat about pet hippos, subspecies, daily diets, the current state of hippo conservation, the absolute chaotic affection we have for pygmy hippos, their role as ecosystem engineers, what’s up with their nostrils, and how to keep a hippo in your pocket. Also: how to flatter your friends into plannin...

Feb 05, 20251 hr 6 min

Thyroidology (THYROID GLAND) with Kepal Patel

Sad? Cold? Hot? Wired? Blame the thyroid. Maybe. In your throat there is a butterfly-shaped gland under a shield-shaped Adam’s Apple and it controls your whole life, kind of. We asked Thyroidologist and surgeon Dr. Kepal Petal of NYU's Langone Hospital about libido factors, radioactive cats, stress and thyroids, how diet can affect them, deciphering labs, flim-flam and how being on TV might save your life. He’s a delight and your thyroid honestly DESERVES the attention. Pass it on to everyone wh...

Jan 29, 20251 hr 17 min

Eco-Odorology (SCIENCE-SNIFFING DOGS) with Kayla Fratt

Dogs doing science. With their faces. As a follow-up to last week’s Ethnocynology episode about humans domesticating wolves, we chat with conservation biologist and Eco-odorologist Kayla Fratt (and her working dog Barley) about how trained animals help scientists. Sit – and stay – to learn how rescue dogs can get their dog-torate degrees, which rewards work when training, dogs on a boat, dogs in the jungle, wolves in the sea, why noses are wet, how your sense of smell is trash, the price of a po...

Jan 22, 20251 hr 4 min

Ethnocynology (HUMANS & DOGS THROUGH TIME) with David Ian Howe

Ancient dogs! Domestic wolves! Anthropology! Archaeology! It’s all Ethnocynology: when humans and dogs started living and working together. The wonderful and iconic David Ian Howe is an educator and professional archaeologist whose focus is canines and people. So let’s curl up and be cute – like dogs – as we listen about breed histories, what evidence we have for doggies being friends, how wolves tamed themselves, why our relationships with canines make us what we are, talking dogs, if it’s fair...

Jan 15, 20251 hr 14 min

Fire Ecology (WILDFIRES & INDIGENOUS FIRE MANAGEMENT) Mega Encore with Gavin Jones & Amy Christianson

As wildfires burn across L.A. — and my neighborhood evacuates — we thought it would be a good time to encore these Fire Ecology episodes so I can literally catch my breath. First Dr. Gavin Jones brings the heat talking 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. After the break, co-host of the podcast Good Fire Dr. Amy Christia...

Jan 10, 20253 hr 37 min

Eudemonology (HAPPINESS) Encore with Laurie Santos

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?” In this encore of an episode favorite, 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 ...

Dec 31, 20241 hr 13 min

Cabinology (CABINS) Encore with Dale Mulfinger

The time is right to revisit cabins: Log cabins, woodsy getaways, A-frame cuties, cottages, tiny homes, lake houses. WE GET INTO IT, including 2024 updates. World famous Minnesota architect, author, professional cabinologist and human delight Dale Mulfinger sits down to discuss everything from what makes a cabin a cabin, to why we bond better surrounded by wood, Scandinavian hygge-ness, where to situate windows, cabin history, horror flicks and vacation activities. Alie sits there starry-eyed an...

Dec 24, 20241 hr 2 min

Castorology (BEAVERS) with Rob Rich

Orange teeth! Vanilla butts! Architecture with twigs! Olde-timey joke books? Field naturalist, conservationist, wildlife tracker and “beaver believer” Rob Rich works with the National Wildlife Federation’s coordination of the Montana Beaver Working Group and answers all of our Castorological questions about: baby beavers, tooth tools, lodges, dams, the sound of water, the slap of a tail, who eats beaver and why, beavers in peril, in folklore, in smut books, in your neighborhood and in your dream...

Dec 18, 20241 hr 25 min

Mnemonology (MEMORY) Part 2 with Michael Yassa

Remembering names! Preventing dementia! Photographic memories! Weed! Goldfish! It’s the thrilling conclusion of Mnemonology with Dr. Michael Yassa, the Director of UC Irvine’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. We talk long vs. short term memories, how smells can pack a wallop of emotions, prosopagnosia (“facial blindness”), the fog of new parenthood, Alzheimer's and other causes of dementia, and tips to keep your brain in tip-top shape. Let’s make some mems. Listen to Part 1 he...

Dec 11, 20241 hr 4 min

Mnemonology (MEMORY) Part 1 with Michael Yassa

How are memories made? Where are they stored? Where do they go? What was I just talking about? Neurobiologist, professor, researcher, and Director of UC Irvine’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Dr. Michael Yassa, joins us for a two-parter deep diving into our memories. Get to know the cells that run your life while he also busts flim-flam, and talks about movie myths, aging and memory loss, childbirth amnesia, what happens when you cram for a test, hormones and memory, that t...

Dec 04, 20241 hr 15 min

Surgical Angiology (VEINS & ARTERIES) with Sheila Blumberg

Vaping and vein health! Covid and clots! Easy bruising! Movie blood! Spider veins! Free socks! The heroic vascular surgeon Dr. Sheila Blumberg of NYU Langone Health let me ask her one million questions about how blood gets from point A to B all day. She explains the difference between arteries, veins, capillaries, and vessels and we cover everything from fainting to teenage movie tropes, how to tie a tourniquet, atherosclerosis, aneurysms, stents and why your leg is asleep right now. View Dr. Bl...

Nov 27, 20241 hr 18 min

Field Trip: A Hawaiian Breadfruit Rev‘ULUtion

What even IS a breadfruit? How do you cook it? Why have Pacific Islanders grown it for so long? Can it solve world hunger? And what does it have to do with an infamous 18th century mutiny on the high seas? Pack your bags and hop aboard for not one but two island excursions to learn all about this rev-'ulu-tionary tropical staple. We start on a breezy Catalina Island dock to hear about the ethnobotany and ecobiology of breadfruit from Dr. Noa Kekuewa Lincoln before making our way to a farm tucked...

Nov 25, 202437 min

Canistrumology (BASKET WEAVING. YES, BASKET WEAVING) with James C. Bamba

Thorny leaves! Embarrassing imports! Basket gossip! Making cool stuff from invasive vines! Renowned weaver and teacher, James C. Bamba, connected more deeply with his Mariana Island heritage through weaving and shares how you know when plant fiber is ready, the anatomy of a coconut tree, how to look a gift basket in the mouth, the baskets that he cherishes the most, how to design with your mind, what he thinks about when he’s weaving, basket jokes he hates the most, and when learning another cul...

Nov 20, 20241 hr 7 min

Ergopathology (BURNOUT) with Kandi Wiens

Exhaustion! Numbness! Anger! You’re stressed out. I get it. Let’s fix it. I cornered one of the world’s experts on Ergopathology, scholar and author Dr. Kandi Wiens, to ask about the causes of burnout, warning signs, what professions are more at risk, how to recover from burnout and prevent it in the future, which was the focus of her book, “Burnout Immunity.” We also chat about neurodiversity, hockey mascots, childhood trauma, how do you tell your boss you're burned the F out, grit, and guilt. ...

Nov 13, 20241 hr 7 min

Odonatology (DRAGONFLIES) with Jessica Ware

They’re acrobatic fliers with long bodies and veined wings and their babies breathe through their butts: dragonflies. Let’s get into the difference between a damselfly and dragonfly, how fast they dart around, how big they were in the age of the dinosaurs, sci-fi aviation inspiration, mating choreography, attracting them to your yard (maybe to eat them) and lots more with scholar, American Museum of Natural History curator, and dragonfly expert: Dr. Jessica Ware. Visit Dr. Ware’s website and fol...

Nov 06, 20241 hr 14 min

Field Trip: I Take You to the Making of a Mural

Folks, come with me. We’re hanging out under some train tracks late at night in Philadelphia doing street art. As the promised companion piece to our wonderful Modern Toichographology episode on murals and street art, this Field Trip takes us to where the action happens, chatting with several muralists as they work on their 17-foot paintings lining Front Street. You’ll meet UNAPXLXGETIQ, El Toro, and Iris Barbee Pendergrass a.k.a. These Pink Lips, Donna Grace Kroh, and Mr. Scoot and learn about ...

Oct 30, 202434 min

Confectionology (CANDY) with Susan Benjamin

Licorice opinions! War chocolate! Candy corn origins, circus peanut secrets, the sourest sourballs, and your great aunt’s purse. Stay until the very end for the biggest shocked laugh I have ever had on this show. The incredibly charming author, journalist, candy historian, and Confectiologist Susan Benjamin chats about everything from apothecary origin stories, ethnobotany, having horehound on hand, the warheads that could save you, vegan candy controversy, sugar sources from beets to corn, Turk...

Oct 23, 20242 hr 47 min

Momiology (MUMMIFICATION) Part 2 with Salima Ikram & Kara Cooney

Coffin engravings! Archaeology ethics! Linen wrappings! Repatriation! Sexy hippos! We’re back with more mummies in this Part 2 with the wonderful Drs. Salima Ikram & Kara Cooneywho chat about animal mummies, eating mummified remains, plant resins, the debate over human sacrifice, coffin reuse, Egyptian tourism, the worst temple gift shop in history, and what happens if you’re late to your own funeral. Also: is all religion magic? Let’s get into it. More Spooktober episodes Visit Dr. Cooney’s web...

Oct 17, 20241 hr

Momiology (MUMMIFICATION) Part 1 with Kara Cooney & Salima Ikram

Linen wrapping. Expensive resins. Sarcophagi. Preserving for eternity – or until someone raids their tomb. It’s a brand-new Spooktober episode with not one but two guests: Dr. Salima Ikram is a professor of Egyptology and expert on mummification of both people and animals, and is joined by veteran guest from the Egyptology episode, professor and author Dr. Kara Cooney. The two chat about mummification techniques, how food studies lead into the pyramids, controversy over the word “mummy,” whiffin...

Oct 09, 202452 min

Urban Rodentology (SEWER RATS) Encore with Bobby Corrigan

Let’s kick off Spooktober with… RATS: They love pizza. They invade taquerias at midnight. They scurry. They cuddle. They outsmart. They inspire movies that inspire musicals. Proving that not just woodsy megafauna can be charismatic, rats have lives we would never suspect. Globally-lauded Urban Rodentologist Dr. Robert Corrigan, or Bobby if you like, has been studying these animals in their big-city ecosystem for decades and he is a wonder-filled joy. Learn about rats’ origin story, the differenc...

Oct 02, 20241 hr 19 min

Modern Toichographology (MURALS & STREET ART) with Conrad Benner

Murals! Frescos! Graffiti! Street art! Philadelphia is the birthplace of graffiti and the mural capital of the world so we sit down with city historian, journalist, curator, and Toichographologist Conrad Benner to chat about public vs. private art, cultural movements, commissioned vs. um… un-commissioned murals, how mural topics are chosen, how much it costs to make a mural, where to get that money, vandalism and murals and the fine line between, and how everything you do is art. Let Philly’s hi...

Sep 26, 20241 hr 19 min