ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY. Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248 Bugs are cool! But are they lunch? Entomophagy Anthropologist Dr. Julie Lesnik is an expert on bug eating and enthusiastically explains how much more sustainable – and tasty? -- it is than other types of animal proteins. We talk about the human past, present and future of ingesting insects, from grasshopper tacos to ant omelettes, cricket wedding cakes, hum...
Jun 01, 2022•23 min
Birds do it. Bees do it. Why the hell can't we do it? Called "The Sleep Whisperer," neurologist and sleep specialist Dr. W. Chris Winter joins for an updated encore of the thrilling 2-parter about why we need sleep, the ideal amount of it, what sleep does to the brain, insomnia, sleep stages, ideal bedtime conditions, and even the historical lore around sleep paralysis. Next week, we'll answer listener questions about everything from sleeping pills to brain performance to insomnia cures to apnea...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Predatory. Sneaky. Deadly. Lifesavers? You think you don’t care about cone snails. But that’s about to change. Conotoxinologists Dr. Sabah Ul-Hasan and Dr. Joshua Torres study these spiral-shelled hunters of the sea. Why all the fuss? Because their venom -– and the microbes that live in it — may hold medical magic that can help us solve problems related to pain and insulin and much more. Also: how long can you live after a cigarette snail strikes you? What happens to researchers who get stung? H...
May 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min
We’ve done Nephrology, Gynecology, and Phallology — but nothing prepared us for this. Penis implants. Road trip pees. Kegels. Bidets. Squirting. UTIs. Clitoral flim-flam. Elephant bladders. Everyone’s favorite Urologist, Dr. Fenwa Milhouse, makes chatting about the uh, juicy stuff effortless and easy. Like peeing should be. She humbly describes herself as a crotch plumber, but she’s so much more: a surgeon, a mentor and an inspiration. Dr. Fenwa Milhouse on TikTok @yourfavoriteurologist or Insta...
May 12, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Insects humming. Birds squawking. Chainsaws buzzing? What does the rainforest sound like? Or the oceans outside of port cities? Is the world getting louder? And what can recording devices detect that our ears – especially mine, Alie’s – can’t? Acoustic Ecologist Dr. Eddie Game of the Nature Conservancy has asked conservation questions over decades of work in 20 countries, and even though his microphone for this interview sucked, his stories and wisdom are a pleasure to hear. Also: is it okay to ...
May 05, 2022•1 hr 2 min
If you LIVE for drama, you will LOVE dead Romans. Wars, backstabbing, opulence and uprisings: a little something for everyone. Classical Archeologist and TV host Dr. Darius Arya is back for an encore of this 2018 classic to dish about priceless garbage piles, lead poisoning, ancient political scandals, pottery graveyards, unearthing sculptures, tomb discoveries, what's under European cities, and how Roman society was a little like America these days. But also a lot different. With new bonus mate...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr 13 min
THE SQUIDMOBILE HAS ARRIVED. Get in losers; we’re talking cephalopods. Yes, she drives a vehicle with squid all over it and encourages people to text her, and we have this encore episode to prove it. The world's most impassioned squid nerd, Sarah McAnulty, gets locked in a basement with Alie to talk about cephalopods, alien DNA, camouflage, invisibility cloaks, why cute things make us bonkers, terrible mating strategies, cute and clever ones and why she is so charmed by squid. Also addressed: Ph...
Apr 21, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Oh boy. This episode may seeeeem crappy but it is certainly not a waste of your time. We’re not kidding, while the episode is of course wonderful, mostly thanks to our wonderful guests, it is also certainly about poopy wastewater and what we can all learn from it. About those terrific guests: we mostly speak with Dr. Amy E. Kirby, Ph.D., MPH of the frickin’ CDC (yes, that CDC) about the National Wastewater Surveillance System or NWSS. Did you know sewer water is not just a feature of teenage mut...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 4 min
The hedgehogs of the sea: echinoids are spiky, spiny, pokey, be-toothed, venomous, mysterious, gorgeous evolutionary marvels. And Dr. Rich Mooi of the California Academy of Arts & Sciences is one of their biggest champions. Come stroll through the offices for a face-to-face encounter with this infectious expert. We talk sand dollars, uni, doves of peace, fire urchins, kelp forests, tiny hats, butt placement, foot eyes and how to find your niche, even if it’s miles below the surface on a rotting ...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Flesh hungry plants. The world’s fastest hunters. Botany with brains? Seymour, it’s time to feed because we’re doing meat-eating plants with conservation ecologist and carnivorous phytobiologist, Hali’a Eastburn. Can a Venus Fly Trap digest human flesh? Do frogs think of pitcher plants as home or hell? How fast is a bladderwort? Are scientists anesthetizing plants? Why exactly DID they name a fly trap after the goddess of love? Also: homicidal plant tattoos, nature’s grossest vending machines, a...
Mar 30, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Pomodoro timers! Bullet journals! Apps, tips, tricks and philosophies. Also: the most mellow episode ever, recorded late at night in a guest room. Like a cozy duvet of wisdom, this one is full of life hacks for remaining productive & healthy during distracting times. I asked Ologites their best strategies for keeping their brains less burdened and organizing everything from schedules to leftovers to sock drawers. In quick 5 chapters: Your Hot Bod Needs This Home is Where the Hard Is Wrestling wi...
Mar 22, 2022•49 min
ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY. Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248 The SMOL version of an ep about smol precious creatures, we're talkin' slimy little angels with bellies for feet... literally! That's what gastropod means! We've got Dr. Jann Vendetti of the Natural History Museum of LA County to talk with Alie about snail-based beauty products, escargot, urban snails, thousands and thousands of teeth, and whether or not yo...
Mar 16, 2022•29 min
Trains. Locomotives. Choochoos. Bullet trains. Hyperloops. Subways. How fast can they go? How did they change American history? Why do people love them? What should we do with all that abandoned track? Can you marry a train? What's it like to shovel coal into a steam engine? Alie went off the rails at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan talking to an official ferroequinologist and curator Matt Anderson -- who confessed to some youthful railroad mischief, delivered a succinct slice of U.S...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Did Part 1 leave you informed and now you need a pep talk? Get ready for an absolute banger of an episode with 5 experts: René Brooks of BlackGirlLostKeys.com, TEDTalk speaker and How to ADHD YouTuber Jessica McCabe and neuroscientist Jahla Osborne of University of Michigan. What is it like to get diagnosed? How do you know which medication – if any – is right for you? Why is there such a spike in ADHD diagnoses during the pandemic? Autism and ADHD: what’s the deal? What accommodations should a ...
Mar 03, 2022•2 hr 31 min
Focus. Productivity. Relationships. Distraction. Neurodiversity. How do you know if you have ADHD? How can you get others to understand your ADHD brain? What are your treatment options and how can they help? In Part 1, we talk racing thoughts, brilliant brains and the causes and effects of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with the world’s leading expert, Dr. Russell Barkley who is A BIG DEAL. Psychologist, retired professor of clinical psychiatry, author and speaker, Dr. Barkley has a pe...
Feb 23, 2022•2 hr 41 min
Gather 'round fellow nerds, you’re about to learn about the wildest not a fern not a bush not a cactus plant you never knew you never knew about: CYCADS. These endangered ancient plants have been around for 270 million years, give or take, and now they’re some of the most valuable vegetation in the world. Come along to learn about these uncomfortably sexy gymnosperms and the international crimes people do to steal them. Also: neurotoxins, Jurassic Park, and one of the best fixes for procrastinat...
Feb 16, 2022•58 min
Ah, charismatic megafauna! Teeth, claws, fur, hibernation, bear hugs, hiking, cougar attacks, nature preserves, and living your childhood dreams with Alie’s longtime -ologist crush, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. The large carnivore ecologist, researcher and TV presenter tells us all about her field work, what it’s like to stuff a baby bear in your coat, how carnivore plasma may one day save your life, balancing a few different stellar careers at once and the launch of her own PBS podcast, Going Wild. Also...
Feb 09, 2022•2 hr 34 min
You have ants. We all have ants, but do we KNOW ants? Get ready for cult-leader queens, bullet ant stings, kitchen pest hacks, the dynamics of a billion-sister megacolony. Dr. Terry McGlynn sits down to have a BIG discussion about itty-bitty creatures in this encore because I was out of town seeing my family and just needed a week off. Learn about tropical ants, urban ants, how they walk on water, which ones are picky eaters, which ones make weird sounds, what ant movies are bunk, and some help-...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 23 min
ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY. Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248 Bundle up for a smol, classroom-friendly episode with Princeton University evolutionary biologist and Thermophysiologist Dr. Shane Campbell-Staton. You’ll learn about everything from heat tolerance to frostbite, anti-freeze woodfrogs to icy alligators, why some people run hot, why your toes run cold, how a fever is like a honeybee, how geography influences ...
Feb 01, 2022•30 min
Shoving elk into a dorm room freezer. The wildest tasting rice. Flower bulbs, acorn whoopie pies, frybread debates, mushroom foraging tips, corn magic, puffball mythology, decolonized diets, squash lasagna, bison harvests, small worlds, Instapots and – most importantly – food sovereignty with the WONDERFUL Indigikitchen cooking show host, environmental scientist Mariah Gladstone, who reminds us all that native foods aren’t a part of a past, but an essential and exciting aspect of the future. LIN...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 26 min
I scream, you scream, we all scream for… a brand new, screaming hot episode of Ologies. Be warned *slaps the top of this ep* you can fit so many screams in this bad boy. (Seriously though, there’s a lot of screaming in this episode, it’s probably not the one to gently fall asleep to.) What kinds of screams you ask? We got birds, foxes, caterpillars, movie stars, children, James Bond? YES. What is a scream? Is it the same as yelling? How far can you hear a scream? Why do we scream at concerts? Wh...
Jan 20, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Slamming heads together to impress someone: why does this happen? Let’s ask Dr. Nicole Ackermans, whose current job involves receiving sheep heads and painstakingly counting damaged neurons from headbutting concussions. The Neuropathology episode last week gives all the concussion basics, but this one turns the microscope away from accidents and points it right at intentional behaviors in nature, from bighorn sheep to musk oxen, goats, woodpeckers, and some other animals that will freak you out....
Jan 13, 2022•33 min
ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY. Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248 Games! Play! Fun! Addiction? Flim-flam? From the origins of tabletop classics to the future of VR, Dr. Jane McGonigal answers our burning questions. This video game developer, TED speaker and bestselling author is an expert on how playing -- and especially video games -- can motivate, soothe and connect us. Will video games turn your child into a future car...
Jan 11, 2022•31 min
Hi, last week I fell down a flight of stairs. Then I went to the hospital. Then I emailed Dr. Mary Alexis Iaccarino, a Harvard Medical School professor and specialist in rehabilitation from traumatic brain injuries. I asked her all about what happens during a concussion, when to be worried, how long it takes to heal, when a person should get their ass to a hospital, what a brain scan can tell us about a head injury, what it CAN’T tell us about a head injury, if you can fall asleep after a head i...
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Here we go: SIX more raccoon experts, because one episode is not enough for the wonders of these terrific trash bandits. Revel in the raccoon love and hear about presidential pets, neuronal density, why raccoonologists walk out on the job, their fabled intelligence, how Aesop factors into raccoonology, and the comfort of the male gaze? Also, treat yourself and your timeline to an upgrade by following these wildlife experts: Hannah J. Griebling, MSc on Twitter animalcognitionlab.org Kelly E. Lane...
Dec 29, 2021•27 min
Tiny hands! Round rumps! Chaos! Compost! Delicious garbage and sweet faces make raccoons as mysterious as they are adored. World class raccoon expert, psychologist and animal behaviorist Dr. Suzanne MacDonald of Toronto’s York University explains tree sleeping, brain worms, cartoon raccoons, queer icons, whether you should keep one as a pet and also: some of the best career and life advice from midnight gremlins eating chicken bones in your driveway. Stay tuned for next week’s part 2 with half a...
Dec 22, 2021•1 hr 4 min
ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY. Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248 Who doesn't love a floppy, slime-filled, hot dog shaped creature of the deep sea? On this Smologies (It's like if Ologies were more Smol) we return to our conversation with Tim Winegard, a professional hagfishologist (YES IT'S A WORD) at Chapman University, and he dishes on the world's slimiest treasures. You're gonna learn about things like why you don't a...
Dec 21, 2021•28 min
How do your knees feel? How do YOU feel about your knees? Buckle up to better your relationship with what some listeners call their most hated and contentious joint. Globally-lauded orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kevin Stone agreed to sit on a porch and explain everything from cracking to popping, patellas to tendons vs ligaments, cartilage donuts, physical therapy, self-surgery, joint juices, sporty injections, cadaver tissues, pig legs, if weight has any effect on knee health, types of arthritis, bion...
Dec 16, 2021•1 hr 28 min
From crisp cider to blistering lava, life advice, climate solutions, the comforts of venison stew, cockroaches in orbit, UFO culture, social justice, dongs, worms, wasps, fireflies, bear orgies, makeouts, disasters, the deep ruts of the patriarchy, and desperate horny bugs. This second-ever “Audiobook Mixtape” has it all. So if you’re near a fireplace but have no book, or haven’t started holiday shopping (like your dear old Dadward VonPodcast) let this casserole of literary snippets serve as a r...
Dec 10, 2021•1 hr 11 min
ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY. Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248 CATS! Kittens. Tigers. Purring. Toys. Litterboxes. We cover it all in this abridged and G-rated Felinology version for Smologites, or just anyone who doesn’t want to listen to swearing with their science. Professional cat behavior expert Dr. Mikel Delgado dishes on domestication, cats on leashes, why they want to sit on your laptop, how to play with cats th...
Dec 07, 2021•29 min
