Licorice opinions! Chocolate rations! Candy corn origins! The incredibly charming author, journalist, candy historian, and Confectiologist Susan Benjamin chats about everything from the sourest of sour candies, ancient chewing gum, sugar sources from beets to grains to honey, Turkish temptations, what a sugar plum even is, and how candy became a treat made for anyone to enjoy. An instant classic. Visit Susan Benjamin’s historic candy company True Treats Buy Susan’s latest book, Fun Foods of Amer...
Oct 23, 2025•28 min
“People fear most what they understand least." Words of wisdom from explorer, American treasure, and bat expert Dr. Merlin Tuttle. Alie headed to the bat capital of Austin and sat down with the legendary chiropterologist to discuss what a bat actually is and why we don’t need to be so frightened of them, how big they get, what's up with their smushy noses, bat chatter, echolocation, sleeping upside down, bat besties, how to spot them after the sun sets, and how it feels to get slapped by a bat. ...
Oct 16, 2025•28 min
PUMPKIN PUMPKIN! Not only a thing to scream while passing a patch, but also the name of the book by author and human delight Anne Copeland. Yes, she's so charmed by pumpkins that she dedicated a whole book to exploring their folklore, history, planting protocol, care, and cooking. Alie stops by her house in the rural hamlet of Yucaipa, California to chat about everything from creation myths surrounding pumpkins to the secret medicinal properties of pipitas, loving pumpkins (warts and all), and t...
Oct 09, 2025•25 min
Spine mysteries, face purses, limericks, flim flam, flags, divebombs, sibling rivalries, and more! The warm and wonderful pelicanologist Juita Martinez studies these glorious dinosaurs and shares what it’s like to hold a floofy baby sea bird, how these birds’ ecosystems are being restored, and what she loves about being in nature. Also: How much fish can they fit in there, anyway? A donation went to BackyardBasecamp.org Full-length (*not* G-rated) Pelicanology episode + tons of science links Mor...
Oct 02, 2025•25 min
Mushrooms! Spores! Fairy rings! Humongous fungus! The incredibly charming and warm Dr. Tom Volk, world-renowned mushroom expert, welcomes Alie into his office to dive deep into the underground world of fungal enthusiasts: Giant communication networks, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, the tastiest varieties for the mushroom-averse, foraging, and the unexpected way mushrooms help gobble up the planet’s waste. Dr. Tom Volk's awesome fungus website Donations were made to DonateLife.net and The Mycologica...
Sep 26, 2025•25 min
Classical Archaeologist and TV host Dr. Darius Arya joins us to dish about priceless garbage piles, pottery graveyards, tomb discoveries, what's under European cities, ancient spa days, ingenious construction methods, and unlikely laundry techniques. Plus, what did Ancient Romans use before toilet paper - and perhaps more importantly, WHY?? Dr. Darius Arya's website and Instagram A donation was made to AncientRomeLive.org Full-length (*not* G-rated) Classical Archaeology episode + tons of scienc...
Sep 18, 2025•25 min
Fairy tales. Fables. Heroes’ journeys. Star Wars. Disney princesses. And yes, some ancient Greek and Roman myths. Professional mythologist and screenwriting consultant John Bucher spins some yarns and unravels some mysteries behind what makes a good story and why we need them. Also: why we are always re-booting old tales and what dreams have to do with mythology. John Bucher's website and Instagram Full-length (*not* G-rated) Mythology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies ...
Sep 11, 2025•25 min
Ah, charismatic megafauna! Teeth, claws, fur, poop, hibernation, hiking, 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, carnivore microbiomes, how well carnivores can taste and smell their food (and yours), how smart the average bear really is and more. Also: Is there such thing as a vegetarian...
Sep 04, 2025•25 min
Why were postcards invented and why do they still exist? Why do we fib about our vacations and say they’re better than they are? Alie stopped into the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan and talked to curator of 40+ years, Donna Braden, about her work with the postcard collections -- as well as her musings about how we create our stories about ourselves, why Americans love to hit the open road and what the biggest postcard you're allowed to mail is. Listen while riding off into the sunset or...
Aug 28, 2025•25 min
This one’s got it all: teeny tiny cellular factories, mitochondrial relevancy, what big smelly vats of poop have to do with curing cancer, how many trips to the sun your unravelled DNA could make, and mysteries of the brain. Dr. Raven The Science Maven has a background in molecular biology and a Ph.D in Science Communication, which she puts to work while Alie generally does her best to suppress high pitched noises of excitement. Learn to appreciate your proteins and pick up some noodle analogies...
Aug 21, 2025•25 min
Butterflies are… gross. Yes they are delightful and beautiful and part of any idyllic picnic-scape, but lepidopterologist, TV host and jungle explorer Phil Torres is here to gossip about how shamelessly disgusting our favorite bugs actually are. Learn their secrets, their feasting habits, how they turn themselves into goo and then into another creature, what flowers to plant to attract them, and what moths have to do with it all. Visit Phil's website at Phil-Torres.com and follow him on Bluesky ...
Aug 14, 2025•26 min
When were glasses invented? What happened back then if your horse stepped on them? How is the digital age changing adults’ and kids’ vision? The first half of this special episode about Optical Technology features the charmingly hilarious director of the Museum of the Eye in San Francisco, Jenny Benjamin. Then we bop over to Houston, Texas for the ultra-knowledgeable real-life optometrist, Dr. Nadia Sledge to chat about how to keep your vision healthy and your glasses intact. Also: how you would...
Aug 07, 2025•29 min
Plumage! Dance battles! Possible holographic disco birds? Natural History Museum of LA ornithology curator Dr. Allison Shultz is a professional plumologist aka feather expert. We visit the museum’s collection of rare specimens and chat about everything from fossilized dinosaur feathers to peacock tails, the fanciest roosters, quill pens, pigments, flight feathers, the blackest black birds, and why birdwatching is like seeing tiny purple raccoons zoom overhead. Birds: like Pokemon Go but weirder....
Jul 31, 2025•26 min
What exactly is “fun?” How will you know when you’re having it? What’s a fun magnet? Catherine Price is an award-winning journalist and author who spent years researching the science of fun for her book “The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again.” She let me lob many questions at her including: what’s the difference between happiness and laughter and fun, how can you have more of it, do animals have fun, and is it the same for everyone? It’s a fun one, I promise. Visit Catherine’s website and fo...
Jul 24, 2025•25 min
At just 22, Iddris Sandu’s life story was already legendary. This Architectural Technologist learned to program at the age of 11 and has worked with everyone from Kanye West to Nipsey Hussle to Space X. In this episode from 2020 we talk coding, holograms, what ancient flutes have to do with computers, how programming works and why it's important. The designer and entrepreneur also shares his favorite programming languages, philosophies on future technology and why we should all strive to be dyna...
Jul 17, 2025•25 min
SHAAAARKS. Leading shark researcher Dr. Chris Lowe dishes about why sharks get a bad rap, antibiotic mucus, 120 year old teenagers, eye lasers, and how to snooze when you’ve got to keep swimming. Alie learns that sharks are not the ocean's bad guys but true evolutionary marvels who suffer from sensationalized reputations and sometimes inside-out butts. Listen up as a science primer during this, the Week of the Shark. Dr. Chris Lowe's SharkLab at Cal State University Long Beach Follow the CSULB S...
Jul 10, 2025•25 min
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....
Jul 03, 2025•25 min
What IS an island? How do birds and plants and mammals GET there? What happens when they stay? Dr. Andy Kraemer studies how life populates and survives on hunks of remote rock and chats all about the Galapagos Islands -- where he does his research. We address the smallest island in the world, the largest, some bananas biological adaptations, Darwin's finchy mistakes, shrinking skeletons, and of course, pirates. Donations went to islandconservation.org and ecologyproject.org Full-length (*not* G-...
Jun 26, 2025•25 min
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 A donation went t...
Jun 19, 2025•25 min
It’s time. Otters. Sea otters. River otters. Big beefy otters. Tiny otters. Giant river otters. Dr. Chris J. Law, a professional Lutrinologist, shares tales about coastal vs. inland otters, magical teeth, lustrous fur, rock pockets, kelp naps, hand holding, toilet habits, and why otters make you trust them, despite the fact that you should perhaps not trust an otter. Dr. Chris J. Law’s website and sci-art Follow Dr. Chris J. Law on Bluesky A donation went to SeaOtterSavvy.org Full-length (*NOT* ...
Jun 12, 2025•26 min
How long can we live? How much of aging is genetics vs. environment? How old are your cells? What can we learn from the world’s oldest people? World-renowned aging expert and biogerontologist Dr. Caleb "Tuck" Finch takes a quick break from his prolific research at USC to answer Alie's sometimes basic questions about everything from molecules to Blue Zones. A donation was made to Cure Alzheimer's Fund Full-length (*not* G-rated) Biogerontology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smo...
Jun 05, 2025•21 min
Squids. Cuttlefish. Octopusseseses. The world's most impassioned squid nerd, Sarah McAnulty, picks Alie up in her squidmobile to talk about raising cephlopods from eggs, their personalities, camouflage, invisibility cloaks, and why she is so charmed by squid. Also addressed: Alien DNA and the Kraken. Follow Sarah on Instagram and Bluesky A donation was made this week to SkypeAScientist.com Follow Skype A Scientist on Instagram and Bluesky Full-length (*not* G-rated) Teuthology episode + tons of ...
May 29, 2025•28 min
The Red Planet. A mysterious dusty orb millions of miles away. Our emergency escape bunker. Alie sits down with Dr. Jennifer Buz to talk about what Mars’s DEEEEAL is, why we send rovers there, the poetry of the moon Phobos, Martian sunsets and whether we could landscape Mars to look like a golf course. Jennifer is maybe the chillest areologist on this planet and an absolute gem. You're going to want to look at Dr. Jennifer Buz's website JNNFR.BZ Full-length (*not* G-rated) 2-part Areology episod...
May 22, 2025•22 min
Soil! Dirt! Earth. Dr. Lydia Jennings, aka Native Soil Nerd, breaks down the stuff under our feet and explains everything from electrons in soil to why it can be different colors. Also: medicine from microbes, dirt versus soil, why we should care about the ground beneath out feet, and what makes the smell of rain so fantastic. Follow Dr. Lydia Jennings on Bluesky and Instagram Her website: nativesoilnerd.com A donation went to RisingHearts.org Full-length (*not*G-rated) Indigenous Pedology episo...
May 15, 2025•25 min
Yep. Here it is. A kid-friendly episode on… poop. Camel poop. Rhino poop. Dog poop. Cat poop. Your poop. The charming and informative Dr. Rachel Santymire -- aka Dr. Poop -- has a background in animal physiology and endocrinology and is elbow deep in dung as a research director at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Dr. Poop sits down with Alie to talk turds and why some critters like to chow down on their own (or others’), the stinkiest poopers, good smelling poop, how getting curious about poop can help sav...
May 01, 2025•22 min
They are numerous. They are patient. They are COMING for the United States in droves this spring: They are cicadas. *The* Cicada guy Dr. Gene Kritsky joins to chat all about the annual cicadas you may see every summer vs. the periodical ones that cycle through the states in broods of giant numbers. Learn how they survive underground for decades, what they are doing down there, and all about their lifecycle. Plus, get inspired to take a cicada safari and appreciate their songs, which can be as lo...
Apr 24, 2025•25 min
The biggest eggs! The smallest eggs! The rarest eggs! Oologist Dr. John Bates gave Alie a tour of the egg vault at the Field Museum of Chicago and it was a barrage of beautiful sights and shocking facts about bird butts. Get ready for speckly eggs, pointy eggs, egg art, reptile eggs, mammal eggs, Easter bunny confusion, and whether or not you should snack on a bucket of cookie dough. Field Museum of Chicago The Book of Eggs Full-length (*not* G-rated) Oology episode + tons of science links More ...
Apr 17, 2025•26 min
Thunder and lightning: very, very frighteningly interesting! Wildfire researcher and lightning scientist Chris Giesige answers questions about thunderclaps and lightning flashes in a laid back way that will put him at the top of your Fulminologist list. He explains everything from clouds to positive and negative charges, the link between lightning scientists and firefighters, volcanic lightning, ice particle mosh pits, how many gigawatts in a lightning strike, and how to enjoy a storm without ge...
Apr 10, 2025•22 min
Feathery gills! Adorable smiles! Cultural icons! Habitat ecology! And superhuman limb regeneration? It’s an entire episode on axolotls. You either love these aquatic salamanders, or you’ve never heard of them. Clap your tiny slimy hands for Ambystomologist Dr. Jessica Whited, who raises and studies these beautiful creatures. Also discussed: their narrow niche, the ecology movement to save them from wild endangerment, pet care ethics, color morphs, green glowing genetically modified ones and so m...
Apr 03, 2025•27 min
Ahoy matey, we’ve brought ye another ensmol’d episode of Ologies, this time on: Shipwrecks. We get to talk with maritime archaeologist and wreck nerd Chanelle Zaphiropoulos about her experiences with Shipwrecks, treasure, carbon dating, admirals worth admiring, ancient technology recovered from the depths of history, The Bermuda Triangle, and generally life as an underwater wreck detective. Follow Chanelle on Instagram and Bluesky A donation went to Diving with a Purpose Full-length (*not* G-rat...
Mar 27, 2025•25 min
