
304 episodes

Ologies with Alie Ward Alie Ward
-
- Science
-
-
4.9 • 17.9K Ratings
-
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.
-
Laryngology (VOICE BOXES) with Ronda Alexander, Part 1
Voices! Singing! Anxiety busters! Breathing! The absolutely magnetic, charismatic Laryngologist and surgeon Dr. Ronda Alexander makes her long-awaited Ologies debut to chat about why we sound the way we do, hormones and voices, Elvis accents, opera singing, kid voices, turning back time vocally, coughing, sleep apnea, acid reflux, vocal fry, Mariah and more in this stellar two-parter. Come back next week when we answer so many burning questions.
-
Aperiology (MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY) Encore with Joseph Saunders
Lights! Cameras! Arachnids! And lizards and bees and beetles. Macro photography is like magic: curved glass gives an entirely new take on the world, from dust on a cricket’s brow to a curious mantid stare to the elegant symmetry of spider whiskers. Joseph Saunders is an Oklahoma-based wildlife photographer whose larger-than-life photos of bugs and reptiles will make you realize just how little we appreciate the creatures on our window sills and skittering up our porches. We talk shop about cameras, bug hunts, lenses, patience, Moth Week, BlackAFinSTEM, and also getting into nature with different mobility concerns. Alie is a shameless, rabid fan of Joseph and asked Patrons to help concoct an -ology to describe the art + science of his macro photography. Aperiology now exists to describe the tiny aperture used to keep these creatures in focus, and the huge world it opens up to us.
-
Oneirology Part 2 (DREAMS) with G. William Domhoff
Part 2 is here: Lucid dreaming! Teeth falling out! Medications and dreaming! The source of creativity! Even how to clean your brain. Dr. G. William Domhoff has studied dreams for decades and returns to answer an absolute deluge of questions with his wisdom and aplomb. By the end, you’ll know to sleep better, why it’s important, how to relax like a fish, if cheese alters your subconscious, why your dog flaps their paws during naps, and rejoice about a freshly discovered part of the brain. Ooooh, it’s an instant classic.
Dr. G. William Domhoff’s book: The Neurocognitive Theory of Dreaming
His website: dreambank.net
This episode is wonderfully sponsored by Saatva.com/ologies
Donation will be made to Worldwide Indigenous Science Network and toward dream research at UC Santa Cruz
More episode sources and links
Other episodes you may enjoy: Somnology (SLEEP), Chronobiology (CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS), Personality Psychology (PERSONALITY), Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS), Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD) Part 1 and Part 2, Eudemonology (HAPPINESS), Dendrology (TREES), Thermophysiology (BODY HEAT), Ursinology (BEARS), Cicadology (CICADAS), Opposumology (O/POSSUMS), Chiropterology (BATS)
Sponsors of Ologies
Transcripts and bleeped episodes
Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes
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
Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media
Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer
Theme song by Nick Thorburn -
Oneirology Part 1 (DREAMS) with G. William Domhoff
WHY do we dream? What do dreams mean? What parts of our brain are working after-hours? We sought out UC Santa Cruz researcher and professor Dr. G. William Domhoff, a world expert on the topic, for this dream-come-true episode. Learn about historical dream research, dream researchers collect dream reports, how neurodivergence affects dreaming, why you should set an alarm to go to bed, how remembering dreams can help solve problems, and more about REM myths! We’ll be back next week to answer all your questions and dig even deeper. Also teeth dreams: WHY.
-
Bonus Episode: Secrets, Advice + Ask-Me-Anything
It’s a weird rambling bonus episode for the lonely week between the holidays and New Years! I thought I’d serve up a mellow hang full of secrets, a retrospective of the things that kept me relatively sane this past year, life hacks, science-backed ways to improve your mood, and a jaunty Q&A from Patrons. It’s not a normal episode, but just a little hello and check-in from your internet dad. Happy 2023, kiddos. Be good to yourself.
Follow Alie’s TikTok:
A donation went to the Trevor Project
More episode sources and links: alieward.com/ologies/bonusama
Other episodes you may enjoy: Eudemonology (HAPPINESS), Awesomeology (GRATITUDE FOR LITTLE THINGS), Field Trip: How to Change Your Life Via the Natural History Museum, Field Trip: I Go France and Learn Weird France Stuff, Life Advice: For anyone who is tired, 100th Episode: Best Advice I’ve gotten from Ologists
Sponsors of Ologies
Transcripts and bleeped episodes
Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes
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
Editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media
https://jarrettsleeper.bandcamp.com/track/its-ok-to-be-tired
Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer
Theme song by Nick Thorburn -
Smologies #19: EVOLUTION with John McCormack
Another G-rated edit of a classic! This Smologies with Dr. John McCormack of Occidental College is all about evolution, Darwinism, birds, bacteria, natural selection and how our mutations can be our greatest strengths. Also: breaking down terms like genetic drift and Linnaean taxonomy and why Charles Darwin had to face haters under his own roof. (For the adult version, the full-length episode is linked below.)
Follow John McCormack on Twitter or the Moore Lab of Zoology on Instagram
Full length (not classroom-friendly) episode + tons of science links here
A donation went to: BirdNet.org
More Smologies episodes!
Other full-length episodes you may enjoy: Condorology (CONDORS), Primatology (MONKEYS & APES), Gorillaology (GORILLAS), Ornithology (BIRDS)
Sponsors of Ologies
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, 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
Customer Reviews
Love this podcast!
I recently found this podcast - what took me so long? - and I'm so glad I did! I learn something from every episode and it's so enjoyable! Alie is funny and I love the asides she makes to explain things or just to share something about herself. The ologists she interviews are so interesting and open to answering all kinds of questions. Listening to this podcast always makes me smile. I have several years of episodes to catch up on so I am set for a while!
Frank Zappa’s “Valley Girl”
I think you totally misunderstood the meaning of that song. You bashed it on your episode about linguistics. Frank Zappa is an extremely influential musician and is the opposite of homophobic. I think you should look more into people before saying something like that.
What the Hyoid?!
Thanks Pod Dad, I am squeeing so hard this week! I LOVE the larynx and singing, and anatomy. and talking about the hyoid. I teach speech therapy students and have now added Ologies to my syllabus. So glad you have joined the phonation nation. Cannot wait for part two.
KathrynAAC