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Ologies with Alie Ward

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.

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1 hr, 21 min•
25 Jun

Crotalology (RATTLESNAKES) with Emily Taylor

Fangs. Rattles. Misconceptions. Crawl out from under your rock for the angelic rattle of one of the world’s most maligned, misunderstood, gorgeous, mysterious, efficient creatures. Herpetology professor, rattlesnake scientist and thus, Crotalologist Dr. Emily Taylor discusses why rattlesnakes deserve our love, the parenthood strategies of rattlers, how to avoid getting bitten, dog rattlesnake training, rattlers’ relationships with squirrels, antivenom, vaccines, mattress trivia, mood snakes and who gets bitten the most. Hint: it’s not hikers. July 13-19, 2025 celebrate the Inaugural Snake Week and check out ProjectRattleCamVisit Dr. Taylor’s website and follow her on Bluesky and InstagramBuy Dr. Taylor’s book, California Snakes and How to Find Them, on Bookshop.org or AmazonHer latest book, California Lizards and How to Find Them, is also available on Bookshop.org and AmazonA donation went to The Rattlesnake ConservancyEmily’s Rattlesnake Perception Survey: take the pre-survey, listen to the episode, then complete the post-surveyMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Herpetology (REPTILES), Saurology (LIZARDS), Fearology (FEAR), Sciuridology (SQUIRRELS), Acaropathology (TICKS & LYME DISEASE), Forest Entomology (CREEPY CRAWLIES)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Crotalology (RATTLESNAKES) with Emily Taylor
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1 hr, 25 min•
18 Jun

Aquaculture Ecology (SUSTAINABLE OCEAN FOODS) with Ben Halpern

Farmed versus wild. Basement shrimp hustles. Mangrove drama. Anthropology. Animal welfare and plant-based diets. Climb aboard to meet UCSB’s super cool dude, researcher and Aquaculture Ecologist, Dr. Ben Halpern. You’ll hear about sustainable food sources, land vs. sea farming, bycatch, shellfish guilt, salmon who wear makeup, global marine populations, ditching iceberg for seaweed, and a gentle nudge toward vegetables. Progress over perfection; every little step counts.Visit the Halpern Lab and browse Dr. Halpern’s publications on ResearchGateA donation went to the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)More episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Macrophycology (SEAWEED), Oceanology (OCEANS), Pectinidology (SCALLOPS), Ichthyology (FISHES), Carcinology (CRABS), Entomophagy Anthropology (EATING BUGS), Echinology (SEA URCHINS & SAND DOLLARS), Ursinology (BEARS), Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Road Ecology (ROAD KILL), Agnotology (WILLFUL IGNORANCE), Castorology (BEAVERS), Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE COOKING), Black American Magirology (FOOD, RACE & CULTURE)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Aquaculture Ecology (SUSTAINABLE OCEAN FOODS) with Ben Halpern
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1 hr, 25 min•
14 Jun

Bonus Episode: THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. Let's read it together.

Have you ever read every word of The U.S. Constitution? You don't have to, because I read it with my mouth into your brain in this weird but vital episode on civil liberties. And of course, there are little sidenotes to make sure we both understand it. There has never been a better time to know what your legal protections are. This episode is a follow up to Nomology (CONSTITUTIONAL LAW) with the legendary law scholar Franita Tolson, the Dean and Carl Mason Franklin Chair in Law USC’s Gould School of Law. Start there for the basics and learn why knowing your rights and using your voice can change the future.Be safe. Stick up for yourself, and each other.Listen to our 2019 episode: Nomology (THE CONSTITUTION) with Franita TolsonA donation went to the American Civil Liberties UnionMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Political Sociology (VOTER TURNOUT & SUPPRESSION), Museology (MUSEUMS), Agnotology (WILLFUL IGNORANCE), Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY), Genealogy (FAMILY TREES)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, Steven Ray Morris, and Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio ProductionsManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Bonus Episode: THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. Let's read it together.
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1 hr, 30 min•
11 Jun

Macrophycology (SEAWEED) with Patrick Martone, Charles Yarish, Danielle McHaskell, Angela Jones, and Becky Swerida

Moonlit seaweeds. Dreamy underwater forests. Mounds of beach debris. Not plants. Let’s talk about where seaweed grows and whether or not it will save us all. Macrophycology means “big-ass algae” so let’s join five dazzling seaweed enthusiasts: guest-in-chief Dr. Patrick Martone of the University of British Columbia, UConn Professor Emeritus and “grandfather of seaweed farming” Dr. Charlie Yarish, seagrass scientist Becky Swerida, and marine science PhD students Danielle McHaskell and Angela Jones. We’ll chat about what’s hidden in its cells, the best ones to eat, how fast it grows, how deep it gets, cold vs. tropical seaweeds, what to do if your vacation pictures feature mounds of sargassum, and whether or not kelp can kill a chicken. In next week’s episode, you’ll hear all about the aquaculture of cultivating and eating things from the seaweed to shellfish to shrimp farmed in a basement doughboy. Not really a two parter but two episodes that are friends and hang out in the same circles. Visit the Martone Lab and follow Dr. Martone on Google ScholarGet the Seaweed Sorter app developed by Dr. MartoneFollow Dr. Charles Yarish on Google ScholarFollow Danielle McHaskell on InstagramVisit Angela Jones’ websiteFollow Becky Swerida on InstagramDonations went to Raincoast Education Society, GreenWave, and Black in Marine ScienceMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Oceanology (OCEANS), Island Ecology (ISLANDS), Cnidariology (CORAL), Tardigradology (TINY SEMI-INDESTRUCTIBLE WATER BEAR MOSS PIGLET CREATURES CALLED TARDIGRADES), Bryology (MOSS), Echinology (SEA URCHINS & SAND DOLLARS), Lutrinology (OTTERS), Ethnoecology (ETHNOBOTANY/NATIVE PLANTS), Dendrology (TREES), Forensic Ecology (NATURE DETECTIVE)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Macrophycology (SEAWEED) with Patrick Martone, Charles Yarish, Danielle McHaskell, Angela Jones, and Becky Swerida
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1 hr, 15 min•
4 Jun

Cryptology (SECRET CODES) with Simon Singh

Secret ciphers. Hidden treasure. Enigma breakers. Mysterious manuscripts. And … hog Latin. Cryptology expert and author of “The Code Book,” Simon Singh finally lets me ask him about the small mistakes that lost huge battles, the prison plots of Mary Queen of Scots, a cryptology reality show that I wish existed, the legacy of Alan Turing, Indigenous code-talking war heroes, hiding messages in your skin and guts, the role of A.I. in future deciphering and the possibility of a quantum computing apocalypse. Also: one whole ball of wax that you do not want to get into. Visit Dr. Singh’s website and follow him on Bluesky and XBrowse Dr. Singh’s books including The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography, available on Bookshop.org and AmazonA donation went to GiveWellMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Egyptology (ANCIENT EGYPT), Momiology (MUMMIFICATION), Curiology (EMOJI), Graphology (HANDWRITING/FORGERY), Anagnosology (READING), Oneirology (DREAMS), Salugenology (WHY HUMANS REQUIRE HOBBIES), Architectural Technology (COMPUTER PROGRAMMING), Neurotechnology (AI + BRAIN TECH), Artificial Intelligence Ethicology (WILL A.I. CRASH OUT?), Abstract Mathematology (UH, IS MATH REAL?)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

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1 hr, 13 min•
28 May

Urocyonology (LITTLE GRAY FOXES) with Bill Leikam

Bushy tails! Stinky butts! Faces so cute you weep! Let’s talk foxes – specifically the little gray ones you never knew you loved. Fox behavioral expert, researcher, conservationist, author of “The Road to Fox Hollow” and Urocyonologist Bill Leikam chats about fuzzy foxes, baby names, parental strategies, where they live, what they eat, advice for potential pet owners, how to observe foxes, how tiny foxes wound up on islands, which foxes need conservation, Silicon Valley foxes, and why a fox on the couch is worth 1000 in the bush. Also: what do they smell like? And what do they say? Buy Bill’s book: The Road to Fox HollowA donation went to the Urban Wildlife Research Project. Watch the documentary: The Foxes, my Professors: Bill Leikam and the Gray Foxes of Silicon ValleyMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Ethnocynology (HUMANS & DOGS THROUGH TIME), Lupinology (WOLVES), Felinology (CATS), Procyonology (RACCOONS), Lutrinology (OTTERS), Sciuridology (SQUIRRELS), Castorology (BEAVERS), Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE), Nassology (TAXIDERMY), Cynology (DOGS)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

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