Ologies with Alie Ward

Red eyes. Ten-foot wings. And an absolute dumptruck. Let’s get to the bottom of the great American mythology of the world’s sexiest cryptid, Mothman. Haunting the hills of West Virginia in 1966-67, he vanished as fast as he flew. Point Pleasant-raised Jeff Wamsley is the owner/operator of the Mothman Museum and an expert in the legends of this creature. What’s the story? Who is telling it? Is Mothman real? What are some scientific explanations? Do other cultures see a Mothman? Is he even a moth? Is he even a man? Where did he go? Why do we want to see him? Who are the Men in Black? Also: why is he so caked up?

(Content warning: we discuss an entity that likely is not real. I know that. Don’t email me.)

Visit the Mothman Museum website

A donation went to https://save-the-academy.org/

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Other episodes you may enjoy: Spooktober: Topics to Startle and Love, Teratology (MONSTERS), Vampirology (VAMPIRES), UFOlogy (UNEXPLAINED AERIAL PHENOMENA), Disasterology (DISASTERS), Museology (MUSEUMS), Mythology (STORYTELLING), Strigiformology (OWLS), Ornithology (BIRDS), Lepidopterology (BUTTERFLIES), Psychedeliology (HALLUCINOGENS), Cannabinology (MARIJUANA)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Whisks and witches. Bristles and Shakers. Potions and prisons. From making brooms to jumping them, teacher, author, broomsquire, and Broomologist Cate O'Connell Richards gives us the overlooked history of how that broom got in your garage. So light a candle and tuck in for fibers, harvests, how-tos, angel wings, hawktails, besoms, labor laws, Broomcorn Johnnies, utopic communes, wedding traditions, oral histories, care tips and how everything is more interesting with context. Even brooms. Content warning as requested by the guest: when we talk about history, especially witches, there may be mentions of violence, death or sexuality.

Visit Cate’s website and store and follow them on Instagram

A donation went to Prison Arts Collective

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Other episodes you may enjoy: Spooktober: Topics to Startle and Love, Canistrumology (BASKET WEAVING), Ceramology (POTTERY), Witchology (WITCHES & WITCHCRAFT), Ethnoecology (ETHNOBOTANY/NATIVE PLANTS), Disinfectiology (BLEACH), Cabinology (CABINS), Traumatology (PTSD), Nomology (THE CONSTITUTION)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Punted seals. Sunken yachts. Beach ambushes. And salmon hats? What’s even happening with killer whales? Are they sadists, or just hungry hungry hippos turned marine mammals? The Natural History Museum of LA County’s marine mammal expert Dr. Jorge Vélez-Juarbe joins the show to chat about peachy babies, how their language is like a trucker radio, tiny whiskers, the formal wear, what’s with the nubbin teeth, if you should go whale watching, pod sizes, Indigenous folklore, captivity struggles, whales that meow, fatty melons and so much more. Also: baby whiskers. Spooktober continues, with these aquatic killers.

Visit Dr. Vélez-Juarbe’s website and follow him on Instagram and Google Scholar

A donation went to the Ocean Animal Response and Research Alliance

Save the Academy Virtual Rally: Thursday, October 15 at noon Eastern.Register on Zoom

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Other episodes you may enjoy: Oceanology (OCEANS), Delphinology (DOLPHINS), Selachimorphology (SHARKS), Elasmobranchology (MORE SHARK STORIES), Pinnipedology (SEALS & WALRUSES), Ichthyology (FISHES), Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Functional Morphology (ANATOMY), Hyaenidology (HYENAS)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thrills. Chills. Hiding behind your hands. It’s officially SPOOKTOBER month with a huge, fascinating (and I promise, mellow) episode on why humans watch horror, and what’s happening in your brain. Not only do we have the author of “Horror on the Brain: the Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction,” neuroscientist Dr. Austin Lim, but this also features CUTS from other episodes to FLESH it all out. Enjoy the political sociology of zombies vs. vampires, feminist body horror, horror as anti-war art, liminal spaces, the best blood in the business, goosebumps and Goosebumps, evolutionary mismatches, why clowns unsettle you, and if horror is having its moment. (Note: it is.)

Also, we had to cap this at 2+ hours so if we don’t cover *your* favorite movie or series and you yell at me about it, I will roll my eyes so hard that I will die and then I will haunt you by hiding your car keys.

Visit Dr. Lim’s website and follow him on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube

Buy his book, Horror on the Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction

A donation went to Homes For Animal Heroes and Homeboy Industries

Make your donations go further – up to 100% matching – by using GivingMultiplier, the amazing portal co-founded by Harvard professor and Trolleyologist, Dr. Joshua Greene

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Other episodes you may enjoy: Spooktober: Topics to Startle and Love, Serpopsychology (WHAT’S CREEPY?), Fearology (FEAR), Teratology (MONSTERS), Vampirology (VAMPIRES), Mnemonology (MEMORY), Obsessive-Compulsive Neurobiology (OCD), The OCD Experience with a Neurobiologist, Trolleyology (MORAL DILEMMAS + THE TROLLEY PROBLEM), Desairology (MORTUARY MAKE-UP), Taphology (GRAVESITES), Metropolitan Tombology (PARIS CATACOMBS), Disgustology (REPULSION TO GROSS STUFF), Osteology (SKELETONS/BODY FARMS)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Basement card games. Fireside reminiscing. Being forced to learn a dance. Does acting like a cornball matter? Will bits save your life? Yes. I got myself to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to talk with research psychologists Dr. Sara Algoe and Dr. Laura Kurtz, who also run the research collective, The Love Consortium. They’re the team behind studies proving that laughing does predict and enhance lasting social support and lead to longer, better lives. We chat sneaky studies, in person vs. remote hangouts, which came first: the giggle or the oxytocin, which “novel and arousing” activities strengthen relationships, the immersive bonding of a slumber party with people you trust, words vs. actions, laughter amid conflict, and how connecting with old friends can keep you out of the hospital unless you decide to try amateur rodeo night at the fair.

Visit Dr. Algoe’s website and follow her on Google Scholar

Follow Dr. Kurtz on Google Scholar

A donation went to The Love Consortium

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy:https://www.alieward.com/ologies/matrimoniologyPersonality Psychology (PERSONALITIES), Eudemonology (HAPPINESS), Awesomeology (GRATITUDE FOR LITTLE THINGS), Funology (YES, FUN),https://www.alieward.com/ologies/food-anthropologyGelotology (LAUGHTER), Ergopathology (BURNOUT), Philematology (KISSING), Cardiology (THE HEART)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies onInstagram andBluesky

Follow Alie Ward onInstagram andTikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland ofMaitland Audio Productions andJake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website byKelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gems of lightning and shadows. Rainbow fossils. Underground tunnel homes. Mysterious sedimentary origins. Aboriginal dreamtime stories. Armored snails. Questionable song lyrics. It’s opals, folks. And world expert geophysicist and University of Sydney professor Dr. Patrice Rey is here to talk about why he left France to explore the geological mysteries of the Outback. Should you get an opal engagement ring? Can they get wet? What’s the difference between an Australian and Ethiopian opal? What was one doing in a Kenyan cave 3000 years ago? What’s a Kyoto Opal vs. opalite? And why was your great grandma named Opal?

(Cultural warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners: this episode mentions names and stories of people who have passed.)

Visit Dr. Rey’s website and follow him on Google Scholar

A donation went to the GO Foundation

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Geology (ROCKS), Areology (MARS), Speleology (CAVES), Indigenous Pedology (SOIL SCIENCE), FIELD TRIP: I Go France and Learn Weird France Stuff, Gemology (GEMS & MINERALS), Volcanology (VOLCANOES), Biomineralogy (SHELLS)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s the Ologies 9th Anniversary episode – and the customary gift is willow. So I reached out to an artist whose work means a lot to me, and convinced world-renowned environmental sculptor Patrick Dougherty to chat about his work, and about willows in general. Twisting and tangling literal tons of willow saplings, Patrick and his crews create huge, site-specific sculptures that look like fantastical buildings, but made almost entirely of sustainably-sourced branches. I’ve loved his work for decades, and this chat was like a kid meeting their basketball hero. We also address: cleaning up ecology with willows, their spine-like roots, why some willows weep, plumbing follies, medicinal uses of willows, why they’re so bendy, the poetry that nature inspires, why sniffing sticks is healthy, the physics of birds’ nests, and reconnecting with the wonder you had as a child. Instant classic.

Visit Patrick’s website and follow him on Instagram

Buy James Florio’s photography book Sticks featuring 16 of Patrick’s projects

A donation went to the NC Conservation Network

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Dendrology (TREES), Canistrumology (BASKET WEAVING), Ethnoecology (ETHNOBOTANY/NATIVE PLANTS), Indigenous Fashionology (NATIVE CLOTHING), Modern Toichographology (MURALS & STREET ART), FIELD TRIP: I Take You to the Making of a Mural, Salugenology (WHY HUMANS REQUIRE HOBBIES), Castorology (BEAVERS), Field Trip: How to Change Your Life via the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

El Niño. La Niña. United Nations Environment Programme doomerism? It’s been a helluva week for Meteorologists and the humans who live on planet Earth, so we made you a fresh episode recorded just days ago with our favorite climate scientist, professor, author, and Weather Geeks podcast host, Dr. Marshall Shepherd.

What is going on with this hurricane season? How do Pacific waters affect you all over the globe, what’s behind the headlines of the UN’s “strategic retreat” on climate change mitigation, how have El Niño weather patterns changed over time, what’s dust from Africa got to do with it, should you quit your job and start a roofing company?

And if you’re like: dude I don't know if I can handle weather gloom: I implore you to listen so you know the flim-flam, how to read these climate articles in the news, what to tell friends and family who otherwise might not care, and how you can instigate change and keep yourself safe.

Visit Dr. Shepherd’s website and follow him on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky

Listen to his podcast Weather Geeks

A donation went to the Institute for Sustainable Communities

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Meteorology (WEATHER & CLIMATE), Oceanology (OCEANS), Tempestology (HURRICANES), Climate Fervorology (ECO-ADVOCACY WITHOUT IT BEING A BUMMER), Fire Ecology (WILDFIRES), Fulminology (LIGHTNING), Nephology (CLOUDS), Phenology (FALL/SEASONS), Disasterology (DISASTERS), Conservation Technology (EARTH SAVING)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bomb cyclones! Polar vortices! Atmospheric rivers! And rained out barbecues. One of the world’s leading Meteorologists, Dr. Marshall Shepherd – a former NASA scientist and current Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia – is here to field a downpour of questions. We chat about percentages in forecasts, hail, sleet, storm chasing, heatwaves, fluid dynamics, TV weather people, climate change delayism and his favorite weather-themed movies. Also: what not to do with a weather balloon.

Visit Dr. Shepherd’s website and follow him on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky

Listen to his podcast Weather Geeks

A donation went to the Institute for Sustainable Communities

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Tempestology (HURRICANES), Fulminology (LIGHTNING), Nephology (CLOUDS), Snow Hydrology (SNOW/AVALANCHES), Cryoseismology (ICEQUAKES), Astrobiology (ALIENS), Oceanology (OCEANS), Phenology (FALL/SEASONS), Spesh Ep: Drawdown Design Project

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and engineering by Jarrett Sleeper ofMindJam Media

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rituals. Gatherings. Celebrations. Surprise parties. Weekend getaways. Campfires and birthday candles are in our DNA, and colleagues/social psychologists Dr. Danielle Brick & Dr. Kelley Gullo-Wight explain why. This conversation was like if you got seated at a dinner party next to two friends who study why we have dinner parties. We cover the neuroscience of anticipation, how much is too much for the ‘gram, a time machine to the middle ages, and how enjoying the good times together helps us weather our storms.

Follow Dr. Brick on Google Scholar

Visit Dr. Gullo-Wight’s website and follow her on Google Scholar

Donations went to Middle Way House and Rosie’s Place

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Matrimoniology (MARRIAGE), Fanthropology (FANDOM), Eudemonology (HAPPINESS), Awesomeology (GRATITUDE FOR LITTLE THINGS), Funology (YES, FUN), Food Anthropology (FEASTS), Zymology (BEER), Mixology (COCKTAILS), Enology (HOW TO DRINK WINE), Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Creatures in inky trenches. Exploring the sea floor. Mud medicine. Tube worms. Harvard professor and Deep Sea Microbiology legend Dr. Peter Girguis tells tales of ocean expeditions and answers questions about extremophiles, life on other planets, Atlantis, shark encounters, methane munching, hydronauts, Trekkie trivia, the safety of submersibles, deep sea simulations, and how ocean organisms may just save your life.

Visit the Girguis Laboratory and follow Dr. Girguis on Google Scholar

A donation went to the National Immigration Law Center

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Oceanology (OCEANS), Teuthology (SQUIDS), Medusology (JELLYFISH), Toxinology (JELLYFISH VENOM), Benthopelagic Nematology (DEEP SEA WORMS), Ichthyology (FISHES), Tardigradology (TINY SEMI-INDESTRUCTIBLE WATER BEAR MOSS PIGLET CREATURES CALLED TARDIGRADES), Evolutionary Biology (DARWINISM), Maritime Archaeology (SHIPWRECKS)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when you've been sprayed nine times in the face by a skunk? Part 2 with Mephitologist Dr. Jerry Dragoo answers that question. Also on the agenda: pet skunks, lavender skunks, skunk family planning, Pepe Le Pew on trial, why some of us enjoy the stench, how to handle a skunk approach, if skunks can smell themselves, and the very bizarre circumstances by which this guest first rose to international skunk fame. Also: the proper way to watch a skunk.

Check out the Dragoo Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations

A donation went to Friends of Big Bear Valley

“We Meet At Last” skunk shirt by http://jbstink.com/

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Zoohoplology (ANIMAL DEFENSES), Procyonology (RACCOONS), Sciuridology (SQUIRRELS), Lutrinology (OTTERS), Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Road Ecology (ROAD KILL), Discard Anthropology (GARBAGE), Indigenous Fashionology (NATIVE CLOTHING), Literary Olfactology (THE POLITICS OF SMELL), Disgustology (REPULSION TO GROSS STUFF), Meteorology (WEATHER & CLIMATE)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s here. SKUNKS. My dream guest, Dr. Jerry Dragoo of the Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations is finally on Ologies, and I can barely contain myself. Come to Albuquerque to meet this Mephitological legend. In this very special and precious 2-part series, we’ll explore tiny baby skunks, spotted ones, cartoon skunks, skunk spray remedies, skunks and astronauts, how to get sprayed by a skunk, how *not* to get sprayed, what skunk spray tastes like, how much it costs to purchase, how their populations are doing, skunks vs. snakes, who eats skunks, island skunks, rehabbing skunks, pet skunks, actress skunks, mating trivia, and so much more. Also: the nipples you never want to meet.

Check out the Dragoo Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations

A donation went to Friends of Big Bear Valley

“We Meet At Last” skunk shirt by http://jbstink.com/

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Zoohoplology (ANIMAL DEFENSES), Procyonology (RACCOONS), Sciuridology (SQUIRRELS), Lutrinology (OTTERS), Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Road Ecology (ROAD KILL), Discard Anthropology (GARBAGE), Indigenous Fashionology (NATIVE CLOTHING), Literary Olfactology (THE POLITICS OF SMELL), Disgustology (REPULSION TO GROSS STUFF)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Late night scrolling. Couchlock. Habitual insomnia. You want to sleep — so why won’t you turn off the light, dumplin’? We’ve got someone for that: sleep scientist, globally known PBS correspondent, host of the series Braincraft, and Noctohabitologist, Dr. Vanessa “Nessy” Hill. So let’s chat about what amount of sleep is “normal,” if farmers had two sleeps, electricity, blue blockers, “me time,” proof that Dolly Parton is an alien from an angel planet, the populations most prone to sleep procrastination, which of 93 scientifically-proven habit-changers are the easiest to implement, and how this expert and I have both personally battled the agony between wanting to rest but avoiding it. Come. Gather. Get mad. Be healed.

Visit Dr. Hill’s website and follow her on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Substack

A donation went to Project Sleep

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Somnology (SLEEP), Chronobiology (CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS), Oneirology (DREAMS), Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD), Obsessive-Compulsive Neurobiology (OCD), Mnemonology (MEMORY), Ergopathology (BURNOUT), Personality Psychology (PERSONALITIES), Misophonology (DISTRACTING SOUND & NOISE RAGE), Dolorology (PAIN)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Giggles. Pseudopenises. Matriarchies? Media slander. Hyaenidologist Dr. Christine Wilkinson delivers stories about the nature of matrilinearity, hot Lion King gossip, bristle backs, tiny heads, big teeth, animation errors, human-hyena interactions, tongue bumps, termite poisons, lawsuits, and why these animals have been robbed of respect and denied the devotion the so deserve. Ready yourself for stories from this delightful carnivore ecologist, hyena researcher, PBS science communicator, National Geographic Explorer, and curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. And raise a glass to your new favorite undercats.

Visit Dr. Wilkinson’s website and follow her on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok

A donation went to Black Mammalogists Week and El Elna Elak

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Carnivore Ecology (LIONS, TIGERS, & BEARS), Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Cynology (DOGS), Felinology (CATS), Ethnocynology (HUMANS & DOGS THROUGH TIME), Condorology (CONDORS & VULTURES), FIELD TRIP: Birds of Prey and Raptor Facts. Gelotology (LAUGHTER), Neuroendocrinology (SEX & GENDER), Phallology (PENISES)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Flying squirrels. Fox squirrels. Giant squirrels. Tiny ones. Grey ones. Black ones. Fluorescent ones? Alie is losing her mind talking to dream guest and Sciuridologist, Dr. Karen Munroe. This Baldwin Wallace University professor has studied squirrels for decades and addresses where they sleep, how many babies they have, if they bite each other’s junk, how they find their acorns, Marvel movies, birdfeeder drama, imported squirrels, melanistic morphs, world domination, fistfights with birders, the rarest squirrel, the best place for squirrel tourism and more. You’ll scatter hoard so many nuggets of squirrel trivia. Enjoy.

Follow Dr. Karen Munroe on Instagram

Donations were made to: Letters to a Pre-Scientist and Squirrel Mapper

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Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Crotalology (RATTLESNAKES) with Dr. Emily Taylor

Other episodes you may enjoy: Thermophysiology (BODY HEAT), Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE COOKING), Dendrology (TREES) with J. Casey Clapp, Urban Rodentology (SEWER RATS), Fire Ecology (WILDFIRES), Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE), Fulminology (LIGHTNING), Field Trip: Birds of Prey and Raptor Facts, Entomology (INSECTS), Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Carobology (NOT-CHOCOLATE TREES), Felinology (CATS), Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Oreamnology (MOUNTAIN GOATS ARE NOT GOATS)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Advice. Hot tips. Book recs. Perspective. It’s the third and final installment of our Emmenology series on perimenopause and menopause, and it’s all wise words from Patrons. Dealing with brain fog, giving spouses grace, finding estrogen patches amid short supply, what to ask the HR department at work, and analogies that would melt even the coldest haters. Tune in, hang on, and sweat it out.

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Other episodes you may enjoy: Urology (CROTCH PARTS), Gynecology (NETHER HEALTH), Neuroendocrinology (SEX & GENDER), FIELD TRIP: Alie’s Mystery Surgery, Surgical Angiology (VEINS & ARTERIES), Cardiology (THE HEART), Biogerontology (AGING), , Biological Anthropology (SEXY APES),Evolutionary Anthropology (METABOLISM), Thermophysiology (BODY HEAT), Somnology (SLEEP), Mnemonology (MEMORY), Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD), Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hormones or no hormones? Itchy ears. Disappearing pussy syndrome. Estrogen by land, by sea, by patch, by pill, or by cream. When is it T time? What's the deal with herbal remedies? Should your moisturizer have hormones in it? Is HRT safe? Four experts weigh in on bioidentical versus synthetic, getting better sleep, what to put in or around your vagina, tips for trans folks, protein research, and why you should go pick up a brick or something. OB/GYNs and menopause experts Dr. Monica Christmas and Dr. Mary Claire Haver – who wrote the book The New Perimenopause – are back for this Part 2 all about science-backed fixes to your menopausal probs. Joining the chat is Smith College exercise physiologist Dr. Sarah Witkowski with a cameo from anthropologist and bone expert Dr. Daniel Wescott.

Again, bonus Part 3 this week will be tips for your loved ones. We’re all in this together, kiddos.

Start with Emmenology (MENOPAUSE) Part 1

Browse Dr. Christmas’s papers on ResearchGate and follow her on Instagram

Visit Dr. Haver’s website and follow her on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Substack

Buy Dr. Haver’s books, The New Menopause, The New Perimenopause, The Galveston Diet

Learn more about Dr. Sarah Witkowski’s work

Donations went to the Center for Food Equity in Medicine and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Menopause Society

RosebudWoman.com (owned by my wonderful in-laws!) will give you 15% off with the code OLOGIES

Tortoise Sword from Jarrett Sleeper’s JB Stink brand shirts

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Urology (CROTCH PARTS), Gynecology (NETHER HEALTH), Neuroendocrinology (SEX & GENDER), FIELD TRIP: Alie’s Mystery Surgery, Surgical Angiology (VEINS & ARTERIES), Cardiology (THE HEART), Biogerontology (AGING), , Biological Anthropology (SEXY APES),Evolutionary Anthropology (METABOLISM), Thermophysiology (BODY HEAT), Somnology (SLEEP), Mnemonology (MEMORY), Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD), Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS)

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hormones. Mood swings. Brain fog. Night sweats. And why doesn’t your shoulder work? The time is here for this whopper of a 3-part series on menopause with a total of five Ologists. No matter what your age or gender, you owe it to the people in your life who go through this to understand it. Brilliant and charming Dr. Mary Claire Haver is an OB-GYN who wrote bestsellers “The New Menopause” and the just-released “The New Perimenopause” and hosts the podcast unPAUSED. The wonderful and warm Dr. Monica Christmas is a professor and clinician with decades of experience in menopause treatment, and repeat guest Dr. Lara Durgavich is a primatologist who has some answers about why our species goes through “the change.”

Part 2 covers what to DO about symptoms of menopause, from vagina creams to hormone replacement therapy to libido to brain clarity and the importance of lifting heavy stuff.

And finally, Part 3 has advice for loved ones to help support people in their lives who are sailing the stormy seas of hormonal change.

Browse Dr. Christmas’s papers on ResearchGate and follow her on Instagram

Visit Dr. Haver’s website and follow her on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Substack

Buy Dr. Haver’s books, The New Menopause and The New Perimenopause

Follow Dr. Durgavich on Bluesky

Donations went to the Center for Food Equity in Medicine and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Gynecology (NETHER HEALTH), Urology (CROTCH PARTS), Biogerontology (AGING), Sexology (SEX), Neuroendocrinology (SEX & GENDER), Biological Anthropology (SEXY APES),Evolutionary Anthropology (METABOLISM), Thermophysiology (BODY HEAT), Somnology (SLEEP), Mnemonology (MEMORY), Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD), Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS), FIELD TRIP: Alie’s Mystery Surgery

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Social anxiety icebreakers. Third spaces. Slumber parties with old friends. Helping out strangers. And why primates are wired to be better connected than we are now. Dr. Nicholas Epley – a distinguished Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago and the author of “A Little More Social” – explains how important social activity is for physical and mental health, why people are experiencing a friendship recession, how texting affects your hormones, how seeing other cultures can shape your life, the world’s friendliest cities, and the low expectations keeping us feeling lonely. Also: don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.

Visit Dr. Epley’s website

Buy his books, A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection and Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want

A donation went to Ruby’s Rainbow

More episode sources and links

Other episodes you may enjoy: Salugenology (WHY HUMANS REQUIRE HOBBIES), Awe Psychology (WONDER), Eudemonology (HAPPINESS), Awesomeology (GRATITUDE FOR LITTLE THINGS), Sports & Performance Psychology (ANXIETY & CONFIDENCE), Syndesiology (CONNECTIONS), Mythology (STORYTELLING)

Jarrett Sleeper’s “30 Words for Love – a long poem”

400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

https://www.ologiesmerch.com/ has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.