
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.
Latest episodes

4 snips
May 18, 2021 • 1h 23min
Foraging Ecology (EATING WILD PLANTS) with @BlackForager, Alexis Nikole Nelson
Mustard gossip. Knotweed recipes. Cow parsnips. Serviceberry appreciation. Hogweed warnings. Dead man’s fingers. The incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining Alexis Nikole Nelson a.k.a. @BlackForager walks us through Foraging Ecology with a ginormous bushel of tips & tricks for finding edibles at all times of the year, from blossoms to fungus. Belly up for some invasive snacks, elusive mushrooms, magnolia cookies, mugwort potatoes, violet cocktails, foraging guides, weed trivia and tips to avoid poisonous berries. Also: finding community, history, land stewardship and why foraging is important, empowering and quite tasty.
Also MAY 18th, 5pm Pacific. WARD'S DOING A VIRTUAL LIVE SHOW. Tickets available here: https://onlocationlive.com/category/ologies
Follow Alexis @BlackForager on Instagram.com/blackforager, TikTok.com/blackforager, Twitter.com/blackforager
A donation went to: BackyardBasecamp.org
Sponsors of Ologies: alieward.com/ologies-sponsors
More links and info at alieward.com/ologies/foragingecology
Transcripts & bleeped episodes at: alieward.com/ologies-extras
Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologies
OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, pins, totes and now… MASKS. Hi. Yes.
Follow twitter.com/ologies or instagram.com/ologies
Follow twitter.com/AlieWard or instagram.com/AlieWard
Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media & Steven Ray Morris
Theme song by Nick Thorburn
Transcripts by Emily White of https://www.thewordary.com/ Support the show: http://Patreon.com/ologies

May 12, 2021 • 1h 3min
Biomineralogy (SHELLS) with Robert Ulrich
In this episode, Alie Ward interviews Robert Ulrich, a UCLA geochemist specializing in biomineralogy. They explore topics like the formation of shells, the differences between shells and exoskeletons, the noise you hear when you listen to a seashell, and the impact of shell collecting on sea life. They also discuss the fascinating field of biomineralogy and the challenges of mentoring junior students.

May 4, 2021 • 1h 12min
Speech Language Pathology (TALKING DOGS... AND PEOPLE) with Christina Hunger
Christina Hunger, a renowned speech pathologist, is on a mission to unlock communication for both humans and dogs. She shares her journey of teaching her dog Stella to use recordable buttons for expressing needs and emotions, blurring the lines between pet and owner communication. The conversation dives into the nuances of speech therapy, AAC methods, and how empathy shapes language learning. Christina also touches on her experiences writing a book, revealing secrets that every pet owner can use to enhance their furry companions' communication skills.

Apr 27, 2021 • 1h 37min
Maritime Archaeology (SHIPWRECKS) with Chanelle Zaphiropoulos
Shipwrecks. Treasure. Sunken planes. Scuttled submarines. New life forming around old machinery. There’s an -ology for that -- just ask Maritime Archaeologist and wreck nerd Chanelle Zaphiropoulos. This absolutely charming and passionate scuba diver, history buff and antiquities scholar dishes about pirates, warships, admirals worth admiring, and ships ranging in size from water taxis to the Costa Concordia and Titanic. Also world record diving stats, war graves, how owning a fountain pen can be egregious and why a Midwestern coal barge from the 1970’s is worthy of weeping over. Ahoy!
Follow Chanelle at Twitter.com/sharksandwrecks and Instagram.com/sharksandwrecks
A donation went to Diving with a Purpose: https://divingwithapurpose.org/
Sponsors of Ologies: alieward.com/ologies-sponsors
More links and info at alieward.com/ologies/maritimearchaeology
Transcripts & bleeped episodes at: alieward.com/ologies-extras
Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologies
OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, pins, totes and now… MASKS. Hi. Yes.
Follow twitter.com/ologies or instagram.com/ologies
Follow twitter.com/AlieWard or instagram.com/AlieWard
Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media & Steven Ray Morris
Theme song by Nick ThorburnSupport the show: http://Patreon.com/ologies

Apr 21, 2021 • 1h 16min
Proptology (THEATER & FILM PROPS) with Jay Duckworth
'Proptology' features Jay Duckworth, the world's most lovable and beloved prop master. In this episode, he discusses the world of proptology, shares stories about his favorite projects including Hamilton, and emphasizes the attention to detail required in prop mastery. Jay also talks about the theater and film props industry, community service, and diversity in leadership roles. He shares interesting anecdotes about props, including the mysterious case of Russell Crowe's jockstrap. The episode concludes with a glimpse into the magic and wonder of being a proptologist and a few surprises.

Apr 14, 2021 • 1h 34min
Ursinology Part 2 (BEARS) with Thea Bechshoft, Lana Ciarniello, Drew Hamilton, Wes Larson, Tsalani Lassiter & Danielle Rivet
Because one bears is not enough bears, SIX more ursinologists join to answer your questions about polar bear fur, monogamy, that scene from "The Revenant" and more. Five chapters of bear life, from mindblowing mating strategies to how bears get from point A to B, media portrayals of these beautiful beasts and how to save them. Also: do bears want you to sing to them? Bear biologists and conservationists Dr. Thea Bechshoft, Dr. Lana Ciarniello, Drew Hamilton, Wes Larson, Tsalani Lassiter & Danielle Rivet field more of the 500 listener questions and it gets… wild.
Follow all of these Ursinologists: Instagram.com/tsalani, https://twitter.com/grizzlygirl87, Instagram.com/drewhh; https://twitter.com/LanaCiarniello, https://twitter.com/biothea, Instagram.com/GrizKid
Donations went to: www.friendsofmcneilriver.org, Idaho Black Bear rehab, Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter, Polarbearsinternational.org, Grizzly Bear Foundation
More links at www.alieward.com/ologies/Ursinology
To become a patron: www.Patreon.com/ologies
OlogiesMerch.com has hats, pins, totes, shirts, etc.
Follow Ologies on Instagram or Twitter
Follow Alie Ward on Instagram or Twitter.com
Sound editing by Steven Ray Morris & Jarrett Sleeper
Music by Nick ThorburnSupport the show: http://Patreon.com/ologies

22 snips
Apr 7, 2021 • 1h 30min
Ursinology (BEARS) with Chris Morgan
Grizzlies. Pandas. Black bears. Chonkers. The episode you’ve begged for with scientist, explorer, and Ursinologist Chris Morgan. Why are bear ears so cute? What’s up with hibernation? How do you play nice with bears? What is it like to hug them? How creepy is Teddy Ruxpin? Panda patterns, fat bear competitions, tooth nubbins, land “bridges,” camping tips and more with host of “The Wild” podcast and your new favorite bedtime story teller. Also: bear butt plugs. Really.Listen to The Wild podcastFollow Chris Morgan on Twitter and Instagram A donation went to Wildlife MediaMore episode sources & linksBecome a patron of Ologies OlogiesMerch.com has hats, pins, totes, shirts, etc.Follow Ologies on Instagram or TwitterFollow Alie Ward on Instagram or Twitter.comSound editing by Steven Ray Morris & Jarrett SleeperMusic by Nick Thorburn

Mar 30, 2021 • 1h 7min
Oology (EGGS) Encore + Bonus Material with John Bates
This encore includes tons of previously cut and never-before-heard bonus material (and maybe an eggregious number of sidenotes) about how perfect and weird eggs are. The biggest eggs! The smallest eggs! The people arrested for stealing the most eggs! Oologist Dr. John Bates gives 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, falcon tales, delicate treasures, snake nesting, pigeon mysteries, modern research with old artifacts, Easter trivia, and whether or not you can hatch chickens from grocery store eggs. Also the carnival ride Alie will never ever ever go on.
Field Museum of Chicago
The Book of Eggs
To become a patron: www.Patreon.com/ologies
OlogiesMerch.com has hats, pins, totes, shirts, etc.
Follow Ologies on Instagram or Twitter
Follow Alie Ward on Instagram or Twitter.com
More links at www.alieward.com/ologies/Oology2
Sound editing by Steven Ray Morris & Jarrett Sleeper
Music by Nick ThorburnSupport the show: http://Patreon.com/ologies

Mar 23, 2021 • 47min
Fanthropology Pt. 2 (FANDOM) with Meredith Levine
PART 2 with legit professional Fanthropologist Meredith Levine. In this thrilling conclusion, we take Patreon questions and address stans vs. fans, cults and fandom, how fan fiction circumvents the studio system, how showrunners feel about fan suggestions, fangirling, fanboying and a novel term for that plus a bonus tables-are-turned interview about your weird dad’s favorite stuff. Fanthroplogy: a riveting field. Once again, WHO KNEW? Meredith did.
Listen to Part 1 here: alieward.com/ologies/fanthropology
Follow Meredith Levine at Twitter.com/meredithgene or @MeredithGene on Clubhouse.
A donation was made to Partners in Health's and the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health’s work to reduce maternal mortality in Sierra Leone's Kono District via: http://pih.org/hankandjohn
Sponsor links: www.alieward.com/ologies-sponsors
More links at: http://alieward.com/ologies/fanthropology
Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologies
OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, pins, totes!
Follow twitter.com/ologies or instagram.com/ologiesSupport the show: http://Patreon.com/ologies

Mar 16, 2021 • 1h
Fanthropology (FANDOM) with Meredith Levine
Why does some music give us butterflies? Why do we loooove certain comic books, social media accounts or TV characters? What story does your toothpaste tell? Legit professional Fanthropologist Meredith Levine is a fount of fandom knowledge and we chat all about everything from cosplay to K-Pop, Star Wars, Frasier, Trekkies, fan-fic, how influencer culture works, the algorithms, and how loving what we love is a form of self-care. WHO KNEW? Meredith did.
Follow Meredith Levine at Twitter.com/meredithgene or @MeredithGene on Clubhouse.
A donation was made to Partners in Health's and the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health’s work to reduce maternal mortality in Sierra Leone's Kono District via: http://pih.org/hankandjohn
Sponsor links: www.alieward.com/ologies-sponsors
More links at: http://alieward.com/ologies/fanthropology
Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologies
OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, pins, totes!
Follow twitter.com/ologies or instagram.com/ologiesSupport the show: http://Patreon.com/ologies