Advertise on podcast: Smologies with Alie Ward

Smaller than you can imagine. Potato-shaped. Mysterious. Misunderstood. And tough enough to survive the vacuum of space or decades of desiccation. Join professor and Tardigradologist Dr. Paul Bartels to saunter into a microscopic wonderland of bizarrely long naps, glow-in-the-dark moss piglets, cryptobiosis, kitten claws, balloon butts, and the friends living in your gutters.  Follow Dr. Bartels on ResearchGate and Google Scholar A donation went to the Xerces Society Full-length (*not* G-rated) Tardigradology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Venus flytraps. Pitcher plants. Bladderworts. Sundews. Get ready to hear about physics, chemistry, biology and more, because we’re doing meat-eating plants with conservation ecologist and carnivorous phytobiologist, Hali’a Eastburn. Why do they love bogs? How do they lure their prey? How do bugs pollinate them without being eaten? Do they poop? And who calls pitcher plants “home?” Plus: The world’s fastest hunters and nature’s grossest vending machines. Follow Hali’a Eastburn on Instagram Donations were made to North American Sarracenia Conservancy and Kauluakalana Full-length (*not* G-rated) Carnivorous Phytobiology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, and Jake Chaffee Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Landfills! Composting! Recycling flimflam! An instantly classic conversation with the incredibly knowledgeable, frank and wonderful Dr. Robin Nagle: a clinical professor, author, TED speaker and former New York City sanitation worker and truly the best person on Earth to trash talk with. We cover our long history of figuring out what do do with our waste, what you can and can’t actually recycle, sticky mustard bottles, incinerators, the journeys our trash takes, why rats love plastic garbage bags, and how and why can thank your local sanitation workers. Visit Robin Nagle’s website Follow Robin on Instagram and Bluesky Read Robin’s book Picking Up, an ethnography of New York City's Department of Sanitation A donation was made to the Sanitation Foundation Full-length (*not* G-rated) Discard Anthropology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, and Jake Chaffee Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did these tree-hopping furry angels evolve to be the cutest thing in the world, objectively speaking? They have saucer eyes, wet noses, chunky tails, toe claws, matriarchies, a feature film starring role, and all the mystery of 100 species spending millions of years on a remote island.  Wildlife ecologist and official Lemurologist Dr. Lydia Greene joins me to bust flim-flam straight out of the gate and talk about Madagascar, mouse lemurs, evolutionary biology, striped tails, treetop duets, hibernation, and so much more. If you thought you liked lemurs, just wait until you’re obsessed with them.  Visit Dr. Lydia Greene’s website and follow her on Instagram A donation went to the Mahaliana Labs More episode sources and links Full-length (*not* G-rated) Lemurology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sunspots! Solar storms! Photons! Magnetic fields! Let’s get to know the center of our solar system: the Sun. What is it made of? How big is it? How old is it? When will it explode? How does its light reach your eye? What kind of star is it? How do they form and change? Dr. Michael Kirk and Dr. India Jackson are brilliant and charming Heliologists who have both worked with NASA’s heliophysics departments. Get to know them and also the giant hot plasma ball we revolve around. You’ll never (not) look at it the same.  Follow Michael on Google Scholar Visit India’s website and follow her on Instagram, Bluesky & Google Scholar Donations went to Astronomers Without Borders and the Grady Memorial Hospital Health Foundation Full-length (*not* G-rated) Heliology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jacob Chaffee Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do penguins have flippers or wings? What’s up with pebble gifts? Are they squishy or dense? And why why why are they so cute?  We sit down with renowned penguinologist Dr. Tom Hart, a research fellow with Oxford University, to chat all about life on Antarctica, penguin cities, icy cuddle parties, ocean camouflage and how to become a flightless bird. Dr. Hart is your new favorite penguinologist. Help count penguins — for science! Donations went to PenguinWatch.org and TRASS for mangrove planting Full-length (*not* G-rated) Penguinology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, and Steven Ray Morris Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Polar vortices! Atmospheric rivers! Cold fronts! Warm fronts! Hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones… Wait, what’s the difference anyway? 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 the personalities of climate and the moods of weather, heatwaves, hail, sleet, fluid dynamics, storms of all kinds, and what a rain forecast really means. Follow Dr. Shepherd on Bluesky, Instagram and TikTok Check out his website, and his podcast Weather Geeks A donation went to Sustain.org Full-length (*not* G-rated) Meteorology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do trees have feelings? How do they talk? Which trees can you use to make syrup? Do bananas really grow on trees? Possibly the world's most enthusiastic tree expert, J. Casey Clapp, explains what makes coastal redwoods the coolest trees, how roots communicate with each other, and why a tree is like a cup of tea. Plus: bonus guest appearance by our friends (and the trees’), fungi.   Visit Casey Clapp's website and follow him on Instagram Listen to his podcast, Completely Arbortrary A donation went to EcoTrust.org Full-length (*not* G-rated) Dendrology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Steven Ray Morris Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gorillas. These chest-beating, salad-munching, communal living, thick-furred beauties have so many surprises for you. Gorillaologist (IT’S A WORD) Dr. Tara Stoinski has been a gorilla scientist for three decades and dishes on everything from forest farts, banana flim-flam, night-time nesting, gorilla laughter, playing, parenting, what those big teeth are for, and why we’re more alike than we might think.  Follow the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok Donations were made to Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund & LA Regional Food Bank More episode sources and links Full-length (*not* G-rated) Gorillaology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Peach fuzz. Chin hairs. Mammalian ponytails. WHY DO THEY HAPPEN. Yale researcher and associate professor Dr. Valerie Horsley stops by California to chat with Alie about the nature of hair and what it has to do with skin and nails, stem cells, how it grows, why some of us have curly hair or straight hair or thin hair or thick hair, and why we love and hate and need our hair as animals. Dr. Valerie Horsely is on Facebook and Bluesky The Horsely Lab at Yale Full-length (*not* G-rated) Trichology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Steven Ray Morris Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gratitude: what’s the deal? Does it really make us happier? Or is being appreciative a bunch of hokey flim-flam? Author Neil Pasricha started a blog of 1000 Awesome Things in 2008 and it led him down rabbit holes looking into the science of gratitude and how to better survive tough times. Learn about your new morning ritual, how much of happiness is genetically determined, why journaling is a good idea, simple appreciation, singing while making dinner, and how your brain means well -- but can make you miserable on purpose. Also: Why you should not only touch grass, but sniff a tree while you’re at it. Follow Neil Pasricha on Bluesky and Instagram Check out Neil’s website A donation went to PerformanceSpaceNewYork.org Full-length (*not* G-rated) Awesomeology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, and Steven Ray Morris Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dig in for a bite-sized episode about how native foods aren’t just a part of a past, but an essential and exciting aspect of the future. We talk flower bulbs, acorns, sunflower butter popcorn, frybread debates, mushroom foraging tips, corn magic, puffball mythology, decolonized diets, Instapots and – most importantly – food sovereignty with the WONDERFUL Indigikitchen cooking show host and environmental scientist Mariah Gladstone.   Mariah’s website and Instagram A donation was made to FASTBlackfeet.org Full-length (*not* G-rated) Indigenous Cuisinology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, and Steven Ray Morris Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Seals. Sea lions. Walruses. What’s the difference, and how can you tell which is which? Spoiler: you’ll find out in this episode. We sit down with Dr. Luis A Hückstädt and talk about blubber, ocean currents, whisker tech, tail nubbins and what’s up with elephant seals’ faces. Also: Which seal does Luis adore the most, and why do they sound like spaceships? Follow Luis on Bluesky and Instagram Donations went to FeedingNunavut.com and AlaskaSeaLife.org Full-length (*not* G-rated) Pinnipedology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, and Steven Ray Morris Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Invisible but stronger than steel. Complex architectural marvels. Things that stick to your face. Spiderwebs are much more than just Halloween decor or something to feather dust from your corners. Spider silk expert Dr. Randy Lewis of Utah State University not only coined the word "spidroin" for the proteins comprising the many types of silk, but he is considered one of the foremost experts on the wonders of spiderwebs. Alie visits his lab and chats about how spiders weave them, what the silk is made of, and how realistic your favourite spidey superhero’s antics are. You'll never (not) see a spiderweb the same. A donation went to the Women's Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Workshop Full-length (*not* G-rated) Spidroinology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, and Steven Ray Morris Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 America: Outrageous Delights, Celebrated Brands, and Iconic Recipes, on Amazon or Bookshop.org A donation went to the Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County Full-length (*not* G-rated) confectionology episode + tons of science links More kid-friendly Smologies episodes! Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.