Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket full... more
Thorny leaves! Embarrassing imports! Basket gossip! Making cool stuff from invasive vines! Renowned weaver and teacher, James C. Bamba, connected... more
Exhaustion! Numbness! Anger! You’re stressed out. I get it. Let’s fix it. I cornered one of the world’s experts on... more
They’re acrobatic fliers with long bodies and veined wings and their babies breathe through their butts: dragonflies. Let’s get into... more
Folks, come with me. We’re hanging out under some train tracks late at night in Philadelphia doing street art. As... more
Licorice opinions! War chocolate! Candy corn origins, circus peanut secrets, the sourest sourballs, and your great aunt’s purse. Stay until... more
Coffin engravings! Archaeology ethics! Linen wrappings! Repatriation! Sexy hippos! We’re back with more mummies in this Part 2 with the wonderful... more
Linen wrapping. Expensive resins. Sarcophagi. Preserving for eternity – or until someone raids their tomb. It’s a brand-new Spooktober episode... more
Let’s kick off Spooktober with… RATS: They love pizza. They invade taquerias at midnight. They scurry. They cuddle. They outsmart.... more
Murals! Frescos! Graffiti! Street art! Philadelphia is the birthplace of graffiti and the mural capital of the world so we... more
Smaller than you can imagine. Potato-shaped. Mysterious. Romantic. And tough enough to survive the vacuum of space or decades of... more
Give yourself a hug and take a deep breath and let’s chat with renowned Suicidologist Dr. DeQuincy Meiffren-Lézine. He is... more
When did coffee get into our mouths? Who’s right when it comes to the best coffee? What’s the most ethical... more
A very special encore in memory of our favorite Museologist, Ronnie Cline. In this 2018 episode, we talked about the... more
Caves! Caverns! Grottos! Crystals! Let's get down and dirty with Speleology with explorer, researcher, professor, and paleoclimatologist Dr. Gina Moseley.... more
Forks on teeth. Lip smacking. Metal on metal. (Don’t worry, there are no sonic examples of triggers in this episode!)... more
What exactly is “fun?” How will you know when you’re having it? Do introverts have special alone fun? Is it... more
It’s an updated mega-encore of one of my favorite episodes — with 2024 research — to learn: How many genders... more
Feathery gills! Adorable smiles! Cultural icons! Habitat ecology! And superhuman limb regeneration? It’s an entire episode on axolotls. You either... more
Part 2 is here! It’s wall to wall listener questions about magic mushrooms, LSD, ayahuasca ceremonies, set and setting, how... more
Magic mushrooms, LSD, ayahuasca ceremonies, DMT, ketamine: take a trip into the science and research of hallucinogens. Renowned... more
Sexuality and disability! Invisible illnesses! Airline frustrations! How many of us are disabled! July is Disability Pride Month, and professor,... more
What exactly IS a puffin? Who are they related to? Are they disco birds? WHY are they so cute? Should... more
Boy howdy hot dang, Ologies has hit its 300th new episode! In celebration of this milestone, we’ve turned the tables... more
Part 2 of mosquitoes is here! Now that you know WHY they would like to eat you mosquito expert and... more
They’re gorgeous. They’re picky moms, and tremendous flirts. They are sparkly. And they drink blood. We hopped on the line... more
Clay tablets! Printing presses! Old timey audio books! Speed reading strategies! Attention spans! Dyslexia history! Literacy campaigns! Dr. Adrian Johns... more
Pointy heads. Spiked arms. Tragic romance. It’s a whole episode about praying mantises with a real life Mantodeologist, Lohit Garikipati.... more
A short little episode to tell you about a change we're making to Ologies that I am genuinely very pumped... more
The world is confusing, but there are experts in everything. In our least funny episode ever, we thankfully convinced a... more
They are numerous. They are patient. They are COMING for the United States in droves this spring: They are cicadas.... more
Mustard gossip. Knotweed recipes. Cow parsnips. Serviceberry appreciation. Hogweed warnings. Dead man’s fingers. The incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining Alexis Nikole... more
The thrilling conclusion of PIGEONS, with Columbidologist and author Rosemary Mosco of Bird and Moon comics. It’s wall-to-wall listener questions... more
You love pigeons. You might not know it yet. Espionage! Fancy breeds! Internal GPS! Weird feet! Should you be afraid... more
Do trees have feelings? How do they talk? Which trees can you use to make syrup? Do bananas really grow... more
Come along like a frog in my pocket for an adventure to see an eclipse. After last week’s Heliology episode... more
Sunset flimflam! Auroras! Eclipse tips! Let’s get to know the center of our solar system, the Sun, as the... more
Spine mysteries, face purses, limericks, flim flam, flags, dive bombs, sibling rivalries, and more! The warm and wonderful pelicanologist Juita... more
Taboos. Intolerable foods. Sad songs. Sexy kinks. Candy that looks like poo. Let’s get a little gross, shall we? The... more
Where have I been? What surgery did I have? Am I going to die? I took you along for the... more
Peach fuzz. Chin hairs. Mammalian ponytails. WHY DO THEY HAPPEN. Yale researcher and associate professor Dr. Valerie Horsley stops by... more
Why does clutter happen? How can we get rid of it and how will it affect us psychologically if we... more
Ever poked at roadkill? Watched videos of whales exploding? Drooled over a curio cabinet full of claws & bones? Peered... more
Classical Archaeologist and TV host Dr. Darius Arya is back for a smologized version of this classic episode to... more
Part 2! Black hole suns, black hole movies, wormholes, time travel, matter evaporation, scientists being bitches, risk-taking advice, Italy’s favorite... more
How big are black holes? Is time elastic? What is spacetime foam? Why is there a place called “elsewhere?” Enjoy... more
Ah, charismatic megafauna! Teeth, claws, fur, poop, hibernation, hiking, nature preserves, and living your childhood dreams with Alie’s longtime -ologist... more
CAPYBARAS! Blocky faces. Chill vibes. Spa days. Finally. Hydrochoerologist, Dr. Elizabeth Congdon, leads us into the muddy pond of Rodents... more
Environmental models! Poetry! Scientists who are poets! Novelists who are scientists! Art + science = an actual -ology. Creative... more
This one’s got it all: teeny tiny cellular factories, mitochondrial relevancy, what big smelly vats of poop have to do... more
Let’s explore our human machinery. And talk about Brazilian butt lifts. Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and metabolism researcher Dr. Herman... more
Hairy crabs! Shell swaps! Carcinization! Will we all evolve to be crabs? What’s with having one giant claw? Why would... more
Plumage! Dance battles! Possible holographic disco birds? Natural History Museum of LA ornithology curator Dr. Allison Shultz is a professional... more
Claw hands! Beady eyes! Pinching forces that could crack your skull! Gentleman, scholar, curator of the Natural History Museum’s crustacea... more
The what, where, and who of native plants is … ethnobotany! Which is under the umbrella of Ethnoecology! The wonderful... more
At just 22, Iddris Sandu’s life story was already legendary. This Architectural Technologist learned to program at the age of... more
It’s like a whole episode of secrets. And your questions. And your podmom, Jarrett, hanging out in a guest room... more
Do penguins have flippers or wings? What’s up with pebble gifts? Are they squishy or dense? And why why why... more
How did these tree-hopping furry angels evolve to be the cutest thing in the world, objectively speaking? They have saucer... more
Tunnels of light. Unconditional love. Visions of dead aunts. And a lot of questions. What happens when you die… ... more
Scorpions: the victims of undue shade. A handful of people on planet Earth have a PhD in scorpions and Dr.... more
He’s the guy pointing to a NASA launch behind him, in the most legendary shot in television history. He’s a... more
You like Ologists. Ologists write books. You like books, so let’s dive into a new, curated sampler platter from your... more
Cumulus! Lenticular! Venti sugar-free stratocumulus stratiformis translucidus undulatus! Those light and fluffy things that hang overhead weigh thousands of pounds... more
Math wants to be friends. Let mathematician, author and Abstract Mathematologist Dr. Eugenia Cheng introduce you to a secret world:... more
Deer in headlights! Alligators in crosswalks! A possum in the oven? If you love wildlife, this is a must-listen to... more
Dig in for a bite-sized episode about how native foods aren’t just a part of a past, but an essential... more
November 6-12 is GAR WEEK! What is a gar, you ask? Picture: A long snout. Hundreds of teeth. Scales that... more
What’s on your mind? ZOMBIES. The planet is full of mind-controlling foes, and “Plight of the Living Dead” author Matt... more
Invisible but stronger than steel. Complex architectural marvels. Things that stick to your face. Spiderwebs are much more than just... more
Frankenstein’s Monster! Hungry ghosts! Moaning bloodsuckers! Goat draining goblins. Babadooks. Gorilla-whales. Slasher films. Body horror… and what these folk stories,... more
Green, yellow, striped, red, shiny, russet. Tart, sweet, sour, crunchy. Big, small, wild, heirloom, cultivated. How will you like them... more
PUMPKIN PUMPKIN! Not only a thing to scream while passing a patch, but also the name of the book by... more
More witches! History! Lore! Wardrobes! Movie trivia! And some advice from your elders? Part 2 is here with the wonderful,... more
IT’S HERE. Witches. Not just a witch expert, but also a witch. Author Fio Gede Parma has been a practicing... more
How long can we live? How much of aging is genetics vs. environment? How old are your cells? What can... more
Weird little mouths! Hairy skin tubes! Demon nematodes! Antarctic explorer and Nematologist Dr. Holly Bik charms us into loving deep... more
Sweet! Salty! Umami? What’s up with MSG? Why do you like your coffee black? Come down to flavortown and let’s... more
Dr. Mack returns with a new introduction and updates on… listener questions! The universe, dimensions, asteroid bags and cosmic vertigo... more
The Red Planet. A mysterious dusty orb millions of miles away. Our emergency escape bunker. Alie sits down with Dr.... more
Stars. Black holes. THE GAWDANG UNIVERSE. Astrophysicist and cosmologist Katie Mack (@astrokatie) re-introduces us to this 2017 episode along with... more
Sweet! Salty! Umami? What’s up with MSG? Why do you like your coffee black? Come down to flavortown and let’s talk tongues.... more