Ologies with Alie Ward

By: Alie Ward
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  • Summary

  • 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.
    2024 Alie Ward
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Science Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • Discard Anthropology (GARBAGE) Encore with Robin Nagle

    Discard Anthropology (GARBAGE) Encore with Robin Nagle
    Apr 9 2025
    Landfills! Treasures in the trash! Corporate conspiracies! Composting! An instantly classic conversation with the incredibly knowledgeable, frank and wonderful Dr. Robin Nagle of New York University’s Liberal Studies! She is 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 what you can and can’t actually recycle, sticky mustard bottles, drugs in the trash, Swedish Death Cleaning, mobsters and landfills, Bitcoin in the dump, the future of garbage and exactly how screwed we are. Enjoy. Visit Robin Nagle’s websiteFollow Robin on Instagram and BlueskyRead Robin’s book Picking Up, an ethnography of New York City's Department of SanitationA donation was made to the Sanitation FoundationMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Oceanology (OCEANS), Urban Rodentology (SEWER RATS), Space Archaeology (SPACE JUNK), Critical Ecology (SOCIAL SYSTEMS + ENVIRONMENT), Futurology (THE FUTURE), Disasterology (DISASTERS), Ursinology (BEARS), Eschatology (THE APOCALYPSE), Conservation Technology (EARTH SAVING), Scatology (POOP), Agnotology (IGNORANCE), Xylology (LUMBER)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 Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam MediaManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Medieval Codicology (WEIRD MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT ART & MEMES & SNAILS) with Evan Pridmore

    Medieval Codicology (WEIRD MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT ART & MEMES & SNAILS) with Evan Pridmore
    Apr 2 2025

    Medieval art memes! Human-faced animals! Drunk monks! And a preponderance of snails. Middle Ages manuscript expert, art history communicator, and Medieval Codicologist Evan Pridmore covers: what those golden illuminated Middle Ages manuscripts were made of, who drew them, why were people sometimes naked in them, what art trends came and went – and what does it say about our history and future, immigration politics, antisemitism, what exactly is a Salisbury steak, and so much more. Also: the perfect tree for your home orchard.

    Follow Evan on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky

    Donations went to the World Central Kitchen and the American Civil Liberties Union

    More episode sources and links

    Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

    Other episodes you may enjoy: Anthropodermic Biocodicology (HUMAN LEATHER BOOKS), Malacology (SNAILS & SLUGS), Classical Archeology (ANCIENT ROME), Metropolitan Tombology (PARIS CATACOMBS), Museology (MUSEUMS) Encore in Memory of Ronnie Cline, Modern Toichographology (MURALS & STREET ART), Proptology (THEATER & FILM PROPS), Pectinidology (SCALLOPS), Anagnosology (READING), FIELD TRIP: I Go France and Learn Weird France Stuff

    Sponsors of Ologies

    Transcripts and bleeped 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

    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
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Domestic Phytology (HOUSEPLANTS) with Tyler Thrasher

    Domestic Phytology (HOUSEPLANTS) with Tyler Thrasher
    Mar 26 2025
    Fungus gnats. Overloved cacti. Fiddle fig failures. $20,000 specimens. It’s house plants — and it’s wild, folks. Widely beloved author, artist, house plant expert and Domestic Phytologist Tyler Thrasher joins to talk about root rot, what to grow in a dark basement, the rarest plants in the world, the punishments for poaching them, grow lights for people and plants, houseplant ethics, how to keep your cats from taking whizzes in them, if you should name your plants, how often to repot them, how to keep an orchid out of your trash can, pet-safe, plants, if one should use their own surplus blood to feed them, and what botany crimes I have committed against my own plants.Visit Tyler Thrasher’s website and follow him on Instagram, Bluesky and TikTokBuy his book, The Universe in 100 Colors, at Bookshop.org or Amazon, and his journal, Grow a Damn Plant JournalSee Tyler at San Diego’s Oddities Flea Market March 29 & 30, 2025A donation went to The Loveland FoundationMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Cycadology (RARE PLANT DRAMA), Dendrology (TREES), Indigenous Pedology (SOIL SCIENCE), Mycology (MUSHROOMS), Pomology (APPLES), Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD), Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY), Zymology (BEER), FIELD TRIP: I Go France and Learn Weird France Stuff, Carnivorous Phytobiology (MEAT-EATING PLANTS), Suicidology (SUICIDE PREVENTION & AWARENESS), Carobology (NOT-CHOCOLATE TREES), Cicadology (CICADAS), Chronobiology (CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS), Tiktokology (THE TIKTOK APP) with Hank Green, Erethizonology (PORCUPINES), Coffeeology (YEP, COFFEE), Foraging Ecology (EATING WILD PLANTS) with @BlackForager, Alexis Nikole NelsonSponsors 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 and 34 mins

What listeners say about Ologies with Alie Ward

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Profile Image for Gemma

Probably the best podcast I've heard

A range of fascinating subjects, all set forth by experts with Alie Ward asking all the questions we all want to know and are afraid to, in case we look stupid. Never thought I could be interested in so many random ologies, and yet not one of these shows have I found boring. This is the podcast I tell everyone to listen to, and when moving to audible, it was the one podcast I knew had to be available to me here, or it wasn't worth paying for the subscription!

Great stuff, Alie! I know you read all these, so be aware of my huge respect for you, love for the podcast, and admiration for the idea in the first place.

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Profile Image for Mai

Incredible

This podcast slaps. Great for filling the void, learning, and laughing. I love you Alie!!!!

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Profile Image for Michaela Black

If you aren't listening you should be

this is THE BEST podcast series I've ever come across. I've been listening to Dadward (Allie) for over a year now and I've learnt so much from these podcasts! The range of sciences that she shares with us is amazing and the interviews are always amazing with so many great questions, facts and secrets. it's gives me life, so yeah if u wanna learn about THE MOST random things, like trains, and cicadas and planet saving tech, then tune it.

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Profile Image for Jack D B

Best podcast I’ve listened to.

I love this podcast. It makes me giggle, it makes me learn, it makes my commute so much better. Thank you Alie !!

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Profile Image for Becca

Ologies are just brilliant

I get so excited about each new episode of Ologies and Psyche Williams-Forson was brilliant and certainly food for thought.

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