Ologies with Alie Ward
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 25, 2026 • 1h 25min
Megafelinology (SNOW LEOPARDS + OTHER BIG CATS) with Imogene Cancellare
Imogene Cancellare, conservation biologist and megafelinologist who studies snow leopard ecology and genomics, shares wild fieldwork tales from high plateaus. Hear about camera-trap surprises, noninvasive DNA from scat, snow leopard tail and paw adaptations, big cat vocal tricks, rare attacks and safety, and how fences and poaching threaten connectivity.
41 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 1h 17min
Allergology (ALLERGIES) with Zachary Rubin
Zachary Rubin, double board-certified allergist-immunologist and pediatrician who wrote All About Allergies, joins to unpack sneezes, histamine, and why antihistamines make you drowsy. He covers food allergy prevention, skin tests versus oral challenges, myths like local honey and male trees, and how social media and telehealth shape allergy care.
17 snips
Mar 17, 2026 • 37min
Field Trip: My Butt, a Colonoscopy Ride Along & How-To Encore
A candid ride through colonoscopy prep, from gallon-drink taste tests to electrolyte hacks. Street interviews yield quirky practical tips for surviving the cleanse. A real-time tally of sedation, procedure sensations, and hospital moments. A tiny polyp and surprising pathology results underscore why screening matters.
25 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 1h 28min
Coloproctology (COLON CANCER + BUTT FUN) with Carmen Fong
Carmen Fong, a double board-certified colorectal surgeon and author of Constipation Nation, joins with clinical know-how and blunt humor. She talks about colon anatomy and screening, removing foreign objects safely, hemorrhoids and fissures, constipation and fiber tips, anal sex safety and hygiene, ostomies and cancer surgery, and practical travel and bowel-care advice.
31 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 35min
Bonus Episode: How to Beat Perfectionism and Make a Quilt
Joe Cunningham, known as Joe the Quilter, is a quilter, artist, and author who offers down-to-earth quilting wisdom. He walks through basic tools and cutting techniques. He talks hand-sewing as meditative social stitching. He gives tips on finishing, beating perfectionism, sustainable sourcing, and starting with small, low-pressure projects.
49 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 1h 20min
Quantum Ontology (WHAT IS REAL?) Encore with Adam Becker
Adam Becker, astrophysicist and science writer known for What Is Real?, joins to unpack quantum ontology with wit and curiosity. He teases wave functions, the measurement problem, many‑worlds and pilot‑wave alternatives. They chat quantum tech, simulation fantasies, science history and why foundational debates still spark drama and hope for new thinkers.
20 snips
Feb 26, 2026 • 1h 46min
Culcitology (QUILTS) with Luke Haynes, Olivia Joseph, and Joe Cunningham
Luke Haynes, a portrait quilter and public-arts maker; Olivia Joseph, museum textile conservator and curator; and Joe Cunningham, author and quilt historian. They talk about quilting as social practice, political expression, Gee’s Bend and modern-art embrace, pandemic-driven resurgence, preservation and repair, and community donation and exhibition practices.
60 snips
Feb 19, 2026 • 1h 11min
Zoohoplology (ANIMAL DEFENSES) with Ted Stankowich
Ted Stankowich, animal behaviorist and evolutionary biologist at Cal State Long Beach who studies skunks, armadillos, pangolins and other defenses. He tours his lab and explains where armor, spines, sprays and toxins evolve. He contrasts innate versus learned predator avoidance, trade-offs of heavy defense, thanatosis and bizarre tricks like blood-squirting horned lizards.
Feb 17, 2026 • 51min
Bonus Episode: ICYMI Moments of 2025 with newly beloved Ologists
Jules Hotz, author of The Connection Cure and expert on social prescriptions, shares how hobbies and connection support mental health. Short segments cover five prescription ingredients like movement, nature, art, service, and belonging. The conversation also touches on simple ways to adopt hobbies and boost well-being.
86 snips
Feb 11, 2026 • 1h 27min
Venereology (SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS) with Ina Park
Ina Park, physician, researcher, and sex-positive STI advocate and author, brings clear, witty guidance. She covers testing schedules, bacterial vs viral infections, hygiene and grooming risks, new treatments and vaccines, partner communication, and how stigma and funding shape care. Short, frank, and reassuring talk focused on staying safe and honest about sexual health.
