Smologies with Alie Ward

Alie Ward

Ologies → Smologies. It’s all of the science, with none of the swearing! Smologies are shortened, kid-friendly episodes of the award-winning science podcast, Ologies, which covers topics from Toads (Bufology) to the Moon (Selenology) and everything in between. Enjoy clean and witty bite-sized science delights as host Alie Ward asks Ologists of all kinds smart – and sometimes silly – questions. Get to know the charming and diverse array of experts who share not only their wisdom, but also their lived experiences.

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20 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes20

Newest first

Friday · 26 min
DARK MATTER with Flip Tanedo
It’s invisible. It’s mysterious. It’s all around us – and no one knows what it is. Let’s stretch our brains by pondering Dark Matter! The world’s most affable and endearing theoretical particle physicist, Dr. Flip Tanedo makes matter, energy, and gravity make sense. Also: Galactic origins, space ghosts, multiverses, dimensions, and more. You’ll leave with a newfound wonder and the desire to read physics journals for the secrets of life.
July 23 · 28 min
SEA TURTLES with Camryn Allen
If you think you like sea turtles, get ready to become wildly obsessed with them. Cheloniologist Dr. Camryn Allen met up with Alie on a tropical island (ok, in a hotel room on a tropical island) to chat about flipper slappings, nesting BBs, current surfing, sleeping under water, boopable noses, eggs, hatchlings, mind-boggling navigation, what you can do to help them, and the many mysteries that still remain. Take a deep dive into the world of seartles. Or is it surtles?
July 17 · 28 min
TORTOISES with Amanda Hipps
What's a tortoise? What's a turtle? Why do they live so dang long? What's up with their shells? Wildlife biologist and testudinologist Amanda Hipps studies gopher tortoises and dishes about turtle nomenclature, cliques, roommates, behavior, burrows, evolution and more. If you don't dig tortoises yet, you're about to fall deep into a turtle tunnel in love with them.
July 10 · 26 min
TASTE with Gary Beauchamp
Sweet! Salty! Sour! Umami? Why do some people love their greens more than others? Can something taste “hot?” Come down to flavortown and let’s talk tongues. Gustologist Dr. Gary Beauchamp is a chemosensory scientist and an expert in taste. We chat about tastebud flim-flam, celebrity grade hot wings, super tasters, how much of taste is really smell, acquiring a taste for foods, and whether our four-legged companions have a sweet tooth. Delicious facts, served up hot.
July 3 · 26 min
DOGS & HUMANS with David Ian Howe
Ancient dogs! Domestic wolves! Anthropology! Archaeology! It’s all Ethnocynology: when and why humans and dogs became BFFs. The wonderful and iconic David Ian Howe is an educator and professional archaeologist whose focus is canines and people. So let’s curl up and be cute – like dogs – as we listen about breed histories, how wolves tamed themselves, why our relationships with canines make us what we are, talking dogs, if it’s fair to ask your dog to love you back, and why your dog is trying to
June 26 · 26 min
SECRET CODES with Simon Singh
Secret ciphers. Hidden treasure. Mysterious manuscripts. And … hog Latin. Cryptology expert and author of “The Code Book,” Simon Singh finally lets me ask him about Indigenous code-talking war heroes, hidden messages, extinct languages, the oldest of codes and the mathematical padlocks keeping the internet secure. Also: the personalities of letters and words??
June 18 · 26 min
CAPYBARAS with Elizabeth Congdon
CAPYBARAS! Blocky faces. Chill vibes. Spa days. Finally. Hydrochoerologist, Dr. Elizabeth Congdon, leads us into the muddy pond of these beloved giant rodents. We chat weird feet, smelly noses, pet questions, interspecies hangouts, natural habitats, and a fossil record that will rock you. An instant classic that you’ll want to enjoy on repeat. Y’all, CAPYBARAS. I repeat: Capybaras.
June 12 · 25 min
THE HEART with Herman Taylor
It beats. It throws blood. It breaks – but not if Dr. Herman Taylor can help it. Cardiology is a vast field but Dr. Taylor joined for a 101 on how the heart works, and how to take care of it. Get pumped for valves, tubes, electrical shocks, heavy metal hearts, what to do in an emergency, and what your heart wants you to eat. Also: the worst heart-themed art out there.
June 5 · 26 min
DRAGONFLIES with Jessica Ware
They’re acrobatic fliers with long bodies and veined wings and their babies breathe through their butts: dragonflies. Let’s get into the difference between a damselfly and dragonfly, how fast they dart around, how big they were in the age of the dinosaurs, and lots more with scholar, American Museum of Natural History curator, and dragonfly expert: Dr. Jessica Ware.
May 29 · 29 min
ATLATLS with Angelo Robledo
Spears! Sharp rocks! Ancient tools, bows and arrows and ...atlatls? What’s an atlatl? Experimental archaeologist and decades-long ancient tool enthusiast Angelo Robledo is as passionate as an ologist can get. You likely have never heard of an atlatl, but by the end of the episode you’ll be carving one out of old lumber. Also covered: the earliest stone tools, neanderthal hunting strategies, Indigenous traditions, ancient action figures, what to do if you find artifacts on a hike, and the physics
May 21 · 27 min
GAR with Solomon David
A long snout. Hundreds of teeth. Scales that could slice you. What is a gar and should we fear it? Should we hug it? One of the world’s most passionate and knowledgeable experts on this ancient, mysterious fish joins to make you fall in love with these slimy longbois. Dr. Solomon David is affable, charming, enthusiastic and absolutely shameless when it comes to fish puns. Slip into some hip waders and jump in the muck to learn all about a creature that -- despite decades of mudslinging -- is not
May 15 · 29 min
ROCKS with Schmitty Thompson
What is a rock? How big is a boulder? Why are they pretty and heavy? It’s rock talk with a true enthusiast, the charming and beloved Geologist Schmitty Thompson. Schmitty walks us through different types of rocks, minerals, crystals, geodes, roadside wonders, the best rock puns, and why you should take a closer look at your countertops. So pull up a petrified stump, take a seat, and enjoy Schmitty’s Geology Corner.
May 7 · 30 min
SQUIRRELS with Karen Munroe
Flying squirrels. Ground squirrels. Tree squirrels. Giant squirrels. Tiny ones. Grey ones. Red ones. Fluorescent ones? Alie is losing her mind talking to dream guest and Sciuridologist, Dr. Karen Munroe. This Baldwin Wallace University professor has studied squirrels for decades and addresses where they sleep, how many babies they have, how they find their acorns (or don’t), endangered squirrels, birdfeeder drama, the best place for squirrel tourism and more. You’ll scatter hoard so many nuggets
April 30 · 27 min
BASKET WEAVING with James C. Bamba
Thorny leaves! Geometric recipes! Watertight weaves! Tiny sculptures! Making cool stuff from invasive vines! Renowned weaver and teacher James C. Bamba shares how he connected more deeply with his Mariana Island heritage through weaving, how to know when plant fiber is ready, the anatomy of a coconut tree, and the math, meteorology, materials science, and agriculture know-how that goes into weaving the best baskets.
April 23 · 26 min
JELLYFISH with Rebecca Helm
What even *is* a jellyfish?! How do they eat? What are they made of? Do they breathe? Where are their brains? Your new favorite Medusologist, Dr. Rebecca Helm, is a ray of human sunshine in the depths of the deep sea. Truly one of the finest biology conversations you may ever hear. Get ready for fuzzy babies, clones, the biggest and smallest jellies, new band names, live medusas, and the lengths that she will go to to see a jelly bloom.
April 16 · 27 min
EARTH SAVING with Shah Selbe
Let’s get ready for Earth Day with this uplifting chat about saving the planet with some well-intentioned technology. Conservation Technologist Shah Selbe fills us in on all the ways in which sensors, drones, recycled smartphones and real-time data reporting can help conserve species, spaces and communities that are threatened. Hear inspiring tales of travel, art, adventure, and putting engineering to good use from a former rocket-science turned professional do-gooder.
April 3 · 25 min
CAROB with Megan Lynch
You might only know carob as not-chocolate, which is a tragedy of its disco-era branding. This tough, gnarly, drought-resistant plant is the real-life Giving Tree, explains passionate carobologist Megan Lynch. Dripping with leathery banana-shaped legume pods, this tree quietly dots suburban streets but can also be found in unexpected ingredients lists, beautiful furniture pieces, and tasty cheesecakes – when you let it be itself. Oh also? It can stand in for chocolate if you need it to. LET’S SH
March 26 · 25 min
NOSES with John Craig
Allergies. Sinuses. Cartilage. Smell nostalgia. Snoring. Hang on to your faces because Dr. John Craig goes deep and shares his passion for rhinology. You'll have a whole new relationship with your whiffer, appreciating what happens behind your nostrils and why they get so leaky, stuffy and everything in between. Also: what grosses Alie out more than creepy crawlies or smelly drain clogs?
March 19 · 27 min
PRAYING MANTISES with Lohitashwa Garikipati
Pointy heads. Spiked arms. Genius disguises. It’s a whole episode about praying mantises with a real life Mantodeologist. Do they really eat hummingbirds? Are they extraterrestrial? How can you convince them to visit your garden? Get your fill of evolutionary gossip, camouflage strategies, their alien egg cases, huge eyes, pet advice, and why they’re compatible with cat lovers with this delightful entomologist and longtime keeper of mantises, Lohit Garikipati.
March 12 · 26 min
CAVES with Gina Moseley
Caves! Caverns! Grottos! Crystals! Let's get down and dirty with Speleology with explorer, researcher, professor, and paleoclimatologist Dr. Gina Moseley. We discuss the deepest and darkest caves, who counts as a spelunker, what’s a stalactite, what’s a stalagmite, and are giant cave crystals real? Also: How caves can tell us about ancient climates and why nothing beats the longing for the underground. Grab a friend and wear a helmet. We’re goin’ in.

Smologies with Alie Ward

DARK MATTER with Flip Tanedo

SEA TURTLES with Camryn Allen

TORTOISES with Amanda Hipps

TASTE with Gary Beauchamp

DOGS & HUMANS with David Ian Howe

SECRET CODES with Simon Singh

CAPYBARAS with Elizabeth Congdon

THE HEART with Herman Taylor

DRAGONFLIES with Jessica Ware

ATLATLS with Angelo Robledo

GAR with Solomon David

ROCKS with Schmitty Thompson

SQUIRRELS with Karen Munroe

BASKET WEAVING with James C. Bamba

JELLYFISH with Rebecca Helm

EARTH SAVING with Shah Selbe

CAROB with Megan Lynch

NOSES with John Craig

PRAYING MANTISES with Lohitashwa Garikipati

CAVES with Gina Moseley