Ologies with Alie Ward

Hyaenidology (HYENAS) with Christine Wilkinson

Giggles. Pseudopenises. Matriarchies? Media slander. Hyaenidologist Dr. Christine Wilkinson delivers stories about the nature of matrilinearity, hot L

Sciuridology (SQUIRRELS) Encore with Karen Munroe

Flying squirrels. Fox squirrels. Giant squirrels. Tiny ones. Grey ones. Black ones. Fluorescent ones? Alie is losing her mind talking to dream guest a

Bonus Episode: Menopause Advice for You & Loved Ones

Advice. Hot tips. Book recs. Perspective. It’s the third and final installment of our Emmenology series on perimenopause and menopause, and it’s all w

Emmenology (MENOPAUSE & PERIMENOPAUSE) Part 2 with Monica Christmas, Mary Claire Haver and Sarah Witkowski

Hormones or no hormones? Itchy ears. Disappearing pussy syndrome. Estrogen by land, by sea, by patch, by pill, or by cream. When is it T time? What's the deal with herbal remedies? Should your moisturizer have hormones in it? Is HRT safe? Four experts weigh in on bioidentical versus synthetic, getting better sleep, what to put in or around your vagina, tips for trans folks, protein research, and why you should go pick up a brick or something. OB/GYNs and menopause experts Dr. Monica Christmas an

Emmenology (MENOPAUSE & PERIMENOPAUSE) Part 1 with Monica Christmas, Mary Claire Haver and Lara Durgavich

Hormones. Mood swings. Brain fog. Night sweats. And why doesn’t your shoulder work? The time is here for this whopper of a 3-part series on menopause with a total of five Ologists. No matter what your age or gender, you owe it to the people in your life who go through this to understand it. Brilliant and charming Dr. Mary Claire Haver is an OB-GYN who wrote bestsellers “The New Menopause” and the just-released “The New Perimenopause” and hosts the podcast unPAUSED. The wonderful and warm Dr. Mon

Conversational Psychology (CONNECTING WITH OTHERS) with Nicholas Epley

Social anxiety icebreakers. Third spaces. Slumber parties with old friends. Helping out strangers. And why primates are wired to be better connected than we are now. Dr. Nicholas Epley – a distinguished Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago and the author of “A Little More Social” – explains how important social activity is for physical and mental health, why people are experiencing a friendship recession, how texting affects your hormones, how seeing other cultures can sh

Capsicumology (CHILE PEPPERS) with Paul Bosland

Scoville units. Nightshades. Hot ones. Sweet ones. Scandalous data. Pull up a seat for a wild, hot ride through New Mexico. Pepper expert, horticulturist, and Capsicumologist Dr. Paul “The Chileman” Bosland of New Mexico State’s Chile Pepper Institute dishes up stories of how chile peppers got from the wild into your mouth, what parts of peppers are the hottest, why mild peppers don’t get enough credit, how to grow peppers at home, how to recover from the burn, some lore behind your favorite hot

Collapsology (SOCIETAL COLLAPSE, LOL!) with Joseph Tainter

What is your Roman Empire? It’s about to be this episode. What causes the big dogs to stumble and fall? Do societies collapse suddenly, or would one notice as it happens? What *is* a complex society – and is it better than a simple one? Depends on who you ask, and we went straight to the source: the legendary anthropologist, scholar, historian and author of “The Collapse of Complex Societies,” Dr. Joseph Tainter. New obsession awaits you in the fall of the Roman Empire, cities lost to the desert

BONUS EPISODE Creating Music with Jarrett Sleeper and David Bashwiner

The promised follow up bonus episode to our biomusicology episode with theoretical, neuro- and biomusicologist Dr David Bashwiner. This one is guest hosted by Podmother Jarrett Sleeper and we steer the discussion more toward the process of creating music, where creativity comes from, the relationship between theory, technique, and creativity, how to unleash or access one’s own creativity, synthesizers, whether new sounds are possible, emulation vs simulation, music as it exists in nature, whethe

Biomusicology (OUR MUSICAL NATURE) with David Bashwiner

Music. Emotion. Brain waves. Whale songs. Toadfish. Distant moons. Loud apes. And why it’s worth it to practice piano. Brilliant and warm musician and assistant professor at Albuquerque's University of New Mexico, Dr. David Bashwiner is a theoretical, neuro- and biomusicologist. Settling into his office (with a baby grand) we covered everything from bird songs to aquatic echolocation, how scales work, major vs. minor keys and their impact on the brain, music therapies, white noise, binaural beat

Cnidariology (CORAL) Encore with Shayle Matsuda

Will changing your sunscreen save coral reefs? What even IS a coral? Where do they grow and what do they eat and why are they so pretty? Is it reefs or reeves? The wonderful and charming coral biologist and cnidariologist Shayle Matsuda takes time out of his busy schedule during a coral spawning event to chat about how magical and beautiful coral can be and why reef health is important. Also: whether or not "Finding Nemo" got coral right, making transitions during grad school, and how to pursue

Paternology (FATHERHOOD) with Darby Saxbe

DADS. What makes a good one? What if you had a bad one? And how can fatherhood turn the tides on toxic masculinity? Also: diapers. The brilliant USC research psychologist, fatherhood expert, and thus Paternologist Dr. Darby Saxbe covers everything from prehistoric family systems to social media expectations as we chat about male hormones during and after pregnancy, division of labor, dad bods, gorillas, TV dads, seahorses, trans dads, oxytocin, gender reveals, and how it truly takes a community

Awe Psychology (WONDER) with Dacher Keltner

Awe?! You can study this? You can, and it turns out it’s really important for our mental health. Dr. Dacher Keltner, the legendary UC Berkeley psychology professor, author, and founding director of the Greater Good Science Center, lent us some time to chat about his research into what makes us feel awe, and how that sense of vastness can make our lives and relationships richer. From spending some time under starry skies, to walking past ancient ruins, to listening to a favorite song, these big a

Enology Part 2 (HOW TO MAKE WINE) with Tara Gomez & Mireia Taribó

Wineries vs. vineyards. Metal vs. oak. DIY wine. Carbonic fermentation situations? Enologists Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribó – co-owners of the boutique California winery Camins2Dreams – join us to chat about how grapes are harvested, why some are juiced with the stems, Indigenous perspectives on wine making, weird balloon chambers, wooden teabags, labcoat envy, tips for making your own wines, how they met and the surprising story of how they became a married duo in life and work. This couple need

Enology Part 1 (HOW TO DRINK WINE) with André Hueston Mack

To chill or not to chill? That is the question. And then a bunch more questions. Thankfully, author, winemaker, sommelier, and Enology expert, André Hueston Mack is on hand to explain Old World vs. New World wines, corks vs. caps, red, rosé, orange, and white wines, stemware, judging a wine by its label, the best glass of wine he’s ever tasted, needless snobbery, aeration, decanting, and what those legs are doing dancing around your glass. Also: how to open a bottle with no corkscrew. Next week: