You may be familiar with ecology, microbiology, or geology, but what about lepidopterology (the study of butterflies and moths), gustology (the study of taste), or sciuridology (the study of squirrels)?
Before listening to the “Ologies” podcast, I would have told you those were made up words.
As a slow listener of podcasts and someone with a short attention span, I was skeptical when my science teacher assigned us a science podcast to listen to and recommended “Ologies”. However, when I saw the episode titles I was instantly hooked.
“Ologies”, hosted by Emmy-award winning science correspondent Alie Ward, is a fresh, engaging, and sometimes PG-13 take on science. On the podcast, which began in 2017, Ward invites accomplished scientists to discuss their niche topic of expertise. Now, five years later, the podcast has almost 150 episodes and has been named one of Time Magazine’s top 50 podcasts.
Ologies covers almost every topic you could ever think of- and many you would never think of. As a huge fan of “The Last of Us” I loved “Neuroparasitology” (natural zombies).
Although these topics may seem intimidating to the average listener, Ward and her guests break down every topic and piece of scientific jargon in such a way, and I have never struggled to follow along with the podcast. Although Ward is involved in the world of science, she is a journalist by trade, not a scientist, which makes the podcast all the more engrossing. Most episodes are made up of bizarre stories and anecdotes from nature that make you feel like Ward and her guests are old friends.
Even though most episodes average around an hour (and sometimes more) in length, the conversational and casual style of the podcast never leaves you falling asleep (Somonology).
Here are some episodes that are a great introduction to the podcast:
-"Tiktokology” with Hank Green
- “StarTalk-ology” with Neil deGrasse Tyson (technically an episode of Tyson’s podcast Startalk)
- “Sports and Performance Psychology”
- “Penguinology” (Penguins)
- “Kalology” (Beauty Standards)
And here are some of my personal favorites:
“Indigenous Cuisonology” (Indigenous cooking)
“Delphinology” (Dolphins)
“Teratology” (Monsters)
“Ciderology” (Apple cider and fermentation)
“Demonology” (Evil demons)
Be warned, most episodes of “Ologies” are listed as explicit on Spotify (the occasional curse is part of the podcast’s charm), but Ward has also created “Smologies”, shorter classroom friendly “Ologies” episodes that are just as entertaining.
In an excellent article from The Varsity- The University of Toronto’s student newspaper- Lexey Burns states, “‘Ologies’ has something for the scientist in all of us” and I couldn’t agree more.
You can listen to “Ologies” on Spotify, Apple Music, or the Ologies website
References
Burns, L. (2023, January 22). Ologies has something for the scientist in all of Us. The Varsity. https://thevarsity.ca/2023/01/22/ologies-has-something-for-the-scientist-in-all-of-us/
Dockterman, E. (2019, December 20). The 50 best podcasts to listen to now. Time. https://time.com/5524332/best-podcasts-to-listen-to/
Ward, A. (n.d.). About Alie Ward. Alie Ward. https://www.alieward.com/new-about
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