Pointy heads. Spiked arms. Tragic romance. It’s a whole episode about praying mantises with a real life Mantodeologist, Lohit Garikipati. Do they really eat hummingbirds? Are they endangered? Invasive? Smart? Extraterrestrial? Get your fill of mantid mythology, evolutionary gossip, sexual cannibalism, mantis motherhood, their alien egg cases, huge eyes, pet advice, and why they can show you the way to hell with this delightful entomologist, UC Davis entomology graduate and longtime keeper of mantids. You’ll lose your mind, but not your head. 

Follow Lohit on Instagram and iNaturalist

A donation went to the World Wildlife Fund

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Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Entomology (INSECTS), Spheksology (WASPS), Melittology (BEES), Native Melittology (INDIGENOUS BEES), Myrmecology (ANTS), Etymology (WORD ORIGINS), Mythology (STORYTELLING)

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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 X

Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jacob Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A short little episode to tell you about a change we're making to Ologies that I am genuinely very pumped about, as well as some weird secrets I did not intend to tell. But my point is that you can now have a kid-safe show and feed that is safe for kids and classrooms and a road trip with your shy parents. 

Subscribe to Smologies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Podcast Addict, or wherever you get podcasts.

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 X

Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jacob Chaffee, and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The world is confusing, but there are experts in everything. In our least funny episode ever, we thankfully convinced a global expert, professor, researcher, author, and Genocidologist (it’s a real word) Dr. Dirk Moses to answer the questions that we may secretly have: What exactly is genocide? How long has it been happening? Is it a war crime? Is it a crime of atrocity? Who makes up humanitarian law? What's self-defense — and what's offense? How is it litigated? Whose business is it? Why do we do this to each other? What can be done? It’s a dense, long episode with lots of asides for history and context, but it might be just what you need to give you perspective on the conditions — and cycles of trauma — that can lead to crimes of atrocities. 

Follow Dr. Dirk Moses on  X

Read his book, “The Problems of Genocide: Permanent Security and the Language of Transgression”

A donation went to student tuition at City College of New York

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Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: 

Agnotology (IGNORANCE), Genealogy (FAMILY TREES), Nomology (THE CONSTITUTION), Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE),  Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE FOODS), Indigenous Pedology (SOIL SCIENCE),  Ethnoecology (ETHNOBOTANY/NATIVE PLANTS),  Bryology (MOSS), Black American Magirology (FOOD, RACE & CULTURE), Bisonology (BISON)

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 X

Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jacob Chaffee, and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media

Additional producing and research by Mercedes Maitland

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE  FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY. 

Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248

They are numerous. They are patient. They are COMING for the United States in droves this spring: They are cicadas. *The* Cicada guy Dr. Gene Kritsky joins to chat all about the annual cicadas you may see every summer vs. the periodical ones that cycle through the states in broods of giant numbers. Learn how they survive underground for decades, what they are doing down there, all about their lifecycle, why some cozy up underground for 17 years while others get moving 4 years quicker, plus get inspired to take a cicada safari, download Cicada Safari, and appreciate their songs, which can be as loud as an ambulance. By the end, you’ll want to don a bug costume and take a road trip to one of the 18 states expecting a periodical emergence this spring!

Dr. Gene Kritsky’s new cicada book A Tale of Two Broods: The 2024 Emergence of Periodical Cicada Broods XIII and XIX

Download the Cicada Safari app at the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

Check out Dr. Kritsky’s website

Also see CicadaMania.com, and follow them on Instagram

A donation was made to Mount Saint Joseph’s cicada research in the School of Behavioral and Natural Sciences

Full-length (*not* G-rated) Cicadology episode + tons of science links

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, masks, totes!

Follow @Ologies on X and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on X and Instagram

Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media and Steven Ray Morris

Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mustard gossip. Knotweed recipes. Cow parsnips. Serviceberry appreciation. Hogweed warnings. Dead man’s fingers. The incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining Alexis Nikole Nelson a.k.a. @BlackForager walks us through Foraging Ecology with a ginormous bushel of tips & tricks for finding edibles at all times of the year, from blossoms to fungus. Belly up for this encore detailing invasive snacks, elusive mushrooms, magnolia cookies, mugwort potatoes, violet cocktails, foraging guides, weed trivia and tips to avoid poisonous berries. Also: finding community, history, land stewardship and why foraging is important, empowering and quite tasty.

Follow Alexis @BlackForager on Instagram, TikTok, X, and Youtube

A donation went to Backyard Basecamp

More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE), Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE FOODS), Indigenous Pedology (SOIL SCIENCE), Ethnoecology (ETHNOBOTANY/NATIVE PLANTS), Bryology (MOSS), Mycology (MUSHROOMS), Cucurbitology (PUMPKINS), Carobology (NOT-CHOCOLATE TREES), Pomology (APPLES), Black American Magirology (FOOD, RACE & CULTURE)

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 X

Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jacob Chaffee, and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The thrilling conclusion of PIGEONS, with Columbidologist and author Rosemary Mosco of Bird and Moon comics. It’s wall-to-wall listener questions and you’ll hear all about bonded pairs, the fate of the extinct passenger pigeon, the best cinematic pigeons, how to help their nubby feet, gender reveals gone very wrong, Las Vegas mysteries to boil your blood, and so much more. Also: did I just see a wedding bird escapee?

Visit Rosemary’s website and follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and X

Browse Rosemary’s books including A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World’s Most Misunderstood Bird and There Are No Ants in This Book

Read Rosemary’s nature comic Bird and Moon and support on Patreon

Donations went to Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue and Palomacy

More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Ornithology (BIRDS), Plumology (FEATHERS), Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Oology (EGGS), Urban Rodentology (SEWER RATS), Echinology (SEA URCHINS & SAND DOLLARS), Egyptology (ANCIENT EGYPT), Scatology (POOP), FIELD TRIP: Birds of Prey and Raptor Facts

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 X

Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jacob Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You love pigeons. You might not know it yet. Espionage! Fancy breeds! Internal GPS! Weird feet! Should you be afraid of them? Should you adopt one? Pigeon advocate, comic artist and author of “A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching,” Rosemary Mosco finally joins to answer all of our questions in a beautifully mellow and melodious wall-to-wall pigeon exploration. I loved every minute of making this one and if you stick around for the secret, I’ll take you behind-the-scenes. Listen, then sit on a bench and watch your new friends.

Visit Rosemary’s website and follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and X

Browse Rosemary’s books including A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World’s Most Misunderstood Bird and There Are No Ants in This Book

Read Rosemary’s nature comic Bird and Moon and support on Patreon

Donations went to Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue and Palomacy

More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Ornithology (BIRDS), Plumology (FEATHERS), Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Oology (EGGS), Urban Rodentology (SEWER RATS), Egyptology (ANCIENT EGYPT), Scatology (POOP), FIELD TRIP: Birds of Prey and Raptor Facts

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 X

Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jacob Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ANNOUNCEMENT: SMOLOGIES NOW HAS ITS OWN FEED! SUBSCRIBE  FOR NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY. 

Subscribe to Smologies: https://pod.link/1746567248

Do trees have feelings? How do they talk? Which trees can you use to make syrup? Do bananas really grow on trees? Possibly the world's most enthusiastic tree expert, J. Casey Clapp, explains what makes coastal redwoods the coolest trees, how roots communicate with each other, and why a tree is like a cup of tea. Plus: bonus guest appearance by our friends (and the trees’), fungi.  

Visit Casey Clapp's website and follow him on Instagram

Listen to his podcast, Completely Arbortrary

A donation went to EcoTrust.org

Full-length (*not* G-rated) Dendrology episode + tons of science links

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, masks, totes!

Follow @Ologies on X and Instagram

Follow @AlieWard on X and Instagram

Sound editing by Steven Ray Morris and Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio

Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Come along like a frog in my pocket for an adventure to see an eclipse. After last week’s Heliology episode on the Sun, I rushed out of state to see what the fuss was about and to witness my first ever total eclipse of the Sun. Did it go as planned? Of course not? Did it work out? You’ll have to listen. We’ve got: a rollercoaster of emotions, last-minute pivots, chats with strangers, highway scenery, hope, anxiety, awe, and tears as we see if my seven-year wait for totality pans out. 

A donation went to Functional Magic

Check out Veritasium on YouTube

Visit Dr. Teagan Wall’s website and follow her on Instagram and X

Jarrett’s Webby-nominated Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast, “Braving the Elements” 

More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Heliology (THE SUN/ECLIPSES), Selenology (THE MOON), Cosmology (THE UNIVERSE), Meteorology (WEATHER & CLIMATE), Nephology (CLOUDS), FIELD TRIP: Alie’s Mystery Surgery, Disasterology (DISASTERS), Genicular Traumatology (BAD KNEES)

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 X

Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jacob Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sunset flimflam! Auroras! Eclipse tips! Let’s get to know the center of our solar system, the Sun,  as the April 8th eclipse approaches. What is it made of? How big is it? Will it explode soon? Why can’t I stare at it? And why is it wearing sunglasses? Dr. Michael Kirk and almost-Dr. India Jackson are brilliant and charming Heliologists who have both worked with NASA’s heliophysics departments. Get to know them and also the giant hot plasma ball we revolve around. You’ll never (not look at it) the same. 

Follow Michael on Google Scholar

Visit India’s website and follow her on Instagram, X and Google Scholar

Watch NASA’s Total Solar Eclipse Live Broadcast on April 8, 2024

Donations went to Astronomers Without Borders and the Grady Memorial Hospital Health Foundation

More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Selenology (THE MOON), Cosmology (THE UNIVERSE), Meteorology (WEATHER & CLIMATE), Nephology (CLOUDS), Black Hole Theory Cosmology (WHAT ARE BLACK HOLES?!), Discard Anthropology (GARBAGE), Tiktokology (THE TIKTOK APP), Space Archaeology (SPACE JUNK), Aerology (MARS), Quantum Ontology (WHAT IS REAL?)

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 X

Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jacob Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.