Noctohabitology (SLEEP PROCRASTINATION) with Vanessa “Nessy” Hill

More from Ologies with Alie Ward

1. 

   E527 · 2 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 24 min

   Deep Sea Microbiology (UNSEEN OCEAN CRITTERS) with Peter Girguis

   Creatures in inky trenches. Exploring the sea floor. Mud medicine. Tube worms. Harvard professor and Deep Sea Microbiology legend Dr. Peter Girguis tells tales of ocean expeditions and answers questions about extremophiles, life on other planets, Atlantis, shark encounters, methane munching, hydronauts, Trekkie trivia, the safety of submersibles, deep sea simulations, and how ocean organisms may just save your life.

2. 

   E526 · 26 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

   Mephitology (SKUNKS) Part 2 with Jerry Dragoo

   What happens when you've been sprayed nine times in the face by a skunk? Part 2 with Mephitologist Dr. Jerry Dragoo answers that question. Also on the agenda: pet skunks, lavender skunks, skunk family planning, Pepe Le Pew on trial, why some of us enjoy the stench, how to handle a skunk approach, if skunks can smell themselves, and the very bizarre circumstances by which this guest first rose to international skunk fame. Also: the proper way to watch a skunk.

3. 

   E525 · 19 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 1 min

   Mephitology (SKUNKS) Part 1 with Jerry Dragoo

   It’s here. SKUNKS. My dream guest, Dr. Jerry Dragoo of the Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations is finally on Ologies, and I can barely contain myself. Come to Albuquerque to meet this Mephitological legend. In this very special and precious 2-part series, we’ll explore tiny baby skunks, spotted ones, cartoon skunks, skunk spray remedies, skunks and astronauts, how to get sprayed by a skunk, how *not* to get sprayed, what skunk spray tastes like, how much it costs to purchase, how their populations are doing, skunks vs. snakes, who eats skunks, island skunks,…

4. 

   E523 · 5 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 17 min

   Hyaenidology (HYENAS) with Christine Wilkinson

   Giggles. Pseudopenises. Matriarchies? Media slander. Hyaenidologist Dr. Christine Wilkinson delivers stories about the nature of matrilinearity, hot Lion King gossip, bristle backs, tiny heads, big teeth, animation errors, human-hyena interactions, tongue bumps, termite poisons, lawsuits, and why these animals have been robbed of respect and denied the devotion the so deserve. Ready yourself for stories from this delightful carnivore ecologist, hyena researcher, PBS science communicator, National Geographic Explorer, and curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. And raise…

5. 

   E522 · 30 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 41 min

   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 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, if they bite each other’s junk, how they find their acorns, Marvel movies, birdfeeder drama, imported squirrels, melanistic morphs, world domination, fistfights with birders, the rarest squirrel, the best place for squirrel tourism and more. You’ll scatter hoard so many…

6. 

   E521 · 30 Jul 2026 · 46 min

   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 wise words from Patrons. Dealing with brain fog, giving spouses grace, finding estrogen patches amid short supply, what to ask the HR department at work, and analogies that would melt even the coldest haters. Tune in, hang on, and sweat it out.

7. 

   E534 · 9 Oct 2026 · 2 hr 18 minNew

   Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim

   Thrills. Chills. Hiding behind your hands. It’s officially SPOOKTOBER month with a huge, fascinating (and I promise, mellow) episode on why humans watch horror, and what’s happening in your brain. Not only do we have the author of “Horror on the Brain: the Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction,” neuroscientist Dr. Austin Lim, but this also features CUTS from other episodes to FLESH it all out. Enjoy the political sociology of zombies vs. vampires, feminist body horror, horror as anti-war art, liminal spaces, the best blood in the business, goosebumps and Goosebumps, evolutionary mismatches,…

8. 

   E533 · 3 Oct 2026 · 53 min

   Relational Psychology (BONDING VIA LAUGHING) with Sara Algoe and Laura Kurtz

   Basement card games. Fireside reminiscing. Being forced to learn a dance. Does acting like a cornball matter? Will bits save your life? Yes. I got myself to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to talk with research psychologists Dr. Sara Algoe and Dr. Laura Kurtz, who also run the research collective, The Love Consortium. They’re the team behind studies proving that laughing does predict and enhance lasting social support and lead to longer, better lives. We chat sneaky studies, in person vs. remote hangouts, which came first: the giggle or the oxytocin, which “novel and…

9. 

   E532 · 30 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 12 min

   Silicification Geology (OPALS) with Patrice Rey

   Gems of lightning and shadows. Rainbow fossils. Underground tunnel homes. Mysterious sedimentary origins. Aboriginal dreamtime stories. Armored snails. Questionable song lyrics. It’s opals, folks. And world expert geophysicist and University of Sydney professor Dr. Patrice Rey is here to talk about why he left France to explore the geological mysteries of the Outback. Should you get an opal engagement ring? Can they get wet? What’s the difference between an Australian and Ethiopian opal? What was one doing in a Kenyan cave 3000 years ago? What’s a Kyoto Opal vs. opalite? And why was your…

10. 

    E531 · 24 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 14 min

    Salixology (WILLOWS & SCULPTURE) with Patrick Dougherty

    It’s the Ologies 9th Anniversary episode – and the customary gift is willow. So I reached out to an artist whose work means a lot to me, and convinced world-renowned environmental sculptor Patrick Dougherty to chat about his work, and about willows in general. Twisting and tangling literal tons of willow saplings, Patrick and his crews create huge, site-specific sculptures that look like fantastical buildings, but made almost entirely of sustainably-sourced branches. I’ve loved his work for decades, and this chat was like a kid meeting their basketball hero. We also address: cleaning up…

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