Vaping and vein health! Covid and clots! Easy bruising! Movie blood! Spider veins! Free socks! The heroic vascular surgeon Dr. Sheila Blumberg of NYU Langone Health let me ask her one million questions about how blood gets from point A to B all day. She explains the difference between arteries, veins, capillaries, and vessels and we cover everything from fainting to teenage movie tropes, how to tie a tourniquet, atherosclerosis, aneurysms, stents and why your leg is asleep right now.  View Dr. Blumberg’s publications on ResearchGate A donation went to BreakingGround.org More episode sourc ..read more

What even IS a breadfruit? How do you cook it? Why have Pacific Islanders grown it for so long? Can it solve world hunger? And what does it have to do with an infamous 18th century mutiny on the high seas? Pack your bags and hop aboard for not one but two island excursions to learn all about this rev-'ulu-tionary tropical staple. We start on a breezy Catalina Island dock to hear about the ethnobotany and ecobiology of breadfruit from Dr. Noa Kekuewa Lincoln before making our way to a farm tucked away on Hawaii’s Big Island for a tour from research assistant and PhD candidate Dolly Autufuga. On ..read more

What even IS a breadfruit? How do you cook it? Why have Pacific Islanders grown it for so long? Can it solve world hunger? And what does it have to do with an infamous 18th century mutiny on the high seas? Pack your bags and hop aboard for not one but two island excursions to learn all about this rev-u’lu-tionary tropical staple. We start on a breezy Catalina Island dock to hear about the ethnobotany and ecobiology of breadfruit from Dr. Noa Kekuewa Lincoln before making our way to a farm tucked away on Hawaii’s Big Island for a tour from research assistant and PhD candidate Dolly Autufuga. On ..read more

  Thorny leaves! Embarrassing imports! Basket gossip! Making cool stuff from invasive vines! Renowned weaver and teacher, James C. Bamba, connected more deeply with his Mariana Island heritage through weaving and shares how you know when plant fiber is ready, the anatomy of a coconut tree, how to look a gift basket in the mouth, the baskets that he cherishes the most, how to design with your mind, what he thinks about when he’s weaving, basket jokes he hates the most, and when learning another culture’s craft is appropriate or appropriation.  Follow James on Instagram A donation wen ..read more

Exhaustion! Numbness! Anger! You’re stressed out. I get it. Let’s fix it. I cornered one of the world’s experts on Ergopathology, scholar and author Dr. Kandi Wiens, to ask about the causes of burnout, warning signs, what professions are more at risk, how to recover from burnout and prevent it in the future, which was the focus of her book, “Burnout Immunity.” We also chat about neurodiversity, hockey mascots, childhood trauma, how do you tell your boss you're burned the F out, grit, and guilt. Also, you don't need to wait until you're on a tropical vacation to recharge. In fact, don't. Visit ..read more

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, sci-fi aviation inspiration, mating choreography, attracting them to your yard (maybe to eat them) and lots more with scholar, American Museum of Natural History curator, and dragonfly expert: Dr. Jessica Ware. Visit Dr. Ware’s website and follow her on Google Scholar, Instagram and X Buy Jessica’s children’s book, Bugs (A Day in the L ..read more

A donation went to Mural Arts Philadelphia Conrad Brenner / Streets Dept Instagram | website Mural Arts Philadelphia Instagram | website Donna Grace Kroh Instagram Iris Barbee Pendergrass/ These Pink Lips  Instagram | website Emmanuel Wisdom/ Unapxlxgetiq Instagram | website Michele Scott / Mr. Scooot Instagram | website Justin Nagatalon / El Toro Instagram | website Emily White (wasn’t in the ep but was the 4th muralist of the set) Instagram More episode sources and links Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes Sponsors of Ologies Transcripts and bleeped episodes Become a patron of Ol ..read more

Licorice opinions! War chocolate! Candy corn origins, circus peanut secrets, the sourest sourballs, and your great aunt’s purse. Stay until the very end for the biggest shocked laugh I have ever had on this show. The incredibly charming author, journalist, candy historian, and Confectiologist Susan Benjamin chats about everything from apothecary origin stories, ethnobotany, having horehound on hand, the warheads that could save you, vegan candy controversy, sugar sources from beets to corn, Turkish temptations, Roman flim-flam, marzipan mini-sculptures, sugar plum ballets, what she gives out f ..read more

Coffin engravings! Archaeology ethics! Linen wrappings! Repatriation! Sexy hippos! We’re back with more mummies in this Part 2 with the wonderful Drs. Salima Ikram & Kara Cooneywho chat about animal mummies, eating mummified remains, plant resins, the debate over human sacrifice, coffin reuse, Egyptian tourism, the worst temple gift shop in history, and what happens if you’re late to your own funeral. Also: is all religion magic? Let’s get into it.  More Spooktober episodes Visit Dr. Cooney’s website and follow her on Instagram, X, YouTube, and Facebook Get Kara’s latest book, Recycli ..read more

Linen wrapping. Expensive resins. Sarcophagi. Preserving for eternity – or until someone raids their tomb. It’s a brand-new Spooktober episode with not one but two guests: Dr. Salima Ikram is a professor of Egyptology and expert on mummification of both people and animals, and is joined by veteran guest from the Egyptology episode, professor and author Dr. Kara Cooney. The two chat about mummification techniques, how food studies lead into the pyramids, controversy over the word “mummy,” whiffing the dead, socioeconomic factors in mummification, animal mummies, lingering mysteries, field work ..read more