Ologies with Alie Ward

Listener questions! The universe, dimensions, asteroid bags and cosmic vertigo with the amazing Dr. Katie Mack. Part 1 was a primer on all things cosmological, from particle physics to black holes, so listen to that first then hop to this episode to get all your questions answered.

Stars. Black holes. THE GAWDANG UNIVERSE. Astrophysicist and cosmologist Katie Mack (@astrokatie) joins to tell us her most embarrassing moments as a cosmologist, to debunk some physicist myths and give the nuts + bolts of everything form particle physics to gravitational waves and existential mysteries. Walk away with cocktail party comprehension of everything from the itty-bitty quarks that make you to the neutron stars banging together across the cosmos...

Buuuugs. We cover perhaps Alie's favorite ology ever with an ologist who changed her life. Meet Lila Higgins: the self-professed "bug geek" with passion more infectious than a glassy winged sharpshooter mouth. (That will make sense later.) We talk about clowns in the forest, badgers, Hare Krishnas, solitary bugs vs. social ones, why wasps are such dicks and why it's totally fine to kiss a cockroach and eat a cricket.

As a friend of a friend's hairdresser once said: "it's hard to be hateful with a plateful of grateful." Is it? In this pre-holidays quickie episode, Alie is grumpy as hell and decides to research the neuroscience of gratitude. Does it work? Who's studying it? Does she need to buy a journal? Find out how jotting down things you don't hate on the back of a receipt or opening a secret Twitter account may be worth more than whatever you get in your office Secret Santa exchange.

Skin care! Beard care! History! Grooming! Men's concealer! Make-up! And most importantly: what is self-confidence and where does it come from? The incredibly charming Alysha Marcantonio has been Alie's make-up artist for years and stepped in the booth to dish about HOW IN THE HECKERS she always has perfect skin (Alysha, not Alie), what it's like to hear all the gossip on set, creature prosthetics vs. glam squad and why beauty truly does come from the inside...

Birds! Horned screamers! Winged pirates! Professional bird-person and all around cool dude James Maley joins Alie to talk about bird mating, monogamy, the cult of ornithology, absurd birds, parrots that are smarter than your friends' kids, a surprising fact about owl ears and history's most tragically zealous bird nerds. If you love birds, you'll be at home. If a bird did you dirty, you'll open your heart and learn to love again.

Hoooo boy. We're all up in death and dying's bizness and to Alie's shock, it's not a bummer. Confront and perhaps OVERCOME existential anxiety as we discuss not only the science of death but the nature and goddamn beauty of life. Everything from burial methods, the latest in eco funerals, what a funeral director hates most, how gnomes die, and how to regret less. Meet your new favorite thanatologist and oddly, get the guts to be the you you want to be.

It's hot and Alie is nostalgic for fall. So here's a mini episode on the world's best autumn ologies to cozy up your week. Considerate blood bats, pumpkin hacks, leaf phenology, and ... Real. Life. Zombies. alieward.com/ologies Instagram.com/ologies Twitter.com/ologiespod OlogiesMerch.com Music by Nick Thorburn Support the show: http://Patreon.com/ologies

Million-dollar watches, World War II's role in watchmaking, and how much caffeine a watchmaker drinks. Twenty-something horologist Cameron Weiss also dishes about mechanical vs. quartz, little tiny springs, patience, S-Town and the history of timekeeping. Also we address rap lyrics and some existential boolsheet.

Professional gemologist Kelly Sitek talks about adventures in mining, the chemical composition of different gems, breaks down the test taking process for gemology and gives advice on haunted stones. We also spill some tea on cultured pearls and address the psychology and neurological merits of crystals/the placebo effect. Whether you are a staunch skeptic or all about woo-woo, you may end up shoving a crystal down your pants just for good luck. A.k.a. neural top-down control of physiology.