Thanks for constantly getting me through night shift and giving me topics to talk about with patients

I work in scientific publishing and lovelovelove learning about new topics. I’m the type of person who wants to live a million lives so I can learn everything possible, and this podcast scratches that itch. I appreciate the breadth of topics covered and the expert guest speakers.

I absolutely love this podcast. Every day I listen to multiple episodes during work, and I always come home to tell my girlfriend the fun facts I learned! You’re the best dad I’ve ever had!💕

They say babies can hear inside the womb and react to familiar songs and voices once born. Which means Ally is officially apart of our little family and my son, Elliot, first friend. Ologies has always been a staple to listen to in the car and I recommend it to everyone! Ally got me through my maternity leave. I grew and fed a human, which is the biggest achievement of my life. As an early birthday gift I became an Olgitie on Patreon. Science is crazy! Keep nature wild! Go explore!

I’m constantly learning and laughing. The only thing I don’t like about ologies is that I didn’t know about it sooner.

Please do episode about aroma chemicals. Real ingredients are fabulous and not just $200 a bottle. Try Ensar Oud for the real thing, and educate us about how the old houses made the real stuff.

I feel like if Alie Ward and I worked together or lived next-door to each other I would want her for my friend! She brings out incredibly interesting voices in a variety of specialties and sciences, and I appreciate her little asides about life and things. The way she engages with her guests is so honest and natural and I just love it. And now this aging science goth girl knows what exactly to do to keep myself in supply of industrial strength, fishnet stockings. Thank you Alie for making me laugh (and also cry sometimes) and helping me to learn and marvel at the wonders of our sciency nerdy world. And that tip about the fishnets of course (dance tights ya’ll!).

Anything. If you want to know about anything, this is the pod for you. Alie’s questions/interjections are hilarious and thoughtful and help make all topics approachable. When my family or I have a question about something, one of the things we now do is check if there’s an episode of Ologies to answer that question or dig deeper. Do yourself a favor and listen to the weird and wonderful world we inhabit and the people who study it, and enjoy the immensely talented host and side bars as you go along.

I have been a long time here and there listener. Typically listening while on long road trips. While again in the car on a road trip recently, I listened to the OCD podcast and now I’m hooked. This pod will now be in my all the time rotation! I love all the topics, the flow of the podcast and how educational. Please never stop!!

this podcast is so wonderful and charming, I’ve been a fan for years and it helped me to realize that going into environmental stuff was truly what I wanted to do (now I’m in college for it, yay) but more importantly I have such a sincere appreciation and gratitude for the ocd episodes. I’m doing much better now, but there were definitely MISERABLE times in my life, when I couldn’t imagine living a normal life with it, and I swore I would take it all to my grave until (FINALLY) a therapist made the connection that hey, probably ocd! Thank you ologies for making me feel less alone. Thank you for the work you do, it is important and it is helping people every day.

This podcast has been absolutely brilliant in keeping me awake and entertaining while I breastfeed my son. In an attempt to cut out doom scrolling I find myself listening to ologies more and more. And now it’s my go to for late night breastfeeding sessions or commutes with my son in the car. Thanks Internet Dad for keeping this sleep deprived mama awake and engaged. And making my brain feel less mushy. I am so excited for the day when I’ll be listening to the smologies episodes with my son.

Ologies filled a void in my silent commute and my heart. Where so many podcasts have failed to keep my attention, I can’t get enough of this one! Alie is quirky but so relatable and the guests passion is always inspiring. If it weren’t for this show, I wouldn’t know I can basically treat my ADHD with cheese! (Just kidding, this is a total exaggeration but I am going to milk the whole cheese increasing dopamine excuse as much as I can whilst enjoying my Brie and wine). Oh and it also helped with my rattlesnake phobia… I mean I still would rather not stumble across one while gardening but I do feel more at peace with their existence in the world. Thanks Alie!

So I’m obsessed with this podcast. Late for my uni lecture? Cry silently while this is playing. Procrastination? Ologies. Actually doing something? You guessed it. Ologies. I was also wondering if you could get an equuaologist (or whatever it’s called) like a horse specialist? I’d love to listen to an episode about horses. As I’m writing this I’m listening to the castrology episode and I’m completely absorbed!

Show is amazing but stop calling western New York upstate

If you were the kind of child who read ancient epics because you found them interesting, this podcast is for you, if you were the kind of kid who poked logs with sticks in the off chance you found a story, this podcast is also for you, and if you were anywhere in between or completely outside the lines of these too, this podcast is also for you. Also if you don’t like swear words, there is a spin off podcast called smologies which are shorter, classroom friendly episodes, also an amazing podcast.

I’ve listened to this podcast for so many years as a huge fan, loyal listener. It wasn’t until the OCD episodes that I was finally able to understand what was happening with my 12-year-old daughter and her deep panic surrounding severe weather and why no amount of assurance would help. When I learned about the reassurance loop, the exposure, the stopping compulsions, it was a lightbulb moment. I feel like we have hope! She felt scene and validated. Without you, she would’ve stayed suffering, because everything else we were doing was just feeding into the compulsions and we didn’t know it!! We have a plan now.

This is easily my favorite podcast that makes me feel GOOD. I’ve learned so much about topics that I didn’t even know I could be interested in and somehow it always ends up being a fun time. Also, as a fellow OCD survivor who has battled for years with the stigmas and stress, the OCD episodes were a breath of fresh air. Not only were the guests phenomenal, but you nailed the balance between humor, empathy, education, and shining a light on the stuff we don’t want to talk about but should. I already tell everyone I know about how great Ologies is, but now I can point to these episodes and say “see, that’s me!” Thank you!!

So I’m so far listened to aging, squids and otters in smologies and paleontology in ologies, I just wanna suggest you make a shortened, G rated version of the paleontology episode for smologies, and make an ornithology episode in ologies, then make a shortened, G rated version of that episode for smologies, if you do, you can give me a shout out at the end if you want! Ty! And ologies and smologies are my favorite podcast series!

I wanted to wait until after I’d listened to every episode and one year later I am finally caught up! It has completely changed my opinion on some maligned organisms. Today we were picking plums for our local food bank and there were spiders and yellow jackets in the trees. I found myself defending both! I think there needs to be an episode on earwigs because they were in the trees and I had nothing nice to say about them! Thank you Dad Ward for this amazing show.

I just recently discovered this podcast and find it to be immensely informative and entertaining. I have gone back to the beginning and downloaded a butt load of episodes and will hopefully at some point catch up to the present. I really like the way you interject comments, almost like footnotes, to add insight along the way. You seem to bring out the best in the people who you interview. Keep up the great work, thanks.

I tried really hard to enjoy this. I listen to a lot of podcasts and this one just couldn’t catch traction with me. She talks about some interesting topics but the way she cuts out tons of little commentary and constantly cuts away from the guests makes jt feel immature. She wants you to always listen to HER voice and her opinions and it gets annoying. Her voice can be grating. The icing on the cake was when she tried talking smack about people who weren’t fooled by the COVID psy-op and didn’t wear masks or gloves. I instantly unfollowed Ologies. There are just much more quality podcast options and they can teach you so much more without all the annoying cutaways. (Modern Wisdom for example)

I have listened to Ologies for a long time and I came to say: I appreciated the trigger warning on the Cheese Episode. I think it’s a thoughtful touch and I like her quirky asides. Shout out to the OCD eps for making me feel seen!!

This show is the best. Not an opinion. I started listening after hearing the scorpion episode come on in my dad’s car ( he already had been listening for a while) and now I’m hooked. I eagerly await the next episode before it drops and I listen to it as soon as I get home. I have already told all of my friends about you, keep making life interesting. - The Scheming Rat

I love this podcast and I love Alie Ward. I heard about Ologies from a friend and now I can’t get enough. Alie is so smart and funny, and well-spoken. She always gets amazing guests who really are experts in their field. The show is edited very professionally, always entertaining or interesting without that feeling of, “ok, ok, get to the point!” that some other shows give you. I often listen with my 10 month old baby in the car, and she is a fan too! In a world that often feels cruel and evil, listening to Ologies is like a little beacon of hope and a reminder that smart, kind, normal people still exist. I always find myself going down a research rabbit hole after each episode, learning more about topics I never would have even thought of. I’ve picked up new healthy habits and take better care of my mental health because of certain episodes. And I’m always full of new fun facts to impress and/or annoy my friends and family with. Thank you Alie Ward!

This podcast. Seriously the best thing I've ever put in my ears and my brain. It's a perfect example of the ability of passionate, knowledgeable people to make any subject fascinating. Things that I would never have thought could keep my attention are made into delicious cocktails full of facts, stories and humor for my thirsty brain. Ali is so relatable and entertaining. She shamelessly asks the questions we are all wondering about. With the same level of genuine curiosity she flawlessly explains things like string theory in one moment and asks if scallops have buttholes in another. I'm quite sure that Ali is my purely platonic soulmate since listening to her is sometimes like listening to my brain speak out loud. Absolutely love her and this podcast!!

If your not listening to Ologies, your not doing life right! Also, my search history is now questionable from the things i need to look up during the show 🤣

I would have subscribed if it weren’t for the constant injection of your politics. One example, from the AI episode: people object to DEI not because it protects individual rights, but because it demolishes them. Ask any Jewish or Asian person. If you insist on interrupting the show, at least contend honestly with the issue. Better yet, avoid “ideology” altogether.

Oh hey, it’s me. Your friend that internet stalked a turtle paleontologist, contacted his last place of employment for a current email address, and then emailed him pictures of what may be a fossilized turtle shell or just a turtle shaped rock. I would have been forever curious if Alie had not inspired me to ask stupid questions of smart people.

Ologies introduced me to ecology and other potential science careers in middle school and now I listen while packing for my first year of undergraduate biology! This podcast might change your life, but even if not, you’ll come out of it knowing so many fun facts about islands, maggot cheese, and yourself!

Rabbit hole deep dives and loving it

This is my favorite podcast My friends and I recently started playing jeopardy every week, and one of the categories on one of the boards was “the study of.” After answering the first question (defining herpetology) and getting it right, I felt the need to disclose my advantage: that I listen to the Ologies podcast every week. Needless to say, I crushed the category and won the jeopardy game!

Often interesting and entertaining, but it seems like this is a podcast about social justice and equality, fighting the patriarchy and sustainability, with the scientific topic of each episode being secondary. I’m not saying these are bad things, but this podcast is made for a very specific audience and contains many preachy asides. I just listened to the cheese episode which starts with a very earnest apology/trigger warning for a discussion of a dairy product that does not focus on the ethical considerations of dairy production. Because, you know, so many people can be harmed by hearing you talk about cheese without constant virtue signaling. So overall, the show is a bit light on science and heavy on social politics. If you are primarily interested in science, this podcast will be more likely to annoy than to inform.

When I’m burnt out on news or true crime podcasts, who is there for me in these times of need? Ologies! Where I can learn a lot, laugh a little and generally feel a little bit better about this world I inhabit!

I just listened to the episode on pigeons, and let’s just say i immediately fell in love with this podcast! I love how interesting Alie makes any subject, even the ones that I normally wouldn’t have really found interesting or enjoyable to learn about! Will 100% keep listening and I can’t wait for more!!

Entelucifying [adjective]: providing simultaneous entertainment, elucidation and edification. Ex: Ologies with Alie Ward is hella entelucifying. You should check it out. As a perpetually curious and consistently odd human, discovering Ologies felt like finally reaching *that spot* I’ve been thus far unsuccessfully contorting my arms to scratch in the middle of my back. When I find myself with the chance to give actual attention to a podcast and I need to decide what to listen to, I choose Ologies 97% of the time. The other 3% of the time I need to listen to something in a vehicle with my smol children and then it’s Smologies to the rescue. I’m deeply grateful for the sense of intellectual camaraderie I experience when I listen, and for having the privilege of learning from a brilliant and hilarious podcast(er) that both piques and sates my curiosity. Alie’s guests are truly excellent, their conversations are dynamic, and the editing that pulls it all together (and sprinkles in delightful asides) is sublime. Please, Alie/your neighbor’s dad at the library with that stack of survival books covertly eating granola out of his hand while wearing the sweatshirt you’ll never get back (the one with the tag you wish you’d cut out) after offering you extra hummus at the falafel cart when you realized you’d lost your super important wallet yet again — please keep shining your entelucifying light onto our collective ignorance and ennui. We need you now more than ever. *benignly parasocial hug*

Alie, your podcast is simply amazing. You have a charcuterie of topics that can pull you in and pair different subjects with complimentary experts. Most recently your two-part episode on Fromology changed my life. You and Kyra not only put together a dynamite episode but after tasting some Prairie Breeze cheese paired with honey my world will never be the same.

Amazing amazing podcast. If you’re looking for a listen where you can learn and laugh, look no further! Alie and her guests make seemingly unapproachable science accessible for us mere mortals. Alie! I’ve been listening for a couple of years now, but I just wanted you to know how much I love and appreciate your curiosity and passion for learning about the world around us and sharing this with all of us! I always tell my kids that a scientist is just a person who wants to learn how and why things work, and you embody this ideal so thoroughly. Between Ologies and Smologies, you have taught me and my family that regular humans can be scientists too. In the current political climate where research and science are threatened by censorship, we all need you more than ever. Thank you, we love you!

i love this podcast sm!! you should do an episode on elephants and mammoths

Tried to listen to an episode, but the commercials are insufferable. I’d pay for a commercial free version.

I will not shut up about this podcast. The cheese episode was so interesting, and I now will always eat cheese while drinking tea!

I love this podcast and so does everyone I recommend it to. Just listened to the Fromology episode. “Fancy” grilled cheese is a hobby of mine. My two favorites are Brie on French toast with sautéed strawberries and Midnight Moon Goat cheese on sourdough with a fried green tomato and sautéed rapini.

Every time I listen to this show I become convinced I need to go back to school to become a (fill in the blank whatever ologist is on the episode)

Seriously my new absolute favorite podcast. I fell in love with cheese and i can’t have it because im allergic.

I’m frustrated with the start of this episode: the essential ingredients for cheese are milk, acid, and heat. You do not need bacteria or rennet for an entire class of cheese (commonly called “fresh” or “acid” cheese). Unless this guest is contending that mozzarella, cream cheese, chèvre, farmer’s cheese etc. are not cheese she’s really misleading people into thinking that cheese is more complicated than it is. And it’s sad that a bunch of people won’t try making stuff because of that. Sure bacteria (which make acid as one output) and rennet are essential for some cheese but there is a whole world of mongering you can get into with just a pot, milk, vinegar, and an old t-shirt!

I end up enjoying episodes about things I thought I’d have no interest in

In an anxiety inducing, capitalist soul sucking, morally concerning world, Ologies and its guests remind me of the beauty and incredible wonder that the world always has been and will be. Alie inspires me to remember to be curious in my everyday life, and I can’t wait to share every episode with my friends and family, just like my dad shared this show with me. Love you, Podfather, keep changing the world for the better and lifting up the voices of scientists that are so often ignored.

I’ve been listening to Ologies for years now and have wanted to leave a review after listening to an episode that I feel will be my absolute favorite…until I listen to the next one on my list and feel that will be my absolute favorite…and on it goes…until today when I listened to the “Crotalology (RATTLESNAKES) with Emily Taylor” episode. Wow. Allie Ward starts the episode by bringing up a perception survey about snakes, and asks us (her audience) to consider our own perception. I thought, I don’t think you’re gonna change my mind; I don’t like snakes; I’m gonna keep not liking snakes. Midway through the episode, I thought, OMG! Rattlesnakes are so cute being such good mommas and aunties and dads, and what divas with their varied colors that can change right before your eyes! This is how it is with any episode I listen to: I’m blown away by something I would’ve never guessed about the subject. Even when I’m completely disgusted, I’m always fascinated by the nature of whatever the subject is. Plus, Allie makes me lol so much, and I often find myself in conversation with her even if she can’t hear me. That’s just the kind of host she is—she makes you feel like you’re listening to a dear friend tell you all about the current thing she’s so into, and she comforts you when you start feeling anxious about the info. But the thing I love above all is that Allie Ward works to dismantle the prejudices, implicit biases, and fixed mindsets we all have, especially when it comes to teaching us how to be better stewards of the only home we have. She cares about decolonizing science and makes sure to interview scientists in the field who may come from communities who are underrepresented in academia and/or the science world. It’s so important to me to see and hear that representation as a woman of color. I listen because of my own care and interest, and I share episodes with my loved ones and with my colleagues (other high school teachers). Thank goodness for “Smologies”! And just to add more shine to my extra long review, Allie lifts my spirits when I need to take my mind off the nightmare we’re all currently living in. Even when some of the statistics/data can be heart wrenching, the joy and humor and exuberant passion that Allie brings to every episode is heartwarming and reminds me of the beauty that exists in this world. I hope that Allie sticks with this show for many more years to come!

Ologies is a wildly entertaining podcast for folks who are curious about the world. I greatly enjoy the enthusiasm displayed by Alie Ward and her guests. Whether I learn something new, snort laugh at a well timed cuss word, pause the show to immediately search for a photo or website related to show content, find something new and exciting to follow, or vocalize in disbelief - I wholeheartedly appreciate our dear Dadward’s efforts.

You had me at puffins! A friend sent me the puffins episode, knowing I love all things in, on or near the sea. I found the episode hilariously informative. As I scrolled through other episodes, I figured you could make any ology worth listening to. I’ve been painting the outside of my house, I like to keep busy while my boyfriend fights fire from the air in California, flying a four engine jet through billowing clouds of smoke, dropping thousands of gallons of bright red retardant near raging wildfires. (loved the Fire Ecology and Indigenous Fire Ecology episodes.) Listening to ologies while I paint keeps me entertained and informed in a way I never imagined was possible. I am thoroughly enjoying every single episode, and I feel less lonely with you and the ologists in my ear. One day I was precariously perched on a sketchy ladder with my hands full of paintbrushes and tools and an episode came on that I’d already heard, (Penguins) but I didn’t mind at all, because I learned some things that I didn’t catch the first time. So, even repeat performances are a treat. My long winded review is meant with every ounce of admiration, respect and gratitude towards you, your talent and your awesome team for putting ologies together each week. I’m a big fan! No matter how serious certain subjects appear to be, you find a way to bring humor into the mix. Sometimes I guffaw out loud with raucous laughter, neighbors walking by probably think I’m half mad, they are maybe not wrong. Thank you for keeping me half sane!

Best podcast ever, and I listen to a lot of podcasts. Alie Ward is a truly wonderful interviewer. She makes even the most mundane seeming subjects so fascinating and funny through her interviews. I just hope she never runs out of ologies to report on, which seems unlikely since there are approximately one gazillion.