Ologies with Alie Ward

Red eyes. Ten-foot wings. And an absolute dumptruck. Let’s get to the bottom of the great American mythology of the world’s sexiest cryptid, Mothman. Haunting the hills of West Virginia in 1966-67, he vanished as fast as he flew. Point Pleasant-raised Jeff Wamsley is the owner/operator of the Mothman Museum and an expert in the legends of this creature. What’s the story? Who is telling it? Is Mothman real? What are some scientific explanations? Do other cultures see a Mothman? Is he even a moth? Is he even a man? Where did he go? Why do we want to see him? Who are the Men in Black? Also: why is he so caked up? (Content warning: we discuss an entity that likely is not real. I know that. Don’t email me.)

Whisks and witches. Bristles and Shakers. Potions and prisons. From making brooms to jumping them, teacher, author, broomsquire, and Broomologist Cate O'Connell Richards gives us the overlooked history of how that broom got in your garage. So light a candle and tuck in for fibers, harvests, how-tos, angel wings, hawktails, besoms, labor laws, Broomcorn Johnnies, utopic communes, wedding traditions, oral histories, care tips and how everything is more interesting with context. Even brooms. Content warning as requested by the guest: when we talk about history, especially witches, there may be mentions of violence, death or sexuality.

Punted seals. Sunken yachts. Beach ambushes. And salmon hats? What’s even happening with killer whales? Are they sadists, or just hungry hungry hippos turned marine mammals? The Natural History Museum of LA County’s marine mammal expert Dr. Jorge Vélez-Juarbe joins the show to chat about peachy babies, how their language is like a trucker radio, tiny whiskers, the formal wear, what’s with the nubbin teeth, if you should go whale watching, pod sizes, Indigenous folklore, captivity struggles, whales that meow, fatty melons and so much more. Also: baby whiskers. Spooktober continues, with these aquatic killers.

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, why clowns unsettle you, and if horror is having its moment. (Note: it is.) Also, we had to cap this at 2+ hours so if we don’t cover *your* favorite movie or series and you yell at me about it, I will roll my eyes so hard that I will die and then I will haunt you by hiding your car keys.

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 arousing” activities strengthen relationships, the immersive bonding of a slumber party with people you trust, words vs. actions, laughter amid conflict, and how connecting with old friends can keep you out of the hospital unless you decide to try amateur rodeo night at the fair.