Obsessive-Compulsive Neurobiology (OCD) with Wayne Goodman

Ruminations and reassurances. Checking and counting. Suffering and stigmas. It’s OCD, babes! OCD is now considered one of the most common psychiatric conditions, afflicting 2% to 3% of the general population, and this episode is among our top-requested topics. So we snagged a top-shelf ologist: psychiatrist, researcher, advocate and OCD Neurobiologist, *the* Dr. Wayne Goodman. We cover myths, misconceptions, diagnosis and treatment options for OCD, as well as advice for loved ones. Also: PANDAS, famous folks who are helping break the silence on it, intrusive thoughts, deep brain stimulation, genetic components, links to Tourette’s Syndrome, finding the right doctor, and the behavioral therapy that is the gold standard for OCD. And surprise! Later this week we’ll have a bonus episode on OCD lived experience with neuroscientist, mental health advocate and OCD-haver, Uma Chatterjee. View Dr. Goodman’s publications on ResearchGate and follow him on Google ScholarA donation went to International OCD FoundationFind more episodes you'll like at Ologies.comMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD), Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS), Volitional Psychology (PROCRASTINATION), Suicidology (SUICIDE PREVENTION & AWARENESS), Post-Viral Epidemiology (LONG COVID), Disability Sociology (DISABILITY PRIDE), Gustology (TASTE), Oikology (DECLUTTERING)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

We’re back with molten hot cheese trivia in Part 2 with Fromologist Kyra James of OwnYourFunk.com. Part 1 covered the foundations and this week we address your listener questions about cows on boats, plant-based cheese options, how to properly store cheese, how cheese changes your brain chemistry, the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, the great grilled cheese debate, DIY cheeses, squeaky curds, Missouri’s cheese caves, the moon’s composition, and the ultimate charcuterie board. Also: holes, and crystals and maggots, oh my!Visit Kyra’s website and follow her on Instagram and LinkedInDonations went to the Cheese Culture Coalition and Team Up’s 2025 Building Schools in KenyaMore episode sources and linksFind more episodes you'll like at Ologies.comSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Gastroegyptology (BREAD BAKING), Food Anthropology (FEASTS), Critical Ecology (SOCIAL SYSTEMS + ENVIRONMENT), Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Bisonology (BUFFALO), Zymology (BEER), Gustology (TASTE), Disgustology (REPULSION TO GROSS STUFF), FIELD TRIP: I Go France and Learn Weird France StuffSponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Soft. Hard. Fresh. Aged. Stinky. Illegal. Let’s talk cheese with Certified Cheese Professional (CCP) and Fromologist, Kyra James. We chat about proprietary bacterial slurries, basement caves, cheese knife etiquette, rind eating, vegetarian versus vegan cheeses, cheese history, different warm-blooded animals whose milk is used for cheese, American cheese side-eye, shoe deodorizers, and how to chat up a monger. And come back next week to learn more about plant-based cheese options, how to properly store cheese, the difference between orange and white cheddar, the grilled sandwich debate, DIY cheese, pricey varieties, squeaky curds, the moon’s composition, how cheese changes your brain chemistry, and the ultimate charcuterie board. Plus: holes and crystals and maggots, oh my! [Content warning: we discuss dairy and do make acknowledgments of animal rights concerns, and next week we discuss vegan options in more depth. However this episode and expert’s focus isn’t the ethics of dairy farming as a whole, but rather the process of cheesemaking. We do have a future episode planned about plant-based diets.]Visit Kyra’s website and follow her on Instagram and LinkedInDonations went to the Cheese Culture Coalition and Team Up’s 2025 Building Schools in KenyaMore episode sources and linksFind more episodes you'll like at Ologies.comSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Gastroegyptology (BREAD BAKING), Food Anthropology (FEASTS), Critical Ecology (SOCIAL SYSTEMS + ENVIRONMENT), Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Bisonology (BUFFALO), Zymology (BEER), Gustology (TASTE), Disgustology (REPULSION TO GROSS STUFF), Speleology (CAVES), FIELD TRIP: I Go France and Learn Weird France StuffSponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Let’s light up your life and butt. World-renowned firefly expert Dr. Sara Lewis of Tufts University gives us some updates to her 2021 episode, sharing her love of a bug that many think is merely mythological. Learn how these tiny animals illuminate the night, the dos and don’ts of firefly observation, how to take good firefly photos, femme fatales, pink glowworms, secret languages, artificial lights, what’s up with their population numbers, why Western states can chill out with their lightning bug envy, and how you can ensure the world stays aglow with these beloved bugs. Also: nuptial gifts, both human and lampyridological.Visit Dr. Sara Lewis’s website and follow her on ThreadsBuy her book, Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies!A donation went to Fireflyers InternationalMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Entomology (INSECTS), Acaropathology (TICKS & LYME DISEASE), Forest Entomology (CREEPY CRAWLIES), Odonatology (DRAGONFLIES), Native Melittology (INDIGENOUS BEES), Lepidopterology (BUTTERFLIES), Cicadology (CICADAS), Dipterology (FLIES), Behavioral Ecology (REPRODUCTIVE TRADEOFFS)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes, more!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokSound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, Steven Ray Morris, Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Fangs. Rattles. Misconceptions. Crawl out from under your rock for the angelic rattle of one of the world’s most maligned, misunderstood, gorgeous, mysterious, efficient creatures. Herpetology professor, rattlesnake scientist and thus, Crotalologist Dr. Emily Taylor discusses why rattlesnakes deserve our love, the parenthood strategies of rattlers, how to avoid getting bitten, dog rattlesnake training, rattlers’ relationships with squirrels, antivenom, vaccines, mattress trivia, mood snakes and who gets bitten the most. Hint: it’s not hikers. July 13-19, 2025 celebrate the Inaugural Snake Week and check out ProjectRattleCamVisit Dr. Taylor’s website and follow her on Bluesky and InstagramBuy Dr. Taylor’s book, California Snakes and How to Find Them, on Bookshop.org or AmazonHer latest book, California Lizards and How to Find Them, is also available on Bookshop.org and AmazonA donation went to The Rattlesnake ConservancyEmily’s Rattlesnake Perception Survey: take the pre-survey, listen to the episode, then complete the post-surveyMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Herpetology (REPTILES), Saurology (LIZARDS), Fearology (FEAR), Sciuridology (SQUIRRELS), Acaropathology (TICKS & LYME DISEASE), Forest Entomology (CREEPY CRAWLIES)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Farmed versus wild. Basement shrimp hustles. Mangrove drama. Anthropology. Animal welfare and plant-based diets. Climb aboard to meet UCSB’s super cool dude, researcher and Aquaculture Ecologist, Dr. Ben Halpern. You’ll hear about sustainable food sources, land vs. sea farming, bycatch, shellfish guilt, salmon who wear makeup, global marine populations, ditching iceberg for seaweed, and a gentle nudge toward vegetables. Progress over perfection; every little step counts.Visit the Halpern Lab and browse Dr. Halpern’s publications on ResearchGateA donation went to the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)More episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Macrophycology (SEAWEED), Oceanology (OCEANS), Pectinidology (SCALLOPS), Ichthyology (FISHES), Carcinology (CRABS), Entomophagy Anthropology (EATING BUGS), Echinology (SEA URCHINS & SAND DOLLARS), Ursinology (BEARS), Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Road Ecology (ROAD KILL), Agnotology (WILLFUL IGNORANCE), Castorology (BEAVERS), Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE COOKING), Black American Magirology (FOOD, RACE & CULTURE)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Have you ever read every word of The U.S. Constitution? You don't have to, because I read it with my mouth into your brain in this weird but vital episode on civil liberties. And of course, there are little sidenotes to make sure we both understand it. There has never been a better time to know what your legal protections are. This episode is a follow up to Nomology (CONSTITUTIONAL LAW) with the legendary law scholar Franita Tolson, the Dean and Carl Mason Franklin Chair in Law USC’s Gould School of Law. Start there for the basics and learn why knowing your rights and using your voice can change the future.Be safe. Stick up for yourself, and each other.Listen to our 2019 episode: Nomology (THE CONSTITUTION) with Franita TolsonA donation went to the American Civil Liberties UnionMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Political Sociology (VOTER TURNOUT & SUPPRESSION), Museology (MUSEUMS), Agnotology (WILLFUL IGNORANCE), Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY), Genealogy (FAMILY TREES)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, Steven Ray Morris, and Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio ProductionsManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Moonlit seaweeds. Dreamy underwater forests. Mounds of beach debris. Not plants. Let’s talk about where seaweed grows and whether or not it will save us all. Macrophycology means “big-ass algae” so let’s join five dazzling seaweed enthusiasts: guest-in-chief Dr. Patrick Martone of the University of British Columbia, UConn Professor Emeritus and “grandfather of seaweed farming” Dr. Charlie Yarish, seagrass scientist Becky Swerida, and marine science PhD students Danielle McHaskell and Angela Jones. We’ll chat about what’s hidden in its cells, the best ones to eat, how fast it grows, how deep it gets, cold vs. tropical seaweeds, what to do if your vacation pictures feature mounds of sargassum, and whether or not kelp can kill a chicken. In next week’s episode, you’ll hear all about the aquaculture of cultivating and eating things from the seaweed to shellfish to shrimp farmed in a basement doughboy. Not really a two parter but two episodes that are friends and hang out in the same circles. Visit the Martone Lab and follow Dr. Martone on Google ScholarGet the Seaweed Sorter app developed by Dr. MartoneFollow Dr. Charles Yarish on Google ScholarFollow Danielle McHaskell on InstagramVisit Angela Jones’ websiteFollow Becky Swerida on InstagramDonations went to Raincoast Education Society, GreenWave, and Black in Marine ScienceMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Oceanology (OCEANS), Island Ecology (ISLANDS), Cnidariology (CORAL), Tardigradology (TINY SEMI-INDESTRUCTIBLE WATER BEAR MOSS PIGLET CREATURES CALLED TARDIGRADES), Bryology (MOSS), Echinology (SEA URCHINS & SAND DOLLARS), Lutrinology (OTTERS), Ethnoecology (ETHNOBOTANY/NATIVE PLANTS), Dendrology (TREES), Forensic Ecology (NATURE DETECTIVE)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Secret ciphers. Hidden treasure. Enigma breakers. Mysterious manuscripts. And … hog Latin. Cryptology expert and author of “The Code Book,” Simon Singh finally lets me ask him about the small mistakes that lost huge battles, the prison plots of Mary Queen of Scots, a cryptology reality show that I wish existed, the legacy of Alan Turing, Indigenous code-talking war heroes, hiding messages in your skin and guts, the role of A.I. in future deciphering and the possibility of a quantum computing apocalypse. Also: one whole ball of wax that you do not want to get into. Visit Dr. Singh’s website and follow him on Bluesky and XBrowse Dr. Singh’s books including The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography, available on Bookshop.org and AmazonA donation went to GiveWellMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Egyptology (ANCIENT EGYPT), Momiology (MUMMIFICATION), Curiology (EMOJI), Graphology (HANDWRITING/FORGERY), Anagnosology (READING), Oneirology (DREAMS), Salugenology (WHY HUMANS REQUIRE HOBBIES), Architectural Technology (COMPUTER PROGRAMMING), Neurotechnology (AI + BRAIN TECH), Artificial Intelligence Ethicology (WILL A.I. CRASH OUT?), Abstract Mathematology (UH, IS MATH REAL?)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn

Bushy tails! Stinky butts! Faces so cute you weep! Let’s talk foxes – specifically the little gray ones you never knew you loved. Fox behavioral expert, researcher, conservationist, author of “The Road to Fox Hollow” and Urocyonologist Bill Leikam chats about fuzzy foxes, baby names, parental strategies, where they live, what they eat, advice for potential pet owners, how to observe foxes, how tiny foxes wound up on islands, which foxes need conservation, Silicon Valley foxes, and why a fox on the couch is worth 1000 in the bush. Also: what do they smell like? And what do they say? Buy Bill’s book: The Road to Fox HollowA donation went to the Urban Wildlife Research Project. Watch the documentary: The Foxes, my Professors: Bill Leikam and the Gray Foxes of Silicon ValleyMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Ethnocynology (HUMANS & DOGS THROUGH TIME), Lupinology (WOLVES), Felinology (CATS), Procyonology (RACCOONS), Lutrinology (OTTERS), Sciuridology (SQUIRRELS), Castorology (BEAVERS), Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE), Nassology (TAXIDERMY), Cynology (DOGS)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn