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.

Gems of lightning and shadows. Rainbow fossils. Underground tunnel homes. Mysterious sedimentary origins. Aboriginal dreamtime stories. Armored snails. Questionable song lyrics. It’s opals, folks. And world expert geophysicist and University of Sydney professor Dr. Patrice Rey is here to talk about why he left France to explore the geological mysteries of the Outback. Should you get an opal engagement ring? Can they get wet? What’s the difference between an Australian and Ethiopian opal? What was one doing in a Kenyan cave 3000 years ago? What’s a Kyoto Opal vs. opalite? And why was your great grandma named Opal? (Cultural warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners: this episode mentions names and stories of people who have passed.)

It’s the Ologies 9th Anniversary episode – and the customary gift is willow. So I reached out to an artist whose work means a lot to me, and convinced world-renowned environmental sculptor Patrick Dougherty to chat about his work, and about willows in general. Twisting and tangling literal tons of willow saplings, Patrick and his crews create huge, site-specific sculptures that look like fantastical buildings, but made almost entirely of sustainably-sourced branches. I’ve loved his work for decades, and this chat was like a kid meeting their basketball hero. We also address: cleaning up ecology with willows, their spine-like roots, why some willows weep, plumbing follies, medicinal uses of willows, why they’re so bendy, the poetry that nature inspires, why sniffing sticks is healthy, the physics of birds’ nests, and reconnecting with the wonder you had as a child. Instant classic.

El Niño. La Niña. United Nations Environment Programme doomerism? It’s been a helluva week for Meteorologists and the humans who live on planet Earth, so we made you a fresh episode recorded just days ago with our favorite climate scientist, professor, author, and Weather Geeks podcast host, Dr. Marshall Shepherd. What is going on with this hurricane season? How do Pacific waters affect you all over the globe, what’s behind the headlines of the UN’s “strategic retreat” on climate change mitigation, how have El Niño weather patterns changed over time, what’s dust from Africa got to do with it, should you quit your job and start a roofing company? And if you’re like: dude I don't know if I can handle weather gloom: I implore you to listen so you know the flim-flam, how to read these climate articles in the news, what to tell friends and family who otherwise might not care, and how you can instigate change and keep yourself safe.

Bomb cyclones! Polar vortices! Atmospheric rivers! And rained out barbecues. One of the world’s leading Meteorologists, Dr. Marshall Shepherd – a former NASA scientist and current Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia – is here to field a downpour of questions. We chat about percentages in forecasts, hail, sleet, storm chasing, heatwaves, fluid dynamics, TV weather people, climate change delayism and his favorite weather-themed movies. Also: what not to do with a weather balloon.

Rituals. Gatherings. Celebrations. Surprise parties. Weekend getaways. Campfires and birthday candles are in our DNA, and colleagues/social psychologists Dr. Danielle Brick & Dr. Kelley Gullo-Wight explain why. This conversation was like if you got seated at a dinner party next to two friends who study why we have dinner parties. We cover the neuroscience of anticipation, how much is too much for the ‘gram, a time machine to the middle ages, and how enjoying the good times together helps us weather our storms.

Creatures in inky trenches. Exploring the sea floor. Mud medicine. Tube worms. Harvard professor and Deep Sea Microbiology legend Dr. Peter Girguis tells tales of ocean expeditions and answers questions about extremophiles, life on other planets, Atlantis, shark encounters, methane munching, hydronauts, Trekkie trivia, the safety of submersibles, deep sea simulations, and how ocean organisms may just save your life.

What happens when you've been sprayed nine times in the face by a skunk? Part 2 with Mephitologist Dr. Jerry Dragoo answers that question. Also on the agenda: pet skunks, lavender skunks, skunk family planning, Pepe Le Pew on trial, why some of us enjoy the stench, how to handle a skunk approach, if skunks can smell themselves, and the very bizarre circumstances by which this guest first rose to international skunk fame. Also: the proper way to watch a skunk.

It’s here. SKUNKS. My dream guest, Dr. Jerry Dragoo of the Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations is finally on Ologies, and I can barely contain myself. Come to Albuquerque to meet this Mephitological legend. In this very special and precious 2-part series, we’ll explore tiny baby skunks, spotted ones, cartoon skunks, skunk spray remedies, skunks and astronauts, how to get sprayed by a skunk, how *not* to get sprayed, what skunk spray tastes like, how much it costs to purchase, how their populations are doing, skunks vs. snakes, who eats skunks, island skunks, rehabbing skunks, pet skunks, actress skunks, mating trivia, and so much more. Also: the nipples you never want to meet.

Late night scrolling. Couchlock. Habitual insomnia. You want to sleep — so why won’t you turn off the light, dumplin’? We’ve got someone for that: sleep scientist, globally known PBS correspondent, host of the series Braincraft, and Noctohabitologist, Dr. Vanessa “Nessy” Hill. So let’s chat about what amount of sleep is “normal,” if farmers had two sleeps, electricity, blue blockers, “me time,” proof that Dolly Parton is an alien from an angel planet, the populations most prone to sleep procrastination, which of 93 scientifically-proven habit-changers are the easiest to implement, and how this expert and I have both personally battled the agony between wanting to rest but avoiding it. Come. Gather. Get mad. Be healed.