Antarcticology (ANTARCTIC RESEARCH) with Ariel Waldman

Ologies with Alie Ward

Alie Ward

Society & Culture, Science, Comedy

4.9 • 25.7K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2026

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Mile-thick ice. Dry, rocky valleys. Tiny creatures. Red parkas. Seal mummies. We’re going to Antarctica with National Geographic Explorer, microscopic photographer, and Antarcticologist Ariel Waldman. She hosts the gorgeous PBS series “Life Unearthed” and answers a blizzard of questions about camping in the middle of an ice sheet, hauling microscopes to the ends of the Earth, what’s living in a drop of melted snow, potty protocols, microplastics, and the research that happens on a giant continent that carries many mysteries. Also: why you should cold email someone. Like, today.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Oh, hey, it's the bookmark.
0:01.6	That's just a receipt for the book.
0:03.4	Allie Ward and buckle up, bundle up.
0:05.2	I'm taking you to Antarctica.
0:07.3	Well, I'm not doing anything.
0:08.5	I'm just asking anologist questions
0:10.7	and they will take you on their journey
0:13.5	from a curious outsider to very much insider research
0:17.5	station at the bottom of the globe.
0:19.1	They have worked for NASA.
0:20.6	They are a National
0:21.4	Geographic Explorer, a Microscopist, a filmmaker, a TED speaker, and host of their own
0:27.3	excellent new PBS series, Life on Earth, which debuted the very day that we chatted for this
0:32.9	episode. We'll get right to it. But first, a quick thank you to patrons at patreon.com
0:37.3	slash ologies for supporting the show for a dollar or more a month. And for submitting your questions before we record. Thank you to everyone out there in Ologies merch from Ologiesmerch.com. Also, thanks to everyone who voted for us for a Webby Award. We won the Best Science Podcast again, as well as the People's Voice for Best Science
0:55.3	Podcast. So New York, I will see you for the Webby Awards on May 11th. Exciting. Also,
1:00.6	heads up to anyone looking for kids safe and classroom-friendly versions of ologies. We
1:04.7	release those in their very own feed. They're called Smologis. S-M-O-L-O-G-I-E-S.
1:09.6	And so if you want to entertain kids with facts,
1:12.8	please find those and subscribe. Thank you to everyone who leaves reviews for ologies,
1:17.4	which help us so much. I read them all, such as this still defrosting one from
1:21.6	Arugula Few who wrote, I love deep diving into topics, but I never have the time as a very
	...

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