Araneology (SPIDERS) with Marshal Hedin

Ologies with Alie Ward

Alie Ward

Comedy, Science, Society & Culture

4.9 • 23.8K Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 93 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why would a spider have a frog best friend? Why do they love your shower? Does lemon repel them? Should you rehome them outside? Why so hairy? How do you identify the harmless ones? Which ones get kinky? Hey. This will be fun. If you’re afraid of spiders, this is the best first step to conquering that fear forever. If you love spiders, you’re in good company with Dr. Marshal Hedin, a San Diego State University professor who has dedicated his life to the diverse array of araneids. Also: why they need and deserve your love.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Oh, hey, it's your neighbor's dad practicing golf on the lawn alley ward. It's also the lady who's
0:05.9	going to be on the tonight show on Wednesday, May 14th. Correct. Your podfather, your internet dad,
0:12.0	me. I'm taping the tonight show the very day this episode comes out. And if you're here,
0:16.5	because you saw that, welcome. I made a spider episode for you. Sometimes on this show we talk about bears
0:22.3	or psychology or porcupines or rocks, but today it's spiders. So thank you everyone for all of the
0:29.8	support going into this taping tomorrow. I'm excited and my hands are sweaty. So first off,
0:34.3	I'm going to say, I know some of you are very afraid of spiders, and we are gathered here today to change that. Okay, we can do this. Many psychologists assert that the best cure for apprehension and phobias is what's called exposure response prevention. So you have to fight fear with knowledge and proximity. It works.
0:56.1	Listening to this, if you're afraid of spiders will make you a stronger person, it'll make
1:00.6	your life easier. You got it. And if you're not afraid, it's just a great way to fill yourself
1:05.9	with facts about our tiny little arachnid friends. And side note, this episode is not called
1:10.3	arachnology because there are different types of arachnids friends. And side note, this episode is not called arachnology because
1:11.2	there are different types of arachnids that are not spiders. But the scientific distinction for spiders
1:16.2	comes from the Greek root, Aranea. So hence, Araniology. And we have a great one for you.
1:21.7	He is a professor and researcher at San Diego State University and so passionate about spiders,
1:27.0	such a friend to spiders.
1:29.0	Also, his vibes are like Ron Swanson. He's cool, not a yapper, but brimming with love and
1:35.6	respect for these maligned and fascinating creatures. He's calm, he's collected, he's going to take
1:41.1	us on a journey. I personally, I love spiders and I fear them not,
1:44.5	but I am holding your hands if you do because it turns out you were brainwashed. That's why you're
1:49.9	afraid. So I hope you're not. If you're listening, I hope you're cool with them. You will be in a
1:55.3	minute. But first off, there are 38,000 known spider species in the world and about 100 species have venom that's detrimental to humans.
2:05.4	So that is 0.0025.
	...

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