Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness

Gorillas. Orangutans. Bonobos. Chimpanzees. Humans. Can you name a more iconic Fab Five? This week, Dr. Laura Simone Lewis joins Jonathan for an episode all about our beautiful primate family tree! Listen in to learn how we’re related, what makes each species unique, and why we need to step up conservation efforts for our closest living relatives on the planet.   Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her PhD from Harvard in the department of Human Evolutionary Biology. Laura studies how social cognition has evolved in chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. Besides hanging out with great apes, she loves swimming in the ocean, making pottery, and going on solo travel adventures around the world.   You can follow Dr. Lewis on Twitter @LauraSimoneLew. Here's a link to the chart on human evolutionary pathways. And here's a link to the great ape family tree, with a photo of Jonathan at the center! We have so much more ground to cover with Dr. Lewis,

Dust isn’t just something that accumulates between our couch cushions. Dust is ALL OVER Earth—there are 20 trillion grams of it!—and it plays a critical role in weather events, climate change, and how we understand Earth. This week, Dr. Sarah Aarons joins Jonathan to discuss her research on mineral dust, and her research trips to Antarctica. Plus, Jonathan asks hard-hitting questions, like: Is household dust really just dead skin cells? Does flushing your toilet make an aerosol mess? And how do you stay caffeinated near the South Pole? Sarah Aarons was born and raised in Alaska. She is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andr

Roses are red, violets are blue, we have a Valentine’s Day episode for you! This week on Getting Curious, we’re learning all about the history of Valentine’s Day, with returning guest Dr. Sally Holloway. Was the holiday always about love and romance? When did roses and chocolates become go-to gifts? And what would people living in Georgian England think of celebrations like Galentine’s Day? This episode is a perfect match with Dr. Holloway’s first conversation with Jonathan, all about love and courtship in Georgian England! Here’s a link to listen. Dr. Sally Holloway is a historian of gender, emotions, and material culture in 18th and 19th century Britain. She is a Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University, and the author of The Game of Love in Georgian England (2019). You can follow Dr. Holloway on Twitter @sally_holloway. Looking for a Valentine’s Day treat? Grab a copy of The Game Of Love In Georgian England, now in paperback. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to

Dogs. We snuggle up with them on the couch. We pamper them with treats and toys and songs. We even give them prime placement on our dating profiles! But how—and why—did we become BFFs with canines? And what does our love for dogs say about us? This week, anthrozoologist Dr. maythe han and her dog Frank join Jonathan to explore this special bond between humans and dogs.   maythe han is an anthrozoologist of more-than-human kinship with dogs. Addressing the question ‘how can we live a good life together?’, her research foregrounds embodied imagination and creativity in exploring how dogs and their humans become-with one another. She uses art and music to understand and communicate the ways in which dogs and their humans co-produce and re-produce systems, structures, and sensibilities involved in multispecies experiences and environments. She lives with her border collie, Frank, who is a very good boy.    You can follow maythe on Instagram and Mastodon @odetodogs for her artwork, on Twitter @maythehan, and

Starting in the late 1800s, a group of Syrian immigrants settled in America. Many of them took up peddling as a career. When American newspapers described these peddlers, it was often in derogatory ways—and through terms of queerness. This week, Dr. Charlotte Karem Albrecht joins Jonathan to explore this moment in Arab American history, how it's been remembered, and what it reveals about “the sexual, racial, and gender machinery of American society.”   A note from Team JVN: In this episode, Dr. Karem Albrecht and Jonathan discuss how Arabs and Arab Americans were understood by white Americans. As part of that discussion, we reference various historical documents that include anti-Arab and anti-Semitic language. If you'd like to pre-screen those moments, you can find them in the transcript at jonathanvanness.com.   Charlotte Karem Albrecht is an Assistant Professor of American Culture and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she is also a core faculty member in the Arab

If you’d told Jonathan seven years ago that they’d be celebrating 300 episodes of Getting Curious this week, they would have passed out on the salon floor. You’d be visiting from the future, after all! We couldn’t have made it to 300 episodes without you, our listeners—so to celebrate this milestone, Jonathan’s answering your voicemails. Listen in for their takes on style, confidence, navigating the entertainment industry, and how we make the show each week. Make sure to grab some tissues and listen to the end, because this one gets emotional!     Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   PS - If you’re looking for style recommendations,

We all need to eat. And we know that the choices we make with food are at once deeply personal and informed by systemic factors. As part of our ongoing exploration into global foodways, Dr. Aviaja Lyberth Hauptmann joins Jonathan to discuss the history, science, and culture of the animal-sourced Inuit diet. Listen in to learn more about Inuit fermented foods, how colonization has shaped what’s on shelves in Nuuk, and why you might want to pass on any papaya for sale in the Arctic.    One note about this episode is that it does discuss hunting and fishing. If you’d like to skip it, we’d completely understand—but if you are able to listen, there’s so much to learn from Dr. Hauptmann.   Aviaja L. Hauptmann, PhD., is an Inuk microbiologist, Assistant Professor and public debater from Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). Her research centers the strengths of the animal-sourced Indigenous diet of Inuit. For the past four years, her research focus has been the human and microbial culture of Inuit foods and their role

New year, Gilded Age drama! Today we might think of municipal trash collection as a mundane activity. But in the late 1800s, trash collection in the United States was the site of dirty politics, public health debates, and a whole lot of mess. Professors Patricia Strach and Kathleen S. Sullivan join Jonathan to discuss how we went from 16-foot-tall trash piles in the streets to our modern system of trash pick-ups. And we're getting into all the unsavory details...   Want to (dumpster) dive deeper into the politics of trash? Check out their new book The Politics of Trash: How Governments Used Corruption to Clean Cities, 1890-1929, published by Cornell University Press. You can visit the book’s website for more information!   Patricia Strach is professor in the Departments of Political Science and Public Administration & Policy at the University at Albany, State University of New York and a fellow with the Rockefeller Institute of Government. With Kathleen S. Sullivan, she is the author of The Politics of Tr

As we wind down for the year, we’re re-releasing one more essential beauty episode from the Getting Curious archives! Jonathan and David Yi celebrate the history of gender-inclusive beauty, and spotlight beauty influencers across millennia—like Neanderthals who used highlighters, Korean warriors who invented three-in-one sticks, and ancient Egyptians who developed anti-aging creams.   David Yi is the co-founder of the gender-inclusive beauty brand good light, and the CEO and co-founder of Very Good Light—a beauty publication dedicated to redefining masculinity. They are also the author of the book PRETTY BOYS, which honors beauty icons past and present who have redefined masculinity and gender expression.    You can find David on Twitter and Instagram @seoulcialite; good light is on Instagram and TikTok @goodlight.world, and at goodlight.world; and Very Good Light is on Instagram at @verygoodlight and verygoodlight.com.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.  

This holiday break, we’re re-releasing two gorgeous beauty episodes from the Getting Curious archives! First up, join Dr. Tina Lasisi—a biological anthropologist studying human hair—and Jonathan as they explore the evolutionary history of hair, measuring hair variation, and the twists and turns of Jonathan’s hair school textbook. Dr. Tina Lasisi is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Quantitative and Computational Biology at the University of Southern California, and incoming Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan.  You can follow Dr. Lasisi on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @tinalasisi. Her website is www.tinalasisi.com. Make sure to check out more of her work via linktr.ee/tinalasisi, like her PBS Digital Studios series Why Am I Like This?.   Want to support other Black Biological Anthropologists? Dr. Lasisi recommends following @BlackinBioAnthro on Twitter and Instagram, and @rockstaranthro on Instagram.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversati

For our last new episode of the year, we’re turning the mic on the Getting Curious community. Jonathan is answering your questions about all things hair—including dry shampoo, hair loss, highlights, and staying sleek while getting sweaty. And one thing is clear: curiosity looks good on you!   We’ll be re-releasing two of our favorite beauty episodes from the Getting Curious archives to round out the year. And we’ll be featuring more of your questions about beauty and beyond in just a few weeks as we celebrate our 300th episode of the show.   Here’s to all of our gorgeous listeners, and to another year of Getting Curious together!   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Erica Getto is our Executive Producer. Zahra Crim is our Associate Producer. Andrew Carson is our Editor.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ;

In the mid-1800s, Americans shipped ice to Hawaiʻi in the hopes that there would be a market for it. There wasn’t. So how did ice—in the form of cocktails, ice cream, shave ice, and beyond—become lodged in Hawaiʻi’s foodscape? This week, Professor Hiʻilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart joins Jonathan to discuss the social history of ice and refrigeration in Hawaiʻi—and what this history reveals about colonial relationships to the tropics.  Hiʻilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart (Kanaka Maoli) is Assistant Professor of Native and Indigenous Studies at Yale University. An interdisciplinary scholar, she researches and teaches on issues of settler colonialism, environment, and Indigenous sovereignty. Her first book, Cooling the Tropics: Ice, Indigeneity, and Hawaiian Refreshment is published by Duke University Press. You can follow Professor Hobart on Twitter @hiokinai. The first edition of Cooling the Tropics will feature a rainbow iridescent cover, so be sure to pick up a copy before they’re sold out!

There’s a world of curiosity just below street level, and this week, we’re taking the plunge with a truly glam academic! Dr. Marsha K. Allen joins Jonathan to discuss fractured rock aquifers, sinkholes, and her groundbreaking work on water sustainability in Tobago. Dr. Marsha K. Allen is a geologist with a research background in Cosmochemistry (meteorites) and Hydrogeology. Her current research focuses on the fractured rock aquifer of one of her home islands, Tobago. She is currently new faculty at her alma mater Mount Holyoke College where she hopes to inspire students to pursue a STEM degree. Ready to start advocating for more sustainable water use?  For global action, check out Waterkeeper Alliance.  Black people and Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected by contaminated waters. A uniquely national Native initiative, Honor the Earth’s mission is to raise awareness and support for Native environmental issues.  In North Dakota, get to know the Water Protectors of Standing Rock. Mari Copeny,

This holiday season, we’re inviting Getting Curious listeners to reflect on what it means to be in community. In that spirit, we’re re-releasing a conversation about mutual aid with the writer and activist Dean Spade. Mutual aid is all about meeting people’s survival needs at a local level, and building sustained, decentralized, compassionate support networks. We encourage you to take a listen to Dean and Jonathan’s conversation, then take some time to learn about—and get involved in—mutual aid initiatives in your community. Dean Spade has been working to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice for the past two decades. He’s the author of Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law, the director of the documentary “Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!,” and the creator of the mutual aid toolkit at BigDoorBrigade.com. His latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next), was published by Verso Press in Oc

This week we’re learning all about the culture of cheese, and literal cheese cultures, with Carlos Yescas and Lee Hennessy. They join Jonathan to discuss how cheese is made, the politics and economics of the global cheese industry, and why we should enjoy Swiss cheese while we have it. It’s the episode equivalent of a gorgeous charcuterie board!   Carlos Yescas is a cheese scholar, advocate, distributor, and researcher. He documents cheese traditions and stories and is currently researching raw-milk use in cheesemaking around the world.   Lee Hennessy is the founder, farmer, and cheesemaker of Moxie Ridge Farm. Lee is a first-generation farmer and a transgender man with a surprising background in both wine and Hollywood. He lives and works in Argyle, NY and in his spare time he enjoys spending time with his goats, reading long fantasy series, learning to play instruments and singing.   Want to stop doomscrolling? Take Carlos’ advice and learn more about cheese! He’s on TikTok @cheeseyescas and Instag

If you take a shower and use basic cosmetics, you could be exposed to more than 100 chemicals. Add in your furnishings and food, and we’re talking several hundred chemicals, some of them bioaccumulative—and dangerous. But if we know that certain consumer goods have toxics in them, how did they end up on shelves? And why are they still for sale? This week, Dr. Norah MacKendrick joins Jonathan to break down the history and politics of daily chemical exposure, and what needs to change so that we can stay safe. Dr. Norah MacKendrick is Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University. She's the author of Better Safe Than Sorry: How Consumers Navigate Exposure to Everyday Toxics. Her research falls within the fields of environmental sociology, gender, medical sociology, and consumer studies.   You can follow Dr. MacKendrick on Twitter @nmackend, on Instagram @nmackendgreen, and at norahmackendrick.com.    Curious about limiting exposure to toxic chemicals? Here are some resources she recommends:   The

This week’s episode is a gymnastics EVENT! Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles joins Jonathan to discuss how she’s taking the sport to new heights at both the elite and collegiate levels, why she doesn’t take any wins for granted, and who’s on her playlist heading into competition days. Whether you’re a gymnastics newbie or an elite level fan like Jonathan, this one’s a winner.   One note is that we recorded this episode just before Jordan qualified for the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships. Make sure to check out the competition before it ends on November 6!   Jordan Chiles is a globally-recognized, nationally-ranked gymnast and Olympic silver medalist. With legendary basketball star Michael Jordan as her namesake, Chiles’ trajectory has, fittingly, been driven by athletic excellence. Her breakout performance at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games catapulted the athlete to a global stage. Chiles currently resides in Los Angeles and attends UCLA.   You can follow Jordan on Instagram @jordanchiles,

In 1977 more than 100 disabled activists in San Francisco took over a federal building for 25 days. It was the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in United States history. As they advocated for their rights, they found an ally in the Black Panther Party, which understood that disability rights were connected with their own anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist racial justice work. This week, Professor Sami Schalk joins Jonathan to discuss how Black cultural workers have approached disability as a social and political issue in the U.S. from the 1970s to the present, and what it looks like to honor Black disability politics through language, legislation, and beyond.  Sami Schalk is an associate professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race & Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction (Duke UP 2018) and Black Disability Politics (Duke UP 2022). Schalk identifies as a fat Black queer disabled femme and a

Let’s say you pass a group of people dressed identically. Are they a) following a trend, b) wearing uniforms, or c)  in a cult? And who’s to say the answer can’t be all of the above? This week, we’re diving fabric first into the world of American cults, communes, and alternative communities with fashion historian and archivist Sarah C. Byrd. Listen in as she and Jonathan discuss how these groups have historically expressed themselves through style—and why the definition of “cult fashion” might be more expansive than we think. Sarah C. Byrd is a fashion historian, archivist, & educator based in New York. Her independent research focuses on the history of clothing within American “cults” and alternative communities, as well as the role of museums in fashion design education. She is also passionate about creating space to engage in learning outside of institutional programs. You can connect with Sarah via her website: sarahcbyrd.com. Still curious after listening to this episode? Sarah has suggested a hand

This week, we’re traveling back to one of our favorite sites for curiosity: the ancient Mediterranean. Professors Sarah Derbew and Nandini Pandey join Jonathan to discuss how people across the region experienced cultural diversity; how they related to—and set themselves apart from—their neighbors; and what it looks like to approach the ancient past on its own terms rather than filtered through contemporary assumptions.   Sarah Derbew is an assistant professor of Classics at Stanford University. She writes, teaches, and speaks widely about ancient Greece’s literary and visual heritage, considering its representations of black people that nimbly provoke - and cut through - modern hierarchies.    You can follow her on Twitter @BlackAntiquity, and at www.sarahderbew.com. Her new book Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity is out now, and you can purchase it using the coupon code UBGA2022.    Nandini Pandey is an associate professor of classics at Johns Hopkins University who writes and teaches about Roman