Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

Cara chats with Adam Scorgie, producer of "The Culture High," about marijuana prohibition, how the failed drug war is shaping the US justice system, and the detrimental effects it has on the growing population of incarcerated Americans.

Cara is joined by Dr. Paul Debevec, Chief Visual Officer at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies. (His cutting-edge science made Avatar, Gravity, District 9, Benjamin Button, and a bunch of other films possible!) He shares the process of making a digital character, the importance of crossing the uncanny valley, and how you can tell that the moon landing was n...

Cara chats with Kim Horcher, host of “Nerd Alert” on The Young Turks Network, about the difference between nerds and geeks, how the internet is evolving, and why she hates being called a “girl gamer.”

Cara sits down with theoretical physicist Dr. Lawrence Krauss ("A Universe from Nothing") at Apostacon in Omaha, Nebraska to discuss his cover story in Scientific American magazine. Topics include the recent BICEP2 findings (including what gravitational waves are and what they mean for inflationary theory) as well as why it's important for scientists to communicate their work to the general public...

President of American Atheists, David Silverman, joins Cara at the Apostacon Convention in Omaha, Nebraska to talk about why atheist activism matters, what your voice can do for the movement, and something he calls the "atheist Jewish scam."

Cara digs deep into GMOs (genetically modified organisms) with Dr. Kevin Folta, a preeminent researcher and science communicator. They discuss the technique's risks and benefits, its top three uses, and how "golden rice" could have saved millions of lives.

Did you know that 95% of the known universe is made up of stuff that we can neither see nor measure directly? Cara sits down with theoretical physicist Dr. Katherine Freese to talk about her new book, "The Cosmic Cocktail: Three Parts Dark Matter."

Sex educator and podcaster Sandra Daugherty (Sex Nerd Sandra) joins Cara to discuss sexual health, struggles with motivation, and self-expression among millennials.

Science Editor at Nerdist Industries Kyle Hill sits down with Cara to talk about being a geek-of-all-trades, how the media overhypes biomedical stories, and what it means to be a scientific thinker.

In light of the tragic news of Robin Williams's death, comedian Paul Gilmartin joins Cara to talk candidly about depression, suicide, and the important work he's doing to reduce stigma on his podcast, "The Mental Illness Happy Hour."

Producer and web host John Iadarola (TYT University) chats with Cara about The Young Turks news network, driving an electric vehicle, and how he deals with trolls on the internet.

Comedian and author Sara Benincasa ("Agorafabulous", "Great") opens up to Cara about her struggles with mental illness, including debilitating agoraphobia, and the importance of comedy in our lives.

Entomologist Phil Torres ("TechKnow") tells Cara about life in the Amazonian rainforest and a hilariously dangerous mishap with spitting cobra venom. Bonus! He performs a song about frogs that's sure to make you smile.

Dr. Alex Lockwood joins Cara to discuss the novel approach she developed to study exoplanets, her role in the PhD Movie, and her soon-to-be new life in an Islamic country.

Cara talks to actress and science communicator Christina Ochoa about her new "No Brainer Podcast," the benefits and missteps of living abroad, and how you can form your very own "Nerd Brigade."

Scientist, television host, and dancer Dr. Crystal Dilworth chats with Cara about the tribulations and triumphs of graduate school and the crossroads many post-grads face.

Dr. Joe Hanson ("It's Okay to Be Smart") joins Cara to talk about growing up in Texas, minorities in the sciences, and how important storytelling is to the human species.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, comedian Dave Rubin ("The Rubin Report") chats with Cara about gay stereotypes, comedy before YouTube, and his love of the Golden Girls.

On this episode of Talk Nerdy, media personality Max Lugavere ("Acting Disruptive") is optimistic yet skeptical about futurism and nutrition.

Dr. Michael Shermer ("Skeptic Magazine") answers the questions you submitted via Facebook and Twitter. He and Cara discuss skepticism (of course!), pseudoscience, and how he transitioned from born-again Christian to Atheist.

Cara talks to science historian Dr. Meg Rosenburg ("True Anomalies") about the history of science, how the moon got its craters, and the struggles women face getting a PhD in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

Dr. Derek Muller of Veritasium talks with Cara about YouTube celebrity status, being a global citizen, and what the future holds for net neutrality.

Cara sits down with science educator Joanne Manaster in Ottawa, Canada to talk about her favorite science authors, Google+, and science education around the world.

Science communicator Dr. Carin Bondar (Wild Sex, Stephen Hawking's Brave New World) joins Cara to talk about sex in the animal kingdom, human interpersonal relationships, and living in harmony with nature.

On this episode of Talk Nerdy, Josh Zepps (HuffPost Live, Point of Inquiry) joins Cara in New York City to discuss skepticism, social mobility, and religion in American society.