Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by science writer and author Ferris Jabr to discuss his forthcoming book, “ Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life .” Follow Ferris: @ferrisjabr

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by author and podcaster Nicola Twilley to talk about her new book,” Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves .” Follow Nicola: @nicolatwilley

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by cognitive and social scientist , Dr. Leila Takayama. They talk about Leila's work exploring human-robot interaction . Follow Leila: @leilatakayama

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by educator and learning specialist , Janalee Morris. They discuss Cara’s recent trip to speak at the Western Canadian Reason Conference , as well as Janalee’s work with protected groups in Canada to provide equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility to education and programming to faculty, staff, and students.

This episode of Talk Nerdy is a live recording from Toronto Public Library’s virtual event , The Age of Magical Overthinking | Amanda Montell & Cara Santa Maria. Amanda is a podcaster and the author of “ The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality .” We discuss what’s at stake when the psychological tools that once served us short-circuit. Follow Amanda: @amanda_montell

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by  writer, crossword writer and Cornell University assistant professor in the Department of Literatures in English , Anna Schechtman. They discuss her newly released book, The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle . Follow Anna: @annashechtman

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by  sociologist and author , Sarah Thornton. They talk about her newly released book, “ Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Bra Designers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons and Witches Tell Us About Breasts .” Follow Sarah: @eyesthornton

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by  filmmaker and documentarian , Alex Stapleton. Stapleton directed one part of the HBO documentary trilogy GOD SAVE TEXAS . We discuss her installment, GOD SAVE TEXAS: THE PRICE OF OIL  which chronicles the energy industry’s impact on the African American community told through her own personal lens . The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Fest...

In this week’s episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara celebrates the show’s 500th episode with the help of her friend and fellow podcaster  Eli Bosnick ( God Awful Movies , The Scathing Atheist , The Skepticrat , Citation Needed , Dear Old Dads , D&D Minus ). Sourced from listener questions, Eli turns the tables on Cara to "Ask Me Anything" and celebrate this milestone. Follow Eli:  @elibosnick .

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by psychologist Netta Weinstein. She is the director of the European Research Council's 'Solitude: Alone but Resilient ’ project and co-author of the book, “ Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone .” Follow her work: @SOARinSolitude

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by evolutionary biologist turned science writer , Erin Zimmerman. We talk about her new book, “ Unrooted: Botany, Motherhood, & the Fight to Save an Old Science ” Follow Erin: @DoctorZedd

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by ocean scientist and science writer , Juli Berwald. They discuss her book; “ LIFE ON THE ROCKS: Building a Future for Coral Reefs .” Follow Juli: @juliberwald

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by California-based writer, performer, and trans-activist Julia Serano. Julia is the author of four books, including a new edition of “ Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity. ” Follow Julia: @JuliaSerano

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by roboticist and the first female director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory , Daniela Rus. We talk about her new book, “ THE HEART AND THE CHIP: Our Bright Future with Robots .” Follow Daniela’s work:  @MIT_CSAIL

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by sociologists Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans to talk about their book, “ THE UNCLAIMED:  Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angel. ” The book sheds light on the 150,000 Americans that go unclaimed each year with a special focus on the lost citizens of Los Angeles County. Follow their work:  @pamelajprickett @StefanTimmerma6

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by  science journalist and author Rebecca Boyle to talk about her debut book, " OUR MOON: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are ”. Follow Rebecca:  @rboyle31

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by historian and the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania , Barbara D. Savage . We talk about her new book, “ Merze Tate: The Global Odyssey of a Black Woman Scholar .” Follow Barbara: @bdsavage1

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Princeton University Professor and leading scholar in aging, Dr. Coleen T. Murphy. Coleen is the Director of the Lewis Sigler Institute of Genomics and professor of genomics and molecular biology at Princeton University . She is also director of Princeton’s Glenn Foundation for Research on Aging and the director of the Simons Collaboration on Plasti...

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California at Davis , Dr. Charan Ranganath. We discuss his work studying the mechanisms in the brain that allow us to remember past events and his new book, “ Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters .” Follow Charan: @Cha...

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by the Jeffrey Breakenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business , Dr. Ayelet Fishbach. She is the author of, " GET IT DONE: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation ." Follow Ayelet: @ayeletfishbach

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by England based writer, producer, and science communicator , Tracy King. We talk about her upcoming memoir, “ Learning to Think: A Memoir of Faith, Superstition, and the Courage to Ask Questions .” Publishing April 2024 by @PenguinUKBooks

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by physician and founder of Advancing Health Equity, Dr. Uché Blackstock. We talk about her new book, “Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine.” Follow Uché: @uche_blackstock

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by writer and editor Manjula Martin to talk about her new book, "The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History." Follow Manjula: @manjulatm .

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce . They talk about her new book, "Transient and Strange: Notes on the Science of Life." Follow Nell: @nellgreenfieldboyce .

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by neuroendocrinologist Dr. Robert Sapolsky to talk about his new book, "Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will."