Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria
Science & Ideas
About
Dr. Cara Santa Maria is a clinical health psychologist, television presenter, and science communicator. Since 2014, her podcast Talk Nerdy has been a place for conversations with interesting people about interesting topics.
Episodes
- Art of Medicine w/ Grace Ferris
In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara Santa Maria is joined by Dr. Grace Ferris. They discuss her book, "See One, Do One, Teach One: The Art of Becoming a Doctor: A Graphic Memoir".
- Neurogastroenterology w/ Trisha Pasricha
Cara Santa Maria talks with neurogastroenterologist Dr. Trisha Pasricha about her book, "You've Been Pooping All Wrong: How to Make Your Bowel Movements a Joy."
- Evidence w/ Helen Pearson
Cara Santa Maria interviews Helen Pearson, author of "Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works," discussing the power of evidence in understanding what is effective.
- Criminal Justice w/ Jennifer Doleac
Cara Santa Maria hosts Jennifer Doleac, an economist and head of the Criminal Justice program at Arnold Ventures. They discuss Doleac's book,
- Gather w/ Ashanté M. Reese
Cara Santa Maria talks with Dr. Ashanté M. Reese about her book "Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness." Dr. Reese is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
- Black Evidence w/ Candis Watts Smith
Cara Santa Maria talks with Candis Watts Smith, a Duke University professor and author, about Smith's book "Black Evidence: A History and a Warning."
- Outsider Animals w/ Marlene Zuk
Cara Santa Maria interviews Professor Marlene Zuk about her book "Outsider Animals: How the Creatures at the Margins of Our Lives Have the Most to Teach Us."
- Disagreement w/ Julia Minson
Cara Santa Maria discusses Julie Minson's book "How to Disagree Better" on this episode of Talk Nerdy. Minson is a behavioral scientist and Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
- Salt Lakes w/ Caroline Tracey
Cara Santa Maria interviews journalist Dr. Caroline Tracey about her new book, Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History.
- Societal Change and Criminology w/ Robert J. Sampson
Cara Santa Maria interviews Dr. Robert J. Sampson, a Professor of Social Sciences at Harvard University, about his book 'Marked by Time: How Social Change Has Transformed Crime and the Life Trajectories of Young Americans'. The discussion…
- Social Genomics w/ Daphne O. Martschenko
Cara Santa Maria talks with bioethicist Dr. Daphne O. Martschenko about her book "What We Inherit: How New Technologies and Old Myths Are Shaping Our Genomic Future."
- Strata and Deep Time w/ Laura Poppick
Cara Santa Maria discusses the book "Strata: Stories from Deep Time" with its author, science and environmental journalist Laura Poppick. The episode focuses on topics related to deep time.
- Zombie Bugs w/ Mindy Weisberger
Cara Santa Maria talks with science writer Mindy Weisberger about her book, Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control.
- Women Weaving Stories w/ Nicole Nehrig
Cara Santa Maria speaks with psychologist and author Dr. Nicole Nehrig about her book, With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories. They discuss the intersection of knitting and storytelling within the context of women's experiences.
- Racist Economy w/ Mehrsa Baradaran
Cara Santa Maria talks with UC Irvine Law Professor and author Mehrsa Baradaran about Baradaran's book, "The Racial Wealth Gap: A Brief History."
- Every Last Fish w/ Rose George
Cara Santa Maria hosts journalist Rose George to discuss her book, "Every Last Fish: A Deep Dive into Everything They Do for Us and We Do to Them."
- Corporate Sex Cult w/ Ellen Huet
Cara Santa Maria interviews journalist Ellen Huet about her book on OneTaste, exploring themes of sex, power, and the collapse of a wellness cult.
- White People Are Crazy w/ Jonathan Mathias Lassiter
Cara Santa Maria hosts Dr. Jonathan Mathias Lassiter, a licensed clinical psychologist, to discuss his book on the experiences of Black psychologists.
- Disembodied World w/ Christine Rosen
Cara Santa Maria hosts historian Christine Rosen to discuss Rosen's book, "The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World."
- Pods Fight Poverty w/ Miriam Laker
This episode of Talk Nerdy revisits a conversation with Dr. Miriam Laker-Oketta from GiveDirectly as part of the Pods Fight Poverty Campaign, encouraging donations to help villages in Rwanda.
- Science Photography w/ Felice Frankel
Cara Santa Maria interviews Felice Frankel, an MIT research scientist and science photographer, discussing Frankel's book, 'Phenomenal Moments: Revealing the Hidden Science Around Us.'
- Extraction w/ Thea Riofrancos
Cara Santa Maria hosts climate change researcher Dr. Thea Riofrancos on Talk Nerdy to discuss "Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism," covering topics related to climate change and political science.
- Lab Dog w/ Melanie D. G. Kaplan
Cara Santa Maria interviews science writer Melanie D. G. Kaplan about her book, Lab Dog, which investigates the world of animal research.
- Science Under Siege w/ Michael Mann
Cara Santa Maria hosts Dr. Michael Mann, a climatologist and professor, to discuss his book "Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World."
- Rivers w/ Ellen Wohl
Cara Santa Maria talks with Dr. Ellen Wohl, author and professor, about Dr. Wohl's book, Following the Bend: How to Read a River and Understand Its Nature. The discussion centers on understanding rivers.
- Play w/ Cas Holman
Cara Santa Maria interviews Cas Holman about her book 'Playful', which explores how play influences thinking, connection, and creativity. Cas Holman is the founder of the toy company Heroes Will Rise and a former Professor of Industrial De…
- Immigrant Physicians w/ Eram Alam
Cara Santa Maria interviews Dr. Eram Alam, an associate professor at Harvard University, about Dr. Alam's book, "The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare."
- Whispers of Rock w/ Anjana Khatwa
Cara Santa Maria interviews Dr. Anjana Khatwa, an earth scientist and author, on Talk Nerdy. They discuss Khatwa's book,
- Influence of Jim West w/ Ainissa Ramirez
Cara Santa Maria interviews scientist and science communicator Dr. Ainissa Ramirez about her book, Spark: Jim West's Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone.
- Dinosaurs and Deep Time w/ Rachel Ignotofsky
Cara Santa Maria speaks with author and illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky about Ignotofsky's new book on dinosaurs and geological time.
- Sea Monsters w/ Prema Arasu
Cara Santa Maria interviews Dr. Prema Arasu, a research fellow and creative writer, about Dr. Arasu's book, "The Book of Sea Monsters."
- Better Public Health w/ Tom Frieden
Cara Santa Maria speaks with Dr. Tom Frieden, author and former CDC director, about his book "The Formula for Better Health." They discuss strategies for improving public health and saving lives.
- Period Brain w/ Sarah E. Hill
Cara Santa Maria talks with Dr. Sarah E. Hill, author and evolutionary social psychologist, about Dr. Hill's book "The Period Brain." The discussion focuses on the new science behind PMS and potential solutions for women's health.
- Replaceable You w/ Mary Roach
Cara Santa Maria hosts science writer Mary Roach, author of eight New York Times bestsellers, to discuss Roach's newest book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy.
- Baboons and Humans w/ Shirley C. Strum
Cara Santa Maria hosts anthropologist Dr. Shirley C. Strum to discuss baboons, humans, and nature, referencing Dr. Strum's book ECHOES OF OUR ORIGINS.
- Arrogant Ape w/ Christine E. Webb
Cara Santa Maria interviews Primatologist Dr. Christine E. Webb about Webb's book, "The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters," which challenges the idea of human exceptionalism.
- Social Brain w/ Virginia Sturm
Cara Santa Maria hosts Dr. Virginia Sturm, professor at UC San Francisco, to discuss Dr. Sturm's book, "Mysteries of the Social Brain: Understanding Human Behavior Through Science."
- Infodemiology w/ Pauline W. Hoffmann
Cara Santa Maria interviews Pauline W. Hoffmann, author of "Fake News, Witch Hunts, & Conspiracy Theories," on Talk Nerdy. They discuss Hoffmann's work on truth-telling through research and education.
- Politics of Adoption w/ Gretchen Sisson
Cara Santa Maria interviews sociologist Dr. Gretchen Sisson about her research on adoption and her book "Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood."
- Writing Science w/ Anne E. Greene
Cara Santa Maria discusses science writing with biologist and professor Anne E. Greene, author of “Writing Science in Plain English, Second Edition.”
- The Stronger Sex w/ Starre Vartan
Cara Santa Maria interviews author Starre Vartan on the podcast Talk Nerdy about Vartan's book, "The Stronger Sex: What Science Tells Us about the Power of the Female Body."
- More Than Words w/ Maryellen MacDonald
Cara Santa Maria talks with psycholinguist Dr. Maryellen MacDonald about her book More Than Words: How Talking Sharpens the Mind and Shapes Our World.
- Forever Chemicals w/ Rachel Frazin
Cara Santa Maria hosts Rachel Frazin, author and reporter, to discuss Frazin's book on forever chemical contamination in America.
- History of Photography w/ Anika Burgess
Anika Burgess, photo editor and writer, discusses her book "Flashes of Brilliance: The Genius of Early Photography and How It Transformed Art, Science, and History" with Cara Santa Maria on Talk Nerdy.
- Meltdown w/ Sarah Boon
Cara Santa Maria interviews environmental scientist Sarah Boon about Boon's new book, “Meltdown: The Making and Breaking of a Field Scientist.”
- Weird Universe w/ Erika Hamden
Cara Santa Maria talks with astrophysicist Erika Hamden about Hamden's new book, "Weird Universe: Everything We Don’t Know About Space (and Why It’s Important)." Hamden is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona and Director of…
- Silly Science w/ Carly Anne York
Cara Santa Maria interviews science communicator Dr. Carly Anne York about her book on silly science discoveries.
- Reefs of Time w/ Lisa S. Gardiner
Cara Santa Maria hosts science writer Lisa S. Gardiner to discuss Gardiner's new book, Reefs of Time: What Fossils Reveal about Coral Survival, which explores coral survival through fossil evidence.
- Animal Illness w/ Liz Kalaugher
Cara Santa Maria discusses animal illness with science journalist Liz Kalaugher, author of “The Elephant in the Room: How to Stop Making Ourselves and Other Animals Sick.”
- Proteins & SciComm w/ Maggie Fink
Cara Santa Maria discusses her co-authored book, “The Color of North: The Molecular Language of Proteins and the Future of Life,” with Dr. Maggie M. Fink, a microbiologist and science communicator.