Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Dr. Ilana Yurkiewicz, oncologist, internal medicine physician, and professor at Stanford University. They talk about her new book, "Fragmented: A Doctor's Quest to Piece Together American Healthcare," with a special emphasis on patient advocacy, continuity of care, and potential solutions to a broken managed care system.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by sociocultural anthropologist Dr. Amber Benezra to talk about her new book, "Gut Anthro: An Experiment in Thinking with Microbes." They discuss her work at the interface of biomedical science and anthropological inquiry, with an emphasis on racial, gender, and cultural considerations.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by toxicologist Dr. Emily Monosson to talk about her new book, "Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic." They discuss the devastating consequences of pathogenic fungal infection in humans, animals, and plants, including how climate change is paving the way for the next pandemic.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Dr. Barbara Rae-Venter to talk about her new book, "I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever." They discuss the fascinating science of investigative genetic genealogy, including how the Golden State Killer was caught after 44 years.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Dr. Erin Kimmerle, forensic anthropologist and author of "We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys." They talk about the true story of the Arthur G. Dozier Boys School in Florida, and how her work in forensic anthropology is leading to justice for some of the families.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Cal Flyn, author, investigative journalist, and MacDowell fellow from the Highlands of Scotland. They talk about her new book, "Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape."

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by author and participation designer Lizzie Stark to talk about her new book, "Egg: A Dozen Ovatures." They talk about her personal fascination with eggs, and she shares incredible stories about the cultural, culinary, and biological meaning behind the largest cell.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by game designer Adrian Hon to talk about this new book, "You've Been Played: How Corporations, Governments, and Schools Use Games to Control Us All." They discuss how gamification is often used as a tool for profit and coercion in the modern world. Follow Adrian: @AdrianHon.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by mathematician and writer Dr. Katie Spalding to talk about her new book, "Edison's Ghosts: The Untold Weirdness of History's Greatest Geniuses." They talk about how Edison, Newton, the Curies, and many more renowned thinkers were also up to some really dumb shit. Follow Katie: @supermathskid.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined once again by science writer and television presenter Angela Saini. They talk about her new book, "The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality." Together, they explore the history of the patriarchy, with an emphasis on matrilineal societies and what's really underlying gender inequality the world over.