Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

Cara is joined in-studio by mortician and death-acceptance advocate, Caitlin Doughty. They talk about her new book, “From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death,” as well as her work revolutionizing the funeral industry with her non-profit mortuary “Undertaking LA.”

Cara chats with evolutionary biologist, behavioral ecologist, and science historian Dr. Lee Dugatkin about his new book "How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)" (coauthored with Lyudmila Trut). They discuss the famed Siberian silver fox experiment, learning a lot about evolution along the way.

Cara connects across the globe with Dr. Rebeca Atencia, the Executive Director of the Jane Goodall Institute in the Congo and the Manager and Head Veterinarian at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center. They talk about the joys and sorrows of working with orphaned chimpanzees, including our minor differences and profound similarities as species.

Cara chats with journalist and author Dr. Kathryn Miles about her new book, "Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake." They talk about the natural history of disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes, how human activity is increasing their numbers and ferocity, and what we can do to be better prepared when disaster inevitably strikes.

Cara is joined by Dr. Agustin Fuentes, author of “The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional.” They discuss the similarities we share with non-human animals, as well as what makes us special, including the great responsibility we hold as shepherds of planet Earth.

Cara chats with Mary Ellen Hannibal, author of "Citizen Scientist: Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction." They talk about the power of citizen science in a world experiencing a stunning loss of biodiversity, as well as Mary Ellen's personal journey as a writer, a daughter, and a citizen scientist.

Cara sits down with the author of "Asteroid Hunters," Dr. Carrie Nugent (professional asteroid hunter and Staff Scientist at Caltech/IPAC). They discuss recent and historical asteroid impacts and misses, as well as future plans for preventing an asteroid collision with Earth.

Cara is joined by renowned astrophysicist Dr. Mario Livio to talk about his new book, "Why?: What Makes Us Curious." They discuss the science behind curiosity, its uniquely human elements, and the fresh perspective a lifelong learner in astrophysics has to offer on the subject.

Cara is joined in studio by Dr. Joshua Rappoport, the Director of the Center for Advanced Microscopy and Nikon Imaging Center at Northwestern University. They dive into his new book, “The Cell: Discovering the Microscopic World that Determines Our Health, Our Consciousness, and Our Future.”

Cara is joined Ivan Oransky, MD, cofounder of “Retraction Watch.” They discuss his path from medicine to science journalism and the important work he’s doing shedding light on falsified, fabricated, fraudulent, and plagiarized articles in the scientific literature.