Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

USC PhD candidate Chris Cantwell joins Cara to talk about his recent labor of love, Quantum Chess. He tells the story of how the came was conceived and some of the challenges he's faced on his road through academia, including a spinal cord injury in high school that left him with limited mobility.

Cara is joined by Caltech PhD candidate Sarah Gossan, a researcher in the LIGO Lab who contributed to the recent detection of gravitational waves. They discuss what this discovery means--not just for physics, but for humanity--and just how they were able to detect two black holes merging 1.3 billion light years away.

Cara chats with "mini-nerd" Stella Krone about what it's like being a ten year-old who loves to learn! They discuss her interest in genetics, the perks and challenges of taking high school and college courses, and why she isn't terribly fond of the label "gifted."

Cara is joined by the SciBabe herself, Yvette D'Entremont, to talk about science and skepticism. They dive into Yvette's turn from forensics and chemistry to science communication, as well as her work debunking health gurus and charlatans, like the Food Babe.

Cara reminisces with her old roommate and labmate, Michael Matthews, while she's visiting her home state of Texas. They talk about the good old days at the Center for Network Neuroscience, the guilt associated with using non-renewable resources, like and oil and gas, and the American culture of perpetual debt. Also included: SHIPLEY'S DONUTS!!!

Kevin Roose (News Director, Fusion) chats with Cara about their new television show, "Real Future." They offer an inside look at the production process, sharing stories of how technology is shaping our future in ways we never imagined.

Cara is joined by Noemie Sportiche, a public health planner and research analyst for the Boston metropolitan area. She shares the story of her windy path from cognitive science to public health, and they discuss evidence-based strategies for encouraging community wellness.

Cara is joined by fellow "The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe" rogue Evan Bernstein! They talk exorcisms, politics, and how Evan came to become a skeptical activist.

Cara chats with science writer Dr. Jason Goldman about urban wildlife in Southern California, including the pumas/mountain lions/panthers/cougars of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Catalina Island foxes. Also discussed: what we've learned about domestication from Dmitry Belyaev's silver fox study.

Cara is joined by science education activist and reporter Zack Kopplin, to talk about his work to repeal Louisiana's "creationism law," as well as why we continue to fight to uphold the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution.