Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

Financial planner Phil Ferguson (Polaris Financial Planning) joins Cara to talk about what you can do to protect yourself and invest your money in a wise, evidence-based way. (Hint: start with a fiduciary!)

Dr. Chad Hanson, ecologist with the John Muir Project, informs Cara about current legislative efforts to deregulate logging in America's forests. Myths are also busted regarding forest fires (hint: they're necessary for this habitat to thrive!).

Astrophysicist Dr. Leslie Rogers joins Cara to talk about exoplanets, specifically those that are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. They offer an exciting opportunity to learn about planetary bodies that are different from anything in our own solar system. Also discussed: why Kepler-452b likely isn't Earth's twin.

Science writer Brooke Borel joins Cara to discuss the differences between science journalism and science communication, as well as the ethical quandaries journalists sometimes face. They then turn the conversation to bed bugs, the topic of Brooke's new book, "Infested."

Cara is joined by independent author Steven Paul Leiva ("Traveling In Space") to talk about the power of storytelling, the difference between genre fiction and literary fiction, and why it's okay to be a nerd, even if you aren't all that into sci-fi.

Dr. Casey Handmer braves the broken A/C at Cara's apartment to inform her of the wonders of black holes, gravitational wave simulations, space robots, and the HYPERLOOP! "Interstellar" and "The Martian" thrown in for good measure.

Cara is joined by Megan Rosenbloom (Associate Director for Collection Resources, Norris Medical Library) to talk about the importance of library science in medical school and how she's working to change our perceptions of death through initiatives like the Death Salon.

Human rights activist Faisal Saeed Al-Mutar speaks out about growing up in Iraq under Sadam Hussein's oppressive regime, the global effects of extremism in the Middle East, and how we can help secular progressives in closed societies achieve freedom of expression and religion.Faisal is the founder of the Global Secular Humanist Movement and actively works with the civil rights crowd-sourcing platform Movements.org.

Global health scientist and science communicator Dr. Jessica Taaffe joins Cara to discuss the importance of health initiatives aimed at the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases worldwide, including HIV.

Cara is joined in studio by Dr. Gad Saad, an evolutionary psychologist who specializes in consumer behavior. They discuss what evolutionary psychology is and isn't, and what makes us universally human, regardless of culture or geography.