In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by futurist Amy Webb to talk about her new book, "The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology." They discuss the promises of a future shaped by synthetic biology, as well as the risks and unintended consequences such a future may hold.

Synthetic Biology w/ Amy Webb

Cara Santa Maria is a science communicator, television host, producer, and journalist. She is excited to present "Talk Nerdy," a place for conversations with interesting people about interesting topics.

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This episode of Talk Nerdy is a live recording from Toronto Public Library’s virtual event, The Age of Magical Overthinking | Amanda Montell & Cara Santa Maria. Amanda is a podcaster and the author of “The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality.” We discuss what’s at stake when the psychological tools that once served us short-circuit. Follow Amanda: @amanda_montell

Magical Overthinking w/ Amanda Montell

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by writer, crossword writer and Cornell University assistant professor in the Department of Literatures in English, Anna Schechtman. They discuss her newly released book, The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle. Follow Anna: @annashechtman

Crosswords w/ Anna Shechtman

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by sociologist and author, Sarah Thornton. They talk about her newly released book, “Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Bra Designers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons and Witches Tell Us About Breasts.” Follow Sarah: @eyesthornton

Tits Up w/ Sarah Thornton

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by filmmaker and documentarian, Alex Stapleton. Stapleton directed one part of the HBO documentary trilogy GOD SAVE TEXAS. We discuss her installment, GOD SAVE TEXAS: THE PRICE OF OIL which chronicles the energy industry’s impact on the African American community told through her own personal lens. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and is released on HBO and Max. Follow Alex: @hellostapleton

The Price of Oil w/ Alex Stapleton

In this week’s episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara celebrates the show’s 500th episode with the help of her friend and fellow podcaster Eli Bosnick (God Awful Movies, The Scathing Atheist, The Skepticrat, Citation Needed, Dear Old Dads, D&D; Minus). Sourced from listener questions, Eli turns the tables on Cara to "Ask Me Anything" and celebrate this milestone. Follow Eli: @elibosnick.

Synthetic Biology w/ Amy Webb

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