In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by Dr. Miriam Laker-Oketta, Research Director at GiveDirectly. They talk about her work in tropical medicine, international health, and research methods, as well as the evidence-based model used by the non-profit, GiveDirectly: putting cash directly in the hands of people living in poverty.

GiveDirectly w/ Miriam Laker

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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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.

500th Episode AMA w/ Eli Bosnick

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by psychologist Netta Weinstein. She is the director of the European Research Council's 'Solitude: Alone but Resilient’ project and co-author of the book, “Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone.” Follow her work: @SOARinSolitude

Solitude w/ Netta Weinstein

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by evolutionary biologist turned science writer, Erin Zimmerman. We talk about her new book, “Unrooted: Botany, Motherhood, & the Fight to Save an Old Science” Follow Erin: @DoctorZedd

GiveDirectly w/ Miriam Laker

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