This is Scientific American’s Science Talk. I’m Steve Mirsky. On this episode:

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That’s Ainissa Ramirez. She’s a materials scientist with a doctorate from Stanford and a science writer. And she’s the author of the 2020 book The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another. The book has recently been named one of Smithsonian Magazine’s Ten Best Science Books of 2020. It’s also been named an Amazon Best Science Books of 2020. And even though it’s written for adults, it’s a finalist for the AAAS/Subaru 2021 Young Adult Science Book Award. I called her at her home in New Haven, Conn.   

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Full transcript to come.

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