Carl Zimmer
@carlzimmer.com
NYT columnist. Signal: carlzimmer.51
Newsletter: https://buttondown.com/carlzimmer/
Web: http://carlzimmer.com
[This account includes a tweet archive]
Newsletter: https://buttondown.com/carlzimmer/
Web: http://carlzimmer.com
[This account includes a tweet archive]
Pinned
Carl Zimmer
@carlzimmer.com
· Mar 9
!["Take a Deep Breath. If You Dare." In “Air-Borne,” his detailed and gripping account of aerobiology, Carl Zimmer uncovers the mysteries filling our lungs. [Illustration with viruses and people in masks]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xqrqlxsfingcrocs7dut7rav/bafkreiasqnph6e3kep5yv7fqs4ppyuez4yz764xtlexcbez5e4topye2xm@jpeg)
"Air-Borne shows us the ways seeing where we live means listening deeply — and being prepared to see what’s perhaps never been seen.“ Grateful for this perceptive review from Robert Sullivan in the New York Times Book Review. Gift link: nyti.ms/3XAWM9E
An engineer wanted to make a quiet high-speed train. “The question then occurred to me — is there some living thing that manages sudden changes in air resistance as a part of daily life?” The answer: the kingfisher. See my story today for more tales of bioinspiration. Gift link: nyti.ms/4otNQyl
November 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
An engineer wanted to make a quiet high-speed train. “The question then occurred to me — is there some living thing that manages sudden changes in air resistance as a part of daily life?” The answer: the kingfisher. See my story today for more tales of bioinspiration. Gift link: nyti.ms/4otNQyl
There's a word for learning from evolution's inventions: bioinspiration. Here's my interactive story on the way animals and plants fuel technological creativity. Gift link: nyti.ms/4otNQyl
How Inventors Find Inspiration in Evolution (Gift Article)
Soft batteries and water-walking robots are among the many creations made possible by studying animals and plants.
nyti.ms
November 10, 2025 at 3:37 PM
There's a word for learning from evolution's inventions: bioinspiration. Here's my interactive story on the way animals and plants fuel technological creativity. Gift link: nyti.ms/4otNQyl
Reposted by Carl Zimmer
Children’s Health Defense, the vaccine-skeptical organization once led by now-health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is playing the long game.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/r...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/r...
How Children’s Health Defense plans to cement its agenda beyond RFK Jr.
Children’s Health Defense is leveraging its ties to HHS to lock in legal and cultural shifts that could shape policy long after RFK Jr. leaves.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Children’s Health Defense, the vaccine-skeptical organization once led by now-health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is playing the long game.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/r...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/r...
Reposted by Carl Zimmer
I wrote some reflections this afternoon about how the discovery of the double helix changed the course of science. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qPS3y6
November 8, 2025 at 3:43 AM
I wrote some reflections this afternoon about how the discovery of the double helix changed the course of science. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qPS3y6
I wrote some reflections this afternoon about how the discovery of the double helix changed the course of science. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qPS3y6
November 8, 2025 at 3:43 AM
I wrote some reflections this afternoon about how the discovery of the double helix changed the course of science. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qPS3y6
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:25 PM
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
James Watson has died. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:43 PM
James Watson has died. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Reposted by Carl Zimmer
Joe Rogan spent a whole podcast episode spouting climate misinformation. @dananuccitelli.bsky.social broke down the tactics Rogan and other climate deniers use so you can call them out when you hear them.
Five ways Joe Rogan misleads listeners about climate change » Yale Climate Connections
Rogan exposes millions to climate denial. Let’s break down his tactics.
yaleclimateconnections.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Joe Rogan spent a whole podcast episode spouting climate misinformation. @dananuccitelli.bsky.social broke down the tactics Rogan and other climate deniers use so you can call them out when you hear them.
‘You’re not rushing. You’re just ready:’ Parents say ChatGPT encouraged son to kill himself www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
ChatGPT encouraged college graduate to commit suicide, family claims in lawsuit against OpenAI | CNN
A 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT ‘goaded’ him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit.
www.cnn.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:36 AM
‘You’re not rushing. You’re just ready:’ Parents say ChatGPT encouraged son to kill himself www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
Reposted by Carl Zimmer
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
Brain organoids are getting better at mimicking brains in a dish. But how good is too good? I take a look at the latest developments in my story today in the Times. Gift link: nyti.ms/496PPnC
nyti.ms
November 6, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Brain organoids are getting better at mimicking brains in a dish. But how good is too good? I take a look at the latest developments in my story today in the Times. Gift link: nyti.ms/496PPnC
Reposted by Carl Zimmer
New: Citing need for cost-cutting, NASA is quietly closing buildings at Goddard, giving employees days to pack up highly specialized equipment or risk it getting thrown away, raising alarm. "The things they’re doing don’t actually seem to save money,” one employee said. www.cnn.com/2025/11/04/s...
NASA may be quietly gutting an iconic campus with what it calls strategic closures, workers fear | CNN
Buildings at Goddard’s Maryland campus are being emptied and padlocked, sources say. NASA leadership has pushed back against the concerns.
www.cnn.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:31 PM
New: Citing need for cost-cutting, NASA is quietly closing buildings at Goddard, giving employees days to pack up highly specialized equipment or risk it getting thrown away, raising alarm. "The things they’re doing don’t actually seem to save money,” one employee said. www.cnn.com/2025/11/04/s...
With the gift-giving season upon us, how about an autographed book? You can order one (or more!) here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
November 4, 2025 at 12:21 AM
With the gift-giving season upon us, how about an autographed book? You can order one (or more!) here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Amid attacks on such work, NIH-led research links structural racism to increased heart disease. Story by @aniloza.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/31/s...
Amid attacks on such work, NIH-led research links structural racism to increased heart disease
NIH-led research on structural racism was published Friday, even as the Trump administration has cancelled and discredited such work.
www.statnews.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Amid attacks on such work, NIH-led research links structural racism to increased heart disease. Story by @aniloza.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/31/s...
Here's my latest contribution to the "Lost Science" series at the New York Times: Jay Falk, a scientist who studies why some female hummingbirds look just like males. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qF7Qje
October 30, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Here's my latest contribution to the "Lost Science" series at the New York Times: Jay Falk, a scientist who studies why some female hummingbirds look just like males. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qF7Qje
AI agents tried to do graphic design, video editing, game development, and administrative chores like scraping data. "Even the best could perform less than 3 percent of the work, earning $1,810 out of a possible $143,991," writes @willknight.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/ai-age...
AI Agents Are Terrible Freelance Workers
A new benchmark measures how well AI agents can automate economically valuable chores. Human-level AI is still some ways off.
www.wired.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:32 PM
AI agents tried to do graphic design, video editing, game development, and administrative chores like scraping data. "Even the best could perform less than 3 percent of the work, earning $1,810 out of a possible $143,991," writes @willknight.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/ai-age...
How bowhead whales live for centuries—and how we might borrow some of their biology to extend our healthy lifespan. Gift link to my new column: nyti.ms/4hyD9ry
October 29, 2025 at 4:33 PM
How bowhead whales live for centuries—and how we might borrow some of their biology to extend our healthy lifespan. Gift link to my new column: nyti.ms/4hyD9ry
Reposted by Carl Zimmer
Simply incredible imagery of Hurricane Melissa this morning as it approaches Jamaica.
October 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Simply incredible imagery of Hurricane Melissa this morning as it approaches Jamaica.
Louisiana officials waited months to warn public of whooping cough outbreak www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Louisiana officials waited months to warn public of whooping cough outbreak
After a whooping cough outbreak killed two infants, Louisiana health officials waited months to officially alert physicians or do public outreach. That's not the typical public health response.
www.npr.org
October 28, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Louisiana officials waited months to warn public of whooping cough outbreak www.npr.org/sections/sho...
People who got the 2024-2025 Covid booster had a 44% lower symptomatic infection rate and more than a 50% lower rate of death and hospitalization than those who did not receive the booster, and did not experience a higher rate of adverse outcomes. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Evidence, Opinion, and Uncertainty About COVID-19 Vaccines
This issue of JAMA Internal Medicine includes a Research Letter by Du and colleagues1 reporting findings that once again demonstrate that vaccination with a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster with an updated ...
jamanetwork.com
October 27, 2025 at 6:20 PM
People who got the 2024-2025 Covid booster had a 44% lower symptomatic infection rate and more than a 50% lower rate of death and hospitalization than those who did not receive the booster, and did not experience a higher rate of adverse outcomes. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Larissa MacFarquhar has an excellent piece on the mind's eye today: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202... She mentioned my 2010 piece in Discover and my 2015 Times story. Links here. Glad to have helped my readers with aphantasia! www.discovermagazine.com/the-brain-lo... & nyti.ms/3J1OkMY
Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound
Research has linked the ability to visualize to a bewildering variety of human traits—how we experience trauma, hold grudges, and, above all, remember our lives.
www.newyorker.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Larissa MacFarquhar has an excellent piece on the mind's eye today: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202... She mentioned my 2010 piece in Discover and my 2015 Times story. Links here. Glad to have helped my readers with aphantasia! www.discovermagazine.com/the-brain-lo... & nyti.ms/3J1OkMY
Reposted by Carl Zimmer
I have reviewed @carlzimmer.com's book Air-Borne for @thelancet.com. It is excellent and eye-opening, and contains salutory lessons for science more broadly.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
The troubled birth of aerobiology
“FACT: #COVID19 is NOT airborne”, declared a tweet from WHO in March, 2020. WHO did
not officially accept until almost 2 years later that infection by SARS-CoV-2 could
after all be caused by long-rang...
www.thelancet.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I have reviewed @carlzimmer.com's book Air-Borne for @thelancet.com. It is excellent and eye-opening, and contains salutory lessons for science more broadly.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Carl Zimmer
ABC News pulled the satellite imagery of the White House comparing Sept. 26 to today.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/new...
abcnews.go.com/Politics/new...
October 23, 2025 at 6:40 PM
ABC News pulled the satellite imagery of the White House comparing Sept. 26 to today.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/new...
abcnews.go.com/Politics/new...
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century www.statnews.com/2025/10/22/a...
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century
More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year.
www.statnews.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century www.statnews.com/2025/10/22/a...
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory. www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory. www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...