One of Darwin’s lesser known obsessions was with faces–how we make different faces, and what they say about us. Today, psychologists and neuroscientists are discovering the hidden conversation between brain and face, with a lot of tools Darwin never had–MRI scanners, subcutaneous electrodes, and Botox.

Botox?

Indeed. In fact, some recent studies with Botox raise the weird possibility that our national love affair with that face-freezing drug may be subtly altering the emotions of millions of people.

Continue reading “Darwin, Botox, and The Brain’s Outer Edge” →

[10/16/08 Correction appended: see end of post]

When our ancestors moved ashore some 360 million years ago, they underwent a lot of changes as they evolved from ocean-swimming fish to land-walking tetrapods. For one thing, they needed feet instead of fins. Paleontologists have discovered a series of fossils that document the early evolution of limb bones in our aquatic ancestors, showing how long bones first evolved, then parts of the wrist and digit-like bones, and finally full-blown feet.

Continue reading “The Shoulder Bone’s Connected to the Ear Bone…” →

Steve Mirsky of Scientific American came to my recent lecture at Stevens Institute of Technology about Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life. He was equipped with a digital recorder, and now he’s posted a two-part podcast of my talk, introduced by a short chat we had about the book. Here’s part one, and here’s part two. And…here’s the book. You remember books, right? That information technology that came right after papyrus and right before neurodownloads? 

Originally published October 9, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

Remember that couple you knew, the ones who went out on a date and instantly fell in love, who had been together for years and seemed as happy together as the day they met, the ones who gave you hope that you might find your own true love, the ones who made you feel that there was joy to be found in the world? And remember how one day they suddenly called the whole thing off and pretty soon were seeing other people, leaving you confused and reeling?

I’ve been having the same experience with blood flukes.

Continue reading “Even Blood Flukes Get Divorced” →

The Boston Globe has set up an insanely beautiful feature called “The Big Picture.” Each week, they pick out a dozen or more stunning pictures on some topic and display them at huge size. The latest theme is “Earth From Above,” and the pictures are all from photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. I don’t know why, but this picture really spoke to me (click through for the full size shot). It’s a fresh expanse of lava in Iceland that has cooled down enough for moss and other organisms to colonize it. Life always finds a way. 

Originally published October 6, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.