Behold Guilfordus horribilus, and shudder all thee ye who cross its path…

At some point in the distant past, I became aware of a very cool-sounding game in the works. It was called Spore, and it was the creation of Will Wright, who first came to my attention long ago with SimCity, an addictive game that let you build and run a toy city. There was no prize for your reward, no cheesy trumpet music of victory–just the quiet satisfaction of overseeing a thriving metropolis, or watching it collapse as you unleash Godzilla and falling meteorites on its fair streets.

Continue reading “Spore: When Games and Science Collide” →

Recently I had the chance to talk to Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone and other memorable books and articles. I was curious to learn how he reports his remarkable stories, getting inside the heads of scientists doing very bizarre work. Here’s our conversation, courtesy of Bloggingheads.tv. 

Originally published August 31, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

Stasia from Germany writes,

“I made this tattoo when I was second year student in physics. Then I had just started my first scientific project and this simple but beautiful shape impressed me. Now I am a Ph.D student in chemical physics and this picture of hybridisation perfectly fits in the area of my scientific interests.”

Carl: This is a diagram of pi orbitals (or p orbitals), a particular kind of room in which electrons live. For more, see here. And if you don’t like your pi orbitals tattooed, how about a towering sculpture?

Continue reading “The Wanderings of Electrons” →

Here’s a nice essay in Natural History about my science tattoo gallery. Expect plenty more new examples in weeks to come. And if you haven’t sent in yours yet, please do! 

Originally published August 27, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

Get your sniggering over now. I am going to blog about the Penduline Tit.

This post is actually safe for work. The Penduline Tit is not a body part but an ordinary-looking bird. Penduline refers to the pendulous nest that the birds build for their eggs. What makes the bird interesting to me is not its Beavis-and-Butthead caliber name, but how it raises its young. If you think that nature is never destructive, or that natural selection automatically finds beautiful solutions to life’s problems, this bird has a lesson for you.

Continue reading “The Bird That Dare Not Speak Its Name” →