Not long ago, a friend of mine asked me if I had heard of a condition called situs inversus. He had learned about it when his grandson had been born with his internal organs flipped–heart on the right, liver on the left, and so on. Despite that remarkable reversal, the boy was fine. His story got me curious about how the condition happens–and how our bodies, for the most part, figure out which side is which. The result is a story in tomorrow’s New York Times. Check it out.

Originally published June 3, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

One day a few years ago, I got an email from someone who called himself Davis.

hey carl,

i have 2 do a report on the book parasite rex. and i kind of need help on chapter 4 i dont really get it! can u please help me?

thank you alot

your pal,

Davis

Continue reading “An Open Letter to Science Students and Science Teachers” →

Humans have spread across the planet, settling in deserts and marshes and deep forests. They’ve adapted to their new homes, not just culturally but genetically, as natural selection has favored certain genes over others. But nowhere has this adaptation been more intense than at high altitudes–in places like Tibet, the Andes, and the Ethiopian highlands. For my Matter column in the New York Times this week, I look at the latest research on mountain life, and at the lessons it can teach us about evolution in general.

Originally published May 30, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

I’ll be on HuffPost Live today at 1 pm ET to talk about the new virus that has emerged in the Middle East, known now as MERS-CoV (short for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus).

This virus first came to light last summer. As I wrote here in March, the virus turned out to be a coronavirus, belonging to the same broad lineage of viruses that includes SARS. Like SARS, it appears to have hopped from bats and infects people’s lungs. So far, 44 people have been identified carrying the virus, and 24 have died. Continue reading “Today at 1 pm ET: Live Discussion About the New Virus MERS” →