Jason Affourtit writes, “The encircling equation represents biological nitrogen fixation, which was at the core of my undergrad/graduate labwork. Working in that research lab (which was originally just part of requirements for med school!–my intended goal) totally changed my focus…So it’s an homage to that period of time, my wonderful advisor, and that lab. DNA has been central to my work life in genomics and has run through as a common theme. So to me, a G-C basepair seemed a natural symbol of that.”

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in my book, Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

(Tattoo by Nick Bergin from Godspeed Tattoo in San Mateo, CA.)

Originally published March 31, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

Today scientists at Stanford University reported they had implanted transistor-like bundles of genes into E. coli, making it possible to transform cells into biological computers. At Download the Universe, a science ebook review where I’m an editor, I take a look at the history of synthetic biology that led up to this remarkable feat. I also reflect on how to help young people become both excited and wise about these new kinds of technology. Check it out!

Originally published March 28, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

A few days ago, CNS News (“The right news. Right now.”) discovered that the National Science Foundation has been funding a study on the evolution of waterfowl genitalia.

When someone brought this item to my attention, I was puzzled. After all, this is not breaking news. I should know–I wrote about it for the New York Times almost six years ago.

Continue reading “Ducks Meet the Culture Wars” →

Today I dropped by CBS This Morning to talk about my story in National Geographic on the quest to bring species back from extinction. I’ve embedded the video below; here’s the link.

Originally published March 23, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

Last June, a sixty-year-old man in Saudi Arabia fell ill with pneumonia. His disease, it turned out, was caused by a virus no one had seen before. It was a coronavirus–in other words, it belonged to a lineage of viruses that includes ones that cause colds as well as ones that cause SARS. But this new virus was genetically distinct enough to be considered a species in its own right. Scientists now refer to it by the dreary, unpronounceable abbreviation HCoV-EMC. Eleven days after being admitted to a Jedda hospital, the man infected with this new virus died.

A single death from a new virus is hardly unheard of. But over the past few months, virus-watchers have gotten increasingly anxious about HCoV-EMC. So far, 15 people have been diagnosed with the virus, and nine have died. While some victims have turned up as far away as England, everyone with HCoV-EMC has had some connection to the Arabian Peninsula. Some victims belonged to the same family, suggesting that the virus can spread from one person to the next.

Continue reading “Listen Closely To The Bats and You Can Hear the Viral Chatter” →