Just a quick note to let you know about a couple new radio/podcast programs I’m on at the moment.

1. Radiolab. The merry band of Jad Abumrad, Robert Krulwich, and company have put out a new episode all about speed. They got in touch with me after reading a column I wrote about the speed of thought, and I took them on a journey through our not-exactly-light-speed nervous system. They also explore other aspects of speed, such as the agonizingly slow drip of pitch and the superfast world of high-speed stock trading. I’ve embedded the show here.

2. Point of Inquiry: At Science Online this weekend, I sat down for a wide-ranging conversation with Indre Viskontas. We talked about whether viruses are alive, how to do a better job of fighting the flu, and much more. Check it out.

Originally published February 6, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

Never underestimate a mole.

It’s easy to have low expectations for these creatures. My own experience with moles is limited to the sight of their carcasses at my doorstep, laid there by our triumphant and generous cat. Stretched out on the cold bluestone, they look like little more than eyeless pouches of fur.

Continue reading “Stereo Mole Noses” →

In tomorrow’s New York Times, I write about what pigeons taught Darwin about evolution, and what they can teach us over 150 years later. The spur for the story is a new paper in which scientists analyze the genomes of forty different pigeon breeds to understand the molecular secrets behind their remarkable diversity. My story is accompanied by some wonderful photos as well as a podcast in which I talk to my editor, David Corcoran, about the research.

Continue reading “How Pigeons Cured My Case of YAGS” →

We’re made of parts. Our skull is distinct from our spine. Our liver does not grade subtly into our intestines. Of course, the parts have to be connected for us to work as a whole: a skull completely separated from a spine is not much good to anyone. But those connections between the parts are relatively few. Our liver is linked to the intestines, but only by a few ducts. That’s a far cry from the intimate bonds between all the cells that make up the liver itself, not to mention the membrane that wraps around it like an astronaut’s suit. The distinctness of the parts of our bodies is reflected in what they do. In the liver, all sorts of biochemical reactions take place that occur nowhere else. Our skull protects our brain and chews our food–jobs carried out by no other part of our body.

Biologists like to call these parts modules, and they call the “partness” of our bodies modularity. It turns out that we are deeply modular. Our brain, for example, is made up of 86 billion neurons linked together by perhaps 100 trillion connections. But they’re not linked randomly. A neuron is typically part of a dense network of neighboring neurons. Some of the neurons in this module extend links to other modules, creating bigger modules. The brain can link its modules together in different networks to carry out different kinds of thought.

Continue reading “The Parts of Life” →

In November, I gave a talk at TEDYouth, an all-day event for high school students in New York, about my favorite parasite. The video of the talk is now online, along with extra education material.

Originally published January 29, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.