A couple days I introduced an awesome sea slug that eats algae and uses them to become photosynthetic. I thought it would be worth revisiting this marvelously plant-like animal for a couple reasons. One is that I’d like an excuse to post this excellent photo, which is on the cover of the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, where a new paper on the sea slug is being published (photo by Mary Tyler). Another reason is that I wanted to relay an email exchange I had with the lead scientist on the study, Mary Rumpho.

Continue reading “The Further Adventures of the Emerald Green Sea Slug” →

If you’d like to learn about some of the latest discoveries about the brain and find out where neuroscience is headed, please join me at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on Wednesday. I’ll be moderating a panel discussion packed with prominent neuroscientists. Here are the details:

The Franklin Institute, Discover Magazine and the National Science Foundation present a fascinating neuroscience symposium.

Continue reading “Attention, Philadelphia: We’re Invading Your Brain” →

Andy writes:

“This is all your fault, you know: a bike-riding forum I hang out on had a “check out these science tattoos!” thread, and it got me to thinking: what bicycle science tats are there? I’d just celebrated my 25th year in the saddle and was jonesing for some ink.

For ages I struggled to find something that abstracted the kinetics of bikes down to a couple of lines – with no success. Then I found the power equation in MIT’s _Bicycling Science_ (and Wikipedia). It describes the power needed to propel a bike against our everyday foes: gravity, weight, friction, wind resistance. And it describes beautifully the way that the linear components of the resistance give over to the fat slamming wall of wind resistance.

Continue reading “Bike Science” →

I just spoke yesterday about Microcosm, and brought a little recorder with me. This afternoon I fooled around with Soundslide and my Powerpoint, and produced this video. This is a format I’d like to experiment with more on this blog, so I’d be grateful if people would take a gander and offer their thoughts. The sound is a little scratchy (and a nearby fire company tested out their siren just as I was starting my talk), but all in all it should be easy listening. 

Originally published November 14, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

Memo to Sci-Fi Movie Development Dept.

Re: Plant People Concept

Here are the specifics for the aliens in our next movie, VOYAGE TO THE PLANET OF THE PLANT PEOPLE. The people there are vegetarians, eating salads, seaweed drinks, etc. They are green, because when they digest their meals, their bodies move some of the plant matter to their skin. They use it to capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis.

Continue reading “Going Green” →