Sandra writes, “My tattoo is an intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell, my favourite type of neuron. Only discovered a few years ago, it detects light without vision and communicates directly to a part of the brain (the suprachiasmatic nucleus) that helps control circadian rhythms.”

Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium. 

Originally published June 15, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

This is a crazy day–an eight hour drive to visit relatives, followed promptly by a last-minute appearance live on the radio show Science Fantastic, hosted by physicist Michio Kaku. I’m about to go on (6 pm EST) to talk about E. coli, Darwin, and much more. Listen live! 

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

We’ve all heard about the dire straits polar bears are facing if they lose their icy habitat to global warming. But just how many species may global warming drive extinct? One way to find out is to look over the mass extinctions of the past–and the picture there’s not pretty, as I explain in my new article, “Biodiversity in the Balance.” It appears today in the new publication Yale Environment 360, an online environment magazine from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. They’ve already got some pieces from some big names, like Bill McKibben and Carl Safina. So check the whole place out.

Continue reading “Hot Times in Deep Time: My New Piece for the New Yale Environment 360” →

My recent post about a striking new experiment in evolution (E. coli evolving the ability to eat a new kind of food) is still drawing lots of commenters and links. Very cool! Not so cool are the claims that this experiment is evidence of creationism, made by people who have not actually read the paper itself. Unfortunately, the paper is behind a subscription wall at the journal. Fortunately, the scientists have posted it on their own web site (pdf link). So go, read, and digest.

I’m also hoping that Zachary Blount, the grad student who pored over the trillions of E. coli in this experiment, will have time to respond to the many comments in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Continue reading “A New Step In Evolution, Cont.: Read the Paper” →

Chad writes, “Based on Huxley’s Man’s Place in Nature.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ape_skeletons.png

Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium. 

Originally published June 13, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.