I’m no fan of the cold, so it’s remarkable to me that there are so many species that can thrive at temperatures that would kill me from hypothermia. At Nova Next, I’ve written a feature about these so-called psychrophiles. I take a look at the biochemical secrets to survival at sub-zero temperatures, what psychrophiles can tell us about life on other chilly planets, and how biotechnology might harness their remarkable proteins for all sorts of applications. Check it out.

Originally published June 11, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

AT 3 pm ET today on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, I’ll be talking about my article this month in the Atlantic about a rare disease that creates a second skeleton, as well as the quandary of people with rare diseases more broadly. I’ll be on with Jeannie Peeper, who has the condition I write about and who is one of the main subjects in my piece.

Update: Here’s the recording of the segment.

Originally published June 10, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

Science is not a string of successes. It has its share of errors and misconduct, and acknowledging them does no disservice to the value of scientific research that stands the test of time. So it was a pleasure to review a new book, Brilliant Blunders, by Marco Livio, for the New York Times Book Review. No one is perfect, Livio shows us, even some of the greatest scientists of the modern age. Check it out.

Originally published June 8, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.