New Scientist physical science new editor Victoria Jaggard writes, “I was excited to see the return of the science ink emporium. It’s encouraged me to finally share a piece I had done about a year ago. Basically, until high school I was completely in love with only music and literature, while my classes made science seem deadly dull. Then my English teacher introduced me to science writing, and that changed everything. Science as presented in magazines like Discover and Scientific American (and of course National Geographic) was messy and heroic and as full of joy and heartbreak as any great novel, and the story-telling was just as engaging. That got me so excited about science that I started noticing how it also inspired photography, sculpture, music, theater … even fashion. Now I’m a complete space geek, which is something I never would have predicted at 17, and a huge supporter of better science communication through the arts. I chose this astrolabe –an astronomy tool from 17th-century India, used in a 21st-century study of brass metallurgy–to remind me that science and beauty have gone hand-in-hand for millennia.”

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

Originally published January 13, 2013. Copyright 2013 Carl Zimmer.

When biologists think about the evolution of life, they think about climbing mountains.

To understand their alpine frame of mind, imagine a biologist studying the fish in a lake. Each fish may be born big or small. Fish born at certain sizes may be more likely to survive and reproduce than others. Each fish may be aggressive or shy. Again, their aggressiveness may determine their odds of having babies.

To picture all of this, it’s very helpful to imagine a landscape. Each point on that landscape is a different combination of aggression and body size. They’re like the longitude and latitude on a map. Each combination leads to a particular level of reproductive success. Picture that success as the elevation of that point on the landscape. The more success, the higher the altitude.

Continue reading “Watching Fish Climb Darwin’s Mountain” →

If you haven’t already met Ampulex compressa, otherwise known as the jewel wasp, now is as good a time as any. Someday you may be very grateful that you did.

This gorgeous animal, which measures just under an inch from mandibles to tail, lives across much of Africa and Asia, as well as a few Pacific Islands. Don’t be fooled by its lovely glittering appearance, though. This is a deeply sinister creature. Jewel wasps don’t rear their young in a familiar paper nest. For them, home is the inside of a cockroach.

Continue reading “If You’re Going To Live Inside A Zombie, Keep It Clean” →