We like to think about risks with simple arrows. If A, then B. If wildfires break out, some people may lose their homes. If an oil pipeline leaks, it can pollute the soil. But if you put a wildfire and an oil pipeline leak together in the same place at the same time, the whole becomes a lot nastier than sum of its parts.
I’ll be speaking tomorrow at SUNY Plattsburgh on the occasion of the publication ofthe new edition of Parasite Rex. I’ll be talking about the many ways in which parasites have infiltrated my mind since the book first came out a decade ago. I hope some Loominaries will be able to attend, and be infiltrated as well.
Where: SUNY Plattburgh, Plattsburgh NY. Room 206, Yokum Hall. (Directions and campus map)
When: Friday, April 15, 12:15 pm.
More details here.
Originally published April 14, 2011. Copyright 2011 Carl Zimmer.
An interview with me is running on the latest episode of “Consilience,” a podcast on science and skepticism out of South Africa. The conversation, which takes up the second half of the podcast, covers lots of ground. We talked about my new book, A Planet of Viruses, the secret weapons whales use for fighting cancer, and the enduring, tiresome mistake people make of thinking of bloggers as angry children. Check it out.
Originally published April 14, 2011. Copyright 2011 Carl Zimmer.
If you live in central Connecticut, please consider coming to my public lecture tomorrow (Wednesday 4/12). It’s entitled, “Synthetic Biology: Playing God or Harnessing Nature?” The talk is sponsored by the Connecticut Association of Biology Teachers, the Connecticut Valley Branch of the American Society for Microbiology, and Manchester Community College.
Here are the details:
Where: Manchester Community College, Great Path Academy Building, Community Commons. (Here are directions and maps.)
When: 5:30 pm, Wednesday, April 12
More information here.
Originally published April 12, 2011. Copyright 2011 Carl Zimmer.
Steven Barritz (left) and Travis Bautista pose with their brand new copies of the revised edition of Parasite Rex with a new epilogue. I’ll be sending them an autographed book plate. If you’d like one, here are the steps:
1. Buy a copy.
2. Email me a picture of yourself with the book (it’s marked “with a new epilogue”).
3. I’ll reply to your email and we’ll make arrangements to send you an autographed book plate. (You’ll need to cover the cost of the postage and plate, which should be about a buck.)
Originally published April 11, 2011. Copyright 2011 Carl Zimmer.