Posts Tagged ‘Charles Darwin’
Wherein Science Comedian Interviews Science Writer Carl Zimmer
March 31st, 2011
I am guest hosting Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour today while Dr. Kiki is on maternity leave. My guest this week is science writer Carl Zimmer, whom I met at the ScienceOnline2011 conference in January. Hm. In fact, that’s where I met last week’s guest, Greg Gbur, as well. Good thing I went to that.
Carl is an amazing writer. I’m currently reading his book Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life. It’s about life and evolution, as seen through the lens of the most well-researched microorganism.
His latest book is Planet of Viruses which will be out in hardcover from University of Chicago Press on May 1.
Carl also has a book about science tattoos coming out later this year. Here is a recent post about Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.
His growing collection of science tattoos resides at his Science Tattoo Emporium.
Visit his blog The Loom on Discover Magazine’s website.
He’s also written on evolution (Evolution: Triumph of an Idea and the textbook The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution). And I just received the brand new edition of his ten-year-old book about parasites: Parasite Rex.
I also have his first book (which he says is his favorite): At the Water’s Edge: Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea
Here is a recent (Sept. 2010) article on consciousness at the NYTimes.com.
A list of great science books for high school students.
Carl’s Slate article about the controversy surrounding the NASA study of arsenic-based life – “This Paper Should Not Have Been Published”
Follow me and Carl on Twitter: @sciencecomedian and @carlzimmer.
My “Virus Walks Into A Bar” series of jokes on YouTube.
Dr. Richard Lenski’s Experimental Evolution Lab at Michigan State University has an evolution odometer on the front page, tracking how many generations of E.coli the lab has bred – over 50,000 generations, so far!
Oh – and listen for me on NPR’s Science Friday tomorrow. The show streams live (and airs on your local public radio station, too, probably) from 11am-1pm Pacific/2-4pm Eastern. Listen here.
Happy Birthday, Chuck and Abe!
February 11th, 2011
Once again it’s time to celebrate the births of Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln, who were both born February 12, 1809, making them 202 years old today.
Here’s the video I made for Time.com, in celebration of their 200th birthdays. Just like the new Singularity video – I wrote, Craig Duff produced, and Jim Fields edited.
Science Comedian – the Heat in Arizona
September 27th, 2010
I had a fantastic time performing at the Sacramento Comedy Spot this past Friday. We had a packed house in an intimate room – and they were just the perfect science-loving crowd. Or, I should say, science-comedy-loving crowd.
The opening act was the hilariously geeky Nick Pettigrew (link is to a previous set of his), and I did a whopping hour and forty minutes, including some Q&A. I’ll be putting more clips online soon. Here’s the first.
My fever-dream inspired by the unbearable heat of an Arizona summer. Some might fantasize of bikinis and water sports; I can only imagine global devastation, mutation, human extinction…
Lincoln and Darwin Sitting in a Tree…
February 12th, 2010
It’s that time again! Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin! This year they would have turned 201 years old.
Last year was the big year – 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of “The Origin of Species.” This video essay was my first project for Time Magazine’s website. Produced by Craig Duff and edited by Jim Fields:
Stand Up for Evolution!
February 28th, 2009
Continuing our celebration of 2009 as The Year of Science, this is my second video for the COPUS Project.
Science Comedian, Lincoln, and Darwin on Time.com
February 16th, 2009
If you know me, you probably know I’ve always had a thing about Abraham Lincoln. Nothing kinky. It goes back as far as 2nd grade – at least that’s my oldest surviving writing about Abe.
Now, combine that with my obvious respect for Charles Darwin – who shares his birthday with Lincoln (February 12, 1809) – and you’ll know how excited I am to have tied it all together in a video piece celebrating their birthdays – and also the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species.”
I wrote the piece and it was produced by Craig Duff – and today it’s featured on the front page of Time.com – as a “Must See” video about Lincoln and Darwin.
“Lincoln and Darwin – Birthdays and Evolution”
Check it out, let me know what you think – and please feel free to forward it to EVERYONE!
* Update 2/23/09: Although it was only a “Must See” video for a short time, now it’s displayed as one of the most popular videos!
