Carl Zimmer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carl Zimmer
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | July 13, 1966 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Popular science writer & blogger |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) |
| Subjects | Evolution, parasites |
| Spouse | Grace |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | |
| www.carlzimmer.com | |
Carl Zimmer (born in 1966) is a famous popular science writer. He writes about amazing topics like evolution, parasites, and how traits are passed down (called heredity). He has written many books and articles.
You can find his science essays in big magazines. These include The New York Times, Discover, and National Geographic. He also teaches at Yale University. Carl Zimmer often gives talks and appears on radio shows. Some of these are Radiolab, Fresh Air, and This American Life.
Carl Zimmer says his job is to write about "life." He explores what it means to be alive. He is the only science writer to have a tapeworm named after him! It's called Acanthobothrium zimmeri. His father, Dick Zimmer, was a politician from New Jersey.
Contents
Carl Zimmer's Career in Science Writing
Carl Zimmer studied English at Yale University. He earned his degree in 1987. In 1989, he started working at Discover magazine. He began as a copy editor and fact checker. Later, he became a senior editor.
Writing Books and Blogs
After ten years, Zimmer left Discover. He wanted to focus on writing books. In 2004, he started a blog called "The Loom." Here, he wrote about interesting science topics. He also writes a weekly column. It's called "Matter" in The New York Times.
Carl Zimmer and the STAT team worked on a project. It was a 13-part series called "Game of Genomes." They explored Zimmer's own genome (his complete set of DNA). Many scientists helped with this project.
Lectures and Awards
Carl Zimmer often gives talks at universities and museums. He was a main speaker at the Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism (NECSS) in 2009. He also spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
He has won many awards for his writing. In 2007, he received the National Academies Communication Award. This award is for explaining science to the public. In 2016, Yale University made him a professor. They said he is great at making science easy to understand. Since 2017, he has taught a science communication class at Yale.
Carl Zimmer's Thoughts on Science
Carl Zimmer cares a lot about science. He worries when people don't believe in science. He says that sometimes, attacks on science are planned. He notes that some politicians might support these attacks. Topics like climate change, evolution, and vaccines are often targeted.
Why Science Denial is Dangerous
Zimmer believes that denying science can be very harmful. For example, spreading wrong information about vaccines can cause diseases to spread. This can even put children's lives at risk. He also sees global warming as a huge problem. He says our children will inherit the planet. So, we should protect it.
He warns that if people think science is just an opinion, it's dangerous. Science is a powerful way of knowing things. It is based on evidence. If people lose trust in science, many problems could happen.
Protecting Science and Truth
In a talk, he said that democracy, science, and journalism are very important. They have made life much better. But he also said we must protect them. We should make sure they stay honest and fair.
Zimmer has spoken out about politicians who don't support science. He has criticized leaders who deny climate change. He also worries when people who don't believe in science are put in charge of important environmental groups.
Thoughts on Gene Editing
Carl Zimmer has also shared his ideas on genome editing and CRISPR. These are ways to change DNA. He thinks some gene-editing could help fight serious diseases. Especially those caused by a single gene problem. But he also says we need to be careful. Especially when thinking about changing genes in embryos. He points out that this is a complex issue.
Fellowships
- 2002: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship.
- 2005: Poynter Fellowship, Yale University.
- 2006: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant for Public Understanding of Science and Technology.
- 2010: Poynter Fellowship, Yale.
- 2015: Osher Fellowship, California Academy of Sciences.
- 2017: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant for Public Understanding of Science and Technology.
Honors and Awards
- 1994: Everett Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Journalists. This award encourages young science writers.
- 1997: American Institute of Biological Sciences' Media Award. This award recognizes great reporting on biology.
- 1999: The Pan American Health Organization's Award for Excellence in International Health Reporting.
- 2004, 2009, 2012: American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science Journalism Award. This honors journalists for great science reporting.
- 2007: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Science Communication Award. This is for explaining science to the public.
- 2015: National Association of Biology Teachers' (NABT) Distinguished Service Award.
- 2016: Society for the Study of Evolution's The Stephen Jay Gould Prize. This award is for helping people understand evolution.
- 2017: Online News Association's Online Journalism Award.
- 2019: Science in Society Journalism Awards from the National Association of Science Writers. This was for his book, She Has Her Mother's Laugh.
- 2021: An asteroid was named after him! It's called 212073 Carlzimmer. Astronomers found it in 2005.
