Origins

I write the Origins column for The New York Times and cover news about science.

What I Cover

I report on life — from microbes at the bottom of the sea to high-flying migratory birds to aliens that may dwell on other planets. For my column, I focus on how life today got its start, including our own species. Along with covering basic science, I write stories about how biological discoveries evolve into medical applications, such as editing genes and tending to our microbiome.

My Background

I wrote my first story for The Times in 2004. In 2013 I became a columnist. I began my career in journalism at Discover Magazine, where I rose to senior editor. I went on to write articles for magazines including The Atlantic, Scientific American, Wired and Time.

I also write books about science. So far, I’ve published 14, including “She Has Her Mother’s Laugh,” “Life’s Edge,” and “Parasite Rex.” I am professor adjunct at Yale’s Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, where I teach seminars on writing and biology lecture courses. I have also co-authored a textbook on evolutionary biology, now in its fourth edition.

My books and articles have earned a number of awards including the National Academics Communication Award and the Stephen Jay Gould Prize, given out by the Society for the Study of Evolution. I have won fellowships from the Johns Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I contributed to the coverage that won The Times the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2021. I am, to my knowledge, the only writer after whom both a species of tapeworm and an asteroid have been named.

I live with my wife in Connecticut, alongside salt marshes rife with snapping turtles.

Journalistic Ethics

I strive to give readers as true a picture of biological research as I can. This means writing about important advances in science, but it also means writing about failures and conflicts. I do not have financial or other ties to companies I may write about in my coverage of biotechnology. I do not go on press junkets, and I do not accept speaking fees from potential subjects of my reporting. Before I talk to people, I generally try to agree on whether our conversation will be “on the record,” “on background,” or some other designation. Whenever I have a question about how I should proceed, I consult the standards editors at The Times and check our Ethical Journalism Handbook.

Contact Me

For speaking inquiries, contact the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau. Other contacts are below.
Email: carl.zimmer@nytimes.com
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X (Twitter): @carlzimmer
LinkedIn: Carl Zimmer
Threads: @cwzimmer