Carl Zimmer

Carl Zimmer
Zimmer in 2018
Born (1966-07-13) July 13, 1966
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation
  • Popular science writer
  • blogger
LanguageEnglish
Alma materYale University (BA)
Subjects
  • Evolution
  • parasites
Children2
Website
carlzimmer.com

Carl Zimmer (born 1966) is an American popular science writer, blogger, columnist, and journalist who specializes in the topics of evolution, parasites, and heredity. The author of many books, he contributes science essays to publications such as The New York Times, Discover, and National Geographic. He is a fellow at Yale University's Morse College and adjunct professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University. Zimmer also gives frequent lectures and has appeared on many radio shows, including National Public Radio's Radiolab, Fresh Air, and This American Life.

Zimmer describes his journalistic beat as "life" or "what it means to be alive". He is the only science writer to have a species of tapeworm named after him (Acanthobothrium zimmeri). Zimmer's father is Dick Zimmer, a Republican politician from New Jersey, who was a member of U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1997.