The Loom
A blog about life, past and future
Profile
Carl Zimmer is a science writer. PLEASE VISIT THE LOOM AT ITS NEW HOME.
Books by Carl Zimmer
"Essential reading"--Publisher's Weekly
Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life
Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man: The Concise Edition
"As fine a book as one will find on the subject."-- Scientific American
Revised with a new introduction
"Superb...a non-stop delight."-- New Scientist
"Fascinating...thrilling... Zimmer has produced a top-notch work of popular science." --LA Times
"A fascinating story, which Zimmer unfolds as a tale of high-stakes scientific sleuthing...thanks to marvelous lucid writing." --Booklist
Assorted Links
Swatches from the Loom
- The Wisdom of Parasites
- Eyes Part One: Opening Up the Russian Doll
- Hamilton's Fall
- Old Hands and New Fins
- The Origin of the Ridiculous
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Recent Posts
- The Loom Ends. The Loom Lives!
- The News Can Wait
- Almost Ready...
- Some News...
- A Tapeworm Mystery: Which Way Is Up?
- Microcosm in tomorrow's New York Times Book Review
- A Talk With Paul Ehrlich About The State of the World
- Nice and Weird: Dispatches from The Depths of Parasitology
- The Ten-Mile-Wide Bullet
- Reminder: I'm talking tonight in Los Angeles
Science Tattoo Emporium
Recent Comments
- Harlan on Some News...
- hardindr on Some News...
- Bob O'H on Some News...
- Neerali on A Tapeworm Mystery: Which Way Is Up?
- Michael Balter on Microcosm in tomorrow's New York Times Book Review
- Owlmirror on Of Bacteria and Throw Pillows
- Bishop Pontoppodan on Of Bacteria and Throw Pillows
- themadlolscientist on A Tapeworm Mystery: Which Way Is Up?
- Pteryxx on Nice and Weird: Dispatches from The Depths of Parasitology
- Pteryxx on Of Bacteria and Throw Pillows
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Data
The Original Home of the Giant Flatulent Raccoon
Why the Loom?
"...among the joyous, heartless, ever-juvenile eternities, Pip saw the multitudinous, God-omnipresent, coral insects, that out of the firmament of waters, heaved the colossal orbs. He saw God's foot upon the treadle of the loom, and spoke it; and therefore his shipmates called him mad."
--Moby Dick
About
The Blog...
On the Loom, I explore new scientific research on life that I find particularly thought-provoking, significant, and sometimes just bizarre. Topics range far and wide, from the origins of life to the future evolution of humans. I began the Loom in 2003 and joined Scienceblogs in 2005. It has garnered several honors from places including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academies of Science, and Scientific American.
This post includes a list of some posts that I'm particularly fond of.
The Blogger...

I am a science writer. I write frequently for the New York Times, as well as magazines such as National Geographic, Scientific American, and Discover. I'm also the author of five books about science, including At the Water's Edge, Parasite Rex, and Soul Made Flesh. I'm at work on my sixth, on Escherichia coli and the meaning of life. It will be published in fall 2007 by Pantheon.
My articles have won several awards and have been anthologized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing. My books have also earned me fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
I live in Connecticut with my wife and our two daughters.
My web site includes an archive of my articles and information about my books. I also give talks pretty regularly, and I post my upcoming appearances there.
I can be reached at blog -at- carlzimmer dot com











