SciLink Blog

I had the pleasure of interviewing Carl Zimmer in early May of this year. I took a bit of pleasure turning the tables on this intriguing science writer, as you could imagine, he hadn’t been interviewed too many times in the past. Although my interview was brief, I was able to glance into Carl’s world and passion for science. We explored a number of topics from the mundane (what it takes to get into science writing) to the publishing industry and finally to his incredibly interesting book on E.coli. What I found most fascinating about Carl was his complete lack of salesmanship and ego. You see, Carl is known in science writer circles as a force to be reckoned with. The New York Times Book Review calling him, “as fine a science essayist as we have”. I imagined all kinds of different scenarios unfolding as I picked up the phone to dial Carl’s number: overbearing ego maniac, super being who was too busy and bored to take my call etc. But surprisingly, none of these scenarios played out. Carl Zimmer is soft spoken, often self deprecating and extremely generous with his time. No ego here, just a man with a passion for science and nature. And, yes, he’s wicked smart.

Here are some excerpts from our interview:

How did you get into science writing?
[I] was at Discover magazine, just trying to get in to magazine world.. Once I started there, I found out that I really enjoyed science writing, and I haven’t stopped since.

What is/was your favorite topic in science right now?
I’ve just written a book about E.coli. I guess you could call me E.coli’s missionary. The book tries to show how much cool biology is packed into such a tiny thing. It can sense chemical and temperature gradients and integrate this information as if it had a brain. It can use this information to navigate through its environment. Engineers are getting obsessed with E. coli because the way its genes and proteins interact reminds them of auto pilot systems. When you learn about E.coli [you’re] really learning about the entire history of molecular biology.

How do you feel about open access publishing like PLOS/BMC?

I blogged about this here. I believe that open access papers will get more coverage in old and new media than papers published in traditional subscription journals. There are huge time advantages in reading open access journals. I can Google for a topic and in 2 seconds can be reading the entire article. If I come across a paper in a closed journal, I can’t get it immediately. The extra steps involved will inevitably push people toward open access models.

Another factor playing in open access’s favor is that it doesn’t create pointless conflicts between a journal and the people who write about what’s in it. One striking example involved a blogger who had written about a paper sourced from a subscription journal: This individual reproduced a figure and got an email threatening legal action. This looked really bad for the publisher and [the] blogosphere revolted. If I write a piece that is sourced from a PLOS (http://www.plos.org) paper and reproduce a figure on my blog, I know I won’t be harassed.

Any pointers for other up and coming science writers?
People really need to learn how to write. Spend the time training through internships, graduate school, freelancing etc. You have to spend the time practicing your craft. This is a really interesting time to be a science writer but conventional opportunities are disappearing so try to be as creative as you can. Try to write every day whether you have an assignment or not. My best piece of advice is that no one can read your mind: Very few people have PhD’s in your area so start with that premise and the clarity of the story.

Who should reach out to you in SciLink?
I’m interested in connecting with Biologists and Earth Scientists who need help telling their story.

Check out Carl’s Publications:
My Book - Microcosm
My blog - http://www.scienceblogs.com/loom/
My website – http://www.carlzimmer.com