Scientists on Reddit

Carl Zimmer

Science writer, New York Times columnist

u/CarlZimmer ↗AMA only

How we know it's theirs

The 2012 r/IAmA AMA, posted from this account

We retrieved 3 posts and 191 comments from u/CarlZimmer, dated 2012 to 2015, most often in r/IAmA and r/science.

Best moment

A redditor wrote in r/IAmA

On “IAmA Carl Zimmer, a science writer with an inordinate fondness for tapeworms. AMAA”

Would it be possible to use a controlled application of tapeworms to control weight? I imagine a pill of tapeworm eggs, and another pill that would kill them once specific results were achieved.

u/CarlZimmer replied

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Tapeworms don't make you lose weight! Common misperception. It would be an awful thing for a tapeworm to starve its host. Instead, people just carry them around for many years, with a normal appetite, pooping out millions of their eggs. (Fun fact: the egg packages people poop out have nerves and muscles and--yes!--CAN CRAWL ALONG THE GROUND!)

More moments

A redditor wrote in r/IAmA

On “IAmA Carl Zimmer, a science writer with an inordinate fondness for tapeworms. AMAA”

What first got you interested in writing about science? And what made you decide to continue doing it?

u/CarlZimmer replied

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Pure good fortune. Got a job as a copy editor at Discover, turned out to be bad at copy editing (too many damn commas!), and was shifted over to fact-checking. Pretty quickly realized science writing was the best kind of journalism ever invented. Been at it 20+ years, and each week there are twice as many things I want to write about than I have time to write about.

A redditor wrote in r/IAmA

On “We are four National Geographic bloggers who are obsessed with everything from dinosaur fossils to the latest advances in brain science. Ask Us Anything!”

You all come across a lot of discoveries, what is one discovery that has just blown your mind?

u/CarlZimmer replied

This is Carl. I have to say my mind has now been blown by a virus with an immune system. I learned about this a couple weeks ago, and I can say that I NEVER thought such a thing was…

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This is Carl. I have to say my mind has now been blown by a virus with an immune system. I learned about this a couple weeks ago, and I can say that I NEVER thought such a thing was possible. And that was after writing a book on the friggin things. And yet the evidence is pretty overwhelming. AND it could help cure cholera. Mind blown. Details here: http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/27/the-virus-that-learns/

A redditor wrote in r/IAmA

On “IAmA Carl Zimmer, a science writer with an inordinate fondness for tapeworms. AMAA”

After reading some of your articles on parasites, which are both fascinating and terrifying, my primary question is how you manage to ever sleep, ever? I want to read Parasite Rex, because like I said it's fascinating, but I don't think I could sleep for a week if I did. As a…

u/CarlZimmer replied

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If I say, "I'd like to talk to you about frequency-dependent selection, broadly neutralizing antibodies, and trophic interactions," you might say, "Err....thanks, but I'm not a bio major, so I don't have to." But if I say, "I'd like to talk to you about something that will keep you up at night," I can talk to you about exactly the same stuff. Think of me as your journalistic parasite, manipulating your mind.