# Carl Zimmer on Reddit (u/CarlZimmer)

Part of Scientists on Reddit, researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-07. Interactive version: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/scientists-on-reddit/carl-zimmer

Carl Zimmer: Science writer, New York Times columnist.

- Reddit account: [u/CarlZimmer](https://www.reddit.com/user/CarlZimmer/) (AMA only)
- How we know it's theirs: [The 2012 r/IAmA AMA, posted from this account](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/14mcvq/)
- Where they post, in the records we retrieved: r/IAmA (192), r/science (2)
- Known activity in the posts we found: 2012 to 2015
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Zimmer

## Moments

### u/CarlZimmer in r/IAmA, Dec 10, 2012 · Explains things

Replying to a redditor:

> 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.

> 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!)

Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/14mcvq/comment/c7edwsc/ · 21 points as of Nov 7, 2026

### u/CarlZimmer in r/IAmA, Dec 10, 2012 · Personal story

Replying to a redditor:

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

> 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.

Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/14mcvq/comment/c7edvs1/ · 17 points as of Nov 7, 2026

### u/CarlZimmer in r/IAmA, Mar 14, 2013 · Personal story

Replying to a redditor:

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

> 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/

Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1aaji5/comment/c8vlii0/ · 34 points as of Nov 7, 2026

### u/CarlZimmer in r/IAmA, Dec 10, 2012 · Explains things

Replying to a redditor:

> 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…

> 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.

Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/14mcvq/comment/c7eejsi/ · 17 points as of Nov 7, 2026