Greetings--Here are a couple pieces for your weekend reading...
Over the summer, I wrote in the New York Times about an impending ecological disaster. The United States is home to 190 species of salamanders, the greatest diversity of these amphibians in any country. Scientists worry that a newly discovered salamander-killing fungus in Europe could drive American salamanders extinct if it shows up in the U.S.
This week, I have an update: the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service put a new rule in place, banning the import of 201 species of salamanders as pets (as well as moving them across state lines). We'll see if that blocks the plague, or at least gives scientists time to prepare for it.
On Thursday in the Times, I write about cell-free DNA, loose genetic material that floats around our body. Scientists look at it as a message in a bottle, telling us things about our inner health. And now researchers have found a way to figure out where that bottle comes from. That discovery could lead to new tests that could reveal clues about strokes, heart attacks, and other disorders.
January 28: New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ. I'll talk about how parasites can control their hosts' minds. Details to come.
NEW-- February 11: "Is There A Future for In-Depth Science Journalism?" MIT Communication Forum Details here.
June 23-25: International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, Plenary Lecture. Durham North Carolina. Here's the meeting site.
July 31: I'll be giving the keynote lecture at the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America in Savannah
You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, and Google+. And there's always carlzimmer.com.
Best wishes, Carl
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