Lecture will focus on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and how its transformation has enabled it to continue wreaking havoc on the world’s health.

New York Times science columnist Carl Zimmer. Photo credit: Mistina Hanscom
New York Times science columnist Carl Zimmer. Photo credit: Mistina Hanscom

New York University will host New York Times science columnist Carl Zimmer for “The Darwin Beat: Reporting on Evolution in the Age of Pandemics,” its annual Darwin Lecture, on Mon., March 20, 4 p.m., at NYU’s Hemmerdinger Hall, Silver Center for Arts and Science (31 Washington Place [at Washington Square East]). 

Zimmer will discuss the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the Covid pandemic, and how its transformation has enabled it to continue wreaking havoc on the world’s health.

This event will be both on Zoom and in-person. To receive a webinar link and to RSVP for in-person attendance (see “Reserve a spot” button), please visit the event’s registration page

Zimmer, who has reported for the New York Times since 2004, is the author of 14 books about science, including Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive, his latest. He has also written for Discover, where he served as an editor, and for National Geographic, Wired, and the Atlantic. In 2021, Zimmer was a member of the team at the New York Times that won the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zimmer, who has penned two textbooks, The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution and, co-authored with Doug Emlen, Evolution: Making Sense of Life, is an adjunct professor in the Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University.

For questions about the lecture, sponsored by NYU’s Dean for Science and Department of Biology, please email biology@nyu.edu.

Subways: 6 (Astor Place); R, W (8th Street)

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