Life's Edge: Exploring the Boundary between Living & Nonliving | Carl Zimmer | Into the Impossible (#320)

On this episode of The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast, Carl Zimmer
discusses the importance of ethics in scientific communication and
how scientific discoveries can be inaccurately reported by
journalists, leading to misunderstandings by the public. The
difficulty of defining what it means to be alive is explored and
the stakes of this debate, particularly in regards to the autonomy
of one's own body, are discussed. The episode also touches on the
controversy surrounding gain of function research on pathogens and
the importance of verifying scientific findings. The guest shares
anecdotes from her career, including her experience covering the
controversial discovery of arsenic life, and reflects on why
biology continues to surprise and fascinate her. The episode ends
with a discussion on the human brain’s difficulty in dealing with
ambiguous states and the challenge of capturing people’s interest
in retractions or flawed findings. Carl Zimmer is an expert science
writer who is highly curious about the mysteries of life and often
ponders the question of how to define it. Although scientists all
study life, their definitions vary, leading to a unique fascination
for Zimmer. He was particularly inspired by the astronomers who
study the same thing, making their work seem more straightforward.
Zimmer was also driven by the belief that advanced technology can
sometimes feel magical. These interests have shaped his career as a
science writer, and he has covered everything from genetics to
pythons. https://carlzimmer.com/ Subscribe to the Jordan Harbinger
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