Carl Zimmer, The Boston Globe

Carl Zimmer

The Boston Globe

Connecticut, United States

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Recent:
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Past:
  • The Boston Globe
  • The New York Times
  • STAT
  • Medium
  • Mashable
  • Scientific American
  • Tech Insider
  • National Geographic
  • WIRED
  • Quanta Magazine

Past articles by Carl:

Health experts warily eye XBB.1.5, the latest Omicron subvariant

The new subvariant, first sampled in autumn in New York state, has a potent array of mutations that appear to help it evade immune defenses and improve its ability to invade cells. → Read More

COVID patients coming off ventilators can take weeks to regain consciousness

For years, Dr. Nicholas Schiff and Dr. Emery Brown have been developing theories about what happens in the brain during comas, sleep, and anesthesia. Now they turned their efforts to COVID. Their search for clues brought them unexpectedly to studies of turtles. → Read More

Novavax’s latecomer Covid-19 vaccine gets U.S. authorization.

The vaccine was authorized as a primary immunization series for adults, rather than a booster, which may limit its market at first. → Read More

Cancer Drug Greatly Reduces Deaths in Hospitalized Covid Patients

A new study found that sabizabulin reduced the risk of death by 55 percent, but some experts were cautious about overinterpreting the results. → Read More

FDA advisers back COVID shots by Novavax, a vaccine latecomer

Before the FDA can authorize the shots, it would need to sign off on Novavax’s manufacturing process, which has stumbled again and again over the course of two years. → Read More

Covid-19 Vaccines and Testing News: Latest Updates

Clinical trials found the vaccine to work well, but the company has long struggled with manufacturing. → Read More

Until recently it was the ‘stealth’ Omicron: Here’s what we know about the BA.2 variant.

As the Omicron coronavirus surge subsides, researchers are keeping an eye on a highly transmissible subvariant known as BA.2. Although it doesn’t appear to have the capacity to drive a large new wave of infections, the variant could potentially slow the current decline of Covid cases and make treatments more difficult. Here’s what we know so far about BA.2. It’s not really new. Scientists first… → Read More

New research points to Wuhan market as COVID pandemic origin

Scientists released a pair of extensive studies on Saturday that point to a market in Wuhan, China, as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. The two reports, totaling about 150 pages, have not yet been published in a scientific journal. → Read More

‘Stealth’ Omicron variant no cause for alarm, but could slow case decline

So far, the new variant, BA.2, doesn’t appear to cause more severe disease, and vaccines are just as effective against it as they are against other forms of omicron. But it does show signs of spreading more readily. → Read More

J&J’s booster shot provides strong protection against severe disease from Omicron, a study says.

Two shots of the vaccine reduced the risk of hospitalization from the fast-spreading variant by 85 percent, a clinical trial found. → Read More

E.O. Wilson, a Pioneer of Evolutionary Biology, Dies at 92

A Harvard professor for 46 years, he was an expert on insects and explored how natural selection and other forces could influence animal behavior. He then applied his research to humans. → Read More

J&J booster works well for people who had Pfizer originally, study finds

People who received Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines may get as much benefit from a Johnson & Johnson booster shot as a Pfizer one. That’s the finding of a small study released Sunday. → Read More

Most COVID vaccines will work as boosters, study suggests

People looking for a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine probably don’t need to fret about what brand it is: Many combinations of shots are likely to provide strong protection, according to a large new study. → Read More

The Coronavirus in a Tiny Drop

A new simulation shows how the virus survives inside tiny airborne particles of water — and gives clues about how the Delta variant became dominant. → Read More

No concerns over flu shot with COVID vaccine

A British clinical trial found no sign of danger in getting a flu shot and a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time. → Read More

A New Company With a Wild Mission: Bring Back the Woolly Mammoth

With $15 million in private funding, Colossal aims to bring thousands of woolly mammoths back to Siberia. Some scientists are deeply skeptical that will happen. → Read More

Pfizer and BioNTech say a third shot boosts antibodies against the virus.

The companies said they will submit their data by the end of the week and ask the F.D.A. to approve a third shot. → Read More

Second Dose of J. & J. Vaccine Gives Strong Boost, Company Reports

Johnson & Johnson will submit the data to the Food and Drug Administration, which is evaluating similar data on boosters from Pfizer and Moderna. → Read More

Covid Live Updates: Vaccine Keeps Its Protection After Six Months, Moderna Says

The company said it expected boosters would still be needed before winter because of the Delta variant. And the Biden administration is planning vaccine requirements for foreign travelers. → Read More

Citing New Data, Pfizer Outlines Case for Booster Shots

Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine may become slightly weaker over time, the company reported. But experts said that most people won’t need boosters anytime soon. → Read More