Carlyn Zwarenstein

Email: carlyn.zwarenstein@salon.com

Carlyn Zwarenstein writes about science for Salon. She aims to make your mind buzz and glow as you read about the wonders of evolution, neuroscience & microbiology — and to fruitfully explore areas where issues of science and power intersect. Carlyn has written one short book and one long book about drugs, pain, art, & getting through it all together, most recently the long one, On Opium: Pain, Pleasure, and Other Matters of Substance (Goose Lane, 2021; ECW 2022). She's on Bluesky @carlynzwaren.bsky.social, and you can find more of her writing here.

It's time to make friends with your viruses Carlyn Zwarenstein

Does extraterrestrial life smell like the sea? Carlyn Zwarenstein

Animals are talking — will the legal system listen? Carlyn Zwarenstein

We treat corporations like living things with rights. Why not rivers? Carlyn Zwarenstein

Woolly mice and "dire wolves" are a distraction from attacks on endangered species, experts caution Carlyn Zwarenstein

We can turn bugs into flying, crawling RoboCops. Does that mean we should? Carlyn Zwarenstein

A vulture bird in a frame with a floral backdrop

Your mom's so ugly Carlyn Zwarenstein

More than a plague: How colonialism, class and incarceration feed disease outbreaks Carlyn Zwarenstein

Bird Flu

Bird flu isn't as silent as we think — experts caution the pandemic threat is still growing Carlyn Zwarenstein

We once rid the US of this nasty parasite. Now it could be coming back Carlyn Zwarenstein

Weird, rare mushrooms in Ecuador reveal secrets about life and loss of biodiversity Carlyn Zwarenstein

Humans think — AI, not so much. Science explains why our brains aren't just fancy computers Carlyn Zwarenstein

Virus spore in an ice cube

A torrent of infectious diseases is erupting from melting ice. We shouldn't freak out just yet Carlyn Zwarenstein

Our cells carry their own sexual identity. That's science, not ideology Carlyn Zwarenstein

The ultimate comeback: the science of resurrection Carlyn Zwarenstein

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