Carl Zimmer: Is Artificial Intelligence Going To Figure Out Life Itself?

Join award-winning science journalist Carl Zimmer for a discussion on AI at Florida Atlantic University. Zimmer is a columnist for The New York Times and an expert on topics ranging from evolution to pandemics to brain-mapping. He is the author of fifteen widely praised books and is a regular contributor to magazines including National Geographic and The Atlantic.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a part of our everyday lives, from planning vacations to editing photos. But biologists are using the same underlying software to explore some of the deepest mysteries of life. These foundation models, as they're called, can learn by themselves how proteins fold into their intricately complex structures. They can make up new proteins from scratch. Even more ambitiously, foundation models are making sense of how thousands of genes work together inside our cells to keep us alive. In a few weeks, computers can analyze data from millions of cells and teach themselves some of the most fundamental principles of biology. What will they discover next? And will they put biologists out of a job? In this talk, Carl Zimmer draws on his reporting for The New York Times and in books like Life Itself to take his audience on a mind-bending trip into the not-so-distant future, when computers can discover how to make new kinds of cells, and maybe new kinds of life.

5:30-6:30: Lecture

6:30-7:30: Reception, with books for sale in lobby

The Nat and Dorothy Hyman Science Lecture Series in the Florida Atlantic Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

This event was made possible by the Nat and Dorothy Hyman (NDH) Science Lecture Series, through the support of Florida Atlantic alumnus, Jerry Hyman, son of Nat and Dorothy Hyman. The NDH Science Lecture Series was created to encourage and inspire students in the sciences, and provide access to educational lectures by leaders in the scientific fields for FAU students, faculty, and community members, free of charge. This lecture series is organized by the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

Carl Zimmer is, in the words of New York Magazine, “the country’s most respected science journalist.” He has twice won the National Academies Communication Award and is a three-time winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Journalism Award. He has earned an Online Journalism Award twice for his reporting. In addition, Zimmer was awarded the Stephen Jay Gould Prize, and the National Association of Biology Teachers gave him their Distinguished Service Award. Zimmer has written for The New York Times since 2004, where he writes the “Origins” column. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he contributed to the coverage that won The New York Times a Pulitzer Prize in 2021. Zimmer has also contributed hundreds of articles to magazines such as National Geographic and The Atlantic, and he is the author of fifteen widely praised books about science.

Zimmer has spoken at Aspen Ideas Festival and other major venues. He has given lectures at many of the country’s leading universities, medical schools, and museums, and regularly gives keynote lectures at scientific conferences. Zimmer has enthralled audiences with insightful, engrossing talks on topics ranging from the cutting edge of medicine, to the history of the scientific revolution, to the wonderful creepiness of parasites. He is also a frequent guest on programs such as The Daily, Fresh Air, and Radiolab.

His latest book, Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means Be Alive, has earned wide acclaim. In a cover review for the New York Times Book Review, Siddhartha Mukherjee praised Zimmer’s “elegant, deeply researched book,” writing that “this book is not just about life, but about discovery itself. It is about error and hubris, but also about wonder and the reach of science.” Zimmer’s 2018 book, won the Communications Award from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, as well as the Science in Society Journalism Award from the National Association of Science Writers. The Guardian named it the best science book of 2018, and the New York Times Book Review named it a notable book of the year. Both Life’s Edge and She Has Her Mother’s Laugh were finalists for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Prize.

Zimmer’s other works include A Planet of Viruses, which entered its third edition in 2021 with a new chapter on Covid-19; Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea, Soul Made Flesh, named one of the top 100 books of the year by The New York Times Book Review; At the Water’s Edge; and Parasite Rex. His 2008 book, Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and he is also the author of a groundbreaking textbook about evolution, The Tangled Bank. Zimmer’s books have been supported by fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

From 1994 to 1998 Carl Zimmer was a senior editor at Discover before turning to writing full-time. His work has appeared in The Best American Science series as well as The Best American Science and Nature Writing series. In 2023, Zimmer was the guest editor of The Best of American Science and Nature Writing. He is a professor adjunct in the Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University, where he teaches writing and biology.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Florida Atlantic University
Barry and Florence Friedberg Auditorium
Ely Meyerson Continuing Education Hall
777 Glades Road, Bldg. CEH 31D
Boca Raton, FL 33431

.

From I-95 Northbound or Southbound:

● From I-95 take Exit 45 East onto Glades Road
● In 1/2 Mile Left onto W. University Drive
● Follow the Road to the First Traffic Light
● Auditorium is on the Right, and Parking on the left (Lot 15)

From I-95 Southbound:
● From I-95 take Exit 48A onto Spanish River Blvd./FAU.
● At the Traffic Light go straight to cross Spanish River Blvd. to FAU Blvd.
● Follow FAU Blvd. to the Traffic Light
● Turn Right onto North University Drive
● Pass Volusia Street at the Traffic Light
● Turn right into Lot 15 to Park
● The Auditorium is across the Street from Lot 15

.

Parking Lot 15, located across from the Friedberg Auditorium, is the primary parking area for OLLI Boca Raton events. The parking area is designated with orange signs, and orange parking lines. There are no additional fees for parking.

Host or Publisher FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science