skip to main content

What Is Life? The Radio Version

Discover insights on making life from scratch and learn about eavesdropping microbes in this engaging NPR interview.

Written byCarl Zimmer
| 1 min read
Follow on GoogleGoogle News Preferred Source
Placeholder image

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Placeholder image showing Earth from space with an alert icon and the message ‘This image is no longer available.’

In connection with my recent lecture on life, I had a good interview with the local NPR station in Oklahoma. We talked about making life from scratch, Microcosm, and the microbes that are eavesdropping on you from the inside. You can listen to it on this embedded player below, or download it from the KWGS web site.

Meet the Author

More on Discover
Octopus riding on the dorsal fin of a Risso's dolphin

Octopus Clinging to a Risso’s Dolphin May Offer Clues to Southwest England’s Remarkable Octopus Boom

Two Thismia daemona “devil flowers” with black, horn-like blooms and orange markings emerging from leaf litter in Thailand

A Newly Discovered ‘Devil Flower’ Hides Beneath the Forest Floor Before Emerging With Black Petals and Demon-Like Eyes

Close up of a salmon underwater

Where to Watch Salmon Runs, Dig For Your Own Fossils, and How to Practice Leave No Trace Principles in the National Parks 

Joro spider with black-and-yellow-banded legs hangs in its web against a blurred green background.

Invasive Jorō Spiders Have Made a Home in Georgia, but They May Not Threaten Native Spiders

small yellow snake embryo in a coil

The Mystery of Why Snake Embryos Curl To The Right Could Lie In Their Digestive Tract

Five bush dog pups explore fallen leaves as members of their family stand behind them at Chester Zoo.

Five Bush Dog Pups Born at Chester Zoo Look Like Furry Little Potatoes and Offer Hope for a Near-Threatened Species

Galápagos Islands reef underwater

Ancient Corals Reveal Today's El Niños Are the Strongest in 1,000 Years

bearded capuchin monkey eats a black-and-white bird on a rock beneath forest branches.

Capuchin Monkeys Hunt Small Vertebrates When Fruit Runs Low, Eating Brains and Organs First

Bank vole spotted in the wild eating a leaf

Ancient Genes May Help Wildlife Adapt to Survive the Climate Crisis — and a Tiny Rodent May Reveal Why

Steam rises from a blue hot spring edged by orange and surrounded by forest in Yellowstone National Park.

These Yellowstone Hot Springs Look Peaceful Until They Start Thumping

Aerial view of the San Andreas Fault

The San Andreas Fault May Be Slipping Faster — Here's What to Know About It

A dark brown Slash’s groundsnake (Lielaphis slashi) coils across a large dried leaf in New Guinea.

A Herpetologist’s Guns N’ Roses Fandom Inspired a New Snake Named After Slash

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe