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The Aerobiome: An Invisible Ecosystem - Smithsonian Associate Carl Zimmer

The Not Old - Better Show

Release Date: 04/02/2025

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The Aerobiome: An Invisible Ecosystem - Smithsonian Associate Carl Zimmer

The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series

Today on The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates series, we welcome award-winning science writer and New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer—author of Airborne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, available at Apple Books.

With every breath we take—more than 20,000 each day—we draw in not just oxygen, but thousands of invisible organisms: fungi, bacteria, pollen, even algae. This unseen ecosystem, the aerobiome, surrounds us every moment, yet until recently, it was barely studied.

Smithsonian Associate Carl Zimmer will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up so please check out our show notes for more details on Carl Zimmer and this presentation titled:  The Aerobiome: An Invisible Ecosystem

Smithsonian Associate Carl Zimmer has written 15 books about science, taught at Yale, and contributed to National Geographic, The Atlantic, and Scientific American. His new book blends storytelling, history, and cutting-edge science to reveal how we’ve misunderstood the air—and how that misunderstanding shaped our response to COVID-19, climate change, and more.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s really in the air around you—or how the past might have protected us better—this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

That was science author Carl Zimmer, joining us today on The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates series, with stories from his new book Airborne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, available at Apple Books.  Smithsonian Associate Carl Zimmer will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up so please check out our show notes for more details on Carl Zimmer and this presentation titled:  The Aerobiome: An Invisible Ecosystem. My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you, our wonderful audience on radio and podcast. Be well, be safe, Let’s Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show, Smithsoninan Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast. 

To listen to more inspiring conversations like this one—from scientists, historians, artists, and beyond—check out our full back catalog at notold-better.com.

You can also follow us on social media: we’re on Twitter @notoldbetter and on Instagram at notoldbetter.

This is a production of N.O.B.S. Studios. I’m Paul Vogelzang—thank you for spending time with us today, and I hope you’ll join me again next time.