Is AI Learning Biology? New York Times Columnist Carl Zimmer to Speak at Florida Atlantic Community Science Lecture Series

Join award-winning New York Times columnist and author Carl Zimmer for a riveting journey into the not-so-distant future, when computers and artificial intelligence (AI) can discover how to make new kinds of cells, and maybe new kinds of life. Zimmer, an expert science journalist, will discuss, “Is Artificial Intelligence Going to Figure Out Life Itself?” on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 5:30 p.m. at Florida Atlantic University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Boca Raton campus. 

Immediately following the lecture, Zimmer will sign copies of his books, which will be available for purchase. The event is free of charge and open to the community as part of the Nat and Dorothy Hyman Science Lecture Series, as well as all Florida Atlantic faculty, staff and students. Guests can register for the event here.

In this mind-bending odyssey, Zimmer will draw on his reporting for The New York Times and his books to explore how biologists are using AI to uncover some of life’s greatest mysteries. New software powered by AI, known as foundation models, can learn by themselves. 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 AI discover next?

Zimmer is a popular science writer, blogger, columnist and journalist who specializes in the topics of evolution, parasites and heredity. He is the author of 15 books and is a regular contributor to publications such as National Geographic, Scientific American and The Atlantic. His books and articles have garnered numerous awards, including the National Academies Communication Award and the Stephen Jay Gould Prize, given by the Society for the Study of Evolution. 

He has won fellowships from the Johns Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Zimmer contributed to the coverage that won The Times the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2021. In addition, Zimmer is an adjunct professor at Yale University’s Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry.

The Nat and Dorothy Hyman (NDH) Science Lecture Series was made possible by 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 Florida Atlantic students, faculty and community members, free of charge. This lecture series is organized by the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

Click here for more information about the Nat and Dorothy Hyman Science Lecture Series.