CARL ZIMMER at Charleston Literary Festival 2025

The New York Times science columnist Carl Zimmer, whose previous Festival appearance focused on She Has Her Mother’s Laugh, returns with Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe. His new book, which reads like a combination of detective and horror stories, is a fascinating odyssey through the invisible atmosphere, from pollen to viruses, that spans the Black Death to COVID-19 and the threats of germ warfare. “No one unravels the mystery of science as brilliantly and compellingly as Carl Zimmer” – David Grann. In conversation with David Adams, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Surgery at MUSC, Carl Zimmer discusses how much remains to discover, and why this is vital. Recorded November 13, 2025