5 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 2 April 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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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:Â 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.Â
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.
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0:00.0 | Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates interview series on radio and podcast. |
0:13.7 | The show covering all things health, wellness, culture, and more. |
0:17.5 | The show for all of us who aren't old, we're better. |
0:20.5 | Each week, we'll interview superstars, |
0:22.9 | experts, and ordinary people |
0:24.6 | doing extraordinary things, |
0:26.5 | all related to this wonderful experience |
0:28.9 | of getting better, |
0:30.2 | not just older. |
0:31.7 | Now, here's your host, |
0:33.3 | the award-winning Paul Vogelzang. |
0:39.4 | Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates interview series on radio and podcast. |
0:45.4 | I'm Paul Vogelzang, and today we, I just think we have an amazing show. |
0:50.8 | You're going to be blown away. |
0:51.7 | We have award-winning science writer, New York Times columnist, Carl Zimmer Zimmer with us. He's the author of the new book, Airborne, The Hidden History |
0:59.3 | of the Life We Breathe. It's available now. Our interview is about his upcoming Smithsonian |
1:06.0 | Associates presentation as well as his new book. And you're just going to to love this because with every breath we take more than 20,000 |
1:14.6 | each day. Do you know that? 20,000. We draw in not just oxygen, but thousands of invisible |
1:21.2 | organisms, fungi, bacteria, pollen, even algae. This unseen ecosystem, the aerobiome, if you will, surrounds us every moment. |
1:32.4 | Yet until recently, it was barely studied. Our guest today is Smithsonian Associate Carl Zimmer. |
1:39.5 | He's going to be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up, so please check out our show notes today. |
1:45.2 | For more details on Carl Zimmer and his presentation titled The Aeroboom and Invisible |
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