I’m bound for LA today to talk about Microcosm. My talk is part of the Zocalo lecture series. I’ll be talking tonight at 7:30 pm at the Skirball Cultural Center. Here are the details.

At noon EST, I’ll be talking on “Word of Mouth,” a radio show coming from New Hampshire Public Radio. The topic will be my recent article on global warming and mass extinctions in Yale Environment 360. You can listen live (look for the mp3 stream here, or look for a podcast on the show page.)

This is a crazy day–an eight hour drive to visit relatives, followed promptly by a last-minute appearance live on the radio show Science Fantastic, hosted by physicist Michio Kaku. I’m about to go on (6 pm EST) to talk about E. coli, Darwin, and much more. Listen live!

I’m heading to the New York Botanical Gardens to moderate a World Science Festival panel on crops, biodiversity, seed banks, and the amazing life of the Soviet scientist Nikolai Vavilov. (For some background, see this New Yorker article from last year.)

If you come to the panel, stick around for the Cafe Scientifique afterwards. And check out the “Darwin’s Garden” exhibit. You’ll find me snooping around the cycads and ferns.

As I mentioned previously, I’ll be moderating a panel at the World Science Festival in New York on Thursday. It will be about art, science, and homeland security.

In 2004 artist Steven Kurtz was accused of terrorism when police came across bacteria and biological equipment in his house. After the terrorism charges were dropped, Kurtz still faced charges of mail and wire fraud until last month.

Kurtz will be speaking for the first time in public about the case since the charges were dropped, and he’ll also be joined by critic Eugene Thacker and bioethicist George Annas. Here are the specifics on the time and place…

I’ll be giving three talks in the next couple weeks in New York.

First up, my lecture at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn Tuesday. It’s possible I’ll be able to post the video of the lecture later–I’ll let you know. (Out of curiosity–anybody know a good way to combine video and powerpoint slides online? I’ve seen it done, but not on any open social video sites.)

Then come two appearances in the World Science Festival.

First up: Thursday, May 29th 7 pm, I’ll be moderating a panel about Steven Kurtz, the bioartist who was charged with terrorism. (He was also the subject of a movie, Strange Culture). The panel is still taking shape, but it will definitely include Kurtz, and so it will definitely be interesting. More details to come.

Second up: Saturday, May 31, 3 pm, I’ll moderate another panel at the New York Botanical Gardens called “Seed, Survival, Stalin.” Here’s the program description…

Nearly 100 years ago, Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov — recognized today as the “father of biodiversity” — created the world’s first seed bank with the dream of ending famine and hunger. Persecuted by Stalin, Vavilov was thrown into a Communist jail and died before he could enact his grand vision, but his groundbreaking discoveries triggered a global revolution in agriculture that continues today.

Peter Pringle, acclaimed journalist and author of The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov, joins Robert Goodman, Executive Dean of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, to explore strategies for ensuring the survival of the planet’s botanical heritage in the face of potentially catastrophic global threats. Award-winning science writer Carl Zimmer moderates.

After the panel, some of us will be at the Garden’s Cafe Scientifique, where we can continue the conversation.

Do you live in Brooklyn? Or a subway ride from SUNY Downstate Medical Center? Are you free Tuesday May 20 at 4 pm? Then swing over for a lecture I’ll be giving on the evolution of mind. Here’s a copy of the poster (full size here). And while I’ll certainly be talking about human minds, you can expect other species to make cameos, from smart flies to clever hyenas to mindless E. coli. They all fit together into a big picture. See you there.

(PS: Just a reminder–I’ll also be at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge on Friday and the Field Museum in Chicago on Saturday to talk about Microcosm.)

I’m heading to Colorado to give a talk at the University of Denver tomorrow. The subject of the talk is my book Soul Made Flesh, about the birth of neurology in the 1600s (see PZ Myer’s kind review here). I’ll also be talking about the experience of writing books about science. Of course, the first thing I’ll have to confess is that most of the experience of writing Soul Made Flesh–going to libraries, paging through physical books–is already fairly obsolete.

If you live around Denver and are free at 12:30 pm Tuesday, come by. Here are the details.

I’m heading to Sarasota, Florida, to talk tonight about the evolution of whales. If anybody bearing oranges gives me a hard time, I’ll let you know.

The talk will be part of Mote Marine Laboratory’s public lecture series. Here are the details. If you’re in the neighborhood, come on by.

My talk last week at Carleton University in Ottawa went well–here’s an interview with the university’s magazine, and here’s a report from someone in the audience.

More talks are coming up–

Next week: The evolution of whales at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida.

Next month: Soul Made Flesh at the University of Denver.

And plenty more coming in May and June…

[Update: I should also mention that if there's anyone interested in my giving a talk, the good people at the Knopf Speakers Bureau will be able to help you. ]

I’ve got some more information about my upcoming talks. On February 27, I’ll be in Ottawa, delivering the Discovery Lecture at Carleton University. It will be called “The Darwin Beat: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Evolution.” Here’s the link to the lecture page.

More updates to come–I’ll post them here, over at carlzimmer.com, and on Facebook.

Update–Talk link fixed…

I’ve got some more talks coming up that I want to let you know about–especially those of you around Lincoln, Nebraska or Sarasota, Florida–as well as those of you who like to go to meetings about parasites…

1. DARWIN DAY: I’ll be doing my part to celebrate, at the University of Nebraska. My talk will be this Friday. I’ll be talking about what bacteria could have taught Darwin about evolution–drawing in part from my upcoming book, Microcsom. Here’s the UNL link with details (Facebook event).

2. THE ORIGIN OF WHALES: Mote Marine Laboratory runs a great series of public lectures. On March 10 I’ll be talking about the origin of whales–and how scientists keep filling in the gaps (despite what certain creationists might claim as they lose debates with PZ Myers). Details here. (and at Facebook)

3. PARASITES IN POPULAR CULTURE: I’ll be speaking June 28 at the American Society of Parasitologists in a special symposium called, “Parasitology: Public Awareness Through Literature, Art, and Film.” (pdf flyer) I’ll be talking about the intense fascination people have about parasites, writing a book about it, and, of course, blogging about parasites. I’m also gathering examples of parasites in recent films, etc., so any tips would be appreciated. Since I’m sure not all of you will be at this meeting, I’ll do a little live-blogging to fill your need for parasite news.

More events to come, as details crystallize. You can always check my talk page or my Facebook page for the latest info.