28  Days  Later
2012

Real Art Ways Hartford, CT

with

Carl Zimmer

Award-winning science journalist, blogger, and author of 11 books

28 Days Later— The spread of infectious disease

A discussion on what real viruses can do to their hosts.

Real Art Ways Hartford, CT

Film Synopsis

Animal rights activists free a group of infected chimpanzees to horrifying results in this speculative sci-fi horror effort from director Danny Boyle.

Animal activists break into a laboratory with the intention of releasing chimpanzees that are undergoing experimentation, infected by a virus that causes rage. The naive activists ignore the warnings of a scientist to keep the cages locked, with disastrous results. 28 days later, bicycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma in a deserted hospital in London. Desperate to find anyone else, he stumbles into a church that has been taken over by murderous zombie-like humans. Fellow survivors Selena (Naomie Harris) and Mark (Noah Huntley) rescue Jim and explain to him that this blood-borne virus overwhelms the infected victim with a murderous rage within seconds. Britain has been overrun. Their only chance of survival may lie in the hands of a group of Manchester soldiers who claim to have the "answer" to infection and invite any survivors to join them at their blockade. Faced with no alternative, the group sets out northward, unaware that the worst is yet to come.

About the Speaker

Carl Zimmer is a popular science writer and blogger, especially regarding the study of evolution and parasites. He has written several books and contributes science essays to publications such as The New York Times and Discover. He is a Fellow at Yale University's Morse College. Besides his popular science writing, Zimmer also gives frequent lectures, and has appeared on many radio shows, including National Public Radio's Radiolab, Fresh Air, and This American Life. His most recent award was a 2007 prize for science communication from the United States National Academy of Sciences, for his wide-ranging coverage of biology and evolution in newspapers, magazines and his blog, "The Loom." Zimmer received his BA in English from Yale University in 1987, and began freelance writing for Natural History magazine. In 1989, Zimmer started at Discover magazine, first as a copy editor and fact checker, eventually becoming a contributing editor.