David Ewing Duncan
Best-Selling Author, "Masterminds," Contributing Editor and Columnist for Condé Nast Portfolio, and Chief Correspondent of NPR Talk's "Biotech Nation"
Exclusive Representation by Greater Talent Network
David Ewing Duncan is an acclaimed author, commentator, essayist, reporter, television and radio correspondent and producer, and the Director of the Center for Life Science Policy at UC Berkeley. He is a commentator on NPR's Morning Edition and a former special correspondent and producer for ABC Nightline, He recently became a Contributing Editor and Columnist ("Natural Selection") for Condé Nast Portfolio. He is the author of the international bestseller "Calendar: Humanity's Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year" (HarperCollins/Avon), published in 19 languages, and a bestseller in 14 countries.
His 2006 book, "Masterminds: Genius, DNA and the Quest to Rewrite Life" (Harper Perennial), focuses on the particular motives of scientists: Did the scientist credited for sequencing the human genome have a familial attachment to the issue? Were money and fame an aid to his ambition? Duncan entertains the reader with not just the "how" but also the "why." A profiler of the world's most prominent and influential researchers and geneticists, his approach is unique in that he profiles not just the science but also the individuals behind the discoveries.
"We know the names of celebrities who've done nothing, but we don’t know who these scientists are who can possibly help us live to be 150 years old."
He is currently at working on his next release, "Experimental Man: What One Man’s Body Reveals About His Future, Your Health, and Our Toxic World" (Wiley). The book explores what cutting-edge medical technologies can teach us about ourselves -- past, present and future -- as well as our genes, environment, brain and body.
David Ewing Duncan has always sought out stories and issues where clashes of ideas, cultures and discoveries occur. His first book chronicles a bicycle trip around the world; his other books describe his stint as a foreign correspondent in Africa, a biography of the conquistador Hernando de Soto, and an investigative and very human story about how doctors are trained.
In an unprecedented display of his passion for research, Duncan in 2002 agreed to be the first human screened for almost all known genetic disorders, which became an award-winning story for Wired. In 2006, he followed up with another seminal story in National Geographic where he was tested for the levels inside him of hundreds of pollutants, from pesticides to plasticizers. Now he is writing a book (Experimental Man) in which he is being screened for virtually every high-tech test available -- genes, environmental toxins inside him, and scans and tests of his brain and body. It's the ultimate exam intended to explain and assess the Brave New World of personalized medicine.
"Waiting for my results and the possibility that I may carry the genes for some dreaded disease was making me flush. As a father, I pass along to my children not only the ingredients to life but also the secret codes of their demise."
Duncan is a walking scientific response to the question: "Can they really do that?" In his presentation, he discusses the most important and controversial topics of today's scientific research, from stem cells and synthetic biology, to rising drug prices and reforming the FDA. He recently has focused on perhaps science's most significant story: a species' potential to self-evolve.
As the founder of the independent BioAgenda Institute for Life Science Studies and, more recently, as the founder of the new Center for Life Science Policy at UC Berkeley, Duncan explores his passion for what comes next after new technologies appear -- what happens in business, politics, science, philosophy, the media, the arts, and to society as a whole. This is the subject of his talk: Creative Disruptions.
AT A GLANCE: David Ewing Duncan is the Chief Correspondent of NPR Talk's "Biotech Nation," broadcast on 200 U.S. affiliates and in more than 130 counties. His documentaries have aired on ABC and the Discovery Channel, and he has corresponded and produced for ABC’s "Nightline" and "20/20." At University of California - Berkley he is the Director of the Center for Life Science Policy and a Visiting Researcher at the Graduate School of Journalism.
He is a contributing editor and columnist to Condé Nast Portfolio, and has been a contributing editor to Wired and Discover. He contributes to National Geographic, Fortune, Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, The Guardian, The Washington Post (Book World), and The New York Times, among others. In 2003, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) awarded Duncan the prestigious "Magazine Story of the Year Award," the Pulitzer of science writing. His 1998 release, "Calendar: Humanity's Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year" (Harper), was an international best seller published in 19 languages.
Duncan is the Founder and Editorial Director of the nonprofit BioAgenda Institute for Life Science Policy, based in San Francisco.
Interested in booking David Ewing Duncan to speak at your next event?
His 2006 book, "Masterminds: Genius, DNA and the Quest to Rewrite Life" (Harper Perennial), focuses on the particular motives of scientists: Did the scientist credited for sequencing the human genome have a familial attachment to the issue? Were money and fame an aid to his ambition? Duncan entertains the reader with not just the "how" but also the "why." A profiler of the world's most prominent and influential researchers and geneticists, his approach is unique in that he profiles not just the science but also the individuals behind the discoveries.
He is currently at working on his next release, "Experimental Man: What One Man’s Body Reveals About His Future, Your Health, and Our Toxic World" (Wiley). The book explores what cutting-edge medical technologies can teach us about ourselves -- past, present and future -- as well as our genes, environment, brain and body.
David Ewing Duncan has always sought out stories and issues where clashes of ideas, cultures and discoveries occur. His first book chronicles a bicycle trip around the world; his other books describe his stint as a foreign correspondent in Africa, a biography of the conquistador Hernando de Soto, and an investigative and very human story about how doctors are trained.
In an unprecedented display of his passion for research, Duncan in 2002 agreed to be the first human screened for almost all known genetic disorders, which became an award-winning story for Wired. In 2006, he followed up with another seminal story in National Geographic where he was tested for the levels inside him of hundreds of pollutants, from pesticides to plasticizers. Now he is writing a book (Experimental Man) in which he is being screened for virtually every high-tech test available -- genes, environmental toxins inside him, and scans and tests of his brain and body. It's the ultimate exam intended to explain and assess the Brave New World of personalized medicine.
Duncan is a walking scientific response to the question: "Can they really do that?" In his presentation, he discusses the most important and controversial topics of today's scientific research, from stem cells and synthetic biology, to rising drug prices and reforming the FDA. He recently has focused on perhaps science's most significant story: a species' potential to self-evolve.
As the founder of the independent BioAgenda Institute for Life Science Studies and, more recently, as the founder of the new Center for Life Science Policy at UC Berkeley, Duncan explores his passion for what comes next after new technologies appear -- what happens in business, politics, science, philosophy, the media, the arts, and to society as a whole. This is the subject of his talk: Creative Disruptions.
AT A GLANCE: David Ewing Duncan is the Chief Correspondent of NPR Talk's "Biotech Nation," broadcast on 200 U.S. affiliates and in more than 130 counties. His documentaries have aired on ABC and the Discovery Channel, and he has corresponded and produced for ABC’s "Nightline" and "20/20." At University of California - Berkley he is the Director of the Center for Life Science Policy and a Visiting Researcher at the Graduate School of Journalism.
He is a contributing editor and columnist to Condé Nast Portfolio, and has been a contributing editor to Wired and Discover. He contributes to National Geographic, Fortune, Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, The Guardian, The Washington Post (Book World), and The New York Times, among others. In 2003, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) awarded Duncan the prestigious "Magazine Story of the Year Award," the Pulitzer of science writing. His 1998 release, "Calendar: Humanity's Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year" (Harper), was an international best seller published in 19 languages.
Duncan is the Founder and Editorial Director of the nonprofit BioAgenda Institute for Life Science Policy, based in San Francisco.
Interested in booking David Ewing Duncan to speak at your next event?
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- Creative Disruptions: To Thrive or Not to Thrive in the Coming Bio-Revolution
- Experimental Man: How One Man's Body Reveals His Future, Your Health, and Our Toxic World
- The Human Guinea Pig: From DNA to environmental-chemicals testing: the thorough (and surprising) results
- Trends, Dangers, Possibilities: How does science move forward in an age of global ideological struggle?
