Ed Yong
Ed Yong is a Pulitzer-winning science journalist, author of An Immense World and I Contain Multitudes, and a birder who shares wildlife photographs and essays in The Ed’s Up.
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Latest
Ed’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Book
Book
BookOverview
- Work
- Science journalist and author
- Based in
- Oakland, California
- Started online
- Not Exactly Rocket Science, August 2006
- Newsroom years
- Staff writer at The Atlantic, 2015–2023
- Milestone
- 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting
- Newsletter
- The Ed’s Up
Mini bio
How it started.
Ed began Not Exactly Rocket Science in August 2006 while working at a cancer charity. He wanted practice and a portfolio, but above all he wanted to tell stories about science. The blog became the springboard for his freelance career.
From the blog to the newsroom.
In 2015, he joined The Atlantic as its first staff science writer. His reporting on COVID-19 examined both the science and the people living through it, earning the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. He remained a staff writer until 2023.
The worlds we miss.
His first book, I Contain Multitudes, explores partnerships between animals and microbes. An Immense World follows the sensory lives of other animals. Both became bestsellers. His next book, Life Beyond Measure, is scheduled for April 2027 and explores nature across different scales.
What fans can follow now.
In The Ed’s Up, Ed shares writing updates, reading recommendations and wildlife photo essays. Birding has become a regular subject, with posts that invite readers to pay closer attention to nearby nature as well as wildlife farther afield.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2025An Immense World (Young Readers Edition)Author; illustrated by Rebecca Mills
- 2022An Immense WorldAuthor
- 2016I Contain MultitudesAuthor
Journalism
- 2015–2023The AtlanticStaff science writer
- 2006–2016Not Exactly Rocket ScienceCreator and writer
Awards
- Science + Literature Award2025 · National Book Foundation selection for An Immense World.
- Guggenheim Fellowship2024 · Named a Guggenheim Fellow.
- Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize2023 · Winner for An Immense World.
- Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting2021 · Awarded for his COVID-19 reporting at The Atlantic.
Quotes
And the blog unquestionably launched my career.Ed Yong, Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
Reflecting on how Not Exactly Rocket Science gave him writing practice and helped editors discover his work.
Trivia
- His corgi is named Typo.
- I Contain Multitudes takes its title from Walt Whitman; An Immense World draws its title from William Blake.
- I Contain Multitudes became a clue on Jeopardy!
- His first book was adapted into a YouTube series by Tangled Bank Studios and Room 608.
Find Ed
Read The Ed’s Up for writing updates, book news and wildlife photographs. His social media is currently inactive.
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