David Baron writes about science in books, magazines, newspapers and for public radio. He has formerly served as science correspondent for NPR and as chair in astrobiology at the Library of Congress.
Why you should listen
An avid umbraphile, David Baron has crossed the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia to witness nine total solar eclipses. This passion inspired his 2017 book American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World. His 2003 book, The Beast in the Garden, explores the growing conflict between people and wildlife in suburban America by examining the forces that led to a tragic death -- that of a high school student, killed by a mountain lion near Denver in 1991. His 2025 book, The Martians, tells the true story of the Mars craze at the turn of the last century, when a handful of astronomers convinced themselves — and a good portion of the public — that the Red Planet was home to an advanced civilization, inspiring the rise of science fiction and helping to launch the space age.Baron lives in Boulder, Colorado.
