David Ewing Duncan (b. 1958) is an American journalist, author and broadcaster with a special emphasis on new discoveries and their implications in biotechnology and the life sciences; he also reports on the environment and on green technologies. He lives in San Francisco.
Duncan writes columns for Fortune and the MIT Technology Reviews; he is the Chief Correspondent of public radio's "Biotech Nation" (part of "Tech Nation") heard in 133 countries and on NPR Talk. He also has been a commentator for NPR's Morning Edition.
He is the best-selling author of seven books, published in 20 languages. His most recent book is the bestseller Experimental Man: What one man's body reveals about his future, your health and our toxic world, based on award-winning articles he wrote for Wired and National Geographic (John Wiley & Sons).
The book is interactive with the website The Experimental Man Project, a joint project with the Center for Life Science Policy at UC Berkeley that is a source of information on high-tech testing for genomics, environmental impacts, and neurology for individuals.
Duncan's previous book was Masterminds: Genius, DNA and the Quest to Rewrite Life. He also wrote the international bestseller Calendar: Humanity's epic struggle to determine a true and accurate year (Avon), published in 20 languages. He is a former Contributing Editor to Wired, Discover, Conde Nast Portfolio and MIT Technology Review; he writes for National Geographic, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Atlantic Monthly, among many others.
In television, he was a special correspondent and producer for ABC's Nightline, and a correspondent for NOVA ScienceNow! His documentaries have been broadcast on ABC and Discovery Television.
Duncan is a frequent speaker ... his Experimental Man talk is available on fora.tv. He also appears frequently in the media, including the Today Show and NPR's All Things Considered.
Duncan is the founder and director of the Center for Life Science Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, where he is a Visiting Researcher at the Graduate School of Journalism. He is the founder and former director of The BioAgenda Institute for Life Science Policy, a San Francisco-based nonprofit think-tank that held summits, panels and discussions, and sponsored white papers on important issued in the life sciences between 2003 and 2007.
Duncan has won the Magazine Story of the Year Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His articles have twice been cited in nominations for National Magazine Awards, and his work has appeared twice in The Best American Science and Nature Writing. He has won numerous other awards.
Duncan is a member of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, a workspace co-operative that also includes Po Bronson, Caroline Paul, Tom Barbash, Peter Orner, ZZ Packer, and B. Ruby Rich, among others.
