Marta Zaraska

Marta Zaraska is a Polish-Canadian science journalist whose work appears in publications such as the Washington Post, Scientific American, Spectrum, The Atlantic, and Discover. Zaraska specializes in nutrition, health, environmental science, and social issues, translating scientific research for general audiences. Having visited more than 80 countries and lived in six, Zaraska brings a global perspective to science writing.

Zaraska is the author of the nonfiction book "Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Year Obsession With Meat," published by Basic Books and recognized by Nature as a top science selection. The book has been translated into multiple languages, including Polish, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and simplified Chinese. In "Meathooked," Zaraska examines the cultural, psychological, and scientific factors behind humanity's enduring relationship with meat, exploring diverse meat cultures and innovations in alternative proteins.

Her second book, "Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100," was published by Penguin Random House in the United States and Canada and by Little, Brown in the United Kingdom, and became a Globe and Mail bestseller. The book presents research on how optimism, kindness, and strong social networks contribute to longevity, highlighting findings such as the impact of social support, exercise, and volunteering on mortality risk.

Zaraska's work has been adapted for television in the United States, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Bulgaria, Germany, and Poland, and reprinted internationally. She has appeared on podcasts and radio programs including NPR's Here & Now, NPR's Life Kit, MindValley, Kwik Brain, and the Michael Shermer Show, as well as on television programs such as The Social on CTV and The Agenda with Steve Paikin. Zaraska has delivered talks on aging, longevity, nutrition, and the social determinants of health at organizations including Google, Bocconi University (TEDx), INSEAD, and conferences such as VivaTech Paris and European Development Days. Her expertise centers on translating complex scientific concepts into accessible insights on health and well-being.