Blame the spaceman, Chagas disease, Creativity and more

Last week, the week after Memorial Day, may have only lasted four work days, but my productivity didn't suffer: I had 6 new articles and a few reprints appear during those 96 hours.

First up, my coverage of endangered species for Scientific American:

3rd Annual Antelope Die-Off in Kazakhstan—Was a Spacecraft to Blame? [This was also reprinted by the Huffington Post.]

Researchers Capture Fleeting Images of Incredibly Rare Sumatran Rabbit [Video]

Meanwhile, Mother Jones reprinted last week's article on California Condors.


Next up, four new articles for Mother Nature Network, some of which were in the queue as the week began:

Chagas disease called 'the new HIV/AIDS of the Americas'

Kalamazoo ospreys get safe new roost thanks to enterprising filmmaker

Study: Nature inspires more creative minds [This was also reprinted by CNN's HLN]

New ParkScore website ranks 40 largest American cities 


In other news, the IFAW posted a short video from their Animal Action Awards. Give it a watch for a few brief comments from me:



 
I have at least four new features pending publication this month. One or two might be online as early as this week. Keep watching my Twitter feed for updates.

Asiatic lions, floating cities, starving dolphins and an award for me

It's the Tuesday after Memorial Day which means it's more like Monday for most people which means it's time for my weekly Monday morning compendium of the prior week's articles. Except it's actually been two weeks since my last post so this is a double dose of articles.

Why two weeks? Well, last week was an amazing change of pace as I trekked out to Cape Cod, where the International Foundation for Animal Welfare honored me as one of this year's recipients of its Animal Action Awards for my work writing about endangered species, wildlife trafficking, climate change and related topics.

It was a great thrill to meet the folks from IFAW and the other honorees. I'm proud of the writing I do and I am glad it is making a difference. Thanks, IFAW. This award means a lot to me.

Okay, on to the articles from the last two weeks. Sticking with the endangered species theme, here are the last several Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Photo (c) Kishore Kotecha. Used with permission.

The Last 400 Asiatic Lions Need More Room to Grow–but Where Will They Go?

China Feeds Extra Fish to Finless Porpoises to Save Them from Starvation

California Condor Populations Hit Important Milestone, but Still Face Threats

Sanctuaries Established to Help Save Spectacular Kashmiri Goat


On a different note, here's my latest feature for IEEE's The Institute:

Online Magazine to Spark Engineering Interest in Teens


And finally, here's a big batch of environmentally-themed articles for Mother Nature Network:

Airlines see profits in shipping animals

Battle of the climate-change billboards rages on

PayPal co-founder funds floating city for entrepreneurs

Maine man to be buried in coffin made from the tree he protected for 52 years

Want the freshest fruit? New sensor improves upon the human nose

Scientists generate electricity from viruses


That's it for this time around. I already have several articles pending publication this week and next. Stay tuned for the latest updates!

Gorillas, Innovation, Aviation and Some Icky Stuff

Monday comes along but once a week, but I seem to have new articles appear just about every day. This week was particularly satisfying, as two long-gestating features appeared and my other articles did extremely well.


Let's start with this week's two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Photo courtesy Wildlife Conservation Society

Amazing Video: First Camera Trap Footage of Critically Endangered Cross River Gorillas [This was my most popular Extinction Countdown article in the last year!]

New Polar Bear Counting Method Creates Confusion [Boy did this one get the climate skeptics in a huff.]


Next up, my latest feature for Today's Engineer:

Career Focus: Aerospace Engineering Careers Still Flying High 


And here's another new feature, for IEEE's The Institute:

Get Creative with Free E-book on Innovation


And let's finish the week with this batch of articles for Mother Nature Network -- two of which you'd better not read while eating:

Necrotizing fasciitis claims woman's leg after zip line accident

Houston doctors live-tweet patient's brain surgery

Rio de Janeiro beautifying famous beach by removing billboards 

It'll probably be two weeks before my next list, for reasons I can't disclose quite yet, but make sure to follow me over on Twitter for the latest links as they happen!

Rhino sex, horse racing, volunteering and climate change

Okay, so the more controversial or sensational the topic you write about, the more readers you attract. Got it.


Guess which one of this week's Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American got about six times the normal number of readers:

The Most Eagerly Awaited Rhino Porn of All Time [Yup, it was this one.]

New Conservation Plan Will Protect Endangered Zebra Species


Meanwhile, this feature for Mother Nature Network was the most-read story on their site for a few days, during which time it generated a pretty good number of comments. It probably didn't hurt that CNN linked to this story from their home page:

Horse racing: An industry in crisis


Meanwhile, these other stories for MNN were fun to research and write:

Where do urban chickens go to retire? Portland

IKEA introduces disposable cardboard camera

Wind turbines contribute to global warming? Media outlets say they do

Oh, and an earlier MNN story was reprinted by the Huffington Post last week.


Finally this week, my latest feature for LION magazine appears in their May 2012 issue. I can't link directly to the article, but you can flip through the whole thing online here. My story --First Responders Since 1951 -- appears on page 38.


This week should see two new features, if not three, and a whole bunch more of the usual environmental reporting. Stay tuned for updates!

Rhinos, Squirrels, Poisons and more

Another week gone by, another few thousand words typed and online. I like it.

My two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American covered some good news for two critically endangered species:
160 Video Cameras to Help Monitor Last 35 Javan Rhinos [This was also reprinted by the Huffington Post.]

(Oh, and you can read all of my recent articles on rhinos here.)

Critically Endangered Colombian Parrot Doubles Its Protected Habitat


Mother Nature Network kept me delightfully busy this week:
Whistleblower exposes tree poisoning in billboard industry

Is California's famous Salton Sea doomed?

#Squirrel! Craigslist founder uses social media to raise money for wildlife

Frida Kahlo's mysterious infertility diagnosed through her paintings


And here are two new "green living" blog posts for Green Hands USA:

Save an Orangutan: Don't Buy Palm Oil

Portland (Oregon and Maine) Named Two of America's Greenest Cities


This coming week will see more at SciAm and MNN. Some time this week, my latest feature for Lion magazine should be online. (I received my print copy in the mail on Saturday.) Depending on publication schedules, I'll also have three new technology features coming out this week or next. And then there's all of the other stuff I'm working on!


Make sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest links as they go live!

Blogging for Endangered Species

What's the role of journalism and blogging in conservation? The Behind the Schemes podcast asked me and I answered. Check out the half-hour interview here:

Blogging for Endangered Species - BEHIND THE SCHEMES

Dirty birds, dog-fighting controversy and publishing historians

What a wild and wacky mix of stories came out of my fingertips this week. I swear, that's the most enjoyable part of being a freelance writer: even when you work a certain beat, you really never know what stories are coming down the pike.

Let's start this week's compendium, as I usually do, with my two Extinction Countdown stories for Scientific American. I'm really happy with both of these articles, and I'll have some more interesting EC-related news to let you know about soon.

"I'm a dirty bird."

Geese May Be Helping to Spread Frog-Killing Chytrid Fungus

Threatened Philippine Hawk-Eagle Bred in Captivity for First Time


Mother Nature Network kept me busy this week, including two stories on a PR nightmare for a certain beer company:

Heineken denounces dog-fighting photo

Update: Heineken severs relationship with club that hosted illegal dog fight

Deadly citrus blight arrives in California

Most Americans now link extreme weather to climate change


Here are a few "going green" blog posts for Green Hands USA:

Damariscotta River Association Offers Classes Plus Conservation

ESL Teachers: Get Free Eco-Themed Lesson Plans

Save Plastic, Try Reusable Produce Bags


And finally this week, here's my latest feature for IEEE's The Institute newspaper:

IEEE History Center Is Busy Publishing

Make sure to stalk me on Tweeter for the links to my latest articles live and as they happen!