Monday, September 30, 2013

Climate change, conservation and comic books

Monday brings the end of another month and another list of links to my articles. Last week saw just five new articles, but they're good ones. Meanwhile I have dozens more (well, it feels that way) pending publication in the coming weeks.

First up this time around, my latest feature for Lion magazine, published by Lions Clubs International:

Helen Keller Reimagined


Next, my latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Piping Plovers in Migration: Foraging for their Lives

Dig This: Decline of Australian Digging Mammals Impacts Entire Ecosystems


And finally this week, here are two new pieces for Mother Nature Network:

New map identifies ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change

Yes, Vermont has a leaf forecaster


I won't be writing much this week -- I'll be traveling to the annual Society of Environmental Journalists conference -- but I do have several articles queued up with editors, so we'll see which ones appear. Follow me on the Tweeter for links as they happen (or, at least, as I know they happen).

Monday, September 23, 2013

Condors, rhinos, ear wax (yup) and religion

Busy weeks bring lots of headlines, so let's get to them.

First up, my regular Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

The 5 Biggest Myths about the Endangered Species Act

Banned Pesticide DDT Is Still Killing California Condors

22 Links for World Rhino Day as Poaching Levels Shoot Past 2012's Deadly Record


One of my earlier Extinction Countdown articles also got picked up for the new print issue of SA:

Climate Change Threatens Madagascar’s Towering Baobab Trees


And Mother Nature Network kept me busy writing about a whole bunch of eco-related topics, most of which stem from some pretty interesting new research:

Whale ear wax (you heard that right) carries a lifetime of ocean pollutants

How much methane leaks out during fracking?

Is religion a good way to help preserve biodiversity?

Explore the Galapagos Islands from the comfort of home with Google Street View


I'm also working on or have turned in several other pieces that will work their way into the world over the coming weeks. Stay tuned for links.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Atomic bats, missing vipers, mutant lobsters and giant salamanders

Good lord, I published a lot of articles last week!

Freelancing often is a game of scheduling. You balance your workload by day, week and month. You balance your income, with the jobs that will pay quickly against the jobs that will pay eventually. You plan out when you can conduct interviews and when you can write and when you can promote yourself and your work. And once in a while you can pencil in a few hours to have fun.

One think freelancers often don't have control over is when their articles will actually appear. This past week ended up being a case in point, as several long-in-the-works articles all appeared at the same time.

What does that mean? Nothing, other than the fact that you have a lot of reading ahead of you!

I'll start this week's list, as I usually do, with my two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Viper Collectors Nearly Wiped Out This Rare Turkish Snake; Saint Louis Zoo Helps to Save It

U.S. to Destroy 6 Tons of Confiscated Ivory, Sending Message to Poachers


Next up, another endangered species article, this time for the new issue of Conservation Magazine. This article is up online ahead of the print issue, which should be hitting mailboxes any moment now:

To the Bat Bunker!


Meanwhile, my cover article for SEJournal, the magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists, is now online, a month or so after the release of the print issue:

The Endangered Species Act at 40: Forty Things Journalists Should Know


Switching gears for a moment, here's my latest technology careers article for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer:

Where are the Tech Jobs?


And finally, here's a whole bunch of new stories for Mother Nature Network (including, yup, one more about an endangered species):

Giant hellbender salamanders benefit from water temperature fluctuations

Canoes for a Cause: A brewer inspires volunteers to help clean America's waterways

Pollution in Florida's Lake Okeechobee swells to near-disaster levels

Amazing 6-clawed lobster gets reprieve from the dinner table

Global warming? Some say Arctic is actually cooling [Spoiler alert: it's not]

Fears mount at Mount Fuji



Boy, I'm tired just typing all of that! There will lots more this coming week. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest headlines as they go live!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Killer fungi and sunburned whales

Last week was the short, post-Labor Day work week and while it feels as if I did about six days worth of work, it only resulted in four published articles. But lots of the stuff I worked on last week won't turn up online until later this month, next month or even later. Such is the life of a freelance journalist.

Anywho, here are this week's links, two "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American and two science/news posts for Mother Nature Network:

Fire Salamanders in the Netherlands Wiped Out by Newly Discovered Fungus

Rare Tree, Dependent on Fire, to Leave Endangered Species List

Taking a nap may actually help heal your brain

Whales tan to avoid sunburn


Expect lots more soon!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Hellbenders, Winter Chills, History and Hurricanes

Hey folks,

It's Monday, and even if it's Labor Day I'm still here with my usual weekly list of the previous week's articles. I'm just that dedicated to my readers.

Anyway, I took it slightly easy last week, so this ended up being another fairly light week of publications, but there are some pieces here for you to enjoy on the last day of your three-day weekend.

Here are the links -- one article for Scientific American and five for Mother Nature Network:

Hellbender Head Start: Raising Giant Salamanders in the Bronx

Uh-oh: Farmers' Almanac predicts a nasty 2013-2014 winter

Who was Typhoid Mary?

What is valley fever?

Migraines may be altering brain structure

Hurricane Michele Bachmann? Viral video endorses name change


That's it for this time around. I'm taking the rest of the day off (what? freelancers get days off, too), except for the article I have scheduled to publish at 3pm today. It's an important one. Watch my Twitter feed for the link as it goes live.