Sharks that Walk and Coral that Dies

Hey folks, happy Monday. December is here and the mad rush toward the end of the year has begun. Maybe that's why I had so many articles appear last week, and why I'm working on so many more.

This week's articles cover a pretty wide range of topics, but they also have some thematic overlaps. A couple of articles address coral ecosystems and the creatures that live in them, while a few more deal with life in the Arctic. There's some parallel between a piece about a day about extinction and an attempt to bring lost species back. Finally, there's a general theme of resiliency in the face of climate change and other threats.

A walking shark. Left, right, left, right...

But enough about themes. Let's get to the articles themselves. I'll start this week's list with my latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Another Arctic Species Losing Out as Sea Ice Declines: The Ivory Gull

Walking Sharks at Risk


Next up, three new pieces for TakePart:

A Day to Mark Fallen Species

Gone for 400 Years, Returned Beavers Get Protected Status in Scotland

19 Ways Arctic Climate Change Could Unleash a Global Catastrophe


After that, here's my latest article for Hakai Magazine:

There Is Life on a Dead Coral Reef

And finally this week, here's the third part of my epic trilogy about Einstein and comic books for From the Grapevine. This is half personal essay, half history lesson:

Meet 'E-Man,' the superhero inspired by Albert Einstein


That's it for this time around. Come on back next Monday for another batch of articles. Hey, it's better than hitting the mall for holiday shopping!

Climate, Crime & Comics

Happy Monday, dear readers! It's time for my weekly roundup of my most recent articles. This time around I have five new pieces for you, all focusing on the three big C's: climate, crime and comics.

Let's start with my latest articles for TakePart. The first features interviews with climate scientist Michael E. Mann and editorial cartoonist Tom Toles. The second is a cool program I that doesn't get nearly enough credit for the good it's done.

A New Weapon in the War Against Climate Change Denial: Laughter

Rural America’s New Cash Crop: Renewable Energy


Next up, here are two new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American. The first is a crime story you haven't seen anywhere else. The second is a story I've been following for several years now and it's starting to get me a bit frustrated.

Thousands of African Grey Parrots Stolen from the Wild Every Month

Climate-Threatened American Pika Denied Protection--Again


Getting back to the crime angle, here's my profile of World Wrestling Entertainment's top intellectual property attorney, who just loves to fight copyright thieves, for Profile Magazine:

Win Battles Outside the Ring to Protect Trademark and Fans


Finally this week, back to the comics connection. You may recall a piece I did for From the Grapevine a few months back where I tracked some of Albert Einstein's most memorable appearances in comic books. Well, here's the next logical step in that examination:

What did Batman and Einstein have in common?


That's it for this time around. I'm working on all kinds of new stuff, so come on back here next Monday for another link list, or follow me on Twitter for links as they happen.

Elephant feet, science detectives & wrong rocks

As hard as my regular readers may find this to believe, I try not to write about elephants too often. Oh, sure, the elephant poaching crisis is an unbelievable nightmare, but there are so many other species to write about that. Elephants can't get all the press.

That's why this week's first article was so important. I not only got to write about elephants, it's a story that also involves at least 61 other species:

The Amazing Biodiversity within an Elephant's Footprint


That article was for Scientific American, as was this one:

How Invasive Species (Slowly) Push Plants Toward Extinction


Next up, my latest for TakePart, which quite accidentally happened to run on the centennial of the National Park System:

The New Graffiti: National Parks Fight Stone Stackers


Finally this week, here's a story that combines science and 30 years of detective work, my latest for Hakai magazine:

It’s Happening Now: Climate Change Is Killing Off the Yellow Cedar


That's it this time around. I have lots more pending publication. Follow me on Twitter for headline as they go live, or come on back here next Monday for another list.

Back behind the keyboard!

Hello from Portland! It's been a crazy, amazing five weeks since I last posted to this blog. The tale of our journey across the country from Maine to Oregon will have to wait for another day. It was definitely an adventure.

For now, though, let's catch you up. Although I did almost no writing over the past month, several of my articles did make their way to publication. I'll start the list with my latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, including an out-of-character post to mark its tenth anniversary:

10 Years of Extinction Countdown: A Lot of Good in the Face of Mass Losses

Vaquita Porpoise about to Go Extinct, Only 97 Remain

100 Years Ago Today (a brief post about the centennial of the extinction of the passenger pigeon)

Next up, my latest weird history article for Mother Nature Network:

What was Battle of the Frogs?


Changing topics completely, here's my latest careers-oriented article for Today's Engineer:

Why Copyright Still Matters to Today's Tech Pros


And finally, here's a new article for IEEE's The Institute:

Worldwide Celebrations to Mark IEEE Day


I think that's everything I had in the pipeline. But there will be lots more coming soon. I'm back behind the keyboard and I have plenty of stories to tell. Stay tuned for more links next Monday!

Tiny bats, deadly poachers, World Cup mascots and more

Last week I bemoaned the fact that I didn't publish all that many articles. Well, this week made up for it. Not only did a lot of my articles come out this week, they were also extremely popular. That's gratifying, especially since so many of them were so much fun to write.

Let's get to the list, starting with this week's two "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Big-Eared Bat, Once Feared Extinct, Rediscovered after 120 Years

3 New Species of Weird, Endangered Fish Discovered in India, U.S and Colombia


Next up, two poaching articles and one wildlife article for TakePart:

Suspected Poachers Arrested for Murder of Zambian Wildlife Ranger

Poachers Are Taking a Deadly Toll on India’s Rare One-Horned Rhinoceroses

Why is the Brown Pelican’s Population Crashing This Year?

And finally, a big batch of science, explainer and history articles for Mother Nature Network and their family of sites:

How the Navajo code talkers helped win World War II

What is beach restoration?

Meet the World Cup's endangered armadillo mascot


Researcher unlocks cause of deadly brain cancer

You may be able to ditch your glasses, new study suggests



That's it for this time around -- I know, it's enough, right? Make sure to follow me on Twitter for more links as they go live in the coming days.

New articles + new book + an interview with me

A lot of weeks my writing appears to have rather obvious themes. This is definitely not one of them. But there's a lot of fun in this week's link list. Plus I finally had a chance to write about giant river otters.

I'll start with the latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Giant Otters Damned by Giant Hydroelectric Dams

Sea Turtle Hatchlings Saved by LED Lights Funded by Deepwater Horizon Fines


Next up, two science-news articles for Mother Nature Network:

Half of Americans are living with dangerous levels of air pollution

We finally know why the 1918 influenza pandemic killed 50 million people


And then there's this article for TakePart:

You'll Never Believe How Many Animals This University Used in Lab Tests Last Year


That's everything from the "written by me" category, but here's an article about writing that features an interview with me and a lot of other talented science writers:

Nailing the nut graf


Finally this week, here's the latest LORE anthology on which I served as an associate editor. There are great SF, Horror and Fantasy stories within these pages, so I hope you'll check it out.

That's it for this past week. This coming week could see a couple of new features by me, unless they turn up next week, in which case ignore that last statement. Follow me on Twitter for links to headlines and other goodies as they go live!

My biggest article to date (and lots of other stuff, too)

Sometimes a journalist researches and writes an article and it's online that same day. Sometimes the process takes four, five or six months -- or more. This week embodied both of those extremes.

My biggest publication of the week also happens to be my biggest article to date: a massive feature on advanced driving safety systems that appears in the May/June issue of Consumers Digest (pictured). This article took seven months from assignment to publication -- most of which was spent researching, interviewing and reporting -- and I'm pretty darned proud of it. This article won't appear online as far as I can tell, but it should turn up on newsstands this week.


In other publication news, my latest two "Extinction Countdown" articles appeared at Scientific American:

Giant Tusked Insect Saved from Extinction (Just in the Nick of Time)

Blue-Footed Boobies Have Stopped Breeding—But Why?


And here's my latest article for TakePart:

Here's What Happened When a Family's Car Caught Fire in the Middle of a Lion Safari


And finally, here are a whole bunch of history, climate and science-related articles for Mother Nature Network:

Cooler summer predicted for Northeast, Great Lakes

10 things you didn't know about Johnny Appleseed

The strange history of the man-eating lions of Tsavo

Now you can use Google Street View to go back in time

Richard Proenneke: The man who showed us how to be alone in the wilderness

Graphene discovery: A low-end kitchen blender can make a high-end batch of this valuable material


That's it for this week (and I'm sure it was plenty!). Make sure to follow me on Twitter for links to more articles as they go live. Otherwise, I'll see you next Monday for another list of links!

Iguana poop, Superman's lies and comedy for a cause

It's the last Monday in autumn and I'm snowed in. Ah, Maine...

Anyway, the piles of snow and the frigid temperatures mean I just get to stay inside and write. For you, maybe it means you get to stay in and read some of my articles. Here are the ones that saw print last week.

I'll start this list, as usual, with my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Lawsuit to Remove Plant from Endangered Species List Completely Backfires

Tourists Are Giving Endangered Iguanas Diarrhea and High Cholesterol

Sunday Species Snapshot: Cuban Crocodile


Sticking with the endangered species theme, here's my latest brief for Conservation magazine, which appears in their new issue:

A Blobfish Walks into a Bar


And finally, here's a history article, an explainer and a news brief for Mother Nature Network:

Who invented the idea of organic farming and organic food?

Do diamonds really come from coal?

Spill: A new play about the people affected by the Gulf oil spill


Oh, in addition to the stuff that I wrote, the Allegheny Front turned the tables and interviewed me  about the Endangered Species Act. You can read/listen to it here.



That's it for this week. Follow me on Twitter for more links as they go live.

Extinction, Time Travel and a History Lesson

It's cold out. All the more reason to stay inside and write.

Last week brought forth eight new articles -- at least, eight published pieces. Some of those were turned in last week. Other pieces I turned in this week won't appear for a few weeks more. I'm also working on some big assignments that won't see print until maybe next Summer. Yup, I have lots of plates in the air and I love every minute of it.

Anyway, let's start this week's link list with three new Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Tiny Ohio Catfish Species, Last Seen in 1957, Declared Extinct

Can You Guess Which Country Has the Most Endangered Species?

Sunday Species Snapshot: Fijian Monkey-Faced Bat


The rest of this week's publications all came from Mother Nature Network, where I'm writing a nice mix of news articles, history pieces and explainers. Here are this week's links:

Stephen Hawking invites you to a party for time travelers (that may have already happened)

What we learned from the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history

Should chimpanzees have human rights?

Enneagram: The personality test you've never heard of

Could this easy-to-make material help replace gasoline?


And that's it for this time around. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for more links as they happen, or come back here next Monday for another list.