Rare reptiles, killer bees, small careers and the power of music

Here's the buzz on my latest articles...

This was a rare Extinction Countdown week where both stories brought good news:

Good News for Rare Amur Leopards and Tigers in Russia 

60 Rare Tuatara Reptiles Moved to Predator-Free New Zealand Island


Elsewhere, Mother Nature Network kept me busy with a wide variety of news stories:

Humane Society accuses Pennsylvania egg factory of animal cruelty

'Alive Inside': New documentary shows how music can reawaken Alzheimer's patients

Africanized bees found in Tennessee for first time [This one was reprinted by the Huffington Post.]


My latest engineering careers article appeared in IEEE's The Institute:

Nanotechnology: Big Opportunities for Those Who Think Small


And finally, three "green living" blog posts for Green Hands USA:

University of Florida Offers Adopt-A-'Swamp' Program

Iowa City Goes Paperless

Bloomberg Names Greenest Banks


I've got a busy week ahead, with two big features in the works and a few other things bouncing around. Stay tuned for the latest!

Lots of scary stuff in this week's articles

Hoo-boy. I haven't written this many scary stories since I was actively working as a horror writer.

First up, this week's Extinction Countdown stories for Scientific American:

Hunting of Rare, Exotic Antelopes Now Limited under New U.S. Rule

Bat-Killing Fungus Continues Deadly Spread; Death Toll Now at 7 Million


(You can find all of my articles on the bat-killing white-nose syndrome found here.)


Next up, this week's articles for Mother Nature Network, each of which was frightening in its own particular way:

Was your chicken fed caffeine, arsenic, Prozac or banned antibiotics?

Is student loan debt threatening our economic recovery?

Sushi scare: FDA and CDC investigate salmonella outbreak in 19 states


Okay, not everything I wrote last week was scary. Here's an interesting career article for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer:

Career Focus: Computer Science PostDocs


And finally, here are two not-scary "go green" blog posts for Green Hands USA:

Help Your Local Green Businesses with a Cash Mob


Celebrate Wildflowers at Your Favorite National Parks


This coming week will see more of the same, plus two new technology features. Meanwhile, I'm working on several new features and a bunch of other stuff. Stay tuned for linkage!

Orangutans, extinct trees, dead horses and popcorn

I'm on deadline, so I'll keep my intro to this week's stories brief:

Both of this week's Extinction Countdown stories were fun to report:

2 Trees Twice Thought to Be Extinct Rediscovered in Tanzania

Ecotourism Does Not Overly Stress Orangutans, Study Finds



As always, Mother Nature Network gave me a wide range of stories to write about this week:

Senator launches investigation into PTSD treatment denials by military hospitals

Popcorn may be healthier than some fruits and vegetables

Drugged and endangered: Horse racing fatalities and injuries on the rise

Park Slope Food Co-op declines to vote on proposed boycott of Israeli products


And Green Hands USA lets me blog about good ways you can go green:

Lights Out: Celebrate Earth Hour This Weekend  [Whoops, ya missed it.]

Tufts University Students Compete While They Recycle

For Longer Battery Life, Skip LTE Phones

I turned in a new feature article on Friday, with two more due this week and a fourth getting started. Maybe a fifth if the contract comes through. But I'll be keeping up the usual articles as SA, MNN, etc, so follow me on Twitter for the links as they happen.

Elephants, a hot potato, noise and lots more

Another week, another batch of articles!


First up, my two Extinction Countdown pieces for Scientific American:

Cameroon Elephant Massacre Shows Poaching, Ivory Trade Require an International Response

Blue-Tailed Skink Declared Extinct in Hawaii


Next up, a wide range of articles for Mother Nature Network:

'Re-branding' global warming is political hot potato

Paul Allen donates $300 million for brain research

Aflac donates $1 million to Chattahoochee River restoration project 

Pinyons pining: Man-made noise affects plant growth and seed dispersal

Hillary Clinton praises plan to search for long-lost aviator Amelia Earhart


And finally, for this week anyway, a bunch of items for Green Hands USA:

New Window Tape Helps Reduce Bird Collisions

Tufts University Students Compete While They Recycle

Green Up Vermont Cleans Up Green Mountain State

London Olympics Could be Greenest Ever

Another batch of links coming your way in 7 days!

The Good, the Bad, the Weird and the Ugly

Both of this week's Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American covered species in distress Down Under:

Endangered Australian Cockatoo Loses One Third of Population in Just 1 Year

Just 55 Alive: World’s Rarest Dolphin Faces Extinction

(Actually, does New Zealand, where those dolphins live, count as "Down Under"? Tell you what, let's assume that it does.)



This week's stories for Mother Nature Network covered the weird, the weird, the bad and the ugly:

Was Vladimir Putin's famous tiger encounter faked?

Bee-rustling: Thieves steal 5,000 honeybees from Houston restaurant

Trump sons under fire for killing elephant, leopard, and other animals on hunting safari

Indiana Woman high on bath salts arrested for neglecting her children


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

San Francisco Has America's Greenest Taxis

New Adobe Software Promises to Cut Printing by 40%

Minneapolis Embraces Clean Air

There's lots more in the pipeline. Follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen.

Rhinos, Ted Turner, PTSD and Forensics

Notice anything missing?

Wow, what a powerful, emotional week. I had a chance to report on a devastating attack on two rhinos by poachers in South Africa, some all-too-rare conservation news, an interesting career, and a painful new study.

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

Video: 2 Rhinos Fight for Life after Their Horns Are Chopped Off  [Make sure to read down to the comments, where some updates have been posted.]

Ted Turner Donates $1 Million to Help Endangered Gorillas

Next up, my first article for Conservation Magazine, which appears in their new issue:

Mini Livestock: Could giant farm-raised rats shrink the bushmeat trade?

Now, my latest career article for Today's Engineer:

Career Focus: Forensic Engineering

And finally, three eye-opening articles for Mother Nature Network:

Taiwan re-considers importing U.S. beef treated with controversial growth additive

Study: Veterans with PTSD more likely to be prescribed addictive painkillers

Has Hollywood abandoned the Prius and other green vehicles?

Stay tuned for more!

Poached leopards, poisonous plants, and...Nick Nolte

Welcome to March! I spent a good part of last week working on several new features that will be coming up over the coming weeks and months, and a few too many hours nursing my wounds after slipping and falling on the ice, but none of that derailed me from writing this week's news articles, including one about the delightful lizard you see to the right.

First up, two new Extinction Countdown columns for Scientific American:

At Least 356 Indian Leopards Killed in 2011, Half by Poachers

Poisonous Invasive Plant Protects Australian Lizards from Poisonous Invasive Cane Toads


Next up, a wide range of news articles for Mother Nature Network:

$35 Raspberry Pi computer sells out on first day

Arson: Woman charged with burning down 'The Senator,' a 3,500-year-old tree

Are we experiencing more avalanches?

Nick Nolte mentions pet crow on Oscar red carpet


And finally, a few blog posts for Green Hands USA:

Mitsubishi i Named Greenest Car of 2012

Seattle Tilth Offers Classes on Organic Gardening

West Virginia University Plans Sustainability Awareness Week


That's it for this week -- expect at least one new feature to his the web this coming week, along with some fantastic news that I can't wait to share with you.