Turtle Week

Well here's a rarity: a week with just three new Platt publications. That feels strange, since I think I worked on about 587 other articles throughout the week, including stuff that will see print next week, next month, and probably next year.

Anyway, here are the links to those three articles, two of which have to do with turtles (and the third of which is just cool). The first one was for TakePart while the next two were for Scientific American:

Stopping Louisiana's Turtle Apocalypse

Seeds of Hope after Disease Wipes Out 90 Percent of Rare Turtle Species

What's in the Box? A Long-Lost Species

More next week -- and beyond! Follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen.

Elephant Feet, Snow Leopards and Elevator Speeches

Another week, another six publications. That's a bit more than usual, but it includes a couple of pieces that were in work for a long time and have now finally seen print.

Speaking of print, this week's list starts with my article from the November print issue of Scientific American, which is an adaptation and expansion of an article I did for them online two months ago:

Elephant Footprints Teem with Life


Sticking with SciAm, here are my two latest "Extinction Countdown" articles (including my second snow leopard article for the month):

The Mangrove Finch: An Extinction in Slow Motion

Snow Leopards Could Lose Two-Thirds of Their Habitat due to Climate Change


Next up, a new wildlife article and a green-tech piece for TakePart:

Forest Conservation Has a New Poster Child: The Gopher Tortoise

Renewable Energy Is About to Get Supersized


Finally, sticking with tech, here's my latest careers article for IEEE-USA InSight. This is technically geared toward engineers, but I think anyone can get something out of it. I know I learned a lot while writing it:

How to Craft a Winning Elevator Speech


That's it for this week. Come on back next Monday for another list!

Shrinking Leopards, Twilight Coral and Two Extinctions

Credit DWNP, Panthera, and Rimba

I love my job -- yes, even though I cover some pretty bleak topics, like the ones you'll find in three out of this week's four articles. I may find myself writing bad news more often than not, but it's an amazing opportunity for me to speak to the people who are doing good in this world to help us understand the threats that we face -- and maybe to turn them around.

That said, let's start with this week's bleakest articles, my latest for PBS's Nature:

Indochinese Leopard’s Range Has Shrunk by more than 94 Percent


And here are two pieces for TakePart, one good and one bad, both important:

Hawaii’s Newly Discovered Deep-Sea Reefs Thrive in a ‘Twilight Zone’

The West Coast’s Largest Estuary Is Being Starved of Water


Finally this week, here's my latest for Scientific American, which combines terrible news with slightly less bad news:

1 Endangered Beetle Species Gets Protected, 2 More Go Extinct


That's it for this time around, but hang on to your hats (or glasses, as the case may be). I have at least six articles already in the queue with my editors pending publication and you should start seeing them as early as today. That's in addition to the brand-new stuff that I will actually start writing today. It's going to be a busy week! I'll post the headlines as they happen on Twitter, so follow along there or come on back here next Monday for another list. Maybe they won't all be quite so bleak!

Crows + Marijuana + Einstein

Welcome to a new week! Here's another batch of articles for your Monday morning eyeballs.

Source: Nobrow Press

Let's start with two positive conservation-themed stories, the first for Audubon, the second for Scientific American:

The Hawaiian Crow Is Ready to Make Its Big Comeback

Great News for Rhinos, Pangolins, Parrots, Sharks and Chambered Nautilus


Next up, an interesting news story for TakePart:

The Marijuana Boom Is Contributing to the Climate Crisis


And finally this week, an interview with a graphic novelist for From the Grapevine:

Einstein gets graphic in new biography


More next Monday -- or follow along on Twitter for headlines as they go live.

Snow Leopards, Biomimicry and a Frog Extinction

Say good-bye, little froggie.

Wow, last week was busy! Five new article publications, plus work on half a dozen more. But let me tell you, the effort was worth it, not just for the chance to tell good, important stories but also for the incredible reaction from all of my readers.

Nothing personified that more than my latest for PBS's Nature, a positive conservation article that went totally viral:

Snow Leopard Conservation Gets Boost from New Tech


This week's articles for Scientific American were far less positive, but they had to be told. I've been following these stories for a while and neither is a happy tale:

The Rabbs' Tree Frog Just Went Extinct

Two Years to Ploughshare Tortoise Extinction?


But let's get happy again with this week's articles for TakePart. The first one might seem like a tough bit of news, but the people working to save the California Condor are doing great work. The second article in this batch is my latest green-tech piece.

The Tiny Threat That’s Killing North America’s Largest Bird

Mimicking Nature to Fight Climate Change


That's it for this time around. Come on by next Monday for another list, or follow me on Twitter for links as they go live.

Koalas, Killers and a Crisis

Ah, Monday, that favorite day of the week when all the caffeine in the world just isn't quite enough.

So let's hold off on the start of this week for a few more minutes while that third cup of coffee starts to work its way through your veins. As far as I'm concerned, it's still last week until your heart starts to beat just a little bit faster and the neurons in your brain start to figure out how to make your vocal chords work once again. While we wait for that to happen, let's take a moment and look at my articles from the week before this dreaded Monday.

I'll start this list with my latest article for PBS's Nature:

Climate Change Could Turn Up Heat on Already Vulnerable Koalas


Moving on from that happy topic, here are two new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, both of which ended up being about invasive species:

The World's Worst Invasive Predators are Cats, Rats, Pigs and...Hedgehogs?

The Killer Shrimp Bullies Species into Extinction


Finally this week, here's my latest for TakePart, an important environmental topic that doesn't get nearly enough visibility:

The Conservation Crisis No One Is Talking About: Sand


That's it for this week. Which is good, because all of that caffeine is starting to make you jumpy. You night want to slow down on that stuff a bit. Maybe a nice cup of decaf with lunch, okay?

See ya next Monday (sigh), or follow me on Twitter all week long.

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.