Rats, Cheetahs & Solar Shingles

This was a news-oriented week, with two new articles for Scientific American and four for Mother Nature Network:

Rat eradication program begins in Galapagos Islands

Asian cheetahs racing toward extinction

Texting while walking: Should it be banned?

Obama pushes solar shingles in State of the Union address

Lawsuit: Taco Bell's 'beef' is false advertising

Cold fusion claims leave many doubtful

I have a ton of new articles and features pending, with some possibly coming as early as this week. Watch my Twitter feed for the latest links as they are published.

Tasmanian Devils, Superstorms, and the new Green Hands USA

What a cool week. My story on Tasmanian devils (see below) got picked up everywhere, and for a while, the animals were the #9 search topic on Google. Meanwhile, I started writing a lot more for Mother Nature Network, Green Hands USA finally completed its relaunch, and I conducted several fantastic interviews for upcoming features.

So let's sum up the week that was with the latest batch of Platt article links:

First, the big Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Has an infectious cancer doomed Tasmanian devils to extinction?

70 percent of Turkey's birds are headed toward extinction

Next, we have a variety of great stories for Mother Nature Network:

Life at high altitudes linked to higher risk of suicide

Book review: "Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World"

Solar-powered roads could make snow disappear

'Superstorm' could strike California, scientists warn

Celiac disease: New saliva test could help diagnose children

And finally, the first story on the re-launched Green Hands USA. (The next couple of weeks will see a lot of repeat stories from GHU as they rebuild their audience, and a lot of my old stories for them might no longer appear at the links in my old entries. I'll probably archive some of the older ones on this blog eventually.)

Greenpeace: Asus Makes the Greenest Electronics

Okay, that's it for this week! I'm off to write more. See you again soon!

Gordon Ramsay + rhinos + innovation + Swamp Thing

This week's Platt articles covered business, endangered species, wildlife crime, comics, and more!

First up, as is usually the case, my Extinction Countdown blogs for Scientific American:

Rhino poaching hit an all-time high in 2010

Shark-finning gangsters assault celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay

Next, we have my latest feature for Today's Engineer, a cool story about where innovation can be found in the United States economy:

First Study of Its Kind Examines Innovation by U.S. Businesses

From one kind of innovation to another, here's a new book review for Graphic Novel Reporter:

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book Three

I write a few corporate or non-profit newsletters that I don't tend to link to here, but this article got pulled out for a client's blog and I like it:

The Ten Commandments of Effective Standards

No Green Hands USA links this week. The site is about to go through a major (and quite exciting) relaunch, and I'm not sure if the links will all change or stay the same. Hopefully we'll have some new green goodness for you to read next week.

Extinctions, dead bears, and heroic beasts

A light week for new Platt publications, but you'll find some good links below.

First up, my weekly two Extinction Countdown columns for Scientific American:

Six Australian birds declared extinct, although some could have been saved

Lack of food drives human-grizzly conflicts -- and human-grizzly fatalities


Next, a question many of us have been asking:

Are E-books Greener Than Paper Books? 

And finally, two book reviews, one for Graphic Novel Reporter:

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites 


...and another for Mother Nature Network:

'Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock'

Manatee, clouded leopards, and green new year's resolutions

As we creep into 2011, it's time to catch up on all of my articles from the last few weeks of 2010.

The vast majority of these were Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Another record year for manatee deaths

As white-nose syndrome wipes out little brown bats, groups petition for emergency protection

Victory for sharks: U.S. bans shark finning

Poaching, habitat loss taking toll on Bornean clouded leopard

Wolverines denied endangered species protection as climate change shrinks their habitat

Mistletoe and other species face extinction as U.K. apple orchards disappear



Other than that, we have a few green tips blogs for Green Hands USA:

Reverb Bringing Green Music to Clear Blue Sea

Logitech Innovates with Solar-Powered Wireless Keyboard

6 Easy Resolutions for a Greener New Year

New LED Light Bulb from GE Lasts 22.8 Years

I have a veritable TON of new features and articles in the works. Some won't see print for a few months, but they'll be worth the wait!