An extinct cat and other happy news stories

This week I had the sad task of writing yet another obituary for an extinct species, in this case the Formosan clouded leopard of Taiwan. A friend of mine recently asked me, "how can you write about this stuff every day? Isn't it depressing?" Sure it is. But I'm a journalist. I don't shy away from the painful stories, or the ones that need to be told. If I give up, the bullies win. That, I think, is why most reporters get into the business: to make a difference.

Anyway, here are this week's links, starting with my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

After 13-Year Quest, Clouded Leopards Confirmed Extinct in Taiwan

Just 35 Devils Hole Pupfish Remain—Does Extinction Loom?

Hammerhead Sharks, Houston Toads, Heavy Metal and Other Links from the Brink


And here are several more eco-flavored articles for Mother Nature Network:

Raptors vs. landfills: Methane burners kill many birds of prey

Protestors dislike Mark Zuckerberg's support of Keystone XL pipeline

Shhh... Is the best way to fight climate change to stop talking about it?

Huntsville, Ala., is the worst city in America for tornado damage

Hurricane Sandy caused 11 billion gallons of sewage overflows


This coming week should bring many more just like last week's, plus a few rather positive and inspiring engineering-related articles. Come back here next Monday for all of the links or follow me on Twitter for the links as they go live.