Weird history, the saiga saga, endangered seals and more

Well this is going to be a weird week. July Fourth is a Thursday, which means most people will be on vacation starting Wednesday. Or Tuesday. Or even today. Who knows. It's hard to tell. As a freelancer, I don't take all that many days off -- but that's fine by me because I love my job. I hope it shows with this list of last week's articles.

We'll start, in our usual manner, with my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

The 4 Most Endangered Seal Species

Saiga Success: Critically Endangered Antelope Population Doubles in 5 Years [This is my fourth annual story on the strange saga of the saiga. I wonder what will happen in year number five?]

Now, here's the weekly mix of articles for Mother Nature Network, covering technology, the environment and other oddities:

The 1919 Boston Molasses Flood: The forgotten tragedy too bizarre for the history books

Methane, ethane and propane found in drinking water near fracking sites

How do plants survive without sun? Math

How are thieves breaking into these cars?

Lake George to become 'the smartest lake in the world'


I don't know how much new work we'll see this week, what with the holiday and all (I really should ask my editors what days they are working), but stay tuned for next week, which could see anywhere between one and four new features. Don't want to wait that long? Follow me on Twitter -- I'll post the links as soon as they go live.

Have a great Fourth of July holiday weekend!