Frog Week, Fulgurites and Freebies

Hello Monday, how have you been? Did you have a good weekend? How's the wife and kids? Does everyone hate you as much as they used to? Well don't worry about it, some of us still like you, Monday. After all, it's a great chance to look back at the week that was.

Which is what I'm doing now, as a matter of fact. Yup, it's time for my weekly Monday linkfest. This time around I've got nine new articles for your reading pleasure.

I'll start with my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American, which covered two critically endangered frogs and one spectacular (and also critically endangered) bird:

Good Dads Help Rare Haitian Frogs Breed in Captivity

Squeaking By: Frog Species Rediscovered in Ghana, but Invasive Devil Weed Threatens Its Survival

Sunday Species Snapshot: Bali Myna


Next up, my latest for IEEE's The Institute. Although geared toward engineers, these lessons are good for just about anybody:

Learn Effective Communication Skills With Free Online Lessons

And finally, here's a wide mix of science and technology articles for Mother Nature Network, including two explainer-type articles:

Art that sucks: Dutch artist proposes 'vacuum' to clear Beijing of smog

New studies provide clues into colony collapse disorder and other bee deaths

Sweetening the bottom line: Tobacco farmers switching to stevia

Electrical safety: How electrical current affects the human body

Fulgurites: When lightning strikes sand, magic is formed


That's it for this week. I already have several items for this coming week turned in and working their way through the editorial process, so make sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest links as they happen.

See you in seven days, Monday!

Stimulating, Solving and Faking

Monday rolls around again, like it does almost every week, and that means it's time for me to once again present to you, dear reader, my list of the previous week's publications.

We'll start our journalistic journey with my two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American, both of which cover critically endangered birds:

Century-Old Egg Answers Mystery about Critically Endangered Bird

Soon the Only Place to See This Nearly Extinct Bird May Be on Samoan Currency

I also added one extra weekend quickie to this week's Extinction Countdown, something I may continue in the weeks ahead:

Sunday Species Snapshot: Tasmanian Devil


Next up, my latest feature for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer, which took a timelier turn than expected:

Six Ways Electric Vehicles Are Stimulating the Economy


Finally, here are three new articles on a variety of subjects for Mother Nature Network:

Air pollution causes cancer, says World Health Organization

157 science journals accept fake cancer study

Iran prepares to launch new monkey in space


This coming week should see publication of, well, more like that. But what exactly shall they cover? I'll leave that mystery to be revealed seven days from now...

(Of course, you can always follow me on Twitter for links as they happen if you just can't wait that long.)

Mountain gorillas, dead hemlocks and environmental disasters

Hello Monday, did you miss me?

I normally post these article link compendiums on a weekly basis, but October brought a few changes in my regular patterns. For one thing, I left the house. That's right, I actually went somewhere -- that "somewhere" being Chattanooga, Tenn., host city for the annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists. It's a great city and the conference was fantastic. It has already inspired one article (which you'll find below) and will no doubt result in many more.

But travel meant an unusual slowdown in articles coming out of my keyboard. And travel delays -- hello broken airplane! -- meant I wasn't home last Monday to post this regular update. So let's catch you up on what you missed over the past two weeks. (Don't worry, there weren't that many articles, so this won't take long.)

I'll start this list, as I often do, with my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

How Will Climate Change Affect Mountain Gorillas?

Endangered Species Success Stories: How Many More Are We Likely to See?

Hemlock Extinction Looms over Tennessee Forests


Next up, a history article, an explainer and a news post for Mother Nature Network:

The Great Sparrow Campaign was the start of the greatest mass starvation in history

CO2 101: Why is carbon dioxide bad?

Who (and where) is boson namesake Peter Higgs?


And finally, an article for IEEE's The Institute:

IEEE Certificate Program Expands Its Reach


This coming week should bring a new feature for Today's Engineer, another Institute article, two or three more for SciAm, and a bunch for MNN. Or more. Or less. We'll see.

I'm back on my regular schedule now, so come on back next Monday for another batch of article links. Can't wait that long? Follow me on Twitter. I'll post the headlines as they happen.