Venus flytraps and other horrors

This week's articles ranged from terrible news to slightly less terrible news.

First up, the terrible news for Scientific American:

1,215: The Record Number of Rhinos Poached in 2014

Venus Flytraps Risk Extinction in the Wild at the Hands of Poachers


And here's the not-quite-so-horrible news for TakePart:

The Troubling Reason Why These Rare, Beautiful Lynxes Are Dying Off

Canada Wants to Kill Gray Wolves to Save Another Struggling Species


Hopefully this coming week will bring some happier articles.

Bears and Beers

I gotta say, I write about some weird stuff. Some of it's amazing and awe-inspiring. Other subjects are enough to turn my stomach. But I can't turn away, and neither should you.

Here are five new articles links for you -- two for Scientific American and three for TakePart. They're all wildlife-related in one way or another. Some are cute. Others not so much. Can you guess which was this week's most popular?


The Real Paddington Bear: Cute, Unique and Endangered

Mexican Wolves Finally Get Endangered Species Status

The Horrible Truth Behind Those Slow Loris Videos You Love

Iceland Brewer Promotes Whale-Testicle Beer. Yes, Really

Watch This Orangutan Try to Talk Like a Human


There's lots more in the week to come, so follow me on Twitter for the headlines as each new article is published.

Here There Be Dragons

"Grrr. I'm a dragon."

Happy Monday, folks! The first real week of 2015 brought forth a bevy of new articles bearing my byline. These included several news items plus a couple of features that I turned in last year.

First up, my latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Teeny, Tiny Relative of Komodo Dragon Discovered in Australia

Monarch Butterflies Could Gain Endangered Species Protection


Next, three new wildlife/animals/poaching articles for TakePart:

Here's One Beyoncé and Jay Z Selfie You Shouldn't 'Like' If You Love Wildlife

Millionaire Spends Stunning Amount of Money to Save 1,400 Monkeys From Medical Experimentation

This Remote Tribe Could Be Wiped Out for the Most Trivial of Reasons


And finally, two new engineering-related features for IEEE's The Institute:

Four Ways Women Engineers Can Increase Their Wealth [This actually contains good advice for just about anyone]

TryEngineering is Now Available for Smartphones


That's it for this week. I expect to be just as busy in the coming days, so make sure to follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen and come back here next Monday for another link compendium.

Smartwatches: My First Article of 2015

 My first article of 2015 is now available and it's a doozy. "Smartwatches: Not Ready for Prime Time" appears as one of the cover features in the January/February issue of Consumers Digest magazine, which is on newsstands now. You can also read it here if you're a subscriber, along with a web-only supplement about smartwatch security issues. I enjoyed working on this piece -- it took a few months of research and interviews -- and I think it will help to illuminate this little-understood new technology.