Dead Rhinos and Killer Plants

Hey folks, it's Monday morning again and you know what that means: it's time for my weekly look back at the headlines that were.

Last week brought three new publications (although I worked on about half-dozen other articles). Here they are, two for Scientific American and one for TakePart:

2015: Deadliest Year Ever for Rhinos

Invasive Goldenrod is Killing Europe's Ants and Butterflies

Landfills Have Become Giant Bird Feeders for Europe’s White Storks

It's a short list this week, but don't worry -- I'll be sure to have a few longer lists for you in the weeks to come!

Before I go, here's something completely different: a few seconds of video of me testing a pair of virtual reality goggles at a recent journalism conference:

I'm in the future. #journalism #spjbbj #VirtualReality pic.twitter.com/4h7XOmOmhm

— Gordon Friedman (@gordonrfriedman) January 23, 2016

Mermaid Ivory and Other Conundrums

2016 is off to an amazing start. As January rockets ahead I find myself working on a ton of new articles -- many of which will challenge both me (as a writer) and you (as the reader). It's going to be a fun and interesting year, let me tell you.

But enough about the future. Let's look at last week, which brought forth four new articles from my keyboard. Here are the first two, for Scientific American:

The Surprising (and Mostly Legal) Trade in "Mermaid Ivory"

From Dune to Done? Drought Caused Sudden Decline in Rare Lizard's Genetic Diversity


And here are two more, for TakePart:

These Are the Most Dangerous Kinds of Plastic Polluting the Ocean

See Where Wild Bees Are Disappearing Across the U.S.


On a completely different note, I also got interviewed about how journalists can get the most out of scientific conferences. I think I learned more from what other writers had to say, to be honest, but you can check the whole thing out here.

That's it for this week. More headlines next Monday, or follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen.

First articles of 2016!

Happy New Year, folks! (Well, happy eleven days into the new year, but you get the drift.)

Things are already hopping in front of the old keyboard here. I wrote four articles in the first work week of 2016 and put about twice as many others in motion. It's going to be a busy, fun, exciting, interesting year!

As usual, here's my weekly link list of the previous week's publications. I'll start this time with three new articles for TakePart, including my first article specifically about climate change in quite a while:

A New Threat Lurks in Greenland's Melting Ice

The U.S. Military Could Wipe Out This Tiny Pacific Island Bird

Farming Frogs Can Save Them From Extinction


I also got moving on this year's "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American with this update on one of my favorite species:

Are Florida Manatees A Conservation Success Story or Are They Still in Danger?


That's it this time around. Join me on Twitter for more headlines as they happen, or come on by here next Monday for the full list.