I'm back!

Well hello there. It's been a while.

As announced here a few months ago, my freelancing days are mostly behind me. I am now the editor and lead writer of a new environmental website that launched this past week after four months of development. It's called The Revelator.

I'll still do the odd bit of freelancing here and there, but for the most part The Revelator will be the home for my journalism moving forward.

And moving forward, we are. We were only "live" for three days last week, but that short time included a whole bunch of new pieces by me, including my opening editorial for the first day and several articles. Here's the whole list:

Welcome to The Revelator

The Extinction Crisis is Here. How do We Keep from Feeling Overwhelmed?

Whooping Cranes Could Be Wiped Out by Climate Change

GreenLatinos: Working Locally, Connecting Nationally

Trump’s Border Wall Could Impact an Astonishing 10,000 Species

Drawdown: 100 Powerful (and Sometimes Surprising) Solutions to Global Warming



Expect a lot more moving forward. We're just warming up!

Elephants, Bees & Drones

Hey there! Miss me?

I haven't had many articles to share lately because I'm deep in the development of the brand-new environmental news that I announced a few weeks ago. More details on that will come soon, but for now, here's one more freelance article that finally made its way into the world:

How to Get Elephants to Buzz Off - Scientific American

Lots more coming soon -- well, maybe not soon, but before too much longer!

Cannibals

Hey folks! Posts on this blog are going to be few and far between for the next couple of months while I prepare to launch the new environmental news site that I announced last week. I still have a handful of articles working their way toward publication, though. Therefore, here's this week's one and only link, for Hakai Magazine:

Hawai‘i Is Being Overrun by Invasive Cannibals

More as I have it -- and lots more in about two months!

Jumbos (elephants) and dwarfs (lemurs)

This week's articles covered a giant species and a tiny one:

Is China's Ivory Ban a Sign of Hope for Elephants?

Stare into the Soulful Eyes of This Newly Discovered Dwarf Lemur Species

More coming this week -- along with big news about how I'll be spending the rest of this year.

Polar bears, ring-tailed lemurs and Jimi Hendrix

Last week brought just three new articles, because the year is still creaking to a slow start. But these are three good, important articles, all for Scientific American:

Polar Bear Conservation Plan Calls Climate Change "the Primary Threat" to Their Survival

Meet the Endangered Plant Named after Rock Legend Jimi Hendrix

Ring-Tailed Lemur Populations Have Crashed by 95 Percent

More next week!

Looking back, looking ahead

Good morning! Happy Monday! 2017 is starting to roll along, and I took the occasion to look both back and forward with this week's "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Conservation Stories You May Have Missed in 2016

Conservation Predictions for 2017

That's it! A short week for my headlines. More (much more) in the weeks and months ahead!

Conservation's best and worst of 2016 (plus more)

Hey folks, happy Monday after Christmas. I'm probably heads-down already today (and the rest of this week) working on a top-secret project for early 2017, but meanwhile, the last of my articles for 2016 continue to eke their way out. Want to read the latest? Of course you do.

I'll start with two big "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, looking back at the year that was. (Fair warning, the second piece is pretty darn bleak.)

The Best Wildlife Conservation Stories of 2016

The Worst Wildlife Conservation Stories of 2016



Next up, my latest for Hakai magazine, on the subject of beach restoration:

Reinforce and Rebuild



Finally this week, here's my latest tech careers article for IEEE-USA InSight:

The Art & Science of Poster Sessions


That's it for this week -- and pretty close to the end for 2016. I know I have at least one more article pending before December 31, so follow me on Twitter for the headline(s) as it (they) happen(s), or come on back here in a few days for another list.

Happy holidays!

Giraffes, Millennials and eBikes

Wow, December sure is motoring along. Like, I'm sure, a lot of you, the coming two weeks are all about tying up the last business of the year. Meanwhile, though, there sure are still a lot of my articles coming down the pike. Last week saw the publication of six new articles by me, covering a pretty broad range of topics.

Let's start the list with my last two articles for TakePart, which, sadly, stopped publishing last week. I wrote nearly 300 articles for TakePart over the past three years, including more than a few that I don't think anyone else would have let me write. It's a shame to see them go, but I'm happy to go out with two good stories, including one set here in Portland.

EPA Restricts Use of Pesticides That Are Harming Endangered Species

Brown Goes Green: UPS Tests Electric Bikes for Deliveries in Portland


Next up, two new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Giraffe's "Silent Extinction" Finally Earns Some Noise

The 301 Mammal Species Most Threatened by Overhunting


Switching gears, here's my latest tech careers feature for IEEE-USA InSight:

Generations: What Can Older and Younger Engineers Learn from Each Other?


And finally, here's a neat business profile piece for American Builders Quarterly:

Culture + Art + Science = Retail Innovation


That's it for this time around. Expect a few more links next Monday!

Whale Snot and 13 Extinctions

Dead birds flapping.

Welcome back, friends. It's time for this week's Monday morning wrap-up of my articles from the previous week. I have an extremely fun, positive story to start you off this time around, followed by a few downers, but ending on a positive note. My writing is a roller coaster of emotions!

Ahem.

Anyway. Let's start with the fun -- my latest for Hakai Magazine -- a story that I followed for a year before it could be told:

How High Schoolers’ Hacks Fixed a Whale Snot-Collecting Drone


Next up, two really depressing stories for Scientific American:

13 Bird Species Declared Extinct

"Crisis" for Mediterranean Sharks


Finally this week, two interesting stories for TakePart, the second of which gets us back into the fun zone!

Cute Critters Score Cash From Donors, Ugly Animals Not So Much

Don’t Drain the Swamp, #ReignTheSwamp


That's it for this week! Geez, only a few more of these Monday reports before the end of the year. That mean it's time to start tallying up my articles for the year and picking my favorites -- a list that will include one of this week's stories! Come on back next Monday for another list, or follow me on Twitter, where I'll share headlines as they go live.

Sharks that Walk and Coral that Dies

Hey folks, happy Monday. December is here and the mad rush toward the end of the year has begun. Maybe that's why I had so many articles appear last week, and why I'm working on so many more.

This week's articles cover a pretty wide range of topics, but they also have some thematic overlaps. A couple of articles address coral ecosystems and the creatures that live in them, while a few more deal with life in the Arctic. There's some parallel between a piece about a day about extinction and an attempt to bring lost species back. Finally, there's a general theme of resiliency in the face of climate change and other threats.

A walking shark. Left, right, left, right...

But enough about themes. Let's get to the articles themselves. I'll start this week's list with my latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Another Arctic Species Losing Out as Sea Ice Declines: The Ivory Gull

Walking Sharks at Risk


Next up, three new pieces for TakePart:

A Day to Mark Fallen Species

Gone for 400 Years, Returned Beavers Get Protected Status in Scotland

19 Ways Arctic Climate Change Could Unleash a Global Catastrophe


After that, here's my latest article for Hakai Magazine:

There Is Life on a Dead Coral Reef

And finally this week, here's the third part of my epic trilogy about Einstein and comic books for From the Grapevine. This is half personal essay, half history lesson:

Meet 'E-Man,' the superhero inspired by Albert Einstein


That's it for this time around. Come on back next Monday for another batch of articles. Hey, it's better than hitting the mall for holiday shopping!

Volunteering and Turkeys

Goggle, gobble.

Happy Post-Thanksgiving Monday! This week's headline recap is on the light side, thankfully, because publications slow down during the holidays. That meant just two new articles of mine came out last week -- although I worked on quite a few more. Look for those in the coming weeks, but for now, here are last week's stories.

I'll start with my latest for IEEE-USA InSight:

Engineering for Good: Help Make the World a Better Place by Putting Your Skills to Works as a Volunteer

And here's a short, holiday-themed piece for Extinction Countdown at Scientific American:

Thanksgiving Species Spotlight: Waigeo Brush-Turkey

That's it! I hope you still have some delicious leftovers for lunch today. Enjoy, and come on back next Monday for what will likely be a much longer list.

Two Orange Species (and a whole lot more)

Hello and welcome to another Monday morning link list, showcasing my articles from the previous week. This time around we have four articles for two publishers, one of each has to do with a predominantly orange species.

Here are the first two, for Scientific American:

Tiger Farms Linked to Massive Surge in Illegal Trafficking

New Technology Reveals Hundreds of Bird Species at Risk


And here are the final two, for TakePart:

Palm Oil Kills Orangutans, but Can the Industry Help Save the Great Apes?

Burning Less Coal Means Less Mercury in Your Tuna


This is Thanksgiving week here in the States, so there may not be too many new articles published. On the other hand, I have quite a few in the queue at various publishers, so who knows when they'll all appear. In any case, come on back here next Monday for another list, as long or as short as it may be. 

Elephant Butts and a Whooping Crane Whoops

Happy Monday, dear readers! It's time for another linkfest with all of my previous week's articles. No big theme this time around, just some good stuff.

Let's start with two new articles for TakePart, one of which has to do with endangered species, the other of which covers interesting new technology:

New Zealand Has the Most Seabirds on the Planet, and 90 Percent Are at Risk

You’ve Heard of Self-Driving Cars. Now Here Comes the Self-Driving Scooter


Next up, my latest for Audubon:

The Saga of 16-11, a Star-Crossed Whooping Crane Now In Mating Rehab


Finally, here's yet another elephant-related article for Scientific American:

Asian Elephants Help Seed the Forest


That's it for this time around. I have quite a few other articles already in the queue at  various publishers, and even more beyond that in the works. Follow me on Twitter for links as they happen, or come on back here next Monday for another list!

Voting + Elephants, Bats and Penguins

Courtesy of Air Shepherd

Last week brought a bounty of timely articles, and a few pieces on interesting uses of technology.

The most timely of the bunch was this, my first article for Sierra Magazine, just in time for the 2016 election:

Vote for Biodiversity


Next up, two pieces for Scientific American, one of which is also kind of (but really isn't) about tomorrow's election, while the other was timed for last Monday's Halloween:

How Do You Stop a Marauding Bull Elephant Named Trump? Send in the Drones

Halloween Horrors: The Spectral Vampire Bat


Finally this week, here's a neat new story for TakePart:

Penguin Detectives Wanted


That's it for this time around. Join me next Monday for another list, or follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen.

Turtle Week

Well here's a rarity: a week with just three new Platt publications. That feels strange, since I think I worked on about 587 other articles throughout the week, including stuff that will see print next week, next month, and probably next year.

Anyway, here are the links to those three articles, two of which have to do with turtles (and the third of which is just cool). The first one was for TakePart while the next two were for Scientific American:

Stopping Louisiana's Turtle Apocalypse

Seeds of Hope after Disease Wipes Out 90 Percent of Rare Turtle Species

What's in the Box? A Long-Lost Species

More next week -- and beyond! Follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen.

Elephant Feet, Snow Leopards and Elevator Speeches

Another week, another six publications. That's a bit more than usual, but it includes a couple of pieces that were in work for a long time and have now finally seen print.

Speaking of print, this week's list starts with my article from the November print issue of Scientific American, which is an adaptation and expansion of an article I did for them online two months ago:

Elephant Footprints Teem with Life


Sticking with SciAm, here are my two latest "Extinction Countdown" articles (including my second snow leopard article for the month):

The Mangrove Finch: An Extinction in Slow Motion

Snow Leopards Could Lose Two-Thirds of Their Habitat due to Climate Change


Next up, a new wildlife article and a green-tech piece for TakePart:

Forest Conservation Has a New Poster Child: The Gopher Tortoise

Renewable Energy Is About to Get Supersized


Finally, sticking with tech, here's my latest careers article for IEEE-USA InSight. This is technically geared toward engineers, but I think anyone can get something out of it. I know I learned a lot while writing it:

How to Craft a Winning Elevator Speech


That's it for this week. Come on back next Monday for another list!

Shrinking Leopards, Twilight Coral and Two Extinctions

Credit DWNP, Panthera, and Rimba

I love my job -- yes, even though I cover some pretty bleak topics, like the ones you'll find in three out of this week's four articles. I may find myself writing bad news more often than not, but it's an amazing opportunity for me to speak to the people who are doing good in this world to help us understand the threats that we face -- and maybe to turn them around.

That said, let's start with this week's bleakest articles, my latest for PBS's Nature:

Indochinese Leopard’s Range Has Shrunk by more than 94 Percent


And here are two pieces for TakePart, one good and one bad, both important:

Hawaii’s Newly Discovered Deep-Sea Reefs Thrive in a ‘Twilight Zone’

The West Coast’s Largest Estuary Is Being Starved of Water


Finally this week, here's my latest for Scientific American, which combines terrible news with slightly less bad news:

1 Endangered Beetle Species Gets Protected, 2 More Go Extinct


That's it for this time around, but hang on to your hats (or glasses, as the case may be). I have at least six articles already in the queue with my editors pending publication and you should start seeing them as early as today. That's in addition to the brand-new stuff that I will actually start writing today. It's going to be a busy week! I'll post the headlines as they happen on Twitter, so follow along there or come on back here next Monday for another list. Maybe they won't all be quite so bleak!

Crows + Marijuana + Einstein

Welcome to a new week! Here's another batch of articles for your Monday morning eyeballs.

Source: Nobrow Press

Let's start with two positive conservation-themed stories, the first for Audubon, the second for Scientific American:

The Hawaiian Crow Is Ready to Make Its Big Comeback

Great News for Rhinos, Pangolins, Parrots, Sharks and Chambered Nautilus


Next up, an interesting news story for TakePart:

The Marijuana Boom Is Contributing to the Climate Crisis


And finally this week, an interview with a graphic novelist for From the Grapevine:

Einstein gets graphic in new biography


More next Monday -- or follow along on Twitter for headlines as they go live.

Snow Leopards, Biomimicry and a Frog Extinction

Say good-bye, little froggie.

Wow, last week was busy! Five new article publications, plus work on half a dozen more. But let me tell you, the effort was worth it, not just for the chance to tell good, important stories but also for the incredible reaction from all of my readers.

Nothing personified that more than my latest for PBS's Nature, a positive conservation article that went totally viral:

Snow Leopard Conservation Gets Boost from New Tech


This week's articles for Scientific American were far less positive, but they had to be told. I've been following these stories for a while and neither is a happy tale:

The Rabbs' Tree Frog Just Went Extinct

Two Years to Ploughshare Tortoise Extinction?


But let's get happy again with this week's articles for TakePart. The first one might seem like a tough bit of news, but the people working to save the California Condor are doing great work. The second article in this batch is my latest green-tech piece.

The Tiny Threat That’s Killing North America’s Largest Bird

Mimicking Nature to Fight Climate Change


That's it for this time around. Come on by next Monday for another list, or follow me on Twitter for links as they go live.

Koalas, Killers and a Crisis

Ah, Monday, that favorite day of the week when all the caffeine in the world just isn't quite enough.

So let's hold off on the start of this week for a few more minutes while that third cup of coffee starts to work its way through your veins. As far as I'm concerned, it's still last week until your heart starts to beat just a little bit faster and the neurons in your brain start to figure out how to make your vocal chords work once again. While we wait for that to happen, let's take a moment and look at my articles from the week before this dreaded Monday.

I'll start this list with my latest article for PBS's Nature:

Climate Change Could Turn Up Heat on Already Vulnerable Koalas


Moving on from that happy topic, here are two new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, both of which ended up being about invasive species:

The World's Worst Invasive Predators are Cats, Rats, Pigs and...Hedgehogs?

The Killer Shrimp Bullies Species into Extinction


Finally this week, here's my latest for TakePart, an important environmental topic that doesn't get nearly enough visibility:

The Conservation Crisis No One Is Talking About: Sand


That's it for this week. Which is good, because all of that caffeine is starting to make you jumpy. You night want to slow down on that stuff a bit. Maybe a nice cup of decaf with lunch, okay?

See ya next Monday (sigh), or follow me on Twitter all week long.