Conservation drones, an amazing fish, and methane surprises

September's close brought a bunch of new articles by me, and tons of deadlines to finish up work that will be appearing over the coming weeks and months. Here are this week's links...

It was unofficially "primate week" for my Extinction Countdown blog at Scientific American:

Eye in the Sky: Drones Help Conserve Sumatran Orangutans and Other Wildlife

Guerrilla Marketing to Save Mountain Gorillas: Renewable Energy to the Rescue


Most of my publications this week were for Mother Nature Network, which had me writing about all kinds of interesting topics:

Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish

Algae clogs newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in D.C.

Carmageddon 2 looms over Los Angeles this weekend

What is methane and why should you care?

6 surprising sources of methane

Bicycle commuting: How does your state (and gender) compare? 


And that's it for this time around. There's lots more coming, so stay tuned!

World Cup mascot, biomimicry and more

Well last week was kind of light on the publication side, which feels strange since I have so many articles pending publication in so many places.

Oh well, here's last week's linkage -- the first two are from Scientific American, while the next two are from Mother Nature Network:



Tiny, Critically Endangered and Controversial Nevada Fish Experiences Dramatic Population Increase

World Cup Picks Endangered Armadillo as 2014 Mascot

Did GMO corn give these mice giant tumors?

Biomimicry: Science inspired by nature could feed the hungry, reduce impact of technology

(That last one was also reprinted by the Huffington Post.)


Well, that's it for this time around. Next week's list should be much longer!

Cayman Islands, Rhinos, Wolves and Engineers

What do the Cayman Islands, rhinos, wolves and engineers have in common? Well, since you're reading this blog, you know that they're all the subjects of my articles from last week.

Let's start with my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American, which kicked off some discussion about hunting and responsibility:

Endangered Cayman Islands Parrots and Iguanas Could Use More Shelters and Havens

23,000 People from 33 States Apply for Minnesota Wolf Hunting Permits; Unrestricted Hunting Starts Soon in Wyoming

Meanwhile, one of my earlier Extinction Countdown articles, on bison embryo washing, was reprinted by Mother Jones.



Sticking with endangered species, my latest article for Conservation Magazine appears in their September 2012 print issue and online:

Spiked - Could poisoning rhino horns undermine their medicinal reputation?


Mother Nature Network is keeping me busy. I have at least four articles pending publication there, but here's what appeared last week:

Is Amazon Prime eco-friendly or wasteful?

Portland's vote to add fluoride to water looms

Drought sending more wildlife into towns looking for food


And finally, my latest article for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer covers a career path that many people don't even realize exists:

Career Focus: Contract Engineering Jobs


This week I'm heads-down on my next articles for Today's Engineer, Lion, Scientific American, Mother Nature Network and several other places, but expect plenty of links to new articles all week long. Follow me on Twitter to see them as they go live.

An otter extinction, NFL head injuries, and an award

I have so many articles in the works or pending publication that it almost seems anticlimactic to post this list of last week's published articles. But here goes:

First up, this week's two articles for Scientific American:

Japanese River Otter Declared Extinct

First Purebred Bison Calf Born after Disease-Washing Embryo Transfer

Next, three diverse news stories for Mother Nature Network:

From Starbucks croissants to succinic acid: Baked goods could become bioplastics

Hurricane Isaac deposits oil, possibly from Deepwater Horizon, on Louisiana beaches

Study finds NFL players three times as likely to die of brain disorders

In other news, I'm happy to share that The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction -- for which I have been very, very slowing writing the comics-related entries, won a Hugo Award last week. The editors have embraced a massive undertaking to create this incredible resource and they fully deserve this great honor.

More next week!

Pre-Labor Day Labors

It being the final week of the summer season, last week didn't see a heck of a lot of new articles by me, a situation I'm sure we'll see repeated during this, the short first week of the post-summer season. But here are the new headlines from all things Platt:

Scientific American:

Chimps Infected with Human Diseases Pose Possible Risk to Reintroduction Efforts [This was also reprinted by Mother Jones.]

Updates from the Brink: Dying Devils, Disappearing Vultures and a $473,000 Fish

In addition to the new web articles, my Extinction Countdown article on cougars has been adapted for the September print issue of SciAm:

(Don't pull out the magnifying glass. You can read the online version of this article here.)


Mother Nature Network:

Six Flags turns Wild Safari into off-road adventure

Follow me on Twitter for more articles throughout the week!

Political conventions, using the tongue to see and polar bears with herpes

What an epic week! Not only did I write a whole bunch of new articles, but several pieces I have been working on over the past few weeks (or months) all ended up online as well.

Let's get to the linkage. First up, my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Recently Discovered Lizard Species Down to 3 Remaining Females

How Did Zebras Give 2 Polar Bears Herpes?

In addition to these two new articles, Salon reprinted my recent Elephant birth control article.


Next up, two new features for IEEE's The Institute, a great publication for people working in advanced technologies:

Romanian Teen Wins IEEE Presidents' Scholarship - this cool kid developed a system to help blind people see with their tongues!

Teacher In-Service Program Celebrates 10th Year


Mother Nature Network sure has been keeping me busy lately. Here's the latest batch, including one that's super-relevant this week:

How eco-friendly are political conventions?

Study: Cleaner cars have reduced some Los Angeles air pollution levels by 98%

Creation of 11,000-acre Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge approved

Six Flags to close the gates on drive-through Wild Safari [this one includes two of my photos -- from 1990!)

Amelia Earhart's plane reportedly found (well, pieces of it)

How does a holiday become a holiday?


And finally, rather than something by me, here's something about me: a nice profile of me on the Society of Environmental Journalists website.

Conservation heroes, canoes for a cause, Google discoveries and more

What a week...heck, what a month! I have been lucky to interview some truly inspiring people lately, and now you get the benefit of reading some of the articles that have resulted from those conversations.

First up, this week's two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American. If you only read one of my articles this week, make sure it's the first of these:

Okapi Conservation Center Recovering after Deadly Militia Attack

South Africa Invests in Elephant Birth Control [Video]


Next up, four new articles for Mother Nature Network:

Canoes for a Cause brings awareness to the troubled state of the Midwest's rivers

Artificial retina could restore vision in the blind

Lost Egyptian pyramids found ... by Google? [This was the #1 story on MNN for several days]

Poisoned trees in Alabama receive major pruning, thumbs up for football celebrations [The latest in a story I've been covering for a year and a half!]


I should have two more features online this week, along with another batch of the usual goodness. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed for links as they happen!