Helpful drones, killer whales and engineering careers

Well the new year is off to the races, with nine new articles published last week and several more turned in. But 2012 isn't done with us yet: Scientific American has included two of my articles in its new eBook, A Look Back: The Best of 2012. You can read all about it here or buy it here.


Sticking with SciAm, here are this week's two new Extinction Countdown articles:

Critically Endangered Parakeet Population Grows on Predator-Free Island Reserve

Crowd-Funded Drones Could Help Protect Kenyan Rhinos


Next up, a whole bunch of articles for Mother Nature Network:

Herbicide could make deadly bacteria more dangerous, says new study

Python Challenge: Hunters descend on Florida Everglades to catch giant invasive snakes

Orcas free after being trapped in ice in Quebec [I actually had to write this twice after the whales escaped moments after my first version went online.]

PETA investigation uncovers abuse at North Carolina bear attraction

Self-charging battery named one of 2012's top innovations

Sea levels could rise more than 3 feet by 2100, according to new study


And finally, here's my latest engineering careers article for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer:

Career Focus: Semiconductors


There's lots more on the way. Follow me on Twitter for the latest headlines.

Vomiting robots, giant pandas and dead manatees

Hey folks, it's time for me to list my very first articles of 2013.

And yes, I actually typed 2013 correctly, instead of typing 2012 and immediately going back and correcting it, so as far as I'm concerned the new year is off to a good start.

Anyway, it was a short week, with just three work days and five new articles. One of those was my regular Extinction Countdown post for Scientific American, while the others were all for Mother Nature Network:

Fewer Manatee Deaths in 2012, but Threats Remain

Larry the vomiting robot helps researchers study norovirus

Should China be reintroducing more giant pandas back into the wild?

Giant panda blood holds potential as power antibiotic, researchers say

Rebecca Tarbotton, young conservationist, dies in swimming accident

We're back to a five-day week this week, so there will be two Extinction Countdown articles, a bevvy for MNN (some of which are part of a new feature that premiers this month), my latest engineer careers articles, and a few other pieces here and there. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for links as they go live!

Last articles of 2012

As 2012 draws to a close, all of my editors appear to be on vacation or on holiday, so the final four articles below should be my last published pieces for this calendar year. This brings my total for 2012 to 402 published articles, up slightly from 378 in 2011 (the only other year for which I kept a running count).

Although I doubt anything else will be published today, I do have quite a few articles (mostly magazine features) already written and pending publication in 2013.  And I already have about a dozen things on my plate to start writing as soon as the New Year's holiday is behind us. So yeah, I'm keeping busy.

Anyway, here are the links for you to click and and read over your celebratory glass of champagne.

Amazing Photos of Florida Panther and Cubs Bring a Bright Spot to a Deadly Year (Scientific American)

Los Angeles Considers Ban on Circus Elephants (Mother Nature Network)

Dystextia: Pregnant Woman's Garbled Text Messages were a Sign of a Stroke  (MNN)

Solved: The Mystery of the Biofuel-filled Train that Kept Crossing the Border  (MNN)

That's it for now. See you in the New Year!

Otters, climate skeptics, Tanzanian toads and the five senses

It's the day before Christmas and my present to you is this long list of links to 10 new articles I wrote just for you!


First up, two really interesting stories for my Extinction Countdown blog over at +Scientific American.

Once Extinct in the Wild, Kihansi Spray Toad Returns to Tanzania (by Way of the Bronx and Toledo)

Logging Could Doom Tiny Australian Possum to Extinction, but One Zoo Offers Hope


Next, a whole bunch of articles for +Mother Nature, covering all kinds of environmental topics:

Getting back to nature inspires creativity, new study shows

Upcoming IPCC climate change report leaked by skeptics

A legal victory for sea otters: 'No-Otter Zone' finally lifted in California

IBM predicts computers that will smell, taste, see, hear and touch

Coal plant's carbon capture project passes first 100,000-ton milestone

EPA announces new rules limiting soot pollution

Is public transportation really greener than driving?

Obamadon: Ancient, extinct lizard named after President Obama

That's it for this time. I'll be back a week from now with the final list of articles for 2012.

Nuclear engineering, toxic primates and inspiring kids

Hey, it's Monday and I'm glad to be here. Did you have a good weekend? Or are you not into small talk right now?

Last week had a few fewer publications than usual, but that doesn't mean I was slacking. I have at least three articles already queued up for publication this coming week -- heck, maybe all of them today -- and I'm working on several new features that won't appear for weeks if not months. I'm nothing if not busy.

Anyway, as we usually do here, let's start off the list of links with last week's Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Three New Slow Loris Species Discovered in Borneo; Rare Venomous Primates Threatened by Illegal Pet Trade

Newly Discovered Cave Weta Species Endangered by Coal Mining

By the way, I missed a milestone recently. Extinction Countdown passed the 1,000 article mark about two weeks ago. That's a lot of endangered species. Sadly, I could write about 10,000 more and not come close to running out of material.

Anyway, next up, my monthly career focus article for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer:

Career Focus: Nuclear Engineering

And finally this week, here are two new articles for Mother Nature Network:

OMG letter-writing campaign seeks to save rhinos from extinction [This was also reprinted by the Huffington Post.]

Porcupine quills inspire new medical needles and adhesives  


That's it for this time around. More next week -- probably a lot more!

Pygmy sloths, athletic angels, and PR mistakes

This week brought not just seven new articles by me, but also one kind of about me.

First up, this week's two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American. I'm really proud of these two. The first set the record straight on a story that most media outlets got wrong; the second is just a darn good story that embodies both the dangers that endangered species face but also the hope that they have for the future:

DNA Reveals the Last 20 Ethiopian Lions Are Genetically Distinct

Survey of Critically Endangered Pygmy Sloths Finds Just 79 Animals Remain


Next up, a big batch of stories for Mother Nature Network. The first two features were a lot of fun to pull together.

An athletic angel: Christian Jensen helps disabled people run marathons

Why are video games addictive?

Solar-powered plane can fly all day -- and all night

Is fracking making livestock sick?

A new holiday trend: Renting Christmas trees


And finally, here's that thing in which I am the focus. The PR-related organization Help a Reporter Out asked me to let them know my PR pet peeves and pointers when it comes to pitching. I also filled them in on my perceptions of the state of journalism today. Give it a read.


There's lots more coming up this week. Follow me on Twitter for links as they happen.

Lions and Turbines and Blogs, Oh My!

Ah, November -- it is so good to have you behind us! What a month, huh?

Much of last week was spent A) being pretty sick, and B) finishing three magazine features that were all due on the same day. Silly me, not double-checking my calendar before accepting those deadlines.

Oh well, I still managed to write several new articles, and others that I finished the week before turned up online. Here's the list, starting with my two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American and then segueing into a nice batch of articles for Mother Nature Network:

African Lions Move Closer to US Endangered Species Act Protection [This was also reprinted by Mother Jones.]

Cane Toads, Blue Whales, Red Wolves and Other Updates from the Brink 

Marijuana legalization: Is it really legal?

Cape Wind gets OK for power purchase contract with NSTAR

Melting ice could release old viruses

Cyberslacking actually boosts workplace productivity

eFarmony: Connecting landowners with farmers


There's a whole lot more on the horizon. You keep reading 'em, I'll keep writing 'em!