Bigfoot. Nuff said.

What was my most-read article of the week? I'll give you one guess:

Bigfoot evidence 'conclusive,' says scientifically dubious study

That was just one of this week's articles for Mother Nature Network. Here are the rest:

Texas and California battle over jobs, carbon dioxide emissions

Another Heart Attack Grill spokesperson dies ... of a heart attack

Bill Gates discusses polio, climate change and Steve Jobs during Reddit AMA


My other articles this week were for my Extinction Countdown blog over at Scientific American:

Whale Sharks in the News: Citizen Science, Migration Revelations and High Fashion

Giant Pandas at Risk from New Chinese Forestry Policies


There's lots, lots, lots more in the queue, including at least ten features that are pending publication. But alas, none of them are about Bigfoot. I may need to remedy that situation.

More next week!

Pygmy elephants, extinct moths, software careers and fracking

Hey there, my Monday morning readers! Did you survive the blizzard named Nemo? I'm putting this in the queue on Saturday morning, just in case I don't make it through the storm. Hey, with this country's infrastructure, it pays to be prepared.

Anyway, let's get to this week's article links! It was a pretty good week, with some interesting news items and the publication of two long-in-the-works features. I'll start, as I usually do, with this week's two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Was Palm Oil to Blame for the Poisoning of 14 Pygmy Elephants?

3 British Moths Extinct; Most Other Species in Decline


Next up, my latest technology careers article for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer. I really enjoyed working on this one and interviewed some incredibly cool folks:

Software Engineering Careers Continue to Boom


Sticking with technology, here's another feature for another IEEE publication, The Institute, about inspirational museums:

IEEE Launches Exhibits Program for Science Museums

And finally, here are this week's eco/tech news items for Mother Nature Network:

Fracking waste: Is it safe to ship by barge?

Poll reveals more Americans believe in climate change

Earthworms may play a role in climate change

Copper computer keyboards could reduce hospital infections


In other news, I have happily joined founding editors Rod Heather and Sean O'Leary as the third editor on Lore, a twice-annual anthology of "weird fiction." It's going to be a blast.

That's it for this time around. I've got about a dozen more features on my plate right now, and lots of other new stuff pending. Follow me on Twitter for links as they happen or come back here next Monday for another link list!

Beer, Penguins and Climate

The last week of January brought fewer articles than the week before, but that's okay: I'm already working on at least 10 new articles.

Let's start the link list with my two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American, including my most popular article of the week:

New Zealand Farmer Helps Save Rare Penguins from Extinction

Yaks Are Returning to Tibet, but Does Climate Change Pose Further Risks?

In addition, my older articles got a boost from an unexpected source: Cracked.com. That was worth a smile or two.

 Next up, a few new articles for Mother Nature Network, including one article that horrified everyone who read it:

Fracking vs. beer: Does natural gas exploration threaten America's breweries?

RinkWatch: How backyard skaters are monitoring climate change

Bill Gates calls on Europe to fight hunger, despite economic crisis


This coming week should bring two new Extinction Countdown articles, several pieces for MNN, and, if we're lucky, a couple of new technology features. Follow me on Twitter for the latest links as they happen.

Young innovators, rare birds & lucky chimpanzees

People often ask me, why do I like working as a freelance writer? Last week provides a pretty good answer. I got to write about endangered species, environmental issues, animal rights, and people doing amazing things. As a freelance writer I get to both embrace my passions and go with the flow, telling a variety of stories that come my way that might not otherwise be told. I can't think of a better way to make a living.

This past week produced a bounty of new stories by me -- several of which have been in the works for a while now, while others were inspired by this week's news and events. I'll start the list, as I usually do, with my two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Critically Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Released into Arizona Wild

Almost Extinct Brazilian Bird Observed in Nest for the First Time [Video]

In addition to my own articles, O'Reilly Media (the folks behind all of those technology textbooks and conferences) did a nice write-up about my Extinction Countdown work.


Next up, three stories about young innovators. Mother Nature Network just launched a new feature called "The Leader Board," about young people making their mark on the world. Many of the young leaders to be profiled here will be eco-oriented, but this first batch are all about technology and medicine:

Are these 3 students computing's next big thing?

Pancreatic caner's foe: Teen Andraka

How D'Aloisio is revolutionizing mobile news

And finally this week, a bounty of timely news items for Mother Nature Network, including two articles about chimpanzees:

Portland radon levels reveal potential health risks

Animal sanctuary to be built in memory of Sandy Hook shooting victim

CareerBuilder: No chimpanzee commercials during this year's Super Bowl

Use of chimpanzees in medical research would be restricted under proposed federal rules

Stephen Hawking to receive a voice upgrade, thanks to Intel

Scientists discover DNA with a quadruple helix in cancer cells


As if all of that weren't enough, I'm working on several features that will appear in February, March, April and probably beyond. It's a writer's life and I love it!

Rare plants, clean air and Greek gold

This week's articles were all environmental, all the time. I usually have a few tech pieces in the mix -- and I did work on several this past week that won't see print for a while yet -- but all of this week's published articles covered eco-flavored topics. Three covered endangered species, two covered pollution, several were climate-related (I'm starting to overlap here), and only two could be said to be good news. Oh well.

Without further ado, let's start with this week's Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Amazing Hawaiian Plant Loved by Tourists but Endangered by Climate Change

Rare Japanese Rabbit Leaves Endangered Species List


And now, a whole bunch of articles for Mother Nature Network:

Climate change will increase wind and waves in Australia

Airpocalypse: Beijing faces life-threatening air pollution levels

Ken Salazar to step down as Secretary of the Interior

Greek gold mine could bring economic boom or environmental destruction

San Diego Zoo and Audubon Nature Institute team up to breed endangered species

84% of fish contaminated by mercury, study finds


I have something like ten articles awaiting publication at various magazines. I don't think any of them will hit this week -- or maybe not for several weeks to come -- but you can always follow me on Twitter for links and other updates.

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!