An amazing teen inventor, tortoise symbiosis and New Zealand irony

Another Monday, another batch of the previous week's article links!

First up, here are my two Extinction Countdown articles for the week for Scientific American. Yes, I wrote about baobab trees and giant tortoises again!

Giant Tortoises and Baobab Trees: Imperfect Apart

Rare Monkey Population up 50 Percent in China and Tibet

Next, I hope you'll check out my latest feature for IEEE's The Institute. I have profiled most of the IEEE President's Scholarship winners over the last few years and it's always one of my favorite gigs. This young man is a real inspiration.

Communication Device for Deaf and Blind Wins IEEE President’s Scholarship


And finally, here are several science, health and eco-activism stories for Mother Nature Network:

Why do bacteria become virulent? It's all about the signal

Dislike: Facebook makes you sad, says study

New Zealand, the world's third-most obese country, threatens to deport obese chef

Author and activist Wendell Berry, called a modern-day Thoreau, receives prestigious prize


I'm working on something like five hundred and eighty-seven new articles right now. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for links as they go live!

Shark Week, Upskilling and Learning to be a Leader

Welcome to another Monday compendium of links to the articles I published in the previous week. I'll start this week's list with my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American, both of which were extremely popular:

Film Fakery: Does Shark Week Harm Conservation Efforts?

Pangolins in Peril: All 8 Species of Spiny Anteaters Endangered by Illegal Trade


Next up, my latest engineering careers article for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer (which contains important advice for people in any career):

Upskilling for Career Advancement


Next, a bunch of newsy items for Mother Nature Network:

Costa Rica may close 2 government-run zoos

Amazon's Jeff Bezos spending $42 million to build a 10,000-year clock

Shh! Settlement bans two kids from talking about fracking – for life

Warren Buffett could soon own the largest energy holding company in the U.S.


And finally, my latest engineering-related article for IEEE's The Institute (again, there's some great stuff in here no matter your profession):

IEEE eLearning Library Offers New Courses on Leadership and Electric Vehicles


That's it for this week. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for more links as they go live.

Giant tortoises, clean air and nakedness

Well that was weird. Using the words "naked ladies" in one of my headlines last week actually brought in a ton of readers. Go figure. Who would have expected that?

Anyway, last week saw the publication of five new articles -- I know, far below my weekly average, but don't you worry, I have dozens of new articles in the works (so many I'm afraid to count them all) and there will be plenty more to read in the coming weeks.

As to this week's articles, the first two in the list below come from my Extinction Countdown column at Scientific American, while the next three appeared at Mother Nature Network. Which one do you think got the most readers? In any case, read on and enjoy!

Once Extinct in the Wild, Galapagos Giant Tortoises Return to Pinzon Island

Rare Naked Ladies Crocus Infected with Even Rarer Smutty Fungus

Indoor air pollution in the developing world: The silent killer

Court lifts ban on cloned horses

Alaska is swarming in mosquitoes this year

Exclusives and features galore

Every Monday morning I do two things: look back and look ahead. Right now, you're seeing the looking back part. Last week brought a ton of new articles, including several stories that no other journalists have told and a couple of articles that have been in the works for months.

First up in this week's link parade, my usual two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American.

To Save the Sumatran Rhino, Zoo Will Attempt to Mate Brother and Sister

Endangered Plants for Sale Online: Are They Legal?


My latest feature for IEEE's publication The Institute came out this week. I love interviewing inspiring scientists and technology people:

IEEE Groups to Launch the First All-Women Start-ups in India


My latest article for Lion Magazine, the publication of Lions Clubs International, also hit the stands this week. I really enjoyed working on this one, and it's a great solution that could work for the many clubs around the country which are facing declining memberships:

Maine's Oldest Lions Club Gets Younger

And finally, here are a bunch of news stories for Mother Nature Network:

Could carbon dioxide be converted to electricity?

The best place for solar power is ... New Jersey?

CIA-funded project could control the weather

U.S. Navy drops 4 bombs on Great Barrier Reef

It's a banner year for mosquitoes

In addition to all of the links above, several of these articles were reprinted at the Huffington Post and Business Insider, but I'll spare you those links.

So what comes next? Well, looking forward, I can predict that this week will bring several new articles for SciAm and MNN, and I'll be finishing up a few articles for other publications. Other than that, I have several ideas bouncing around, and I think more than one of them will be coming to life soon. We'll see.

Until those ideas spring forth, feel free to follow me on Twitter. I'll announce new article links as they happen!

Cover story, baobabs and forgotten tragedies

Despite the above-average heat and humidity that blanketed the northeast this past week, I still managed to get a great deal of new writing done. I touched on climate change, rare primates, new technologies and a tragic piece of forgotten history. 

Even better, the mail brought my copy of the summer issue of SEJournal, the magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists, containing my cover article "The Endangered Species Act at 40: Forty Things Journalists Should Know." This is my first cover article and I'm excited as can be to see it in print. It's not online yet, and will only be available to SEJ members for a few months once it is up, but you can see the cover to the right.


In other publication news, here are links to this week's two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American. The first is an exclusive that has not been covered anywhere else:

Climate Change Could Wipe Out Amazing Baobab Trees in Madagascar

Habitat Running Out for Rare Primate in Cameroon


This week also brought a bunch of new articles for Mother Nature Network, mostly covering "trending" news items, but one was a look back at an event that seems quite relevant to today, even though it happened more than 140 years ago:

Oct. 8, 1871: The day America burned

Oceans around Antarctica could become massive protected sanctuary

Elon Musk: Hyperloop would transport people across country at 4,000 miles per hour

Amazing 'smart knife' detects cancer during surgery

Park service investigates after famous sand dune swallows 6-year-old boy

Tragedy in India: 22 students dead after eating tainted lunches


That's it for this weekly edition of Monday links. This coming week will see more for SciAm and MNN. I also expect at least one of the half-dozen features I have pending publication to go online at some point, but we'll have to wait and see if that becomes a reality or not. In any case, for links as they happen, make sure to follow me on Twitter. Otherwise, I'll see you here next Monday.

Sawfish, Big Data and Jumping Robots (and a whole lot more)

I hope you had your Wheaties for breakfast this morning, because I have a lot of new articles for you to read. This time around I'm bringing you two weeks worth of new links, which makes up for not doing one of these lists last Monday after the long Fourth of July holiday.

And really, that was the way to go. I only published a few articles in the short week before Independence Day, and waiting until after gave a chance for several articles that were pending publication to finally see the light of day. So let's get to it.

First up, three new Extinction Countdown columns for Scientific American, all of which are important:

After 100 Years, Has the Elusive Night Parrot Finally Been Discovered?

Last Chance for Sawfish?

As Rhino Poaching Surges, South Africa Proposes Legalized Trade in Precious Horns


Next, my latest Careers Watch article for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer. Seriously, if you know a smart kid who wants a tech job, point them in this direction:

The Big Data Job Boom


In other IEEE publication news, here's my latest feature for their publication, The Institute. This has some great advice for consultants, freelancers and anyone who owns a small business.

For Consultants, Social Media 101


And finally, here are a whole bunch of news items for Mother Nature Network. I may have had too much fun writing one or two of these:

Meet ATLAS: The walking, jumping robot that could one day save your life

Mount Fuji and 18 other locations protected as UNESCO World Heritage sites

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Let's terminate climate change

'Gasland II' sequel tells fracking's next chapter

Warren Buffett donates $2.6 billion to Gates Foundation and other charities

What is an Earthship dwelling?


That's it for this time around, but I still have a bunch of articles waiting for publication that could see print this week (or not; we'll see), and lots of new stuff to write. Follow me a Twitter for links as they happen. Otherwise, I'll see you here next Monday!

Weird history, the saiga saga, endangered seals and more

Well this is going to be a weird week. July Fourth is a Thursday, which means most people will be on vacation starting Wednesday. Or Tuesday. Or even today. Who knows. It's hard to tell. As a freelancer, I don't take all that many days off -- but that's fine by me because I love my job. I hope it shows with this list of last week's articles.

We'll start, in our usual manner, with my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

The 4 Most Endangered Seal Species

Saiga Success: Critically Endangered Antelope Population Doubles in 5 Years [This is my fourth annual story on the strange saga of the saiga. I wonder what will happen in year number five?]

Now, here's the weekly mix of articles for Mother Nature Network, covering technology, the environment and other oddities:

The 1919 Boston Molasses Flood: The forgotten tragedy too bizarre for the history books

Methane, ethane and propane found in drinking water near fracking sites

How do plants survive without sun? Math

How are thieves breaking into these cars?

Lake George to become 'the smartest lake in the world'


I don't know how much new work we'll see this week, what with the holiday and all (I really should ask my editors what days they are working), but stay tuned for next week, which could see anywhere between one and four new features. Don't want to wait that long? Follow me on Twitter -- I'll post the links as soon as they go live.

Have a great Fourth of July holiday weekend!