Weird Fish and Climate Conundrums

What the heck -- we're already half-way through September? How did that happen?

Well, I guess I've had my head down to the keyboard so much that I didn't notice the passage of time. But I did get a lot of writing done, including this week's four new articles. Here they are, starting with my two latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Killer Starfish Threaten Fish That Walks on Hand-Like Fins

Israel and Palestine Share a Rapidly Disappearing Gazelle


Also on this week's list, two climate/wildlife related articles for TakePart:

Pacific Northwest Frogs Are a Hop, Skip, and a Jump From Oblivion as Temperatures Rise

The Latest Threat to Bees Stops Them From Smelling the Flowers


More next week!

Elusive Species, Intrepid Adventurers and Technology Startups

Happy Labor Day! I'm not working today -- an extreme rarity for a freelance writer, let me tell you! -- but I am taking a moment to remind you about the work that I did last week. It was quite a week -- a mix of new news articles and a few features that have been in the works for a while now and finally saw the light of day (or the computer monitor as the case may be).

Let's start the list with those news articles, the first three of which were for TakePart:

Soon Nearly Every Seabird Will Be Flying With a Gut Full of Plastic Trash

Adventurer Is Walking 1,800 Miles to Find Madagascar’s Rarest Lemur

Australia’s Wombats Are Dying in the Worst Way Possible—Could an App Help?


Next up, my latest "Extinction Countdown" article for Scientific American:

Asian Vultures Get Good News Ahead of International Vulture Day


On a related conservation note, here's my first feature for Mongabay:

The Cat Ba Langur: a primate walks the razor’s edge of extinction


And finally this week, here's my latest technology careers article for IEEE's The Institute:

Get Schooled on Startups From a Venture Capitalist Whose Companies Have Never Failed


That's it -- plenty for you to read on the last day of your long weekend.

Follow me on Twitter for more of this week's headlines, or come back here next Monday for another list!

Tasmanian Devil Week (plus more stuff)

This week I got to write about one of my favorite species not just once, but twice! Here they are, two articles about Tasmanian devils for TakePart and Scientific American:

Tasmanian Devils Gone Wild: How an Iconic Animal Can Save Australia's Wildlife

Yet Another Disease Is Attacking Tasmanian Devils


I also wrote two other wildlife-related articles this week...once again, one each for TakePart and SciAm:

Big Ag Is Devastating the Amazon, but a New Plan Could Preserve Rainforests and Wildlife

$1 Million More a Year Could Save Kiwi Birds from Extinction


I also recently turned in a few new technology features, which should be working their way toward publication as early as this week.

Want more headlines faster? Follow me on the Tweet Machine for links as they happen!

Robots, Super-Predators and Poop

Ah, another Monday. Mine starts with a cuppa tea, a glance at Facebook and a list of my publications from the previous week.

Speaking of which, here's that list, starting with two interesting "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

That's a tree kangaroo, in case you were wondering.

Poop Could Help Save Rare Tree Kangaroo from Extinction

The Cuckoo Reason Why These Bumblebees May Go Extinct


Next up, two important articles for TakePart:

U.S. Cracks Down on Mexican Seafood After Turtle Deaths

Meet the Super-Predator Wiping Out the World’s Wildlife


And finally, here's my latest technology careers feature for IEEE-USA InSight:

Career Focus: The Three *New* Laws of Roboticists


Well, I think pulling that list together earned me another cuppa tea. Have a great week!

Zombie Seals, Failed Amphibians and Dead Coyotes

Hey folks, welcome to my regular Monday morning link wrap-up. This week brings you a pretty wide mix of stories, all of which deserve your clicks.

Photo by Derek Mead

We'll start the list with my second feature for Vice magazine's Motherboard imprint, a heartwarming tale of an impending apocalypse:

The Sneeze That Could Wipe Out Hawaii’s Seals


Next up, three new wildlife articles for TakePart:

Poachers Aren’t Going to ‘Like’ These Tech Companies Teaming Up to Fight the Ivory Trade

U.S. to World: You’d Better Protect Whales and Dolphins If You Want Us to Eat Your Seafood

Activists Score Victory in Effort to Stop the Government Killing of Millions of Animals


Just one "Extinction Countdown" article for Scientific American this week, but it asks a pretty big question:

Are Zoos Failing Amphibians?


And finally, here's something completely different, for IEEE's The Institute. If you know any smart kids, point 'em in this direction:

Calling All Students: Create an Animation Focused on Smart Technologies


That's it in terms of articles that I wrote last week, but here's one more (about birding) that quotes me:

Change in slow motion


As always, thanks for reading! Join me here next week or follow me on the tweet machine for headlines as they happen.

Blood Lions and Devil Trees

Hey folks! It's Monday again, following a really great writing week. This week's articles covered some pretty powerful topics and really seemed to grab my readers' attentions.

Case in point, this week's two "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, both of which really struck a chord with people:

Devil Tree Threatens the World's Rarest Zebras

Ring-Tailed Lemurs Threatened by Illegal Pet Trade


In the wake of the death of Cecil the lion, all of my old articles on lions have been attracting tens of thousands of new readers. Well here's a new one for TakePart that also inspired a lot of angry feelings:

‘Blood Lions’: Conservationists Infiltrate Hunts of Captive Big Cats in South Africa


Sticking with the lion theme, I talked about Cecil, lion conservation and how the media can do a better job of cover endangered species on this week's episode of the CounterSpin radio show.

Finally this week, on a completely different note, here's my latest careers article for IEEE's The Institute. I learned a lot working on this one and it's a nice tonal shift from all of the stuff above:

Why Emotional Intelligence Is Key to Your Success


Well, that's it for this time around. Make sure to come back next Monday for more headlines, or follow me on Twitter for the latest links as they happen.

Rhinos, Tigers and Sharks (Don't Cry)

This was a bad week for wildlife. Well, mostly. I wrote three new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, all of which updated stories I have previously covered and only one of which could be considered semi-good news:

Another Northern White Rhino Dies--and Then There Were Four (this was also translated into Spanish)

Bangladesh Has 75 Percent Fewer Tigers Than Expected

Giant Squeaker Frog Gets Ready for Cries of Joy


The bad news continued at TakePart with this batch of climate and wildlife articles, although the last one actually is pretty cool and hopeful:

Drought Is Making Climate Change Even Worse

Sharks Are What's for Dinner, and That's a Big Problem

Waving the Flag for the Grizzly’s Return to California


That's it for this week. I should have a couple of new technology articles coming up in the next few weeks, along with a whole bunch of new wildlife articles, so follow me on Twitter for the headlines as they happen.