Killer Robots, Killer Cats and Killer Humans

I did not write a single word last week -- I spend almost the entire time at a conference in San Francisco learning about marine mammals -- but all the same a ton of articles I wrote over the past few weeks all managed to appear.

Here's the coolest, a short article for the January 2016 print issue of Scientific American, which is already online:

A Starfish-Killing, Artificially Intelligent Robot Is Set to Patrol the Great Barrier Reef


Speaking of SciAm, here are my latest two "Extinction Countdown" articles:

Lost Butterfly Rediscovered After 56 Years

Feral Cats Are Killing Off One of Australia's Cutest Marsupials


Sticking with the killer theme of the week, here's a new article for TakePart:

How to Save Sharks From Extinction


Finally this week, here's something completely different: my latest careers article for IEEE-USA InSight:

Got Expertise? Become An Expert Source


The next two weeks won't see too much on the publication front -- we're counting down to the end of the year and many of my editors will be taking time off (as I should be, as well) -- but come back next week for a headline or two. And follow me on Twitter for stories as they happen!

Tigers, Elephants and Suckers

Howdy folks. The year is starting to wind down but my keyboard is still clacking away. This past week brought five new articles covering (mostly) wildlife and crime.

Here's the first batch, all for TakePart:

Tigers Face Deadly Squeeze in the Wild (and Deadlier Threats in Captivity)

The Unexpected Places Where Endangered Wildlife Are Thriving

African Nations Commit to Game-Changing Reforestation Plan


And here's the final two, for Scientific American:

The Hidden Crisis Killing India's Young Elephants

Modoc Sucker Recovers, Leaves Endangered Species List


That last one was a little bit tough for me. As a comics fan, I kept wanting to type MODOK instead of Modoc.

I'm at the Marine Mammalogy Conference this week, learning all about whales and seals and dolphins and manatees and other cool critters. That means I won't be writing any new articles this week, although there are at least four in the queue at various publishers. Follow me on Twitter for the headlines as they happen (and maybe a few tweets from the conference).

Reefs, Roads and Roasting

Hey folks, it's Monday again and I'm back with last week's article links. It was a simple week, so here they are, three articles for TakePart and one for Scientific American:

Fishing With Bombs and Cyanide Is Taking a Devastating Toll on Coral Reefs

Is Africa About to Face Its Greatest Environmental Threat?

Record Number of Endangered Florida Panthers Killed This Year

Fire Destroys 90 Percent of Rare Bird's Habitat in Australia

There's lots, lots, lots more in the works, so follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen this week.

Short Week, Big Impact

Welcome to the Monday after Thanksgiving. Freelancers don't often have short work weeks, so I embraced this one and finally managed to take a few days off. I still had a few articles come out, though, and they were doozies. Here they are, one for Scientific American and two for TakePart:

25 Possible New Extinctions: Hawaiian Plants, Madagascar Orchids, Chilean Water Frog

Pangolins in Peril: Wildlife Traffickers Target the World’s Most Profitable Prey

Thanks to Climate Change, Foxes Are Now Threatening a Rare Seal


Look for more this coming week. Follow me on Twitter for headlines as they go live or come on back here next Monday for yet another list.

Solar Careers, Soaring Squirrels and Sinking Forests

These days I am mostly known for my work writing about endangered species, but I love writing career articles -- especially articles about green careers. Here's my latest for IEEE-USA InSight:

Power Up: Sustainable Energy Brings Sustainable Careers

Back on the endangered species beat, here are three new articles for Scientific American. One is good news, while the other two are pretty awful news:

Squirrel! Conservationists Cheer as Giant Squirrel Recovers, Leaves Endangered Species List

Amazon Trees Face Extinction Crisis, but There's Hope 

Northern White Rhino Dies, Leaving Just Three on the Planet


And finally this week, here are three new articles for TakePart, covering wildlife trafficking and climate change:

Criminal Syndicates Are Driving Wildlife Crime Around the Globe

Washington Judge Rules Government Has Legal Duty to Fight Global Warming

The Great Antarctic Melt May Benefit These Penguins 


More next Monday! Or follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen.

Albatross! (and other stuff)

"Albatross!" .... is a line that does not occur in my article.

Like a lot of journalists, I usually end my interviews about a specific topic by asking "what else should we be talking about?" That doesn't always lead very far, but once in a while I strike gold. That happened recently, and it turned into this article for Motherboard:

A Gigapixel Camera Turned This Island into an Albatross 'Truman Show'


On a more normal, timely note, here are two awful news-oriented stories for TakePart. (No, the topics are awful! The stories are fine.)

Poachers Are Hunting Down the World’s Last Wild Sumatran Rhinos

The Dutch Ban Fur Farms That Kill 6 Million Mink a Year


Finally this week, here are two fun new science stories for (you guessed it) Scientific American:

Another New Tool for Seal Conservation: Snow Shovels

"Living Dead" Weevil Gets Another Shot at Surviving


That's it for this week's headlines. More in the days, weeks and months to come!

Snail Week! (and other stuff, too)

This week's articles brought an unexpected theme: snails! I've actually written about snails and other mollusks quite a few times, but never twice in one week. They're both pretty cool stories. Here they are, one for Scientific American and another for TakePart:

Stowaway Snail Helps Save Species from Extinction

World’s Tiniest Snails Discovered on Borneo


Here's another SciAm article, the latest chapter in a saga I've been following since 2010:

70 Percent of the World's Saiga Antelopes Mysteriously Wiped Out


And here are two more TakePart articles, the second of which is my latest tie-in to a TV show called "The Operatives":

California’s Illegal Pot Farms Are Killing Rare Animals

Take a Look Inside the Lives of Captive Dolphins


Finally, here's my latest careers article for IEEE's The Institute:

IEEE Communications Society Rolls Out Four New Courses


That's it for now. Will another theme emerge next week? Stay turned to find out!