Elephant Week + Impending Extinctions

Boy, the endangered species beat sure is keeping me busy these days. I published six articles last week, all about species that are either endangered, nearly extinct, or somewhat at risk.

But let's start with the one good-news story in the bunch. Here it is, my latest story for Vice's Motherboard imprint:

How Do You Save an Elephant’s Tusk? Ask a Materials Engineer


Next up, three new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

The Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle Just Got 25 Percent Closer to Extinction

Think Manatees are Recovered? Look Farther South

Sleeping Sickness Parasite Susceptible to Extinction Because It Hasn't Had Sex in 10,000 Years


And rounding out this batch of publications, here are two new ones for TakePart, including my second elephant article for the week:

Zoos Pledge to Fight Palm Oil's Big Threat to Pygmy Elephants

Overhunting Tapirs, Monkeys, and Other Rainforest Animals Makes Climate Change Worse


Well, that's enough extinction news for one sitting. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for more happy news as it happens.

(Seriously, though, I know this is all heady stuff, but it's my privilege to tell these stories. Thanks for reading and for caring.)

Dead Rhinos and Killer Plants

Hey folks, it's Monday morning again and you know what that means: it's time for my weekly look back at the headlines that were.

Last week brought three new publications (although I worked on about half-dozen other articles). Here they are, two for Scientific American and one for TakePart:

2015: Deadliest Year Ever for Rhinos

Invasive Goldenrod is Killing Europe's Ants and Butterflies

Landfills Have Become Giant Bird Feeders for Europe’s White Storks

It's a short list this week, but don't worry -- I'll be sure to have a few longer lists for you in the weeks to come!

Before I go, here's something completely different: a few seconds of video of me testing a pair of virtual reality goggles at a recent journalism conference:

I'm in the future. #journalism #spjbbj #VirtualReality pic.twitter.com/4h7XOmOmhm

— Gordon Friedman (@gordonrfriedman) January 23, 2016

Mermaid Ivory and Other Conundrums

2016 is off to an amazing start. As January rockets ahead I find myself working on a ton of new articles -- many of which will challenge both me (as a writer) and you (as the reader). It's going to be a fun and interesting year, let me tell you.

But enough about the future. Let's look at last week, which brought forth four new articles from my keyboard. Here are the first two, for Scientific American:

The Surprising (and Mostly Legal) Trade in "Mermaid Ivory"

From Dune to Done? Drought Caused Sudden Decline in Rare Lizard's Genetic Diversity


And here are two more, for TakePart:

These Are the Most Dangerous Kinds of Plastic Polluting the Ocean

See Where Wild Bees Are Disappearing Across the U.S.


On a completely different note, I also got interviewed about how journalists can get the most out of scientific conferences. I think I learned more from what other writers had to say, to be honest, but you can check the whole thing out here.

That's it for this week. More headlines next Monday, or follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen.

First articles of 2016!

Happy New Year, folks! (Well, happy eleven days into the new year, but you get the drift.)

Things are already hopping in front of the old keyboard here. I wrote four articles in the first work week of 2016 and put about twice as many others in motion. It's going to be a busy, fun, exciting, interesting year!

As usual, here's my weekly link list of the previous week's publications. I'll start this time with three new articles for TakePart, including my first article specifically about climate change in quite a while:

A New Threat Lurks in Greenland's Melting Ice

The U.S. Military Could Wipe Out This Tiny Pacific Island Bird

Farming Frogs Can Save Them From Extinction


I also got moving on this year's "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American with this update on one of my favorite species:

Are Florida Manatees A Conservation Success Story or Are They Still in Danger?


That's it this time around. Join me on Twitter for more headlines as they happen, or come on by here next Monday for the full list.

My Final Articles for 2015

The clock is ticking down on the final hours of 2015, so let's take a moment to list my final articles for this incredible year.

I wrote a ton of great articles in 2015, and this final batch serves as a pretty nice cap to it all. They're all about endangered species and they cover a pretty broad, interesting group of wildlife.

So here they are, starting with three new pieces (well, two articles and one recap) for Scientific American:

African Lions Finally Gain Endangered Species Act Protection

Resplendent Quetzal, Sacred Bird of Maya and Aztecs, Faces Extinction Risk

Ten Conservation Headlines that Defined 2015


And here are the last two, for TakePart:

Endangered Sea Otters Have a New Problem: Overpopulation

The Final Countdown: Vaquita Porpoises Could Go Extinct in Two Years


That's it for now -- and for this year. Expect a lot more in 2016. I hope it's a great year for all of us.

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).