Political conventions, using the tongue to see and polar bears with herpes

What an epic week! Not only did I write a whole bunch of new articles, but several pieces I have been working on over the past few weeks (or months) all ended up online as well.

Let's get to the linkage. First up, my Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Recently Discovered Lizard Species Down to 3 Remaining Females

How Did Zebras Give 2 Polar Bears Herpes?

In addition to these two new articles, Salon reprinted my recent Elephant birth control article.


Next up, two new features for IEEE's The Institute, a great publication for people working in advanced technologies:

Romanian Teen Wins IEEE Presidents' Scholarship - this cool kid developed a system to help blind people see with their tongues!

Teacher In-Service Program Celebrates 10th Year


Mother Nature Network sure has been keeping me busy lately. Here's the latest batch, including one that's super-relevant this week:

How eco-friendly are political conventions?

Study: Cleaner cars have reduced some Los Angeles air pollution levels by 98%

Creation of 11,000-acre Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge approved

Six Flags to close the gates on drive-through Wild Safari [this one includes two of my photos -- from 1990!)

Amelia Earhart's plane reportedly found (well, pieces of it)

How does a holiday become a holiday?


And finally, rather than something by me, here's something about me: a nice profile of me on the Society of Environmental Journalists website.

Conservation heroes, canoes for a cause, Google discoveries and more

What a week...heck, what a month! I have been lucky to interview some truly inspiring people lately, and now you get the benefit of reading some of the articles that have resulted from those conversations.

First up, this week's two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American. If you only read one of my articles this week, make sure it's the first of these:

Okapi Conservation Center Recovering after Deadly Militia Attack

South Africa Invests in Elephant Birth Control [Video]


Next up, four new articles for Mother Nature Network:

Canoes for a Cause brings awareness to the troubled state of the Midwest's rivers

Artificial retina could restore vision in the blind

Lost Egyptian pyramids found ... by Google? [This was the #1 story on MNN for several days]

Poisoned trees in Alabama receive major pruning, thumbs up for football celebrations [The latest in a story I've been covering for a year and a half!]


I should have two more features online this week, along with another batch of the usual goodness. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed for links as they happen!

Singing Penguins, Giant Butterflies and Green Engineering

As Monday morning's sun rises over coastal Maine, I'm already hunkered down in front of the PC working on -- let me see here -- one, two, three...seven new articles. About half of those will see "print" this coming week, while the rest won't appear for a month or more, but let me give you a little tease: you're going to want to read them all. I have interviewed some truly incredible, inspirational people in the past week and I can't wait to share what they had to say.

But for now, let's take a look at last week's articles, which should also serve to entertain and illuminate you.

First up, my two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

World's Largest Butterfly Threatened by Shrinking Habitat and Deforestation

Fishing Nets, Climate Change Threaten Yellow-Eyed Penguins in New Zealand

Mother Jones also reprinted the above penguin story under their slightly more click-worthy headline: VIDEO: Adorable Singing Penguin Threatened by Climate Change, Nets


Next up, my latest career feature for IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer. I enjoyed putting this one together and I think you'll learn something from it no matter what profession you are in:

Every Engineer is a Green Engineer

And now, the usual wide range of stories for Mother Nature Network, only one of which was specifically eco-themed:

Oyster industry struggles to adapt to climate change

Study: Weight training may reduce diabetes risk in men

Google Street View lets you tour the Kennedy Space Center 


That's it for now. Follow me on Twitter for more links as they happen!

Milestone week

Things sure do add up over time. Last week I wrote my 400th Extinction Countdown article for Scientific American, and in the next few months I expect to write my 1,000th article about endangered species. People often ask me, "doesn't writing about endangered species depress you?" Sure, it can be a burden at time. But it's a burden I'm willing to carry for a long time to come.

Anyway, last week brought that milestone article (the first one in the link list below) as well as two more Extinction Countdown articles and two pieces for Mother Nature Network. Check 'em out:

Rare Success: Critically Endangered Gharial Crocodiles Have Record Hatching Year

DNA Test Could Help Save Scottish Wildcat from Extinction—If It Still Exists

O'Reilly Animals Enlists Technology Community to Help Save Endangered Species from Extinction

NFL linebacker Will Witherspoon speaks to Congress about livestock and antibiotics

Israel has enough natural gas to last 150 years, but getting it will be costly

Oh yeah, and my article on how horses got to the Olympics was reprinted by the Huffington Post. 

I'll have at least one new feature online by the end of the week, maybe two, along with other new articles for SciAm and MNN. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed for the links as they go live or come back here in seven days for the latest list of links.

Five new eco-themed articles

Computer problems this past week slowed me down quite a bit, but I'm quickly catching up now that my new computer is up and running. Yeah, the old PC was on its way out and it turned out it was better to just go ahead and replace it. I had hoped to make it last another six months, but I figured keeping a dying PC on life support would just slow my productivity down. A computer is a writer's second-most important tool (other than the brain, of course), so it's an important investment.

Anyway, technical problems aside, this week brought five new articles, one for SciAm (with another one pending publication today after some delays) and four for Mother Nature Network:

Elephants at Los Angeles Zoo not happy or healthy, judge rules

Environmental groups announce plan to sue over emissions at Colstrip plant in Montana

Bear Bile Industry Reportedly Shrinking in South Korea, but China Market Stays Strong

Amelia Earhart expedition finds no conclusive evidence she survived after disappearance

Report: 31% of seafood in South Florida is mislabeled

I already have lots more in the queue for this week, so stay tuned for another batch of links in seven days or follow me on Twitter for the latest links as they happen!

Snow leopards, equine Olympians, a world-changing contest and more

I'm about to utter the two scariest words for freelance writers: computer problems.

Yup, my trusty workhorse PC decided to not get out of bed on Friday morning, which resulted in a panicked switch to the laptop to make a few deadlines that day. In between finishing up assignments, I took the computer to the local Best Buy to see what their Geek Squad techs can do. Cross your fingers.

Of course, this was already a busy week before the computer snafu, with six new news articles in between the ongoing feature work.

As I usually do, I'll start with this week's two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

Hong Kong Imported 10 Million Kilograms of Shark Fins Last Year (this was reprinted by Mother Jones)

Snow Leopard News: Climate Change, Radio Collars, Heart Troubles and a Video First 

I also wrote several new articles for Mother Nature Network:

In Kuwait, 88% overweight and stomach stapling becoming the norm 

How do horses travel overseas to the London Olympics? (This took weeks to pull together and it was worth the effort.)

Musical glove could improve mobility in people with spinal injuries 

California bans foie gras, but some restaurants keep serving it 


And finally, here's my latest feature for IEEE's The Institute. I didn't realize this was online until just now, so you're the first to know!

Challenge to Students: Help Make the World a Better Place


That's it for now. Follow me on Twitter for more links as articles go live!

Prosthetics, Wombats and Wedding Disasters

Last week saw publication of a wide range of new work, including two new features.

As I usually do here, I'll start off with my two Extinction Countdown articles for Scientific American:

An Invasive Plant Is Killing Wombats in Australia

Little Time Left for the Tamaraw? Philippine Buffalo Species Down to Last 300 Animals


Next up, my latest feature for Today's Engineer magazine. I spent about two months researching this one and it's about as good an article as I've ever done. The folks I interviewed were amazing people who do good in the world every single day:

Prosthetics: A Career That Changes Lives


Mother Nature Network gave me a couple of odd stories this week:

Do you have a wedding disaster plan? CDC offers tips for surviving the season of love

Brits sing the praises of cheddar cheese


And finally, here's another new feature, this time for IEEE's The Institute. While this is written for engineers, I think it's good advice for just about anybody:

Sales Skills for Engineers 


Enjoy the latest reads and check back next week for another batch of links!