Poaching, Genetics and Green Dudes

Hey there, and welcome to my 300th post on the John Platt Article Library. This blog started out as a way to archive some of my previously published articles and other writing, but it quickly evolved. Now the Library is mostly a weekly check-in to look back at my publications from the previous seven days.

Speaking of which, here are eight new goodies from the past seven days.

I'll start this week with three articles for TakePart. In addition to my weekly wildlife articles there I am now also their poaching correspondent.

Mourning Mountain Bull: Poachers Slay Fabled Elephant in Kenya

Elephant Poachers Have a New Problem: U.S. Marines

Meet the Rare, Poisonous Plant That Has Australian Sheep Behaving Like Heroin Addicts


Next up, my latest "Extinction Countdown" article for Scientific American. I only did one article this week because of the pending Memorial Day holiday, but I have some great pieces in the pipeline for this coming week.

Flower Power: Collaboration Keeps Rare Plant off the Endangered Species List


Now we come to some science news articles for Mother Nature Network, where my editors always give me the coolest topics to cover:

With termite genome decoded, researchers aim for less toxic pest control

Evolutionary wrench: Comb jelly discovery may add new branch to tree of life

Longitude Prize reborn to solve top issues of modern world


And finally this week, here's something new: my first appearance on the "Green Dudes" segment of the Green Divas Radio Show, along with a corresponding blog post. I'll be appearing on the show every four-to-six weeks, and it should be a lot of fun. I got my start in radio and it's a blast to be back.

Well, that's it for #300. Join me next week for more!

Dancing frogs and tiny kangaroos -- plus, how to become a consultant

"Hello my baby, hello my darling..."

Hey, it's Monday again. That means it's time for my weekly linkfest of the previous week's articles that came out of my keyboard.

Starting off, here are two new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, where I got to write about some pretty amazing species:

14 New Species of Endangered "Dancing" Frogs Discovered in India

Climate Change Could Wipe Out the World’s Smallest Kangaroo


Next up, my latest high-tech careers article for Today's Engineer. I've been freelancing full-time for nearly 8 years and I still learned a lot researching this article.

How to Get Started as a Consultant


Now we come to my latest for TakePart:

Flame Retardants’ Latest Victims: Frogs?


And finally, here are three new articles for Mother Nature Network:

5 incredible places where the ocean glows

From whoops to wow: IBM accidentally creates the first new polymer in 30 years

Colony collapse disorder's link to pesticides strengthened by new study


I have lots more in the works and already pending for this coming week. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest headlines as they happen!

Long-hidden secrets are revealed in this week's articles...

Why a photo of a turtle? The secret will be revealed below...

This week's articles contain REVELATIONS about the universe...or, at least, a few small parts of it.

First up, two new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, both of which cover revelations about previously little-understood species:

Solar-Powered Transmitters Reveal Secrets of Endangered “Little Devil” Seabirds

First Major Genetic Study of Elusive South African Dolphin Reveals a Species in Peril


Next, my latest careers article for IEEE's The Institute, which revealed so much to me that I rewrote my own resume:

Getting Your Résumé to the Top of the Pile


That brings us to this week's article for TakePart, which reveals yet another dangerous invasive species:

Unwanted Visitors: California Kingsnakes Are Overwhelming This Spanish Island


And finally these week, here are three articles for the expanding family of Mother Nature Network sites. These aren't all that revelatory, but this does mark the third week in a row that I wrote about sea turtles, which is kind of a revelation in and of itself:

How to enjoy sea turtles without harming them

Lungs from genetically modified pigs could soon be used to save human lives

International bird-watching competition converges on southern Israel


That's it! Who knows what secrets and amazing things will be revealed next week. (Well, I kinda do, since my assignment list is sitting right in front of me, but its contents are a secret to you, so expect revelations next week!)

New articles + new book + an interview with me

A lot of weeks my writing appears to have rather obvious themes. This is definitely not one of them. But there's a lot of fun in this week's link list. Plus I finally had a chance to write about giant river otters.

I'll start with the latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Giant Otters Damned by Giant Hydroelectric Dams

Sea Turtle Hatchlings Saved by LED Lights Funded by Deepwater Horizon Fines


Next up, two science-news articles for Mother Nature Network:

Half of Americans are living with dangerous levels of air pollution

We finally know why the 1918 influenza pandemic killed 50 million people


And then there's this article for TakePart:

You'll Never Believe How Many Animals This University Used in Lab Tests Last Year


That's everything from the "written by me" category, but here's an article about writing that features an interview with me and a lot of other talented science writers:

Nailing the nut graf


Finally this week, here's the latest LORE anthology on which I served as an associate editor. There are great SF, Horror and Fantasy stories within these pages, so I hope you'll check it out.

That's it for this past week. This coming week could see a couple of new features by me, unless they turn up next week, in which case ignore that last statement. Follow me on Twitter for links to headlines and other goodies as they go live!

My biggest article to date (and lots of other stuff, too)

Sometimes a journalist researches and writes an article and it's online that same day. Sometimes the process takes four, five or six months -- or more. This week embodied both of those extremes.

My biggest publication of the week also happens to be my biggest article to date: a massive feature on advanced driving safety systems that appears in the May/June issue of Consumers Digest (pictured). This article took seven months from assignment to publication -- most of which was spent researching, interviewing and reporting -- and I'm pretty darned proud of it. This article won't appear online as far as I can tell, but it should turn up on newsstands this week.


In other publication news, my latest two "Extinction Countdown" articles appeared at Scientific American:

Giant Tusked Insect Saved from Extinction (Just in the Nick of Time)

Blue-Footed Boobies Have Stopped Breeding—But Why?


And here's my latest article for TakePart:

Here's What Happened When a Family's Car Caught Fire in the Middle of a Lion Safari


And finally, here are a whole bunch of history, climate and science-related articles for Mother Nature Network:

Cooler summer predicted for Northeast, Great Lakes

10 things you didn't know about Johnny Appleseed

The strange history of the man-eating lions of Tsavo

Now you can use Google Street View to go back in time

Richard Proenneke: The man who showed us how to be alone in the wilderness

Graphene discovery: A low-end kitchen blender can make a high-end batch of this valuable material


That's it for this week (and I'm sure it was plenty!). Make sure to follow me on Twitter for links to more articles as they go live. Otherwise, I'll see you next Monday for another list of links!

Killer Fungi, Living Dinosaurs and the Next Big Thing

Let's start off this week's list of article links with my latest high-tech careers feature for Today's Engineer:

The Internet of Things: The Next Big Thing for Technology Careers


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

Bat-Killing Fungus Now Found in 25 U.S. States

Alligator Snapping Turtles, the Dinosaurs of the Turtle World, Are Actually 3 at-Risk Species


On a related note, here's an article for the May 2014 issue of Scientific American, adapted from one of my earlier online articles:

Continued Protection for the Regal Island Raptor



And finally this week, here's my latest article (a good wildlife success story) for TakePart:

Freedom! 130 Bears to Be Rescued From Chinese Bile Farm



I have quite a few new articles pending publication over the next week or three -- stay tuned for links as they go live!

Automotive Careers and Amazing Monkeys

Most journalists have at least one specialty or beat. I have several, as illustrated by this week's articles.

One of my favorite beats is covering technology careers. Here's my latest feature for IEEE's The Institute:

How to Get Hired in the Automotive Industry


The beat that makes makes my heat beat is endangered species. Here are my three latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, followed by one more related article for TakePart:

First-Ever Video of Critically Endangered Myanmar Snub-Nosed Monkeys

Killifishes Killed Off: 2 Fish Species May Be Extinct in the Wild

Weekend Species Snapshot: Spix’s Macaw


If This Oil Spill Isn't Cleaned Up, Endangered Sea Turtles Will Get a Crude Awakening


I also love covering anything that has to do with the environment, as in these articles for Mother Nature Network:

Infrared radiation could be the next big source of renewable energy

Deserts don't just absorb carbon dioxide, they squirrel it away for safekeeping

Another cause of California's drought: Pot farms


I have other subjects that I love to write about: entrepreneurship, philanthropy, comic books, history, new technologies... and yes, I have articles on all of those subjects coming up soon.

Anyway, that's it for this week's article list. Join me next Monday for more links from most of these same beats.