Category Archives: Uncategorized
ham the chimp
Hey, I just mentioned Ham the chimp the other day, and today is an important day in Ham history: It’s the 51st anniversary of the day he was launched into space. Here’s a picture. Ham was the last animal to … Continue reading
dinosaurs on the tree
My Christmas tree has achieved a small measure of fame, appearing in a blog post about dinosaur Christmas tree ornaments on the Smithsonian website. I’ve had a sequined stegosaurus ornament for years and years – that’s the one that made … Continue reading
another blog
This is my busiest time of year, as I get ready to perform in The Christmas Revels the first two weekends of December. It’s an exciting show this year – we’re doing music from (and vaguely related to) medieval Andalusia, … Continue reading
reflections
I’ve just arrived in Flagstaff for the NASW/CASW meeting. (Or, more snazzily, ScienceWriters2011.) I flew from Baltimore to Phoenix then Phoenix to Flagstaff. The Phoenix-to-Flagstaff flight is a 26-minute hop. As the plane headed north, I was watching the lights … Continue reading
smartypants elephant
My friend Brian Vastag just wrote a story about some research on Kandula, the awesomest elephant at the National Zoo. (This was based on a journal article, so some other people wrote the story this week, too.) Kandula was born … Continue reading
Dr. Bernadine Healy
I was sad to hear yesterday that a former colleague of mine died over the weekend. Bernadine Healy did basically everything. She was head of the NIH. She ran the Red Cross for two years, resigning after the controversy over … Continue reading
more on right whales
Like I said in yesterday’s story, North Atlantic right whales are already getting a lot of help to reduce their chances of getting killed by ships. At certain times of year, ships have to slow down when they’re going through … Continue reading
unlikely friendships
My former National Geographic colleague Jennifer Holland has a new book. It’s the #9 book on Amazon right now. The book, Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom, is about animals that are buddies. There’s a monkey that … Continue reading
boat ride in real time
In 2009, Norway’s national TV broadcast a live, real-time train journey – the beautiful route from Bergen to Oslo. They called it “Bergensbanen minutt for minutt” – “Bergen Line, Minute for Minute.” Well, right now they’re trying to make magic … Continue reading
new sunscreen rules
One of the first stories I ever wrote at U.S.News & World Report was about sunscreen, and how the FDA was planning to issue new rules. This was in 2003. I remember it well, because it was also the first … Continue reading