Here are a few selected articles. I also link to most of my stories from my blog.
News
Crayfish Harbor Fungus That’s Wiping Out Amphibians
National Geographic News, December 2012
Scientists have found a reservoir for the fungus that’s been causing a worldwide frog catastrophe: crayfish.
Clues to Species Decline Buried in Pile of Bird Excrement
ScienceNOW, April 2012
A five-decade archive of chimney swift poop–built up in a chimney on campus–helps scientists look back at changes in the birds’ diets over time.
Shhh…Ocean Noises Stress Out Whales
ScienceNOW, February 2012
Scientists have long wondered whether propeller and engine noises from big ships stress whales out. Now, thanks to a poop-sniffing dog and an accidental experiment born of a national tragedy, they may finally have their answer.
Happiness Associated With Longer Life
ScienceNOW, October 2011
Happy people don’t just enjoy life; they’re likely to live longer, too. A new study has found that those in better moods were 35% less likely to die in the next 5 years when taking their life situations into account.
Features
The Frog That Roared
Smithsonian, January 2013
The red-eyed tree frog is the world’s cutest amphibian–and a very cool example of the flexibility animals use when they deal with life’s challenges.
On Line for the Bottom Line
Medicine + Health, Fall 2012
GWU doctors use telemedicine to help local patients who perform dialysis at home.
Changing Oceans: Viewing Coral Reefs Through a Cultural Lens
Science Careers, June 2010
Josh Cinner is a human geographer who studies coral reefs and the people who depend on them. “You don’t manage fish. Fish swim and they do their own thing. You manage people. Managing ecosystems is really about managing people and understanding what motivates them and their behaviors.”
Book Contributions
The Science Writers’ Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Pitch, Publish, and Prosper in the Digital Age
Da Capo, April 2013
I’m delighted to be a contributor to this book. It’s about how to be a science writer…while also paying your rent and not making yourself and everyone around you miserable.
Science on Ice: Four Polar Expeditions
University of Chicago Press, 2011
I wrote a 10,000-word chapter about my 2009 expedition to the Bering Sea for Chris Linder’s beautiful photography book about polar research.
Special Projects
Polar Discovery Expedition 5: Bering Sea Ecosystem
April-May 2009
I spent six weeks on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy in the Bering Sea. Every day photographer Chris Linder and I posted a set of pictures and a story. I wrote about some of the many science projects going on aboard the ship–and about topics like how you feed 122 people for six weeks without a port call.
Giant Squid Quiz
Science Channel website, January 2009
This is one of a year-long series of quizzes I wrote for Discovery.com. Giant squid are so secretive that a live one had never been photographed until a few years ago. Test your knowledge!
Possibly the Funniest Thing I Ever Wrote
Live Fast, Die Young
Washington Post Express, April 2004
The biggest, baddest brood of cicadas is ready. But are you? This link goes to a pdf of the whole issue; scroll to page 13.