Here are a few selected articles. I also link to most of my stories from my blog.
News
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.
Caterpillars Talk With Their Butts
ScienceNOW, April 2010
If only world leaders would give this technique a shot. Certain caterpillars of the hook-tip moth family settle their territorial disputes by dragging their butts in a threatening matter.
Features
The Origins of Life
Smithsonian, October 2010
Mineralogist Bob Hazen believes he’s discovered how life’s early building blocks could have connected four billion years ago.
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.”
Invasion of the Snakeheads
Smithsonian, February 2005
The voracious “Frankenfish” has turned up in the Potomac River, Lake Michigan and a California lake, sparking fears of an ecological Armageddon. But is the Asian import a monster or the victim of monster hype?
Book Chapter
Searching for Spring in the Bering Sea
University of Chicago Press, 2011
I contributed a 10,000-word chapter to Chris Linder’s beautiful photography book, Science on Ice: Four Polar Expeditions. Chris and I went to the Bering Sea together in 2009.
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.