Clips
I’m a science writer. Here are some stories I’ve written:
News:
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.
Strange Rocks May Preserve Some of Earth’s First Animals
ScienceNOW, August 2010
Some very old rocks and a nifty imaging technique have yielded what could be the oldest known animal fossils—spongelike organisms that lived on ocean reefs on what is now South Australia..
Features:
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.”
Dinosaur Shocker
Smithsonian, May 2006
Probing a 68-million-year-old T. rex, Mary Schweitzer stumbled upon astonishing signs of life that may radically change our view of the beasts that once ruled the earth. This story was selected for the Best American Science and Nature Writing 2007 anthology.
Ancient Shipwreck’s Stone Cargo Linked to Apollo Temple
National Geographic website, February 2009
Archaeologist Deborah Carlson is studying a marble column lost in a shipwreck over 2,000 years ago – and she’s figured out what temple it was headed to. The lost column is giving archaeologists a rare snapshot of building practices in ancient times.
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?
Big 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 also 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. That’s a lot of trouble, I know. Sorry.
If You’re Seriously Obsessed:
See all my stories. (Well, all the stories that have appeared since I launched this website in March 2009.)