Dinner Guide to Saving the Ocean
for The Last Word on NothingI am that guy.
You know the one. When the waiter comes to the table to give the specials, I’m the one who needs to know where the snapper’s from, how the swordfish was caught, and whether the salmon is farm-raised. My brother generally starts apologizing for me as soon as I open my …
Why the Mexico City Earthquake Shook Up Disaster Predictions
for Scientific AmericanPublished: September 21, 2017
Tuesday’s deadly quake did not come from the place many geologists thought would unleash the next “big one.”
Mexico City quake: A few seconds’ warning can still save lives
for New ScientistLast week’s magnitude 7.1 quake caught me, and everyone in Mexico City, by surprise. We are used to getting lots of warning before an earthquake – and this time, we didn’t.
The Big Splash
for San FranciscoPublished: October 2009
A 2009 Q&A for San Francisco Magazine about the math behind rogue waves.
Photo Essay: Geopolitical pawns, the fishermen of Lý Sơn, Vietnam
for MongabayPublished: April 17, 2015
Vietnamese fisherman caught between massive political and environmental forces.
An Homage to Teotihuacan
for SapiensPublished: July 5, 2018
One modern Mexican artist is making souvenirs that shed light on the ancient peoples of this city and continue their aesthetic traditions.
Birth Of The World’s First Underwater Museum
for The Last Word on NothingPublished: September 2013
A few months ago, I got my dream assignment. Well, okay, it wasn’t really an assignment – I cajoled an editor into letting me write about Cancun’s famous underwater museum, Museo Subacuatico de Arte, or MUSA.
Saving the survivor: China scrambles to keep the finless porpoise from extinction
(For the full story click here)
On the morning of July 14, 2002 Qi Qi ate breakfast as he always did. As the world’s only captive baiji – or Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) – Qi Qi was something of a celebrity in China and his caretakers kept a close eye …
Conservation isn’t winning. Extinction is.
for The Washington PostPublished: July 13, 2018
An opinion editorial about how desperate small wild populations have become the norm in conservation.