Nature
“The Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we may get to keep the planet.” — Marjory Stoneman Douglas, author of The Everglades: River of Grass
Burmese pythons are taking over.
“Night had fallen over the Everglades, but Donna Kalil kept driving. She leaned out the window of her Ford Expedition as it followed the rutted levee road and peered across the saw grass as far as the stark glare of her floodlights would reach. Kalil was determined to catch a Burmese python.”
Read more in Outside Magazine.
Surfing the Shark Attack Capital of the World
“The shark circled back and brushed my foot. If it bit me, I would always have that tell-tale semi-circular bite.”
Read more in The New York Times.
Hitching a ride on hurricanes
“While hurricanes are notorious for producing tornados and causing widespread destruction, they have another devastating, yet lesser-known effect: Spreading invasive species.”
Read more in National Geographic.
Don’t forget this other Nat Geo story about invasive tegu lizards.
Check out my older work on nature
Neuroscience
“The brain is the organ of destiny. It holds within its humming mechanism secrets that will determine the future of the human race.” — Wilder Penfield, father of modern neuroscience & my grandfather’s mentor
The stuff of dreams
“During our dream states, stress sends the brain on a trip. The neurobiological signals and reactions that produce dreams are similar to those triggered by psychedelic drugs.”
Read more in National Geographic.
Touchy Feely
“Social interaction has been so key to the survival of our ancestors since the Pliocene Epoch millions of years ago that the human brain may be hardwired to become addicted to it.”
Read more in National Geographic.
Maybe I should clean my desk
“Our environments influence more than just our attention. They can influence our hormones as well as our mood. “
Read more in National Geographic.
Check out my other work on neuroscience and psychology
Public Health
“Health cannot be a question of income. It is a fundamental human right.” —Nelson Mandela
On poverty and the pandemic
“More than one in four socially vulnerable U.S. communities has experienced a high case fatality rate during this pandemic.”
Read more in National Geographic.
America’s mental healthcare deserts
“While the pandemic has helped normalize conversations about mental health, the root crisis remains: There are not enough trained professionals to treat everyone in need.”
Read more in National Geographic.
The human brain treats isolation as a form of threat.
LGBTQ seniors battle a double epidemic of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more in National Geographic.