The scientist who stays out in the cold

Ali Criscitiello studies ice in a warming world. She’s committed to the science, but it’s also an excuse for her to be in her favorite place — outside in the cold. This story was produced for WHOI’s Oceanus Magazine.

A unique expression of love for math

A couple weeks ago in Boston, 7000 mathematicians, math teachers and math enthusiasts from all over the world converged for something called the Joint Mathematics Meeting. Naturally, there were numerous equations, variables, and graphs being tossed around. But I also found a lot that I wasn’t expecting. This story aired on NPR’s All Things Considered.

A sticky fate

Each year millions of migrating birds fly the skies over the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a journey fraught with peril – severe weather, predation, fatigue, and degraded habitats can all keep a bird from completing its trip. And when many of these birds land in Cyprus to rest and refuel, they can fly straight into another danger. Illegal bird trapping.

My story aired yesterday on The World, with this accompanying video:

Revving a hard-hit Newfoundland fishing area

Sometimes the solution to a new problem is right in front of you — or, in the case of one community in Newfoundland, right under their feet. This story aired on NPR’s All Things Considered a couple months ago, and it’s from the audio series One Species at a Time.

An elusive carnivore

On the forested mountain slopes of the Basque country, two Spanish biologists are on the track of a pair of secretive mammals. This story is part of the audio series One Species at a Time, and is scheduled to air on Living on Earth soon.

Fish forensics

Scientists have been using DNA techniques for some time to help protect endangered species of fish. But now they’re tackling a more complex problem – how to protect endangered populations of fish. My story aired on The World. Here’s a slideshow that I produced to accompany the radio piece:

Used lab equipment finds a second home overseas

Science is expensive. Labs in the U.S. can spend millions of dollars each year on equipment and supplies. But for scientists in the developing world, these costs are often prohibitive. And that’s where a clever idea has made all the difference.

My story aired on NPR’s All Things Considered.

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I also have a story airing this weekend on PRI’s Living on Earth, about 40 minutes into the hour. In brief: Sometimes you stumble upon an animal that’s just plain bizarre. So bizarre that it redefines what you even mean by the word “animal.”

Occupy Sukkot

Huge crowds marched this weekend against a number of social concerns gripping the country. Health care. Corporate greed. Unemployment. Solidarity marches linked to the Occupy Wall Street movement took to the streets from New York to San Francisco. But in Boston, protesters were supported by a different kind of observance…

This story aired on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.

Special thanks to Laura Evonne Steinman for this story idea.

The tangled web of Montana spiders

In E.B. White’s classic children’s book, Charlotte the barnyard spider saves Wilbur the pig from becoming roast pork for Christmas dinner. She does it by weaving a web with words designed to discourage the farmer intent on his feast. It turns out there are spiders in Montana spelling out a very different kind of message. And to see it, you just have to look closely.

This story aired on Living on Earth this past weekend, and it’s part of the audio series One Species at a Time.

Hands-on synagogue

None of Poland’s spectacular wooden synagogues survived the World Wars.  Now a team of experts and novices is bringing one of them back to life.  This audio slideshow was produced for Tablet Magazine by David McGuire and me.  Photography by Magda Braniewska.

For audio only: