Copy Writing & Copy Editing
As a staffer, I was a professional, full-time science editor for more than eight years.
Follow the “Truthy” Tweets to Find Twitter’s Political Spammers
Discover, November 2 2010.
Last week an account going by the name @PeaceKaren_25 was suspended by Twitter.com. We wouldn’t normally care about some spambot getting picked off, but PeaceKaren is important because she wasn’t peddling porn or popups–she was a political puppet… →
Sexy Black Truffle Porn: Not as Exciting as You Hoped
Discover, November 1 2010.
Scientists are starting to unravel the sex secrets of the black truffle, that rare and expensive delicacy, in hopes of making its cultivation easier. It turns out the fungus has two different sex-like states, and both must be present to reproduce. One truffle can.. →
Miniature Human Liver Grown in Lab; Seems to Work Like the Real Thing
Discover, November 1 2010.
Researchers have built miniature human livers in the lab, which could lead to better drug discovery and could even point the way toward implantable artificial organs. The mini-livers seem to act like human livers in the lab, but it remains to be seen how well they’ll.. →
iPhone Alarm Bug Gave Thousands of Europeans an Excuse to Sleep in
Discover, November 1 2010.
A glitch in the iPhone’s alarm software gave many Europeans an extra dose of sleep this morning, when their alarms went off an hour later than expected.
While the time on the phone correctly “fell backward” with Europe’s scheduled switch.. →
Don’t Try This at Home: Flamingos Get Their Blush From Oily Rump Glands
Discover, October 29 2010.
Researchers found new evidence of the importance of make-up while studying Spanish flamenco dancers flamingos. The scientists discovered that the birds augment their signature coloring by applying tints drawn from their own glands–and they use their painted.. →
“Octopus Head War” Pits Korean Health Officials Against Fishermen
Discover, October 29 2010.
Charges by South Korean health officials that octopus heads contain large and unhealthy amounts of the heavy medal cadmium have sparked a war with the fishermen who profit from the $35 million-a-year trade. Octopus heads are a popular delicacy in South Korea, revered.. →
Everest Gets 3G Coverage; Avalanche of Tweets & Status Updates to Follow
Discover, October 29 2010.
Ncell, a subsidiary of the Swedish telecom company TeliaSonera, has installed a 3G data network in a Nepalese town that should reach the summit of Mount Everest. This high up, high-tech improvement will allow summit-ers to communicate with friends, family, and organizers.. →
Plastic Chemical BPA Linked to Lower Sperm Count & Quality
Discover, October 29 2010.
A new study of 218 Chinese men found that even low levels of the controversial plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA) can lower sperm quality and count. For the study, which was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, researchers noted the participants’.. →
Take the “Ultimate Intelligence Test” to Find out if You’re Ultimately Smart
Discover, October 28 2010.
There are many different kinds of intelligent. Are you book smart? Street smart? Good at school and test-taking smart? Good at schmoozing your way out of deadlines and into jobs smart? Better at writing or math? One new intelligence test, put online today by New.. →
How “Snowball Earth” Could Have Triggered the Rise of Life
Discover, October 28 2010.
The retreat of the ice covering “Snowball Earth” 700 million years ago might have been the key to the Cambrian explosion that seeded our planet with diverse forms of life. But the trigger may not have been the changes to the climate, but rather the release.. →