laelaps | September 4, 2009I'm still re-acclimating to New Jersey (I think northern Utah suits me better) so blogging has been a little slow. I have a spate of book reviews and other posts in the works, but for the moment I wanted to ask my remaining readership a question. Who are your favorite science writers working today and why? (I have no doubt Carl Zimmer will be a top choice.) Additionally, are there any up-and-coming science writers you think the rest of us should be watching? (My pick would be Ed Yong for this one.) Have at it in the comments.
[And many thanks to T. Ryan Gregory for placing me on a list of "…
laelaps | September 4, 2009
A sign warning visitors about elk at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone (with a female elk in the background). The well-groomed lawns there provided a 24/7 buffet for the herbivores.
Some people ignored the signs.
laelaps | September 3, 2009
A black bear (Ursus americanus) walking along the trail near Leigh Lake in Grand Teton National Park. It was one of two black bears I saw along the trail that afternoon.
laelaps | September 2, 2009
A female mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) photographed by the road in Grand Teton National Park.
laelaps | September 1, 2009
A lone female elk in the morning fog near Grizzly Lookout. I had heard one of the Hayden Valley wolf packs in this area just a few minutes before taking this photo.
While traveling through Yellowstone National Park I was struck by the way in which the park's wilderness is being reshaped and redefined every day. Yellowstone workers and administrators have engaged in a herculean effort to restore the wildness of the nation's first national park, from the celebrated reestablishment of the bison herds to the cessation of bear feeding at park garbage dumps, but there still are tensions between…
laelaps | September 1, 2009
A group of bison (Bison bison) walking down the road in Yellowstone National Park, not far from Uncle Tom's Trail. The roads are frequently used by the bison and have been important to the population's recovery within the park.
laelaps | August 31, 2009
The larger of the two dogs in the campground in Wyoming's Wind River Range mountains.
After more than an hour of navigating the pothole-pocked dirt road leading up to the park Tracey and I finally made it to our campsite in the Big Sandy Opening in Wyoming's Wind River Range. It was cold despite the sunshine, especially considering that we had spent the previous day (the 17th) splitting Eocene-age shale in a heat-baked rock quarry. It wasn't long after we began to unpack that the dog appeared.
We thought she belonged to someone else. She was an adult Pyrenean Mountain Dog, and was happily…
laelaps | August 31, 2009
A male pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), photographed yesterday morning at Antelope Island State Park, Utah.
laelaps | August 31, 2009
A black bear, photographed at Grand Teton National Park.
I'm back! I have a lot of cleaning up to do (both around the apartment and on this blog, especially the latter because of all the spam that has accumulated during my absence), but I thought I would post something to let you all know that I made it home safely. It was a wonderful trip. I have lots of photos and stories to share, so watch this blog and Dinosaur Tracking during the next few weeks for all the details.
laelaps | August 24, 2009
Earlier this month I shared with you a review of Stories in Stone, a new book on urban geology by David Williams. It was a very enjoyable read, but I had a few questions about it. Fortunately David was glad to answer them, and you can see my interview with him below;
[Brian Switek] What got you interested in geology in the first place, and urban geology in particular? When did the idea for Stories in Stone first strike you?
[David Williams] An intro to physics class sparked my interest in geology. After getting a 16% on a three-hour quiz, I realized I wasn't cut out for physics.…