Best American Science Writing 2009

Back from Europe. Jetlagged and exhausted. Still, I’m writing away on my travel articles. Of late, I’ve focused my energy on travel, culture, and science writing.

Good science writers are able to make what’s often arcane science information accessible to the lay reader. I love to read original science. Especially peer-reviewed articles about human health. And I also appreciate science writing that helps elucidate difficult concepts in biology, physics, math, and astronomy.

Science writing about West Africa’s last herd of wild giraffes

Tired as I am, I was happy to return to Ashland with a nice bit of news.

You may remember that my article about the last herd of West African giraffes, “Looking Up,” was the November 2008 cover story in Smithsonian Magazine.

The article describes being in the bush with a scientist who is following and studying these majestic creatures.

Niger, West Africa

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world.

A place of stark beauty, an astonishing variety of animal species, and an encroaching desert. One of the biggest threats to these giraffes, historically, has been humans. The government of Niger protects them now.

But food is scarce, drought sometimes decimates the millet crops, and many villagers in Niger go hungry.

So when a giraffe is inadvertently killed by a car, the villagers eat every morsel of the animal.

Science journalist Natalie Angier is including “Looking Up” in her anthology, Best American Science Writing 2009, published by HarperCollins.

Natalie Angier’s book

Here’s a description of the book:

Edited by Natalie Angier, the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times columnist and bestselling author of Woman: An Intimate Geography, Best American Science Writing 2009 is the ninth edition of the popular annual series hailed as “superb brain candy” (Kirkus) and dedicated to collecting the most crucial, thought-provoking and engaging science writing of the year. Provocative and engaging, the Best American Science Writing 2009 as edited by Angier covers the full spectrum of scientific inquiry—from biochemistry, physics, and astronomy to genetics, evolutionary theory, and cognition.

Superb brain candy. I love that.

Enjoy!

Published: April 1, 2009
Updated: January 25, 2024

Related articles:

Things Are Looking Up For West Africa’s Wild Giraffes
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About Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D.

Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D., is an investigative journalist, book author, and Fulbright awardee. She is the author of Your Baby, Your Way: Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Parenting Decisions for a Happier, Healthier Family, co-author (with Paul Thomas, M.D.) of The Vaccine-Friendly Plan, and The Addiction Spectrum: A Compassionate, Holistic Approach to Recovery. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.