Laelaps is On the Move

ByRiley Black
November 30, 2012
2 min read

On the Watchman Trail at Zion National Park, Utah. Photo by Tracey Switek.

I can’t remember the exact date anymore, but sometime last month I reached my six year science blogiversary.

I was just a directionless Rutgers University undergraduate at the time I started writing. I loved paleontology, but was unsatisfied with my college education, so I pursued the subject on my own time and used my blog to enthuse about what I was learning. I had no idea that I’d end up writing for the likes of Wired, Smithsonian, Slate, and Nature, not to mention have two books already behind me.

I’m incredibly fortunate to geek out about prehistory for a living, especially since my career is the accidental outcome of what started as a personal experiment. For the past two years, Wired Science has been my lab for part of that ongoing experiment. With all the dinosaurs penned up over at Smithsonian, this has been my place to play with horseshoe crabs, sharks, sabercats, crocodiles, flightless birds, and, of course, bear dogs (like the one that graces this blog’s banner).

But I’ve stretched myself too thin. Feeding two high-profile science blogs is extremely difficult. I feel like I’ve let Laelaps lag as I’ve tried to keep moving forward with books, articles, and other projects. I’ve been looking for a way to fold my efforts back under one header, and I was recently offered an opportunity to do so at a new home.

Today, I’m saying farewell to Wired Science, and soon I’ll be leaving Dinosaur Tracking, as well. I can’t say where I’m going, not just yet, but Laelaps will return and bring dinosaurs back into the flow of the blog. Don’t think of this as a goodbye – it’s more of a “This animal is temporarily off exhibit” sign.

Before I go, though, I must say that I’m deeply indebted to editor Betsy Mason for jumping at the chance to bring Laelaps to Wired Science. I’ve been proud to blog alongside fantastic and incredibly kind writers such as Deborah Blum, David Dobbs, Maryn McKenna, and Sam Arbesman.

For now, I’m going to take a deep breath, have a strong drink, and then get back to work on new material for the next iteration of Laelaps. I’ll announce the news on Twitter and Facebook in due time, and, when everything is unveiled, I hope that you all follow me over to my new home.

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