Melissa Gaskill

Joined: Jul 16, 2014

Independent journalist Melissa Gaskill covers science, the environment, and adventure travel for a variety of print and online publications and is the author of two books: A World-Wide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles and Best Hikes with Dogs: Texas Hill Country and Gulf Coast. She enjoys kakaying, hiking, scuba diving and anything to do with the ocean, and can be found @MelissaGaskill.

11 Facts About the Vaquita, The World's Most Endangered Porpoise

The Troubling Consequences of the Vanishing Ice at Glacier National Park

NOAA Fisheries Service scientists disentangle a young North Atlantic right whale off the coast Florida.

Meet the Biologists Who Rescue Whales Trapped in Fishing Gear

Should Scientists Battle Poachers by Keeping Animal Locations Secret?

4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Feed the Birds (Or Any Animals)

Step away from the bread.

Fat Cat via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0

8 Ways Domestic Cats Are a Serious Threat to Nature

We adore them too. Really. But this is a major problem.

11 Things You Might Not Know About the Gulf of Mexico

8. You could call it an aquatic highway.

9 Alarming Facts About Coral Reef Bleaching

The longest-lasting recorded global bleaching event began in 2014 and continues to affect coral reefs worldwide.

15 Shucking Amazing Facts About Oysters

3. Spring is when a young oyster looks for love.

Why We Track Asteroids Like the One That Flew by This Week

TX68 appeared to have a four in 1 billion chance of hitting Earth. That may sound like a long shot, but the odds were four times higher than the threshold NASA has set for potentially hazardous objects.

10 Bright Facts About the Northern Lights

Seeing the astronomical phenomena known as the northern lights, a.k.a. aurora borealis, is a bucket-list item for many people.

5 of the World's Largest Telescopes—and Their Discoveries

You can visit all of them.

8 Cool Things We Can Do With Satellites

Monitoring migration patterns and moisture levels are just two of the ways satellites help scientists.

10 Animals We Tag—and What We Learn From It

Tag, You're It

10 Crazy Things Your Smartphone Could Do

A citizen scientist takes a photo of scarlet mushrooms.

SCIENCE

10 Citizen Science Projects That Need Your Help

Can't leave your couch? You can still help scientists pore through data, transcribe notes, and observe wild animals, all from the comfort of your living room.