Author: Kevin Krajick

Kevin Krajick is the Columbia Climate School’s senior editor for science news. He grew up in the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley of upstate New York, where he worked at his high-school newspaper. He started his professional career as a reporter covering crime, police and prisons across the United States. He has since reported from all 50 U.S. states and 30-some countries, writing about science, medicine, immigration and other subjects. His work has been featured in National Geographic, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Science, Smithsonian and many other publications. He was a 1981 finalist for the National Magazine Award for Public Service for his reporting on organized crime’s links to the toxic waste-disposal industry. He is two-time winner of the American Geophysical Union’s Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism, and his work has been featured repeatedly in the yearly book “Best American Science and Nature Writing.” His widely praised 2001 book “Barren Lands” is the true account of how two prospectors discovered diamonds in Canada’s remote far north. Krajick holds degrees in comparative literature and journalism from Columbia University. He lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife and a tiny white dog.

Did the World’s Best-Preserved Dinosaurs Really Die in ‘Pompeii’ Events?

A new study throws cold water on the long-accepted dogma that exquisitely preserved fossils found in China were the result of cataclysmic volcanic eruptions.
Dinosaurs Thrived After Ice, Not Fire, Says a New Study of Ancient Volcanism

The leading hypothesis for a mass extinction that cleared the way for dinosaurs to dominate the Earth has long been excessive heat. A new study says the opposite.
Tree Rings, Climate Change and the Rainy Season

Seeking to understand the history of the southeast Asian monsoon, researchers venture into the remote highlands of Vietnam to sample the rings of behemoth cypress trees that have survived for a thousand years.
Shaking From April’s New Jersey Quake Went Oddly Far, Raising Questions on Regional Hazard

An earthquake on April 5, 2024, was felt at surprisingly long distances. What does it mean for assessing regional hazard?
Ancient Ocean Sediments Reveal Analog to Human-Influenced Warming

Analyses of tiny shelled creatures from the distant past allow scientists to understand what might happen to the climate today.
New 400-Year Record Shows Great Barrier Reef Faces Catastrophic Damage

The six hottest years faced by the world’s largest reef system have occurred since 2004, with corresponding mass bleaching events.
Ancient Plant, Insect Bits Confirm Greenland Melted in Recent Geologic Past

Bits of plants and insects under thousands of meters of ice at the center of Greenland show that tundra existed there within the last million years.
Planting Some Tree Species May Worsen, Not Improve, NYC Air, Says New Study

New York is planting large numbers of trees in order to improve the city’s livability. But emissions from some species interact with tailpipe and building pollutants to form smog.
Study Challenges Popular Idea That Easter Islanders Committed ‘Ecocide’

A popular trope says settlers overtaxed an isolated Pacific island, wrecked the environment and suffered a population collapse. A new study claims the opposite.

Did the World’s Best-Preserved Dinosaurs Really Die in ‘Pompeii’ Events?

A new study throws cold water on the long-accepted dogma that exquisitely preserved fossils found in China were the result of cataclysmic volcanic eruptions.
Dinosaurs Thrived After Ice, Not Fire, Says a New Study of Ancient Volcanism

The leading hypothesis for a mass extinction that cleared the way for dinosaurs to dominate the Earth has long been excessive heat. A new study says the opposite.
Tree Rings, Climate Change and the Rainy Season

Seeking to understand the history of the southeast Asian monsoon, researchers venture into the remote highlands of Vietnam to sample the rings of behemoth cypress trees that have survived for a thousand years.
Shaking From April’s New Jersey Quake Went Oddly Far, Raising Questions on Regional Hazard

An earthquake on April 5, 2024, was felt at surprisingly long distances. What does it mean for assessing regional hazard?
Ancient Ocean Sediments Reveal Analog to Human-Influenced Warming

Analyses of tiny shelled creatures from the distant past allow scientists to understand what might happen to the climate today.
New 400-Year Record Shows Great Barrier Reef Faces Catastrophic Damage

The six hottest years faced by the world’s largest reef system have occurred since 2004, with corresponding mass bleaching events.
Ancient Plant, Insect Bits Confirm Greenland Melted in Recent Geologic Past

Bits of plants and insects under thousands of meters of ice at the center of Greenland show that tundra existed there within the last million years.
Planting Some Tree Species May Worsen, Not Improve, NYC Air, Says New Study

New York is planting large numbers of trees in order to improve the city’s livability. But emissions from some species interact with tailpipe and building pollutants to form smog.
Study Challenges Popular Idea That Easter Islanders Committed ‘Ecocide’

A popular trope says settlers overtaxed an isolated Pacific island, wrecked the environment and suffered a population collapse. A new study claims the opposite.