Writer and editor, co-founder of The Statesider US Travel Newsletter. Formerly of Lonely Planet and Airbnb. Travel, food, outdoors, science, sustainability, green tech, climate, nature, botany.
Plant Immune Receptor Discovery Can Help Scientists Fight Agricultural Pandemics
New research shows how plants directly recognize pathogens, and how to help them fight off other attackers.
Using CRISPR Genome Editing to Make Cyanide-Free Cassava
Michael Gomez grew up eating cassava with his Colombian family. Now he’s editing its genes to make it safe for the world to consume.
There Are Places I Remember
Songs and places: How do they become linked in our travel memories? The Statesider’s Andy Murdock looks back at the songs he connects to specific places and times.
Float On: 100 Years of A&W in California
Celebrating 100 years of A&W Root Beer in California, founded in Lodi in 1919.
Designing the Sky: How Airline Route Maps Changed the Way We Travel
If you’ve ever spent too much time on a long flight staring at an in-flight magazine, tracing the arcing lines of a route map, dreaming of the destinations you could potentially fly to, this is the article for you.
The strange, tumultuous life of solar power at the White House
Press conferences at the White House tend to occur in predictable locations: The Briefing Room, the Rose Garden, the South Lawn. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter chose a loftier venue: the roof. He didn’t do it for the view over Washington, D.C.; he wanted to show off a brand-new array of 32 solar panels.
California guitar makers are going green
California has more than twice as many guitar makers as any other state. That’s good news for guitar players, woodworkers or anyone who’s simply curious to see how things are made, because many of these guitar makers are happy to show you their craft up close, from the traditional art to how California continues to shape the way the world sees and plays guitars.
Explore Every Day: An Interview with Author Alex Leviton
Why do we feel more adventurous, more outgoing, more like your true selves when we travel? Alex Leviton wonders why we’ve convinced ourselves that we can’t tap into those feelings closer to home.
Thrills and chills: North America’s most spectacular winter destinations
The places that hit peak beauty at the chilliest times of year are at their best for a short length of time. So grab your parka, embrace the chill and be one of the few to see these rare moments of winter wonder.
Riding the Napa Valley Wine Train
In 1864, Gold Rush millionaire Samuel Brannan had train tracks laid up the Napa Valley, in hopes of luring locals and travelers north from San Francisco to his new Calistoga spa resort. At first, his bright idea went over like a bottle of flat champagne.
The best of both worlds: great US cities for lovers of the outdoors
Looking for the best of both worlds? With these US cities, you can have your cake downtown and eat it too, then work it off on the trail, kayak across the bay or hit the mountain bike — action and adventure are right on the doorstep.
Impossible Foods: 2019 Impact Report
I was thrilled to get to work with Impossible Foods again this year on their 2019 Impact Report. Their in-house design team knocked it out of the park.
Bloomin' lovely: best places to see wildflowers in the US
Ready for a botanical adventure you won’t forget? From vast sweeps of color to brief bursts of brilliance, take your pick from these prime flower-spotting destinations across America.
The West is wild and weird in Locke, Sacramento Delta’s historic Chinatown
Many rural towns in California once had small Chinatowns; Locke is unique in that it’s nothing but Chinatown.
The evolutionary advantage of the teenage brain
Teens. OMG. What on earth is going on inside their brains to make them act so, well, like crazy teenagers?