A Fishy Beachfront Orgy: The Tweet That Became An Article

By Jason G. Goldman on July 19, 2012

Earlier this summer, evolutionary biologist, wildlife photographer, and (most importantly) my friend Neil Losin asked if I wanted to drive down to Long Beach with him to check out the grunion run, and try to get some decent photos of it.

We went, and it was awesome, so I tweeted about it.

You guys. You have *got* to go see a grunion run. So, so, so cool.
— Jason G. Goldman (@jgold85) May 23, 2012

Then, my friend Zach Behrens, who I met when he was editor of LAist, saw my tweet and sent me a message asking if I'd be willing to write something up about it for KCET, where he is now editor-in-chief of blogs. (KCET is the largest independent public TV station in the US)

I agreed to write a piece and include a few of my better photos from the evening; Neil agreed to provide a few of his photos as well. Last night, that piece was published at the KCET blog "The Back Forty": What it's Like to Witness a Grunion Run.

Here's the moral of this story: you never know when an offhand tweet will lead to a commissioned piece of science writing. Go check it out: What it's Like to Witness a Grunion Run.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Jason G. Goldman

Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication.