Erik Vance
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Erik Vance is a science writer native to the Bay Area replanted in Mexico City as a non-native invasive. Like many in his field, he couldn't really hack it as a scientist and now works as a professional groupie. That said, "science groupie" is just the best job he can imagine, especially in Mexico. His work often focuses on interesting characters and has appeared in lots of places that he won't list here - to avoid looking like he's bragging. He often claims the m-dash is superior to the comma but secretly he just wishes the semicolon would come back into fashion.

Redux: Goodbye to the Friend I Never Met

I wrote this piece a year ago at the end of an exhausting story about the end of a species. I was angry and despondent. I wish I could say that a year has changed my perspective. Scientists have spotted a surprising six individuals more during their expedition to the Upper Gulf this year. But […]

When Is Screen Addiction Actually Addiction?

This week, I published a story with NOVA about the relationship between chemical addiction and screen addiction. For those of you who don’t know, screen addiction, internet gaming addiction, or basically any experience you’ve had with a Shonda Rhymes series at 3AM, are vaguely defined psychological conditions that that some experts consider to be addiction. […]

Redux: Ass Holes in the Desert

I wrote this earlier in the year, when there was a proliferation of assholes along the border. Since then, I had a chance to peruse the area. Yup, they’re all still there.  Non-native species get a lousy rap. Now don’t get me wrong, often they deserve it. Between the nutrias, peacock bass, eucalyptus trees, and lionfish of […]

I Don’t Like Parenting

I have a confession to make. I’m worried that I don’t like parenting. Don’t get me wrong, I like being a parent. And I definitely love my kid. I like hanging with my family, grilling dinner, listening to my son babble incoherently as my wife giggles and pretends to understand. But the actual work of […]

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

After seven years living amongst our neighbors to the south, I have recently returned “home” to the US of A. I say “home” because I’m a West Coast kid and now I live in Baltimore, which is nothing like the West Coast. Honestly, I culture-shocked less moving from California to Mexico City. And also, because […]

Snark Week: An Underground, Organized Crime Syndicate

Welcome to Snark Week 2018! Many years ago I worked as an environmental consultant for developers looking to meet and/or skirt federal and state regulators. People used to tell me I was on the leading edge of environmental work – where the rubber met the road. It didn’t feel that way. Mostly I felt like […]

Welcome to Snark Week 2018!

It’s been another year full of terror and destruction and to celebrate everything that makes us afraid, the Discovery Channel is hosting its annual fear fest, called Shark Week. But we at LWON have always felt that fear of sharks is just a cheap and easy way to tickle our amygdalae. And while we may […]