Andy Isaacson Writing and Photography NEWS

NY Times Arts: Why Men Always Tell You to See Movies

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:40:30 +0000

Ever wondered why you almost never hear women doing the voiceovers for movie trailers? Not sure why I did, but I found some interesting research behind how audiences react differently to men’s and women’s voices. From last Sunday’s Arts & Leisure section:

“What gender is the voice of God? The question has been pondered by mystics through the ages, but in the sanctuary of cinema the voice of a sonorous, authoritative, fear-inspiring yet sometimes relatable presence is, invariably, that of a man. Consider the trailer and the omniscient, disembodied voice that introduces moviegoers to a fictional world….”

NY Times Sports: Egypt’s Squash Players

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:16:49 +0000

I’ve got a piece in today’s Sports section on Egyptian dominance in the sport of squash.

“In Egypt we don’t obey rules as the English, or Germans, or in the States,” said Ramy Ashour, the former world champion. “This helps us in squash.”

NY Times Science: Borneo’s Orangutans

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:46:10 +0000

I was in Borneo last month to see the magnificent and adorable orangutans, and shot this photo essay about our close relatives.

Here’s the accompanying piece: ”All life is precious, but the demise of the orangutan hits especially close to home….”

Skiing Magazine: Ruby Mountain Heli-Skiing

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:13:56 +0000

Nevada’s high northeastern desert, there are 200,000 skiable acres and several summits that top 11,000 feet, and a small heliski operation that has wielded a monopoly on dumps in this remote range for 34 years

Here’s my piece in the December issue of Skiing Magazine.

Audubon Magazine: The Year in Species Discoveries

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:07:03 +0000

2011 was the year that a new, iron-oxide-eating bacterium was found devouring the Titanic. Scientists learned of a mushroom in Brazil that enters and then alters the brains of carpenter ants, causes them to die in the act of eating shrub leaves, and then grows out their heads—the scientists nicknamed it the “zombie-ant fungus.” Four new bees were identified in New York City, and 12 new frog species were located in India, including one that croaks like a meowing cat. In Southeast Asia’s Mekong region, researchers counted 200 new species this year, among them a female-only lizard that clones itself. A Mexican fisherman inadvertently pulled up a rare, one-eyed cyclops shark. And researchers combing a South African mine found, living in the fluid-filled rock fractures, the deepest-known multicellular organism: a nematode worm, grazing on bacteria.

My round-up of some of the bizarre and unexpected creatures that were entered into the annals of life as we know it this year.

Popular Science: Traversing Antarctica

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:03:30 +0000

This winter the National Science Foundation and one of its contractors, Raytheon Polar Services, is shuttling fuel 1,040 miles from its coastal Antarctic base, McMurdo Station—the primary American logistical hub—to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. A century ago, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the pole. He used sled dogs and skis; the NSF and Raytheon will soon use automated Caterpillar and Case tractors. The robotic vehicles will crawl across the continent at 5 to 12 mph for 24 hours a day, accomplishing in just a week and a half what took Amundsen nearly two months. Here’s how they’re doing it.

2011 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards

admin — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:47:58 +0000

Nice to pick up a couple Lowell Thomas awards again this year, for both the writing and photography of my Amazon story that ran in the NY Times last fall. See it here.

Tonga: Swimming with Humpback Whales

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:24:07 +0000

In August I spent 10 days in Tonga swimming with humpback whales, on assignment for ISLANDS Magazine. It blew me away. Check out this short video about the experience.

My feature, on snorkeling with humpback and marine conservation, will appear in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

WSJ: High-Flying Adventure

admin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:24:16 +0000

I passed through Queenstown, New Zealand last January en route to Antarctica. For the Wall Street Journal, I came up with the idea for a piece in which I would cram a bunch of adrenaline activities into a single day. So here you have it–jetboating, whitewater rafting, and bungy jumping. Includes a video of me screaming for my life in free fall over a river canyon.

Smithsonian: Philippines biodiversity expedition

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:31:03 +0000

This spring I spent three weeks in the Philippines with a team of scientists from the California Academy of Sciences, trawling the ocean floor, canvassing the jungly flanks of volcanoes and diving in coral reefs. The scientists believe they have discovered more than 300 species that are new to science–including colorful new sea slugs, dozens of spiders and a shrimp-eating swell shark that lives 2,000 feet under the sea.

The research expedition constituted the largest, most comprehensive scientific survey ever conducted in the Philippines, one of the most species-rich places on earth.

You can find my story and photos at Smithsonian.

I have some other photos at National Geographic News.