Laurie McAndish King

California Academy of Sciences: The Rainforest in my Back Yard

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My favorite rainforest is less than four miles from downtown San Francsico. I’ve visited rainforests around the world—in Argentina and Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, in the mountains of Madagascar, and in Queensland, Australia. Each has its charms: rare plants, endangered animals, gorgeous butterflies. But they also come with swarms of hungry mosquitoes, hairy spiders the […]

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Australian Animals—Weird and Wonderful

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If you love animals and want to see some unusual ones, Australia is the place to visit. One of only 12 “megadiverse” countries that together account for 75% of the world’s total biodiversity, Australia is home to more than 1,000,000 plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else on earth.

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Another Trinity: Exploring the Dark Side of Irish Cuisine

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By Laurie McAndish King. I learned to bake brown soda bread from my Grandma Hayes. She stood nearly five feet tall, always straight and proud, had red hair and freckles that she hated, and strong, cool arms that I loved. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Grandma also taught me about transformation: creating rich sustenance from the simplest of ingredients.

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