Who are you?

I'm James Gaines. I was born in Texas to a line of writers and eccentrics, grew up in a cabin in the woods, and once had a pet alligator snapping turtle for about two hours. I'm currently living in Seattle, where I meander aimlessly around the neighborhood and make up stories about Bronze Age civilizations.

What do you do for work?

I've been a professional science writer and journalist for about two years. Before that I worked for at genetics labs and conservation programs for about three years as a writer, editor, and marketer. I have a Bachelors in Biology from the University of Puget Sound and eventually found my way over to England, where I got a Master's in Science Journalism from City University, London.

Why specialize in science journalism?

I feel like the human condition is, at its heart, trying to figure out your place in the world. Science can answer quite a lot of that – what this world is, for instance, what it is made of, and where we are going. But you need the rest of the story too. The human part, full of struggle, and hope, and incremental progress. Science journalism is, for me, where those two parts meet.

Where can I see some of your work?

My writing has appeared in Upworthy, The Guardian's Tech Observer Monthly, Nature, and LiveScience. I've also worked as an editor and have done some radio production as well. In fact, my graduate thesis was a 15-minute piece about feuding fossil collectors on the English coastline! You can see some selected clips of mine below.