In an interview with Regina Meredith originally webcast on October 24, 2012, New York Times science writer Jim Robbins explained why these vanishing plants provide so much more than shade.Jim Robbins is a New York Times science writer whose writing interests fall into two main camps: the environment and the human central nervous system. He considers the fact that he has been able to freely indulge his curiosity and get paid for it, one of his greatest accomplishments. .