Archive for February, 2008
Oakland's Observatory
The original Oakland Observatory in the 1880’s, at Lafayette Square in Oakland. Credit: Chabot Space & Science Center archives.This year marks an anniversary for the astronomical heritage of Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area: Chabot Observatory turns 125! Originally established as the Oakland Observatory in 1883, the facility was a unique creature from the [...]
Post on Feb 29, 2008 by Ben Burress
Reporter's Notes and Map: Toxic Business of Dry Cleaning
View Larger Map California recently became the first state in the country to phase out a toxic chemical used in dry cleaning called perchloroethylene, or perc. The timing is such that cleaners will be able to wait until their current machines need to replaced (the normal lifespan of a perc machine is about 15 years) [...]
Post on Feb 28, 2008 by Amy Standen
Where have all the salmon gone?
Run down Recent news headlines have been full of Chinook salmon, but sadly the same cannot be said of Central Valley waterways. This fall, only about 90,000 Central Valley Chinook salmon returned to their home rivers and streams to spawn, down from more than 800,000 just a few years ago. Like most salmon, Central Valley [...]
Post on Feb 28, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
A Visit with Losers and Weaners
A Northern Elephant Seal at Ano Nuevo State Park.On a sunny Tuesday, our education staff quietly slipped out the zoo door and headed south for an off-site enrichment day: a day to learn and be inspired by nature, in order to teach and inspire others. We headed west, then south down the coast to the [...]
Post on Feb 28, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe
Star Clusters in the Milky Way
47 Tucunae My research group has temporarily stepped away from the distant universe to focus on the stars that are actually inside our galaxy. We’re looking at these stars because they are so bright and so well understood that we can use them to test the calibration of the telescopes we use to study the [...]
Post on Feb 25, 2008 by Kyle S. Dawson
Building to Beat Climate Change and Save Energy
Low winter light over the town of Iqaluit, the capitol of Nunavut,Canada. Photo by Bill Semple, architect and senior researcher at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.I recently heard Tom Friedman, the New York Times columnist, speak at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab about his soon to be published new book, Green: The New Red, White [...]
Post on Feb 23, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Reporter's notes: Sewage Happens
photo courtesy of the San Francisco Public Utilities CommissionWe’d had "aging infrastructure" on our story lists for some time when we first heard about the sewage spills in Mill Valley. When news came in that not just one, but two sewage spills had poured five million gallons of partially treated wastewater into Richardson Bay, we [...]
Post on Feb 21, 2008 by Amy Standen
Famous African American Scientists & Innovators: Part II
America might be on the pinnacle of a great change–namely having the first black President of the United States. The democratic primary race is still competitive between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. I was just in Washington, DC, over the President’s Day weekend and it was truly inspiring to see the support for Mr. Obama [...]
Post on Feb 20, 2008 by Cat
Quest Picks: Australia's Water-Guzzling Frogs
Today, Quest launches a new part of our blog, "Quest Picks." We scour the web and serve up the best of science, environment and nature content–from the Bay area and beyond–right to our readers. Today's pick is from YouTube. National Geographic, via YouTube, brings us the tale of Australia’s water-holding frog. This plucky amphibian rarely [...]
Post on Feb 18, 2008 by Amber Dance
The Tech Museum's Tech Challenge goes global
Guest blogger Lisa Croel of The Tech Museum in San Jose, CA sits in for Dr. Barry Starr this week. I remember loving science class as a kid. The paper-maché messes, the bubbling baking soda, all of the wonderful experiments… I loved it all. Now, many grammar school kids are lucky to get 15 minutes [...]
Post on Feb 18, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Nap time for the Sun: solar cycles
Extreme close-up of the Sun's visible surface, showing 'bubbling' cells of convecting gas–each the size of Northern California. credit: Hinode JAXA/NASA/PPARCBy all accounts, a new cycle-Cycle 24-in solar activity has begun… something you probably didn't notice since the beginning of a solar cycle is quite subtle…. First things first: what is a solar cycle, and [...]
Post on Feb 15, 2008 by Ben Burress
Gleaning scientific observations from ancient myths
I had the privilege this week of interviewing Isabel Hawkins, an astronomer and director of the Center for Science Education at Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory. We talked about how people use evidence in science, how it is that we know what we know. Hawkins isn't your ordinary astronomer. She began her career in an ordinary [...]
Post on Feb 15, 2008 by Robin Marks
Reporter's Notes: Designer Biofuels
Concern over global warming and rising gas prices has just about everyone, including presidential candidates, touting biofuels. Taking the energy from plants to make a gasoline alternative that can run our cars has great promise. But there are challenges to meeting the nation’s goal to replace 20 per cent of the nations annual gasoline consumption [...]
Post on Feb 14, 2008 by Andrea Kissack
Your Photos on QUEST TV – Call for Submissions
View our original YPOQ pilot featuring photographer Russ MorrisDo you love photographing Science, Environment and Nature in Northern California? Would you like to collaborate on a 2-minute QUEST TV short about your photography for an audience of over 100,000 viewers? We're launching a call for submissions for our new series of TV shorts, "YPOQ: Your [...]
Post on Feb 13, 2008 by Craig Rosa
Pet-Friendly Workplace
It’s 8:15 am on a sunny Monday; time to head to work. Got my work bag? Check. Keys? Check. Purse? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Waste-free, organic lunch? Check. Cat Carrier? Check. I gather my 6 month-old cats, Bear and Elphia, and off I go. I first brought them to work as tiny kittens out of necessity. [...]
Post on Feb 13, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe
Where in the web?
Saturn's moon Epimetheus from the Cassini spacecraft. Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA and APOD. On the bus in Denali National Park a few years ago, I found myself sitting next a couple from the East Bay. If you’ve ever been on the Denali bus, you know that it’s a long ride and [...]
Post on Feb 11, 2008 by Kyle S. Dawson
Save the rabbit (eared antennas)
Don't Sweat the Switch from Analog to Digital TV Broadcasting. The Government Will Rescue Your Old TV. Mostly. What does this have to do with energy conservation? Read on. Every old TV will be new again–for about $10. Photo credit: Human Productivity Lab, licensed through Creative Commons.When I was still new to the Bay Area, [...]
Post on Feb 08, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
The Right to Sunlight: Solar vs. Redwood Trees
In Silicon Valley, a battle between neighbors has turned into a different kind of face off: solar energy versus trees. It turns out that growing redwood trees can actually be a crime in California, if they block solar panels… as one couple in Sunnyvale found out the hard way. David Gorn reports on a new [...]
Post on Feb 07, 2008 by David Gorn
Discovery of a New Species: A Giant Elephant-Shrew
newly discovered Rhynchocyon udzungwensis the grey-faced sengiAlthough enigmatic new species of insects are fairly common discoveries, many large animals have already made an appearance on the species list. Charismatic animals such as mammals are one of the most documented on the planet and it is now very rare to find a new species in this [...]
Post on Feb 06, 2008 by Cat
Live! from the Green Carpet
January and February are exciting months for movie buffs like me. And no, I'm not referring to Golden Globes, Oscar nominations, or Screen Actors Guild awards. I'm talking about two wonderful "green" film festivals, both right here in our own watershed: the recent Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, and the San [...]
Post on Feb 04, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
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