Archive for August, 2008
Opportunity is Still Rockin'!
Is there life on Mars? Well, that investigation is still ongoing–but from a cybernetic perspective, the surface of Mars is literally crawling with it: in the form of robots!
Post on Aug 29, 2008 by Ben Burress
A Viral Infection that Might One Day Cure Diabetes
People get Type 1 diabetes when their bodies attack and destroy their own islet cells. These people can't make insulin anymore. The best cure would be if scientists could replace the old islet cells with new ones.
Post on Aug 29, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Your Photos on QUEST #3: and the winner is…
Flickr photo community member jalbersmead (John Albers-Mead) will be collaborating with KQED staff on our next 2-minute YPOQ segment for broadcast and web distribution. It will air on November 18, 2008.
Post on Aug 28, 2008 by Craig Rosa
Reporter's Notes: Sea of Plastic
It's hard to imagine the scope and breadth of the Great Garbage Patch that lies in the North Pacific Gyre in the Pacific Ocean between the West Coast and Hawaii. It's estimated to be about double the size of Texas.
Post on Aug 22, 2008 by David Gorn
R.I.P. for CFLs? LEDs to Light our Future
I've been a cheerleader for compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) in this blog and will abandon the technology in a millisecond. When it comes to technology, my loyalties are short lived.
Post on Aug 22, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Behind the gat(ors!) at Cal Academy, part I
The building is a flurry of constant activity and I've decided to dedicate the next few blogs to highlight some of the activity behind the closed glass doors and the spot that has gotten the attention of staff the past few weeks has been the swamp tank.
Post on Aug 21, 2008 by Cat
Producer's Notes: Cal Academy Comes To Life
By the time I was ten years old I knew the old California Academy of Sciences building by heart. After countless birthday parties, field trips and family outings, my brother and I, along with our sugar-filled urchin gang of friends and cousins, could have led tours of "the Aquarium."
Post on Aug 19, 2008 by Chris Bauer
Producer's Notes: Autism: Searching for Causes
It's challenging to report on an illness such as autism, which scientists and doctors are only beginning to understand (the disease was described in the 1940s) and over which there is so much debate. There is even disagreement around the question of whether or not there has been a real increase in the number of children being diagnosed with autism in California.
Post on Aug 19, 2008 by Gabriela Quirós
QUEST Quiz: Water
How much water does it take to produce a steak? How much water does a leaky toilet waste? Test your water knowledge in this quiz.
Post on Aug 19, 2008 by Craig Rosa
Better Eating Through Genetic Engineering
In a new studt out in Nature Neuroscience, scientists tinkered with a single gene in a mouse and made it less likely to get fat. Finally I can eat as many Double Stufs as I want without worrying about gaining weight. If scientists can turn what they've learned into a pill that is.
Post on Aug 18, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Reporter's Notes: Decoding the Emotional Brain
Being a neurologist in the era of fMRI scanners must feel like being a kid in a candy shop. What's going in there while we're, say, shopping? How about reading? Watching campaign ads? Now that we have a way to take real-time images of the brain at work, the scientific possibilities are endless. On the [...]
Post on Aug 15, 2008 by Amy Standen
Mars Phoenix: Is It Ice Yet?
Since witnessing the historic landing of NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander on May 25, I've been holding my breath to learn if Phoenix has made the discovery it set out to make: whether it landed on a vast deposit of water ice near Mars' northern polar cap.
Post on Aug 15, 2008 by Ben Burress
Producer's Notes: Ghost Fleet
On the surface of the story, the Ghost Fleet of Suisun Bay is leaking toxic waste in the form of peeling ship paint containing nasty heavy metals into an already stressed bay ecosystem. Bad guys: Mothball Fleet. Good guys: Enviros who are suing. Simple, right?
Post on Aug 12, 2008 by Amy Miller
Producer's Notes: Macro Concerns in a Nano World
When I was assigned to work on our QUEST story on nanotechnology, I braced myself for the complex terrain ahead. The focus is on the public policy implications of the surge in consumer goods containing nanoparticles. And just how big is the market for nano-manufactured goods?
Post on Aug 12, 2008 by Sheraz Sadiq
Producer's Notes: Cool Critters: Hyenas
OK, they might look a bit like a great potential pet, but as dog-like as they are, you really don't want one of these at home. They're spotted hyenas – and they're native to sub-Saharan Africa. And I guarantee you that they're tougher and stronger than they look.
Post on Aug 12, 2008 by Josh Rosen
Reporter's Notes: Acidic Seas
The scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) are already well-known for uncovering some of the most extreme marine animals in the deep sea, like the incredible vampire squid. But recently, they're using their unique blend of biology and engineering to study one of the least-discussed impacts of climate change: ocean acidification.
Post on Aug 08, 2008 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
Of Birds, Poets, and Architects
A Passivhaus is so well designed that it doesn't need a furnace for heating or an air conditioner for cooling. Because the house is so well sealed, it needs to be ventilated mechanically. That is done through a heat recovery ventilator, a device that pulls up to 80% of the heat from exhaust air and transfers it to the incoming, fresh air.
Post on Aug 08, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
6 MORE Simple Things You Can Do to Help the Bay: Conservation Edition
I hadn't been working at The Bay Institute long when our then Executive Director dropped a packet of information on my desk and asked me to draft a letter. The topic? Urinals.
Post on Aug 07, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
Kids Take Aim in Cal Academy Photo Contest
For the next generation, cell phones, computers, and digital cameras are something they have always known. While I had to get to know how to use the technology as it was developed, they have been introduced to it already molded and they are incredibly comfortable using it. This became readily clear to me coordinating the California in Your Backyard Youth Photo Contest.
Post on Aug 06, 2008 by Cat
YPOQ 3: Your Photos on QUEST TV – Call for Submissions thru 8/21/08
Do 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?
Post on Aug 05, 2008 by Craig Rosa
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