Archive for February, 2009
Reporter's Notes: Playing with Lead
It's easy to get scared. You look around the Oakland office of the Center for Environmental Health, and lead is everywhere. Piles of toys that are loaded with lead. Lunch boxes and kids' backpacks that have tested positive for high levels of lead. Samples of artificial turf.
Post on Feb 27, 2009 by David Gorn
NASA's Kepler: Staring Down Earth-like Planets
For several years there has been a lot of buzz about the detection of extra-solar planets, or exoplanets: planets orbiting stars other than our Sun. However, due to the limits in technology and observational capabilities, to date only large, gas giant planets orbiting close to the stars (so called "Hot Jupiters") have been found, with a possible exception or two.
Post on Feb 27, 2009 by Ben Burress
What Makes Us Care About Nature?
This question comes up endlessly in the world of environmental education. How do you inspire a person to learn, care and then take action for the environment? As someone whose professional goal is to inspire earth stewardship, I often ask anyone who will answer this big question.
Post on Feb 25, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe
"Leafing" Through the Economic Stimulus Package
Highlights from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed by President Obama on Tuesday.
Post on Feb 23, 2009 by Jim Gunshinan
Reporter's Notes: Redesigning the Bay
The most recent estimate looks pretty dire. The Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), a state planning agency, says it expects San Francisco Bay to rise about 16 inches by 2050, and 55 inches by the end of the century.
Post on Feb 20, 2009 by David Gorn
Inside the Stanford Linear Accelerator
On the heels of the opening of the Large Hadron Collider last year, I was curious about these particle accelerators: how they work, what research is conducted there, and most importantly why.
Post on Feb 19, 2009 by Kishore Hari
The World's Largest Seed
Last Thursday, February 12th, was the inaugural evening of NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences, a weekly science evening for adults. It was also Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. To honor the father of evolution, Academy researchers unveiled Darwin's Carnival, a collection of curious specimens brought out from our collections, including Botany, Ornithology & Mammalogy, Entomology, Herpetology, Invertebrate Zoology, Geology, and the Library Archives.
Post on Feb 19, 2009 by Cat
Happy Birthday Charlie!
This month marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of "On the Origin of Species". If Darwin were alive today, I think he would be very pleased.
Post on Feb 17, 2009 by Dr. Barry Starr
Reporter's Notes: Mass Transit Housing Plan
Even in these difficult economic times, California's population continues to grow, and those additional people are going to need a place to live. Recent legislation in California directs city planners to make environmentally responsible choices for new housing. One way to do that is to create transit villages.
Post on Feb 13, 2009 by Andrea Kissack
The Joys of Citizen Science
Though it's easy to forget, any kid with a magnifying glass can tell you that you don't need a fancy degree to be a scientist. All it takes is a curious mind and a keen eye for observation. And in case the mere thought of a world full of wonders isn't enough to get you motivated, there are dozens of ways your personal observations can contribute to formal, published research. It's called "citizen science".
Post on Feb 13, 2009 by Rachel Zurer
Age of Aquarius: Are We There Yet?
"Can you tell me about the upcoming beginning of the Age of Aquarius?" said the voice on the phone. "I heard that it starts this Saturday…."
Post on Feb 13, 2009 by Ben Burress
How do you use QUEST?
How do you use QUEST? Take our 10 minute online survey and be entered to win a $50 Amazon certificate.
Post on Feb 12, 2009 by Craig Rosa
When Tech Evolves
For the last forty-five minutes, I have been perusing the California Academy of Sciences website, trying to think of a topic for this blog piece. It is 10 PM on the day before my entry is due, and I am doing what I have been doing since college – procrastinating! But now the Internet makes that so much more time consuming. Going through the pages and sifting ideas to see what might work, I am drawn into how technology and the Internet are making so much available to the public, and how information interacts at so many intersections. You just need to look at the Academy's website for examples.
Post on Feb 11, 2009 by Cat
Producer's Notes: Chasing Beetles, Finding Darwin
Today QUEST TV broadcasts its half-hour documentary "Chasing Beetles, Finding Darwin," which tells the story of California Academy of Sciences beetle expert David Kavanaugh's unusual prediction that a new species of beetle would be found in Northern California's Trinity Alps.
Post on Feb 10, 2009 by Gabriela Quirós
Reporter's Notes: Investigating Darwin's Legacy
This year marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin – and the 150th anniversary of his landmark work, "On the Origin of Species". One of the iconic fossils that supports Darwin's theory of evolution is called the Archaeopteryx.
Post on Feb 06, 2009 by David Gorn
The President Said "Weatherization"
I woke up this morning in Washington DC to snow flurries and then, at a conference of the National Association of State Community Service Providers (NASCSP), to a blizzard of acronyms. I will be dreaming of strings of letters for the rest of the year.
Post on Feb 06, 2009 by Jim Gunshinan
Charles in Charge! Darwin Around the Bay Area
As I mentioned in a previous post, February 12th marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the "Origin of Species".
All across the world, scientists are leading a month long celebration of the man & his science, widely seen as the public hero of science & science education.
Post on Feb 05, 2009 by Kishore Hari
Gorilla Cough
Forgive me for being Gorilla-Crazy and writing yet another blog about these creatures, but anyone who has completed a gorilla trek understands the obsession and concern. One issue: We make them sick.
Post on Feb 05, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe
A Long and Winding DNA
How long would the DNA from every living thing on Earth stretch? Could we make it to the next star? The next galaxy? The end of the Universe?
Post on Feb 02, 2009 by Dr. Barry Starr
Twitter
Facebook
EveryTrail
YouTube
Flickr
Google +
iTunes Video
RSS Video
RSS News
iTunes Audio
RSS Audio
