Archive for December, 2009
Dark Matter Tests Positive (Sort of)
Dark matter – think of matter as a fancy word for stuff – is one of the most exciting but also potentially frustrating phenomena in cosmology today.
Post on Dec 28, 2009 by Christopher Smallwood
Reporter's Notes: Solar Thieves
The economy may be in the tank but business is booming for solar security companies. A rash of solar panel thefts in the Napa Valley, and elsewhere, have spawned an entire new industry.
Post on Dec 23, 2009 by Andrea Kissack
In Conversation with Copenhagen
Last Thursday night at NightLife, Healy Hamilton called in from Copenhagen to give an update on the Copenhagen conference. This year is the 15th annual conference of the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Post on Dec 23, 2009 by Cat
Don't Forget about Life Style Choices
As readers of this blog might remember, I was recently diagnosed with metabolic syndrome just as I was undergoing DNA testing. This was a wake up call in a couple of different ways.
Post on Dec 21, 2009 by Dr. Barry Starr
Reporter's Notes: The Future of Phone Books
The white pages will be nearly eliminated, thanks to a bill facing the state legislature in 2010. But what will happen to the few Californians who still rely on an outmoded resource? One of the many interesting little side avenues (or, maybe it’s more like a rabbit hole) that I found myself pursuing while working [...]
Post on Dec 18, 2009 by Amy Standen
Spirit Digs a Little Deeper into Martian Geology
NASA's Mars rover Spirit has recently made an major accidental discovery in the course of trying to free itself from a sand trap….
Post on Dec 18, 2009 by Ben Burress
Climate Talks in Copenhagen: No Silver Bullet?
Between the aquarium of drowning-delegate sea-level rise protesters, the chicken flock of animal rights protesters, and the cocktail party of fur-coated protest protesters, there will certainly have been a lot to see these past two weeks in Copenhagen during the latest United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Post on Dec 17, 2009 by Christopher Smallwood
Reporter's Notes: DIY Rainwater Harvesting
If you're hoping to catch some rain yourself this winter in the Bay
Area, you shouldn't have any problems with supply. There's likely to
be plenty of water gushing off your roof, since even small ones shed
thousands of gallons over the course of a typical rainy season.
Post on Dec 11, 2009 by Katharine Mieszkowski
The Paper Battery Chase
Scientists at Stanford University are learning how to coat ordinary paper with an ink composed of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires to make an excellent energy storage device.
Post on Dec 11, 2009 by Jim Gunshinan
San Francisco Science Scene
I love researching and I always have. In high school, the librarians knew me by name because I spent more time with books than peers. In college, I would pick paper topics specifically to gain access to the Bancroft rare books library at Cal. In school, it was easy to fuel my nerdy interests and get lost into a battle of wits amongst friends but in adulthood, I have had to search for like-minded people and events. Below is my list of favorites intellectual haunts in the city.
Post on Dec 10, 2009 by Cat
Working Dogs for Conservation
With unemployment at an all time low, it seems controversial that some very solid jobs are going to non-humans, but there are just some things that humans will never be qualified to do.
Post on Dec 09, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe
Scenes from the Pacific Garbage Patch
Quest reporter Amy Standen talks with journalist Lindsey Hoshaw, who has recently returned from a trip to the Pacific Garbage Patch, about what she found there.
Post on Dec 08, 2009 by Amy Standen
Beware Helicopter Parents
Time recently had a great article on helicopter parents. These are the parents who hover around their kids, protecting them from any harm. They are undoubtedly doing this to ensure their kids’ success in life. I don’t want to get into the plusses and minuses of this parenting style…to each his own. What I do want to do is to warn them away from a new genetic testing company that seems designed to target them.
Post on Dec 07, 2009 by Dr. Barry Starr
Reporter's Notes: Boom Time for Open Space
It'll take about $13 million to buy Bruin Ranch – the 2,500 acre spread outside Auburn. Two land trusts are working hard to raise the cash: Trust for Public Land, one of the largest national land conservancy organizations, and a local group, Placer County Land Trust.
Post on Dec 04, 2009 by Amy Standen
New Evidence of Martian Life Found in Antarctica?
On Monday, November 30th, 2009, NASA/Johnson Space Center announced that a recent study strengthens the argument that chemical and structural features in a Martian meteorite—ALH84001—may be evidence of fossilized microbial life on Mars from the distant past.
Post on Dec 04, 2009 by Ben Burress
Science Event Pick – H1N1 Update
Art Reingold will provide an update concerning the global pandemic of novel H1N1(swine) influenza; the current state of affairs in the US and California; and options for prevention, including a pandemic influenza vaccine.
Post on Dec 03, 2009 by Kishore Hari
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