QUEST Community Science Blog
Flame Retardants, Redux: From Toxic Couches to Buildings
Last June, Gov. Jerry Brown directed state agencies to change California's flammability standard to ensure fire safety without dousing furniture and other foam products with toxic chemicals. Now activists are focusing on an even bigger market for flame retardants: foam insulation in buildings.
Post on Nov 28, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
A Thanksgiving Ode to Dungeness Crab and the Bay
Discover the connection between delicious Dungeness crabs and the San Francisco Bay.
Post on Nov 23, 2012 by Sharol Nelson-Embry from QUEST Northern California
So How Much Does Carbon Cost?
Now we have a first glimpse of how California's experiment in carbon trading is working out. The state's first auction of industrial permits for greenhouse gases actually happened last week–but results were released on Monday.
Post on Nov 19, 2012 by Craig Miller from KQED Science
Turkey Trouble: Genetics Gone Too Far?
No, this isn’t a blog about genetically modified organisms — that has been argued enough lately! Instead, in honor of Thanksgiving, I want to talk about regular old selective breeding and the monsters it can create.
Post on Nov 19, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
China’s ‘Gridlock’ May Slow Conversion to Clean Energy
California and China share the challenge of updating their power grids for the new age of clean energy. But China's task would appear to be–um–bigger.
Post on Nov 16, 2012 by Marjorie Sun from KQED Science
Solar Powers China's March Toward Sustainability
China has vaulted out front in the solar power game. That's been good for consumers but perplexing to its California competitors.
Post on Nov 16, 2012 by Marjorie Sun from KQED Science
The Leonids Are Back!
The Leonids are back: the annual meteor shower of November that offers us the chance to see a bit of very ancient history disintegrate in a fiery second.
Post on Nov 16, 2012 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Geological Outings Around the Bay: Los Trancos Open Space
Lidar mapping unveils one of the Bay Area's best places to visit the San Andreas fault.
Post on Nov 15, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
Trophy Hunting: For the Love of Blood and Money
Trophy hunters routinely pay thousands of dollars for the chance to kill big game like caribou, moose, black bear and especially grizzly bear. Trophy hunting narratives boast a love of nature. But some sociologists find a different story.
Post on Nov 14, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Where Do California's Carbon Emissions Come From?
Cap-and-trade will initially regulate the industrial sector and utilities. Eventually, fuels will be phased into the program, too. It's all part of AB 32, the law that requires California to bring greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020. Here's a breakdown of where the emissions come from.
Post on Nov 09, 2012 by Craig Miller from KQED Science
Cap-and-Trade: The Glossary
You can’t navigate the new world of carbon trading unless you know the lingo. Here are some key terms.
Post on Nov 09, 2012 by Craig Miller from KQED Science
Nothing "Fishy" About Sustainable Seafood
Learn about what we can do to take care of our oceans, both for the fish and ourselves.
Post on Nov 09, 2012 by Sharol Nelson-Embry from QUEST Northern California
Earthquake Landslides: A Widespread Hazard
Earthquakes will always produce landslides, but new knowledge will help us deal with them better.
Post on Nov 08, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
Tracing the Origins of the Durian’s Stench
Researchers in Germany have identified compounds in durian that might be responsible for its unique smell.
Post on Nov 07, 2012 by Melissae Fellet from QUEST Northern California
Q & A – How Will the Solar Industry Shake Out?
Plummeting prices, trade war, record growth – it’s been a busy year for the solar industry. Reporter Lauren Sommer talks to a solar analyst about how California is doing in the rapidly changing global market.
Post on Nov 05, 2012 by Lauren Sommer
New Clues to Our Ancestors' Mobility
Australopithecus afarensis (the species of the well-known “Lucy” skeleton) was an upright walking species, but the question of whether it also spent much of its time in trees has been hotly debated for 30+ years, partly because a complete set of A. afarensis shoulder blades has never before been available for study.
Post on Nov 05, 2012 by Helen Taylor from QUEST Northern California
Ten Random Astro-Facts to Entertain and Boggle
I decided that instead of blogging on just one topic in astronomy, I'd blog about ten of them!
Post on Nov 02, 2012 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Crowdsourcing San Francisco Bay
The 1891-built Alma schooner once hauled goods around San Francisco Bay. Now it's part of a new crowdsourcing history project.
Post on Nov 01, 2012 by Andrea Kissack from KQED Science
Watching the Atmospheric Rivers Flow
Researchers are gearing up to monitor the flood-causing weather monsters known as atmospheric rivers.
Post on Nov 01, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
Frankenstein vs. Godzilla: What’s in Your Cereal Bowl?
In all of the recent discussion about genetically modified (GM) foods here in California, we’ve overlooked regular foods and how new traits are found (or created) in them. There isn’t usually a monk lovingly breeding peas in the Austrian countryside somewhere. Instead, more often than not, there is someone blasting a seed with radiation and/or harmful chemicals.
Post on Oct 31, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
