Biology
Be HEARD: A Rare Disease Science Challenge To Find Cures
Curing or even finding treatments for rare diseases is hard. Not necessarily because these diseases are any more complex than more common ones. It has more to do with the fact that there is very little profit to be made in helping people with these diseases.
Post on Oct 22, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
Vaccine Waivers, Informed Consent and Public Health
Starting in 2014, California will require parents to see a health practitioner to learn the risks and benefits of vaccination before opting out of the state's immunization requirements. Public health officials hope that when parents learn the difference between science-based evidence and the uninformed myths so prevalent online and in the mainstream media, they'll decide to protect their children from the real risks of infectious disease, rather than worry about unfounded theoretical risks.
Post on Oct 17, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Can Meditation Ease PTSD in Combat Vets?
The crisis of mental disorders such as PTSD has forced the military to rediscover therapies that would have considered from-the-fringes a generation ago.
Audio Report on Oct 12, 2012 by Amy Standen from KQED Science
Return of the Shorebirds
Shorebirds have returned to San Francisco Bay for the winter. Find out about their journeys and studies underway to track their migration and population.
Post on Oct 12, 2012 by Sharol Nelson-Embry
Why I Do Science: Stephen Palumbi
In this edition of "Why I Do Science", we hear from Stephen Palumbi, a world-renowned marine biologist and director of the Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, California.
Video on Oct 09, 2012 by Sheraz Sadiq from QUEST Northern California
Saving Bighorn Sheep, One Mural At a Time
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are animals worth seeing. With their bright white rumps and the rams' remarkable headgear, they bound and leap over seemingly impassable alpine terrain. But you may have a tricky time spotting one–there are only about four hundred in existence.
Post on Oct 09, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
Who is Qualified to Decide Scientific Matters?
In November, California voters need to decide whether or not GM foods should be labeled as such. They are making this decision even though a recent study shows that 49% of the people surveyed think that GM foods have genes whereas regular foods do not. Is this any way to run a democracy?
Post on Oct 08, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
Slideshow on Oct 05, 2012 by Molly Samuel from KQED Science
Think Pink? I’d Rather Raise a Stink
Every October, high-profile outlets from Ace Hardware to the NFL sell pink products to raise awareness and money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Critics of "pinkwashing" urge consumers to ask just how much of that money goes to support breast cancer programs–and challenge us to move beyond awareness to action.
Post on Oct 03, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Illustrating Science: Translating Knowledge Into Pictures
Allison Bruce has a wonderful job: she spends all day making pictures for scientists. Bruce started out in science herself, earning a chemistry degree from UC Davis. After college, she worked in an environmental lab, but she didn't enjoy it and turned to art classes "to keep from losing my mind," she says.
Post on Oct 02, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
Counting Climate-Challenged Pikas
A group of West Oakland students treks up to the Sierra to try to help a small mammal that may be threatened by climate change.
Audio Report on Sep 28, 2012 by Molly Samuel from KQED Science
Get Your Binoculars, It's Raptor Viewing Time
The autumn brings the annual raptor migration over Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands north of San Francisco. Find out about their journey and the people who count them.
Post on Sep 28, 2012 by Sharol Nelson-Embry from QUEST Northern California
Creative Use of a Cancer Mutation May Improve Nylon Production
Chemists want to reengineer metabolic proteins and pathways in microbes so they can convert sugar into commodity chemicals. Now a mutant protein found in cancer cells provides clues to help scientists improve a protein that could help microbes create a precursor to nylon. In science, as in so much of life, inspiration can come from unusual places.
Post on Sep 26, 2012 by Melissae Fellet from QUEST Northern California
Your Videos on QUEST: Steve Fyffe
Motion-activated cameras at Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve provide scientists a window into the secret lives of the animals there. This short video by the Stanford News Service reveals how these "camera traps" work and shows some of the amazing animals that roam around Jasper Ridge at night.
Video on Sep 25, 2012 by Amy Miller from QUEST Northern California
West Coast a Test Bed for Ocean Acidification
Scientists say the waters off the West Coast could be hit hard by ocean acidification, but thanks to the natural conditions, it's a good place to study how ocean species might adapt.
Audio Report on Sep 25, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
Science and the Flu: A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing
The first sniffles of flu season are upon us: a friend of mine was struck down, and couldn't join me in attending a science dialogue on Sunday night. This was darkly humorous, as the topic of the evening was pandemics.
Post on Sep 25, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
Genome 3.0: ENCODE Takes Our DNA From Junk to Treasure
New research is making us rethink how our DNA works – again.
Post on Sep 24, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
Black Holes: Ultimate Trash Compactors of the Universe
As bizarre as black holes have been depicted in science fiction, the reality of black holes as described by science is far stranger.
Post on Sep 21, 2012 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Culture Clash: Of Cats, Birds and Conservation
Feral cats threaten native wildlife, from reptiles to birds, and often lead a miserable life. By better understanding the concerns of cat colony caretakers, wildlife biologists hope to find enough common ground to benefit both cats and wildlife.
Post on Sep 19, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Field Notes: Dan Costa in Antarctica
QUEST Producer Sheraz Sadiq interviews Bay Area filmmaker and musician Jesse Hiatt about the experience of filming in one of the world's most extreme environments. His breathtaking footage was edited into the QUEST segment, "Field Notes: Dan Costa in Antarctica."
Video on Sep 18, 2012 by Sheraz Sadiq from QUEST Northern California
