Biology
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
California Wildlife Mural Celebrates Its Third Birthday
In 2009, after West Valley College built its brand new biology building, a group of faculty stood in the natural history lab staring at a blank wall. "It's too empty," they agreed. "How about a mural?" suggested biology and genetics instructor Molly Schrey.
Post on Sep 18, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
The State of California's Sea Otters
Southern sea otters are local icons, gracing a plethora of souvenirs, murals and postcards throughout central and northern California. With a face like that, it’s easy to see why. But sea otters themselves are not so plentiful. In honor of Sea Otter Awareness Week at the end of September, take a closer look at what’s behind that furry façade.
Post on Sep 17, 2012 by Helen Taylor from QUEST Northern California
Is Nail Biting a Pathology? Or Just a Bad Habit?
Nail biting — like skin picking and hair tending — stems from an evolutionarily adaptive behavior: grooming. But in "pathological groomers," as they're known in in the world of psychiatry, that healthy urge goes haywire.
Audio Report on Sep 14, 2012 by Amy Standen from QUEST Northern California
X-ray Microscope: Seeing Cells in 3-D
At the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, scientists are using a cutting-edge microscope, the first of its kind in the world, to image whole cells in 3-D with the penetrating power of x-rays. The new images generated by the microscope are offering a deeper, more precise understanding of cellular structures and how they change with diseases.
Video on Sep 11, 2012 by Sheraz Sadiq from QUEST Northern California
Scientific Whimsy: The Magical Art of Tiffany Bozic
Tiffany Bozic, the first Artist-in-Residence at the California Academy of Sciences, named her first child after a rare bird found in Southeast Asia: Tesia olivea.
Post on Sep 11, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
The Results Are In For My Genetics Quiz
In my last blog entry, I wrote a quiz that tested some basic knowledge about genetics that experts have found the public struggles with. What I found from the responses I received is that the QUEST public doesn’t struggle with them or, more likely, people only answer quizzes like this if they are pretty confident [...]
Post on Sep 10, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
California's Prop. 37: Are GMO Labels a Scarlet Letter?
Proposition 37 could make California the first state in the country to require "Made with GMO" labels on genetically-engineered foods. But would the labels inform people? Or scare them?
Audio Report on Sep 07, 2012 by Amy Standen from QUEST Northern California
Braking for Beetles: When Recreation and Conservation Converge
The endangered Ohlone tiger beetle, found only in Santa Cruz County, depends on disturbed landscapes to hunt and breed. Migrating woolly mammoths and more recently grazing elk helped maintain that habitat. Recreational trails might prove a good replacement–as long as mountain bikers follow rules to reduce beetle casualties.
Post on Sep 05, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
The Heat is On For California Wines
You’ve probably heard of the wines that made Napa and Sonoma famous, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. But what about Negroamaro or Nero d’Avola? They’re wine grapes that are well-adapted to hotter temperatures — the kind of conditions that California may be facing as the climate continues to warm.
Audio Report on Sep 04, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
Outdoor Labs: The UC Natural Reserve System
The University of California runs a unique set of 38 pristine properties around the state for scientific research.
Post on Aug 30, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
Squid Skin: Why Pigment (But Not Glitter) Will Dance to the Beat
Squid and their relatives–a group of animals known as cephalopods–have the world's best skin. And it's not because they moisturize, lack pimples, or tan without ever burning. It's because their skin is a canvas of endless possibilities.
Post on Aug 28, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
In Defense of Science: An Interview with NCSE’s Eugenie Scott
Eugenie Scott, longtime director of Oakland's National Center for Science Education, has won numerous awards for helping the public understand science and defending evolution, especially against threats to replace it with “creation science” in public schools. She shares her thoughts on the challenges of communicating science in a climate of denial.
Post on Aug 22, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Arm Yourselves for the Upcoming (Genetics) Revolution
As a nation, we aren’t teaching the right genetics in our schools. And for those of us out of school, the situation is, if anything, even worse. By and large we lack the fundamental knowledge needed to properly interpret the avalanche of data headed our way.
Post on Aug 20, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
Building a Better, Tastier Tomato
Many tomatoes have been bred to travel well and look appealing, but now researchers are focusing on making them more nutritious and better tasting.
Audio Report on Aug 17, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
Traipsing the Dipsea Trail
A hiking adventure on the Dipsea Trail from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach explores the transect through coastal habitats.
Post on Aug 17, 2012 by Sharol Nelson-Embry from QUEST Northern California
The Reverential and the Precious: Human Anatomy as Art
It may take an unusual muse to be deeply inspired by the body's insides. Artist Sara Nilsson possesses just such a muse–as well as the skill to create breathtakingly beautiful, anatomically accurate cross-sections of the human body with quilled paper.
Post on Aug 14, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
Doubt and Denialism: Vaccine Myths Persist in the Face of Science
Many people continue to doubt the evidence for climate change, evolution, and vaccine safety, even though the scientific consensus on these issues is rock solid. Among the most troubling evidence-resistant theories is the long-debunked yet persistent myth that vaccines cause autism—a completely unfounded belief–leading to general doubts about vaccine safety, with dangerous public health consequences.
Post on Aug 08, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST North Carolina
Rethinking Reproductive Biology
Everyone knows that women are born with all the eggs they can ever make, right? Well, a recent study shows that everyone just might be wrong.
Post on Aug 06, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
