Chemistry
My Own Stem Cells
Unlike this cat, my future clone won’t grow beyond a few hundred cells. Last blog I talked about lucky IVF kids who will get to have their own personalized embryonic stem (ES) cells one day. So in the future they'll have cells to help treat their diabetes. Or Alzheimer's. Or Parkinson's. Or… And all of [...]
Post on May 29, 2007 by Dr. Barry Starr
Legacy of Salt
QUEST radio takes a look at the largest wetlands restoration in the West– the South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project. It will take decades and cost up to $1 billion to roll back the clock to the Bay's pre-industrial conditions.
Audio Report on May 18, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Legacy of Salt
About four years ago California paid 100 million dollars to Cargill for 16,500 acres of land it owned fringing the SF Bay. For nearly a century, much of the Bay’s southern shoreline had been diked off from the tides and fenced off from the public. Where fertile wetlands once supported diverse wildlife, private companies created [...]
Post on May 17, 2007 by Andrea Kissack
Indoor Air Pollution
Most people think of their house as a sanctuary from toxic air. And yet, according to a 2005 State study, Californians spend $45 billion a year on the health effects of indoor air pollution. California lawmakers have failed to pass legislation that would tighten controls on residential air quality, though laws targeting specific pollutants — [...]
Post on May 11, 2007 by Amy Standen
Sniffing Out Indoor Air Pollution
Most people think of their house as a sanctuary from toxic air, but indoor air pollution can be at least as potent — and often much more so — as what you breathe outdoors.
Audio Report on May 11, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Curing diabetes with stem cells
Quite a title huh? But some new research in JAMA suggests that it is true. At least these 14 patients haven't had to inject insulin for 1-35 months (so far). These folks were all on their way to having Type 1 diabetes. As you probably know, Type 1 diabetes happens when a patient’s immune system [...]
Post on May 02, 2007 by Dr. Barry Starr
Relaxing the Rules on Toxics Reporting
For 20 years, U.S. factories that put toxic chemicals into the air and water had to report them to the federal government and the public. The Bush Administration recently lowered those requirements by rewriting E.P.A rules. QUEST radio reports.
Audio Report on Apr 27, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Relaxing the rules on toxic reporting
For the past two decades, U.S. factories that put toxic chemicals into the air and water had to report them, in detail, to the federal government and the public. The Bush Administration recently lowered those requirements by rewriting Environmental Protection Agency rules. That means, in California alone, as much as 6-hundred thousand pounds of toxic [...]
Post on Apr 26, 2007 by David Gorn
Cold Water Works
Many people, especially those with college-bound children, look forward to the annual issue of U.S. News and World Report that lists the top universities and colleges in the nation. Business-minded people eagerly await the latest issue of Fortune magazine, and the more literary among us look forward to reading the latest fiction in The New [...]
Post on Apr 06, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
Discuss the "Drive by Extinction" Radio report
The Checkerspot Butterfly was once a vibrant part of spring in San Mateo County, but today's it's hard to spot a single one. Exhaust fumes from Highway 280 have contributed to the decline of this tiny butterfly, making it a victim of what is called "drive-by extinction." QUEST follows a biologist in Edgewood Park and [...]
Post on Apr 05, 2007 by Andrea Kissack
Colors of Night
Double star Albireo, at the head of Cygnus the Swan. Credit: Conrad Jung, through Chabot’s 8-inch telescope, Leah.I occasionally get an email or a phone call from someone wanting to know what that strange, dazzling light was they saw in the sky that looked too unusual to be a star, or a planet, and was [...]
Post on Mar 30, 2007 by Ben Burress
Nanotechnology Takes Off
What's 100,000 times thinner than a strand of hair? A nanometer. Discover the nanotech boom in Berkeley, where researchers are working to unlock the potential of nanoscience to battle global warming and disease.
Video on Mar 27, 2007 by Josh Rosen from QUEST Northern California
Discuss the "Nanotechnology Takes Off" TV story
Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating things atom-by-atom to produce the smallest human-made objects. It is among the hottest new research fields in the world, and the Bay Area is a center for its study. Within 15 years, experts predict, it will drive progress in virtually every field, from computing to medicine, manufacturing, energy and [...]
Post on Mar 27, 2007 by Josh Rosen
Discuss the "Green Burials" TV story
Concerned about toxic embalming fluid, caskets made of rainforest hardwood, and bodies encased in vaults that never decompose, a small but growing number of undertakers is driving a new movement: green burials. We visit cemeteries in Marin and Sebastopol offering green burials, in which bodies are laid to rest in a simple pine casket or [...]
Post on Feb 27, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós
Condors vs. Lead Bullets
Once nearly extinct, California condors are making a steady recovery. But a new threat– lead poisoning from old bullets– is slowing progress, leaving scientists between wildlife preservation and the politics of hunting.
Video on Feb 20, 2007 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Baby steps towards personalized medicine
breast cancerLast week the FDA approved a new weapon in a doctor’s arsenal against breast cancer. This genetic test doesn’t help doctors find the cancer early. Or figure out who is more likely to get it. What this test does is help doctors decide whether to prescribe chemotherapy AFTER surgery. Right now doctors often recommend [...]
Post on Feb 19, 2007 by Dr. Barry Starr
Forensic Identification
Chelsey Juarez, a UC Santa Cruz doctoral candidate in forensic anthropology, has developed a novel technique to help identify the remains of migrants who die crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Video on Feb 13, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Discuss the "Forensic Identification" TV story
Chelsey Juarez is a doctoral student in forensic anthropology at UC Santa Cruz. She is developing a database of soil profiles that would help identify the bodies of migrants who die crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. To develop her database, she has been analyzing teeth. Our teeth contain information that shows what kind of soil we [...]
Post on Feb 13, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós
The Chemistry Behind Forensic Identification (web only)
Hear more from Chelsey Juarez, a UC Santa Cruz doctoral candidate in forensic anthropology, about the chemistry behind her technique to help identify the remains of migrants who die crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Video on Feb 13, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Discuss the "AB32: California's New Global Warming Law" Radio report
Last fall, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a landmark piece of legislation– the first in the nation– to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the state. The Global Warming Solutions Act made headlines around the world. But signing the bill was the easy part. As we continue our series, "Quest," exploring local environmental and science issues, Amy Standen [...]
Post on Feb 09, 2007 by Amy Standen
Twitter
Facebook
EveryTrail
YouTube
Flickr
Google +
iTunes Video
RSS Video
RSS News
iTunes Audio
RSS Audio
