Engineering

Solar Decathlon 2009

Solar Decathlon 2009

I'm used to seeing some unusual things on the Mall in Washington, DC—our nations backyard—but was quite impressed by the 20 solar powered homes arrayed there last Saturday.

 
Producer's Notes: Maya Skies

Producer's Notes: Maya Skies

Go behind the scenes of Tales of Maya Skies, the new film produced by Oakland's Chabot Space and Science Center. The half-hour film about Maya astronomy opens at the center's planetarium on November 21.

 
Why I Do Science: Drew Endy

Why I Do Science: Drew Endy

Stanford University's Drew Endy is a synthetic biologist, or as he puts it, someone who makes biology easier to engineer. He's one of the leading lights of this relatively new scientific field which builds on disciplines like computer science, electrical engineering and genetics. Find out why Endy is passionate about the cutting edge of biology.

 
How to Identify a Bullet

How to Identify a Bullet

Last month, the FBI released a report showing violent crime has dropped for the second year in a row… down nearly two percent in 2008, from a year earlier. Still, many homicide cases go unsolved. A new technology called "bullet microstamping" aims to help change that. But will it work? Amy Standen reports.

 
Toward Greener Biofuels and Greener Cars

Toward Greener Biofuels and Greener Cars

For all the excitement, selling the American public on biofuels feels a little like feeding methadone to a heroin addict.

 
Poker Research: the Next Hot Topic for Supercomuting?

Poker Research: the Next Hot Topic for Supercomuting?

Chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov lost to IBM's Deep Blue in 1997, but while this was a cultural landmark for Artificial Intelligence, Poker is a more meaningful challenge for researchers.

 
Is Your House Haunted by Electronic Vampires?

Is Your House Haunted by Electronic Vampires?

When it comes to climate, the inside and the outside of Bay Area homes are pretty much the same for most of the year. But there are other energy vampires beyond heating and cooling in California homes that threaten to drain your wallet.

 
Web Extra: Devil's Gulch Ranch Windmill

Web Extra: Devil's Gulch Ranch Windmill

Mark Pasternak of Devil's Gulch Ranch erected the first permitted, electricity generating wind turbine in Marin County. See pictures and hear the story of how it was done.

 
Are Power Towers the Future of Solar Energy?

Are Power Towers the Future of Solar Energy?

Southern California's Antelope Valley is famous for its desert blooms of California poppies, but has recently become the home of one of the most aesthetically striking new designs in alternative energy.

 
Reporter's Notes: Do We Need Nuclear?

Reporter's Notes: Do We Need Nuclear?

More people appear to be saying "yes" these days, even if grudgingly. The question is: Is it too late?

 
Insulate Your &@!*% Attic Hatch, Now!

Insulate Your &@!*% Attic Hatch, Now!

I didn't intend to write about cursing here, but since I am in this so deep now, then damn it, I may as well connect the topic to some cutting edge scientific research. You got a problem with that?

 
Decoding Synthetic Biology

Decoding Synthetic Biology

Imagine living cells acting as memory devices; biofuels brewing from yeast, or a light receptor taken from algae that makes photographs on a plate of bacteria. With the new science of synthetic biology, the goal is to make biology easier to engineer so that new functions can be derived from living systems.

 
Web Extra: Synthetic Biology Extended Interview

Web Extra: Synthetic Biology Extended Interview

Meet Biological Engineer Drew Endy of Stanford University, who is on the forefront of the new science of synthetic biology.

 
Producer's Notes: Decoding Synthetic Biology

Producer's Notes: Decoding Synthetic Biology

Synthetic biology portends big changes in our lives by ushering in a dizzying array of applications in everything from medicine to biofuels, environmental remediation to agriculture.

 
QUEST Lab: Newton's Laws of Motion

QUEST Lab: Newton's Laws of Motion

Paul Doherty of the Exploratorium performs a "sit-down" lecture on one of Sir Issac Newton's most famous laws.

 
3-D is Quidditch, but Much More, Too

3-D is Quidditch, but Much More, Too

Whether here to stay in film this time or another passing fad, 3-D technology will remain both a fascinating technology and valuable tool in science.

 
Museum 2.0

Museum 2.0

Call it Museum 2.0. One of our most traditional institutions is undergoing a 21st century re-design. In an effort to keep up with changing times, more and more museums are turning to Twitter, Wikis and online communities to ask for the public's help in designing their exhibits.

 
Reporter's Notes: Museum 2.0

Reporter's Notes: Museum 2.0

Hard economic times and changing social trends have some museums undergoing a 21st century re-design. The focus is on creating more visitor-centered exhibits using new media tools and more input from the public.

 
Bay Bridge Rising

Bay Bridge Rising

Bay Bridge construction and engineering brought to life by the award winning website baybridge360.

 
Profile: Sylvia Earle

Profile: Sylvia Earle

She's spent much of the last five decades exploring and protecting the world's oceans. Find out why legendary marine biologist Sylvia Earle thinks that we may only have a few years left to save what she calls "the blue heart of the planet."