News
Arsenic-Eating Bacteria Expands Definition of Life
A Bay Area biochemist has found a new strain of bacteria living in the briny shores of Mono Lake that can not only eat arsenic, a substance highly toxic to most organisms, but thrive on it.
Post on Dec 02, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
AIDS Researchers Unlock Cell Death Mystery
For nearly 30 years scientists have known that a cell vital to the immune system dies off in patients with HIV, leading eventually to the onset of AIDS. But exactly when and how has remained a mystery – until now.
Post on Dec 01, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
Tiny Satellites Give NASA Big Returns
On Friday, a NASA satellite hitched a ride aboard a U.S. Air Force rocket that launched into space from Kodiak Island, Alaska. But this isn’t your typical satellite.
Post on Nov 19, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
Teaching Climate Change
The California Academy of Sciences and the Monterey Bay Aquarium have a big advantage that some educational institutions in other parts of the country do not: most of their local visitors believe that climate change is real.
Post on Nov 19, 2010 by Quest Radio
New Images from Inside the Brain
On Wednesday, scientists at Stanford Medical School released new images they’ve produced showing a slice of a mouse’s cerebral cortex.
Post on Nov 17, 2010 by Amy Standen
Albino Redwoods: Ghosts of the Forest (Radio)
Albino redwoods are off the beaten track – for a reason.
Post on Nov 12, 2010 by Amy Standen
State Parks: Back to the Drawing Board
California State Parks supporters face tough decisions after defeat of Proposition 21
Post on Nov 09, 2010 by Andrea Kissack
Tiny Lichen Point to Bigger Pollution Problems in Yosemite
Air pollution may seem like an urban problem, but it’s becoming an increasing concern in California’s national parks.
Post on Oct 29, 2010 by Lauren Sommer
Earth-Sized Planets Could Be Common
The Earth may not be as unique as we think it is. That's according to findings announced today by UC Berkeley. Astronomers there believe that Earth-sized planets may be more abundant in the universe than previously thought.
Post on Oct 28, 2010 by Lauren Sommer
Richmond Considers a Vegas-Style Casino
Today, Point Molate is quiet. There’s a handful of abandoned buildings, palm and oak trees, and a view clear across the bay to Mount Tamalpais.
Post on Oct 22, 2010 by Amy Standen
Urban Growth on the Ballot
In the East Bay city of San Ramon, voters are deciding a measure that would substantially expand their city limits. Measure W is one of several urban growth measures on Bay Area ballots this November.
Post on Oct 22, 2010 by from QUEST Northern California
Exploratorium Unveils Plans for New Home
The Exploratorium, San Francisco’s popular hands-on science museum, is unveiling long-awaited plans for its future home at Piers 15 and 17 along the San Francisco waterfront, a quarter-mile northwest of the Ferry Building.
Post on Oct 19, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
When Brains Hit the Gym
The general idea is that by doing a series of basic and repetitive tasks, which get harder over time, you’re actually changing your brain structure. Over time, the manufacturers claim, you can train an old brain to behave like a new one. But many scientists who study aging are skeptical.
Post on Oct 15, 2010 by Amy Standen
Health Officials to Consider Tightening Vaccine Exemptions
Concerned by the increase in the number of children who are starting kindergarten without all their vaccines, public health officials in the Bay Area will look into the possibility of tightening the system that allows parents to opt out from mandatory immunizations.
Post on Oct 13, 2010 by Gabriela Quirós
The Turns and Twists of the Devil's Slide Tunnel
On October 1st, as news crews filmed the action, Caltrans broke through a retaining wall at the north portal of the Devil’s Slide tunnels on Highway One, opening a new way to link the coastal communities of Pacifica and Montara in San Mateo County.
Post on Oct 11, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
The Turns and Twists of the Devil's Slide Tunnel
On October 1st, as news crews filmed the action, Caltrans broke through a retaining wall at the north portal of the Devil’s Slide tunnels on Highway One, opening a new way to link the coastal communities of Pacifica and Montara in San Mateo County.
Post on Oct 11, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq from QUEST Northern California
Devil's Slide Tunnel Breakthrough
A Caltrans construction crew on Friday punched through the northern end of Devil’s Slide tunnel that will link Pacifica and Montara. Three years after breaking ground on the project, Caltrans now expects the passage to open next year.
Post on Oct 01, 2010 by KQED QUEST staff
Aviation Authorities Prepare for Space Tourism
Several private companies are planning to offer the public rides into space starting in the next two to five years. Aviation authorities are preparing for a future in which airplanes and spaceships will share the air.
Post on Sep 28, 2010 by Gabriela Quirós
Scientists Manipulate Atoms in Real Time
Imagine a future where iPods are capable of storing hundreds of thousands or millions of songs, where smart phones could play back several hundred times more feature-length Hollywood films than is currently possible, and where solar powered cells become dramatically more efficient in converting light to electricity.
It’s a future that may be possible thanks to research being done by IBM scientists in San Jose who have developed a new technique to manipulate individual atoms and measure how long they can store information in real time, over just a few billionths of a second. Their work could radically shrink a computer’s hard drive, allowing data to be stored on it more efficiently.
Post on Sep 24, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
San Francisco Among Top Cities For HIV Testing
New CDC survey shows that San Francisco has been successful in getting HIV-positive men tested.
Post on Sep 24, 2010 by Gabriela Quirós
