Physics
Solar plane takes off on historic cross-country trip
Lighter than an SUV and covered with more than 12,000 solar cells, Solar Impulse, the world's first solar plane that can fly day and night without recharging, launched from Moffet Field this morning in a cross country voyage.
Post on May 03, 2013 by Lindsey Hoshaw from QUEST Northern California
Attack of the Killer Electrons! New Mission Searches for Mysterious Space Particles
They're out there… lurking in Earth's magnetic fields and damaging any satellite in their path.
Audio Report on Mar 08, 2013 by Lauren Sommer from KQED Science
Infrasound Takes a Bow
Last week's events pushed the obscure subject of infrasound into the news. That was music to my science-obsessed ears.
Post on Feb 21, 2013 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
Exploratorium’s Science with Spirit Transcends Place
A record number of visitors mobbed San Francisco's Exploratorium on its last day at the Palace of Fine Arts. The mood was bittersweet–not just visitors but a good part of the staff grew up at this place. But for the Exploratorium, the magic of science is where you make it.
Post on Jan 09, 2013 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
More Clues About Singing Sand
New research shows that sand can sing by itself, but if so, then why are singing sand dunes so rare?
Post on Oct 25, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
Women in Science: Meet a Mathematician, a Physicist and a Geologist Through Art
There's nothing like role models for inspiring the scientific spirits of women, today and tomorrow! And Marie Curie isn't the only one out there–history is rife with lesser-known but no less fabulous female scientists, engineers, and mathematicians.
Post on Oct 23, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
What's Next for Nuclear?
Can nuclear power be produced safely and affordably? A scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, is working to do just that.
Video on Sep 18, 2012 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Space Telescope to Begin Search for Black Holes
NASA's newest space telescope, NuStar, will soon begin its hunt for black holes. Scientists are hoping to learn more about how they grow and why they're such messy eaters.
Audio Report on Jun 29, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Up all Night with SOFIA, NASA's Flying Observatory
SOFIA is more than a telescope tucked into a re-purposed commercial airliner. It's a complete flying astronomical observation platform which carries a dozen or more astronomers, observers and crew far above the clouds to observe objects and phenomena too cold to be seen in visible light.
Video on Jun 27, 2012 by Craig Rosa from QUEST Northern California
"I Flamed Amazement": The Physics of St. Elmo's Fire
Ariel personified St. Elmo's Fire, the glow that can appear around ship masts and chimneys during a thunderstorm. Lacking a scientific explanation for the light, people in Shakespeare's time attributed it to the patron saint of sailors. Four hundred years later, we still don't completely understand how storms create such magnificent atmospheric phenomena.
Post on Jun 26, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
Soaring in Space: Citizen Science at 103,000 Feet
Citizen scientist Marc Labriet and students from Valley Christian High School in Dublin, CA collaborated on a special balloon project to retrieve images from near space as well as test theories on gamma rays and radiation repercussion yields.
Post on Jun 14, 2012 by Cat from QUEST Northern California
KQED Science Fan Spotlight
We'd like to share your stories about why you're passionate about science.
Post on Jun 13, 2012 by Jenny Oh from QUEST Northern California
Energy-Saving Windows Get Smarter
Buildings are responsible for 40% of the country’s energy use. So, researchers are trying improve our energy efficiency by making windows dynamic and intelligent.
Audio Report on May 25, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
The Science of Riding a Bicycle
Their basic design hasn’t changed much, but scientists still don’t fully understand the forces that allow humans to balance atop a bicycle. QUEST visits Davis – a city that loves its bicycles – to take a ride on a research bike and explore a collection of antique bicycles.
Video on May 15, 2012 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
The Calligrapher's Golden Touch
When I was in LA this weekend and noticed that the Getty was showing a new illuminated manuscript exhibit, I had to check it out. The only work in the exhibit that wasn't centuries old belonged to San Francisco master calligrapher Thomas Ingmire.
Post on Mar 20, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
Starship Math: Are the Stars Our Destiny?
What would it take to send a spaceship to another star, all science fiction devices aside?
Post on Feb 24, 2012 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Got Science on the Brain? Come Blog with QUEST
Got science on the brain? Come blog with us. KQED’s QUEST is looking to add new voices to our blog, which already offers commentary from our producers, reporters, and several writers from science organizations in our region. pply by February 1st.
Post on Jan 02, 2012 by Craig Rosa from QUEST Northern California
Top KQED QUEST Stories of 2011
From hackerspaces to banana slugs, flying telescopes to cheese – it's been a quite a diverse year of storytelling here at QUEST. Here's a round-up of the top 10 video and audio stories and blog posts that you've enjoyed from the past year.
Post on Dec 21, 2011 by Jenny Oh from QUEST Northern California
'Tis The Season for the Science of Holiday Lights
Learn about the science of holiday lights with Discovery Street Tours in December.
Post on Dec 15, 2011 by Cat from QUEST Northern California
‘Superfast’ Muscles Help Bats Find Their Dinner
As a hunting bat closes in on a flying insect, its echolocation calls get closer and closer together, and shorter and shorter in duration. Scientists recently discovered how their muscles can produce more than 160 calls every second.
Post on Nov 09, 2011 by Carolyn Beeler from QUEST Philadelphia
