Physics
New Nanoparticles Shed Light on Cell Behavior
Happily, while Michael Crichton's nanoparticles coordinate an attack on a your vital organs, these new bright, stable particles behave more like benign light bulbs in your cells.
Post on Jun 29, 2009 by Christopher Smallwood
Playing the Oldest Recordings
Last summer, QUEST told you about how scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have developed a technology to playback old audio recordings using visual scans.
Post on Jun 12, 2009 by Rachel Zurer
The National Ignition Facility: An Energetic Defense
For all of the laser's exciting aspirations and promise of new technology, the press' reaction to NIF throughout the twelve years of its construction has been often lukewarm, and at worst scornful.
Post on Jun 01, 2009 by Christopher Smallwood
QUEST Lab: The Resonator
Quest goes to the Exploratorium to learn how and why helium changes the sound of your voice.
Video on May 19, 2009 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
An Ode to Enrico Fermi
The concept of the "Fermi Problem"–a hard question made readily accessible by back-of-the-envelope calculations and familiar knowledge–is still powerful in physics and beyond. Science teachers routinely use these types of questions as brain teasers.
Post on May 14, 2009 by Christopher Smallwood
Shooting the Moon
Launching a spacecraft bound for the Moon with the deliberate intention of striking the Moon in a spectacular impact! Sounds like something out of a Jules Verne novel…
Post on May 08, 2009 by Ben Burress
Superconductivity: an Arsenic-Laced Future?
In February of last year scientists discovered a new champion in their quest for a better superconductor, a material based on iron and, curiously enough, arsenic.
Post on Apr 28, 2009 by Christopher Smallwood
Goodbye to the Bevatron
For the last 18 years, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has had the physics equivalent of a rusty pickup truck parked in its front yard. Now, the 1950s era Bevatron is being demolished, and a chapter in the Bay Area's history of high level physics research comes to a close.
Audio Report on Apr 20, 2009 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Goodbye to the Bevatron
For the last 18 years, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has had the physics equivalent of a rusty pickup truck parked in its front yard. Now, the 1950s era Bevatron is being demolished, and a chapter in the Bay Area's history of high level physics research comes to a close.
Video on Apr 20, 2009 by KQED QUEST staff
Reporter's Notes: Goodbye to the Bevatron
Much as I tried to get Stewart Loken to wax poetic about the demise of the Bevatron, the truth is that he – and, I'll bet, a lot of scientists – just don't think that way.
Post on Apr 17, 2009 by Amy Standen
UC Berkeley Gets Its Science On: Cal Day 2009, April 18
On Saturday April 18th, the University opens up to the public…lectures, interactive events, tours, all of the campus museums (most of which aren't usually open to the public)… and it's all free.
Post on Apr 17, 2009 by Kishore Hari
QUEST Quiz: The Moon
In an average lifetime, a person experiences about 936 full Moons. So, how old is the Moon? How was it formed? Take the QUEST Quiz to find out how much you REALLY know about Earth's Moon.
Video on Apr 07, 2009 by Josh Rosen from QUEST Northern California
The World's Most Powerful Microscope
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab recently turned on a $27 million electron microscope. Its ability to make images to a resolution half the width of a hydrogen atom made it the most powerful microscope in the world.
Video on Mar 31, 2009 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Web Extra: Images from the World's Most Powerful Microscope
See a selection of the new amazing atomic-scale images from the TEAM microscope seen in our Video "The World's Most Powerful Microscope."
Slideshow on Mar 31, 2009 by KQED QUEST staff from QUEST Northern California
Zeppelins Resurrected
In 1935, the USS Macon went down in 1000 feet of water off the coast of Monterey, California. Now, as scientists study the recently-discovered wreckage, dirigibles are returning to the Bay Area. But these aren't the same dirigibles – these are new and improved.
Video on Mar 17, 2009 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Inside the Stanford Linear Accelerator
On the heels of the opening of the Large Hadron Collider last year, I was curious about these particle accelerators: how they work, what research is conducted there, and most importantly why.
Post on Feb 19, 2009 by Kishore Hari
Age of Aquarius: Are We There Yet?
"Can you tell me about the upcoming beginning of the Age of Aquarius?" said the voice on the phone. "I heard that it starts this Saturday…."
Post on Feb 13, 2009 by Ben Burress
O Say Can You Cesium-133? The Leap Second of 2008
Did you make good use of the extra second you received in 2008? A little extra sleep perhaps? Did you notice the extra time?
Post on Jan 03, 2009 by Ben Burress
Inside an Explosion
What happens when something explodes? Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are now getting a first glimpse of the microscopic properties of an explosion.
Video on Nov 25, 2008 by Amy Miller from QUEST Northern California
Waiting for the Electric Car
If you're looking to buy an all-electric car you can drive on the freeway, your options are limited. $100,000 will buy you an electric sports car from Tesla. But an affordable all-electric vehicle remains elusive, due to the difficulty in making a battery that is powerful, long-lasting, and cheap. QUEST visits a local battery laboratory and investigates the odds of a breakthrough.
Video on Nov 25, 2008 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
