KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. Home to the most listened-to public radio station in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program, and as a leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.
Contributions from this Station
Oil Spill Anniversary
It's been a year since 53,000 gallons of oil from the Cosco Busan cargo ship spilled into the San Francisco Bay. More than half of that heavy bunker fuel is still around. Now, one challenge is trying to put the long-term effects of the spill into dollar terms, and then seek a settlement with the ship's owners. Officials say this work may set the national standard for handling man-made crises.
Audio Report on Nov 04, 2008 by KQED QUEST staff
Under the Microscope: Science Struggles in Schools
California ranks second-lowest in the U.S. in fourth and eighth grade science achievement, according to a recent study. Since a large part of California's economy is devoted to technology, it is vital that California get its students up to speed. How bad is the problem? And what are schools and informal science education organizations doing to fill the gap?
Video on Oct 28, 2008 by Chris Bauer
Closing the Science Gap
The Bay Area is synonymous worldwide with high-tech innovation. Meanwhile, its students have some of the lowest math and science scores in the country. Quest takes a look at the state of public school science education in California, and asks how the state can nurture a homegrown workforce equipped to take on 21st century challenges.
Audio Report on Oct 27, 2008 by KQED QUEST staff
Bio-Inspiration: Nature as Muse
For hundreds of years, scientists have been poaching design ideas from structures in nature. Now, biologists and engineers at UC Berkeley are working together to design a broad range of new products, such as life-saving milli-robots modeled on the way cockroaches run and adhesives based on the amazing design of a gecko's foot.
Video on Oct 21, 2008 by Amy Miller
Underwater Wilderness: Creating Marine Protected Areas
California waters are some of the richest in the world. But declines in fish species have led state leaders to begin creating large protected areas, or "no fishing zones," similar to wilderness areas on land. Although controversial with some fishing groups, the zones may help bring back fish, birds and marine mammals currently on the brink.
Video on Oct 20, 2008 by Chris Bauer
MAKE it at Home: Table-Top Linear Accelerator
QUEST teams up with Make Magazine to construct the latest must have, do-it-yourself device hacks and science projects. This week well show you how to make a tabletop linear accelerator that demonstrates the finer points of kinetic energy by shooting a steel ball.
Video on Oct 20, 2008 by Chris Bauer
Web Extra: High-Speed Rail on the Ballot
In this QUEST Web exclusive, we update a story we did last year on a plan to bring high-speed rail to California as voters head to the ballot boxes to decide the fate of Proposition 1A. Hop aboard to learn about the science behind high-speed rail travel and the obstacles that lie in its path.
Video on Oct 17, 2008 by KQED QUEST staff
Web Extra: A Dose of A.I.
In this QUEST web exclusive, Stanford University computer science professor and artificial intelligence (A.I.) researcher Daphne Koller explains how A.I. can be used for tasks that require sifting through a sea of data to arrive at a meaningful conclusion, be it diagnosis of a person's illness or assessing their fitness as a job candidate.
Video on Oct 14, 2008 by KQED QUEST staff
HIV Research: Beyond the Vaccine
Over the past 15 years, the number of people who die of AIDS each year in the United States has dropped by 70 percent. But AIDS remains a serious public health crisis among low-income African-Americans, particularly women. QUEST meets two Bay Area research groups studying innovative approaches that could lead to new treatments and possibly a cure.
Video on Oct 14, 2008 by Gabriela Quirós
Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Big
Though computers have gotten faster, smaller and more versatile, it's still a big challenge to get them to demonstrate intelligent behaviors. Will machines like robots ever match — or perhaps even exceed — the capabilities of the human brain?
Video on Oct 14, 2008 by Sheraz Sadiq
Cool Critters: Fruit Bats
Flying Foxes are a type of fruit bat – they subsist mainly off fruit juice which they obtain by squeezing pieces of the fruit pulp in their mouths. Quest visits the Oakland Zoo to meet their Malayan & Island Flying Foxes and find out more about these fascinating and charismatic critters.
Video on Oct 14, 2008 by Josh Rosen
The Hayward Fault: A Tectonic Timebomb
Last week's deadly earthquake in Japan and last month's devastating temblor in New Zealand have put quake-prone California on alert. While Bay Area residents would rather not think about the possibility of another major quake, the region is surrounded by active faults. One East Bay fault has scientists especially concerned.
Audio Report on Oct 13, 2008 by Andrea Kissack
Big Solar on the Ballot
Proposition 7 is all about renewable energy generation. The initiative requires all utilities to generate 20 percent of their power from renewable energy by 2010 and 50 percent by 2025 and speeds up approval of renewable energy plants. You would think most leading environmental groups would be on board — but many are not.
Audio Report on Oct 09, 2008 by KQED QUEST staff
Your Photos on QUEST: Cris Benton
Join QUEST in our latest photography feature about viewers like you who love documenting science, environment and nature here in the Bay Area. Meet architect and photographer Cris Benton. To document the rich colors of the south San Francisco Bay's salt ponds, he places his camera in a very unique position: suspended from a kite.
Video on Sep 30, 2008 by Gabriela Quirós
The Hayward Fault: Predictable Peril
October 21st, 2008 marked the 140th Anniversary of the 1868 Hayward Earthquake. Geologists say that's important because major earthquakes happen on the Hayward fault every 140 years on average. With much of the East Bay on or near the fault, geologists and community members are working to prepare for what may be the next big one.
Video on Sep 30, 2008 by Amy Miller
The Physics of Sailing
Northern California has a storied, 500-year history of sailing. But despite this rich heritage, scientists and boat designers continue to learn more each day about what makes a sail boat move. Contrary to what you might expect, the physics of sailing still present some mysteries to modern sailors.
Video on Sep 30, 2008 by Josh Rosen
Fast Trains
Imagine traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in about two-and-a-half hours, without getting on a plane. That's the idea that could become reality this November. A $10 billion bond project is on the ballot to build high-speed rail. With higher gas prices and concern about climate change, supporters hope the time is finally right to approve this massive mass-transit project. But technical and political obstacles remain.
Audio Report on Sep 22, 2008 by KQED QUEST staff
Reporter's Notes: Beyond Alzheimer's
This is the second of two stories born out of an afternoon at UCSF's Memory and Aging Center, where a team of scientists, led by Dr. Bruce Miller, is trying to tease out the differences between as many as 200 dementias that affect aging brains.
Post on Sep 12, 2008 by Amy Standen
Air Conditioning Reinvented
It's that time of year again. Temperatures are hot, so we're cranking up the air conditioning. That means more electricity from the power grid, more greenhouse gas emissions, more global warming and — with warmer temperatures — even more air conditioning! There are a few ways to halt this vicious cycle, one of which starts with a makeover for the machine itself.
Audio Report on Sep 08, 2008 by KQED QUEST staff
Designer Biofuels
Taking the energy from plants and making a gasoline alternative to run our cars has great promise but there are huge problems to solve. The next answer may not come from Saudi Arabia but from a UC Berkeley lab, a Silicon Valley start up or a local researcher working in the jungles of Costa Rica.
Audio Report on Sep 01, 2008 by Andrea Kissack
