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
To the Moon
NASA has announced a new effort to send humans back to the moon, possibly to build an outpost by 2020. Mountain View's NASA Ames Research Center identifies scientific investigations that could be performed there on everything from geology to global warming. But some critics question the space agency's priorities.
Audio Report on Nov 08, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff
Robot Car Race
It's one of the most unusual car races in the world. In the DARPA Grand Challenge, the cars drive themselves – no remote controls needed. And the contest is not a game. It could change the way all of us drive.
Audio Report on Nov 02, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff
The Return of the Canal
Is California's most controversial water proposal making a comeback? QUEST reports on the fervent politics behind the Peripheral Canal – a $5 billion plan to build a pipeline around the delta, sending Sierra water directly to the state water project.
Audio Report on Oct 26, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff
One Fish, Two Fish: The Science of Protecting Sea Life
This fall, fishing was banned or sharply limited in 18 percent of California's ocean waters from Half Moon Bay to Santa Barbara under a landmark state plan. But that was only the first part. Now, scientists need to see how fast sea life recovers. QUEST finds out: how do you count the fish in the sea?
Audio Report on Oct 19, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff
Geothermal Heats Up
When it comes to alternative energy, most people think of solar or wind. But the hills just north of Sonoma wine country are a world leader in another kind of clean power, and under an ambitious new project, they are about to produce even more.
Audio Report on Oct 11, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff
Wild Birds Gone Wild
Or rather, Wild Birds who Tried to Go Wild but Were Instead Captured for the Pet Industry. Brock, a Yellow Naped Amazon Parrot recused by the USDAWould you like a baby kinkajou? How about a little cougar cub or maybe a herd of giraffe? All is possible with the help of the internet and the [...]
Post on Oct 10, 2007 by Amy Gotliffe
What's for Lunch
We've all heard the latest health advice: avoid transfats. Eat more fruits and vegetables. But for many school children, their cafeteria lunch menus haven't caught up. This year, an effort to get healthy foods to the school lunch table is tied up in a much larger debate– national farm policy.
Audio Report on Oct 04, 2007 by Lauren Sommer
Oysters on the Outs
QUEST radio takes a trip to Point Reyes, where a tug of war is underway over the management of an estuary. What is most ecologically healthy for the estuary– the preservation of pristine wilderness, or the sustainable stewardship of land and water through farming?
Audio Report on Sep 28, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff
Into the Inferno: The Science of Fire
In dry years, fires in California cost billions of dollars and often result in lost lives. As fire crews rest from a rough year and prepare for this one, QUEST looks at how the history of forest management could be feeding today's flames.
Video on Sep 25, 2007 by Chris Bauer
Do-it-Yourself Science: The Maker Faire
It's been called "Burning Man for science geeks." The annual Maker Faire attracts thousands of amateur inventors and scientists, displaying their home-made prototypes and gadget hacks. In a world where the technological race is speeding up, the Maker movement has revealed that the do-it-yourself culture is in no danger of dying out.
Video on Sep 25, 2007 by Josh Rosen
Second Life: Big Avatar on Campus
It's a virtual world, but the transactions are real. Go inside Second Life, an online game where millions of people are creating digital personalities called avatars and are living virtual lives– meeting other avatars, going to events, and even buying property with real money.
Video on Sep 25, 2007 by Sheraz Sadiq
Perilous Diesel (radio)
Your tennis shoes. That radio you're listening to. If it wasn't made in the U.S., chances are it passed through the Port of Oakland, the fourth busiest Port in the country. But there's a downside to that convenience and those affordable prices, as Amy Standen reports.
Audio Report on Sep 20, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff
From Salt Ponds to Wetlands
For more than 100 years, south San Francisco Bay has been a center for industrial salt production. Now federal and state biologists are working on a 40-year, $1 billion project to restore the ponds to healthy wetlands for fish, wildlife and public recreation.
Video on Sep 18, 2007 by Chris Bauer
Watching the Brain at Work: MRIs and Beyond
The human brain was once a black box, but scientists are finding ways to peer inside and explore some of our most complicated thought processes. Using MRI scanners in innovative ways, Stanford scientists are learning how children's brains process words when they read.
Video on Sep 18, 2007 by Gabriela Quirós
Sea 3-D: Charting the Ocean Floor
Using sound and laser technology, researchers have begun to reveal the secrets of the ocean floor from the Sonoma Coast to Monterey Bay. By creating complex 3-D maps, they're hoping to learn more about waves and achieve ambitious conservation goals.
Video on Sep 18, 2007 by Joan Johnson
Eat Less, Live Longer?
Have we found the fountain of youth? Scientists are discovering ways to make animals live dramatically longer through calorie restriction — a diet that requires eating at least 30 percent fewer calories than normal. QUEST investigates why we age and what the societal costs are for living well beyond 100.
Video on Sep 11, 2007 by Rachel Raney
Earthquakes: Breaking New Ground
Can earthquakes be predicted? Northern California researchers are now identifying the slow-moving clues that may foreshadow violent quakes. Their work may provide even a few seconds of warning to open elevator doors, slow down trains or alert firefighters.
Video on Sep 11, 2007 by Sheraz Sadiq
Your Photos on QUEST – Russ Morris
QUEST launches a new photography feature about viewers like you who love documenting science, environment and nature imagery here in the Bay Area. This week, meet Russ Morris, who takes pictures using 2 cameras at once– one old, one new– to create unique images.
Video on Sep 11, 2007 by Josh Rosen
Greening Man
Burning Man is going green. QUEST heads out to the Nevada desert to see how clean tech CEOs are tapping into this counter-culture art festival.
Audio Report on Sep 07, 2007 by KQED QUEST staff
On a Sea of Green
Adjacent to the steep blooming hill came a markedly steep drop. More than forty-five feet down, it descended onto very unforgiving concrete. Here I stood, the crevasse to my right and a steep jaunt up to my left. Not the best place for someone who is petrified of heights. With knees knocking, I scrambled up [...]
Post on Sep 05, 2007 by Cat
