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
Heat and Harvest – the documentary
A half-hour documentary on how climate change is challenging California’s $30 billion agricultural industry. Co-produced by KQED and the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Video on Sep 28, 2012 by Gabriela Quirós
Some Bugs Like it Hot: Climate Change and Agricultural Pests
Scientists and farmers are starting to notice that, as California's winters warm up, the state is becoming more hospitable to destructive agricultural pests.
Video on Sep 28, 2012 by Gabriela Quirós
Get Your Binoculars, It's Raptor Viewing Time
The autumn brings the annual raptor migration over Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands north of San Francisco. Find out about their journey and the people who count them.
Post on Sep 28, 2012 by Sharol Nelson-Embry
Things You May Not Know About California Tsunamis
Scientific agencies have helped the state improve its knowledge of tsunamis and its responses to them. They can teach you and help you respond, too.
Post on Sep 27, 2012 by Andrew Alden
Creative Use of a Cancer Mutation May Improve Nylon Production
Chemists want to reengineer metabolic proteins and pathways in microbes so they can convert sugar into commodity chemicals. Now a mutant protein found in cancer cells provides clues to help scientists improve a protein that could help microbes create a precursor to nylon. In science, as in so much of life, inspiration can come from unusual places.
Post on Sep 26, 2012 by Melissae Fellet
Black Holes: Objects of Attraction
Black holes have been the stuff of science fiction since their discovery in the late sixties. But now a new, nimble NASA telescope is using its powerful x-ray vision to hunt for these abundant yet invisible, massive space oddities.
Video on Sep 25, 2012 by Sheraz Sadiq
Your Videos on QUEST: Steve Fyffe
Motion-activated cameras at Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve provide scientists a window into the secret lives of the animals there. This short video by the Stanford News Service reveals how these "camera traps" work and shows some of the amazing animals that roam around Jasper Ridge at night.
Video on Sep 25, 2012 by Amy Miller
West Coast a Test Bed for Ocean Acidification
Scientists say the waters off the West Coast could be hit hard by ocean acidification, but thanks to the natural conditions, it's a good place to study how ocean species might adapt.
Audio Report on Sep 25, 2012 by Lauren Sommer
Science and the Flu: A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing
The first sniffles of flu season are upon us: a friend of mine was struck down, and couldn't join me in attending a science dialogue on Sunday night. This was darkly humorous, as the topic of the evening was pandemics.
Post on Sep 25, 2012 by Danna Staaf
Genome 3.0: ENCODE Takes Our DNA From Junk to Treasure
New research is making us rethink how our DNA works – again.
Post on Sep 24, 2012 by Dr. Barry Starr
Black Holes: Ultimate Trash Compactors of the Universe
As bizarre as black holes have been depicted in science fiction, the reality of black holes as described by science is far stranger.
Post on Sep 21, 2012 by Ben Burress
Space Shuttle Endeavour Makes a Bay Area Victory Lap
The Endeavour flyover will make for a striking sight: Piggybacked to a 747, the shuttle will be flying at a low altitude of 1500 feet in some parts of the Bay Area.
Audio Report on Sep 20, 2012 by Amy Standen
Side Trips from Interstate 5: San Emigdio Mountains
Journeying through the Great Valley's southern rampart is time better spent than inching up the Grapevine.
Post on Sep 20, 2012 by Andrew Alden
Culture Clash: Of Cats, Birds and Conservation
Feral cats threaten native wildlife, from reptiles to birds, and often lead a miserable life. By better understanding the concerns of cat colony caretakers, wildlife biologists hope to find enough common ground to benefit both cats and wildlife.
Post on Sep 19, 2012 by Liza Gross
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
Field Notes: Dan Costa in Antarctica
QUEST Producer Sheraz Sadiq interviews Bay Area filmmaker and musician Jesse Hiatt about the experience of filming in one of the world's most extreme environments. His breathtaking footage was edited into the QUEST segment, "Field Notes: Dan Costa in Antarctica."
Video on Sep 18, 2012 by Sheraz Sadiq
California Wildlife Mural Celebrates Its Third Birthday
In 2009, after West Valley College built its brand new biology building, a group of faculty stood in the natural history lab staring at a blank wall. "It's too empty," they agreed. "How about a mural?" suggested biology and genetics instructor Molly Schrey.
Post on Sep 18, 2012 by Danna Staaf
The State of California's Sea Otters
Southern sea otters are local icons, gracing a plethora of souvenirs, murals and postcards throughout central and northern California. With a face like that, it’s easy to see why. But sea otters themselves are not so plentiful. In honor of Sea Otter Awareness Week at the end of September, take a closer look at what’s behind that furry façade.
Post on Sep 17, 2012 by Helen Taylor
Is Nail Biting a Pathology? Or Just a Bad Habit?
Nail biting — like skin picking and hair tending — stems from an evolutionarily adaptive behavior: grooming. But in "pathological groomers," as they're known in in the world of psychiatry, that healthy urge goes haywire.
Audio Report on Sep 14, 2012 by Amy Standen
Coastal Cleanup by the Numbers
The annual cleanup is the largest, international volunteer event. How much trash has been collected and why is it important?
Post on Sep 14, 2012 by Sharol Nelson-Embry
