Tag: "Biology"
Charles in Charge! Darwin Around the Bay Area
As I mentioned in a previous post, February 12th marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the "Origin of Species".
All across the world, scientists are leading a month long celebration of the man & his science, widely seen as the public hero of science & science education.
Post on Feb 05, 2009 by Kishore Hari
Reporter's Notes: Underwater Laboratory
The Eye in the Sea is one of the coolest, gee-whiz scientific projects you'll see. It's part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's so-called MARS project (that stands for Monterey Accelerated Research System). MARS is an undersea laboratory, set up deep on the sea floor about 30 miles offshore from Monterey.
Post on Nov 21, 2008 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Looking for Mars Life on Planet Earth
When I hear about searching for alien life, it's hard not to think about all those science fiction movies with little green men and Earth-destroying spacecraft. But it's an idea that's far from science fiction for scientists at NASA Ames.
Post on Nov 14, 2008 by Lauren Sommer
Science In Action
Science in Action is metamorphosis of creating a "un-museum" through multi-media as well as a tie with the Academy's past. Today, Science in Action exists on the floor as a breaking news exhibit.
Post on Nov 12, 2008 by Cat
Producer's Notes for Bio-inspiration: Nature as Muse
Bio-inspired design borrows its creative inspiration from models and systems in nature, that is, plant and animal parts that have been slowly tweaked for over 3.8 billion years. But that doesn't mean that nature's designs are perfect.
Post on Oct 21, 2008 by Joan Johnson
Reporter's Notes: Sea Lion Rescue
For these notes, I thought I'd focus on something that didn't make it into the sea lions radio broadcast: the necropsy.
Each year the Marine Mammal Center treats somewhere between 600-1000 animals, including California sea lions, Pacific harbor seals, Northern elephant seals, and steller sea lions. About half of them are treated successfully at the center and released into the Pacific. The other half either die naturally or have to be euthanized.
Post on Sep 26, 2008 by Amy Standen
Producer's Notes: Cal Academy Comes To Life
By the time I was ten years old I knew the old California Academy of Sciences building by heart. After countless birthday parties, field trips and family outings, my brother and I, along with our sugar-filled urchin gang of friends and cousins, could have led tours of "the Aquarium."
Post on Aug 19, 2008 by Chris Bauer
Producer's Notes: Cool Critters: Hyenas
OK, they might look a bit like a great potential pet, but as dog-like as they are, you really don't want one of these at home. They're spotted hyenas – and they're native to sub-Saharan Africa. And I guarantee you that they're tougher and stronger than they look.
Post on Aug 12, 2008 by Josh Rosen
Producer's Notes: Why I Do Science
I had the pleasure of briefly meeting Dr. Robert Drewes, the esteemed Curator and Chairman of the Department of Herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences, upon his return from the Gulf of Guinea where he has been leading research teams over the past decade to study the unique flora and fauna of the islands.
Post on Jul 29, 2008 by Jenny Oh
Reporter's Notes: Disappearing Plants
Marin will look Baja. Berkeley like Bakersfield. That's the projection of climatologists for the end of this century, if global warming continues on its current path.
Post on Jul 25, 2008 by David Gorn
Hiking Through Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
California's plant life is reducing as the climate changes. A hike through Jasper Ridge Biological Reserve in Woodside, California, reveals that some plants have a better chance at surviving than others.
Post on Jul 25, 2008 by Shuka Kalantari
Watching the Water
While at sea, I've seen common Alaskan wildlife. Humpbacks have spouted and breached, raven and eagles have dived at the water for a dinner of spawning salmon. But I keep looking at the water, hoping to glimpse Orcas.
Post on Jul 23, 2008 by Cat
Surviving Chromosomal Rearrangements
Last blog I talked about the Transcaucasian mole vole. This little burrowing mammal has lost its Y chromosome over time. Now both males and females have only a single X. I focused on how scientists can't yet figure out how there are any male mole voles running around. This week, I want to focus on what this means from an evolutionary perspective.
Post on Jul 21, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Producer's Notes: Tagging Pacific Predators
When most of us think of tuna, we think of the can. Maybe we remember "Charlie Tuna" from the old commercials. What many people don't realize is that these amazing animals are at the pinnacle of fish evolution. Tuna are capable of covering vast distances, traversing the entire Pacific Ocean in a matter of days. [...]
Post on May 20, 2008 by Chris Bauer
Reporter's Notes: Moving Day
Nobody likes moving. The packing, taping, lifting, shipping… it can be major hassle. But nobody's experience compares to what's going on at the California Academy of Sciences. They're moving to their new 400,000 square-foot building in Golden Gate Park after three years in downtown San Francisco. But they've got a lot more to move than [...]
Post on May 02, 2008 by Lauren Sommer
Producer's Notes – Resurveying California's Wildlife 100 Years Later
It's rather mind-boggling to walk into the storage rooms at UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. The rooms hold all manner of skulls, skeletons, pelts, and entire specimens that are intact in jars and drawers.
Post on Apr 15, 2008 by Jenny Oh
Disaster Cats
How to prepare your pets for a disaster.Remember Katrina and the thousands of pets left behind, as heartbroken people headed for shelters? Or how about the many people who refused rescue because their pets could not join them? I know I didn't remember, because when I heard a presentation by Karen Oberdorfer, Pet Disaster Ambassador, [...]
Post on Mar 28, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe
Sneak Peek of QUEST's New Season – Fierce Humboldt Squid
Humboldt Squid – known as "Diablos Rojos".I have to admit I had a bit of trepidation when QUEST set out to tell the story about Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas). The squid have aggressively expanded their territorial range from the warmer equatorial Pacific to waters off central California. These are not the little market squid you [...]
Post on Mar 18, 2008 by Chris Bauer
Seed banking: saving both agri- and -culture
It's more than the genes that feed us. Some have dubbed it the "doomsday vault"; others, taking a more positive tone, call it a repository of biodiversity. However you look at it, the Global Seed Vault is a fortress. Buried under almost 500 feet of Arctic permafrost, secured against bomb blasts, earthquakes, and potential thieves, [...]
Post on Mar 13, 2008 by Robin Marks
A Visit with Losers and Weaners
A Northern Elephant Seal at Ano Nuevo State Park.On a sunny Tuesday, our education staff quietly slipped out the zoo door and headed south for an off-site enrichment day: a day to learn and be inspired by nature, in order to teach and inspire others. We headed west, then south down the coast to the [...]
Post on Feb 28, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe
