Tag: "kqedquest"
Quest Topic in the News: The Autism-Vaccine Connection
February was a big month in the debate about the possible role of vaccines in causing autism, a subject we covered in last year's TV story, Autism: Searching for Causes and several blog posts. The claim-–that there might be a link between the immunizations children receive and the onset of autism–-has recently taken some hard hits.
Post on Mar 04, 2009 by Rachel Zurer
Reporter's Notes: Playing with Lead
It's easy to get scared. You look around the Oakland office of the Center for Environmental Health, and lead is everywhere. Piles of toys that are loaded with lead. Lunch boxes and kids' backpacks that have tested positive for high levels of lead. Samples of artificial turf.
Post on Feb 27, 2009 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Redesigning the Bay
The most recent estimate looks pretty dire. The Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), a state planning agency, says it expects San Francisco Bay to rise about 16 inches by 2050, and 55 inches by the end of the century.
Post on Feb 20, 2009 by David Gorn
The World's Largest Seed
Last Thursday, February 12th, was the inaugural evening of NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences, a weekly science evening for adults. It was also Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. To honor the father of evolution, Academy researchers unveiled Darwin's Carnival, a collection of curious specimens brought out from our collections, including Botany, Ornithology & Mammalogy, Entomology, Herpetology, Invertebrate Zoology, Geology, and the Library Archives.
Post on Feb 19, 2009 by Cat
Reporter's Notes: Mass Transit Housing Plan
Even in these difficult economic times, California's population continues to grow, and those additional people are going to need a place to live. Recent legislation in California directs city planners to make environmentally responsible choices for new housing. One way to do that is to create transit villages.
Post on Feb 13, 2009 by Andrea Kissack
The Joys of Citizen Science
Though it's easy to forget, any kid with a magnifying glass can tell you that you don't need a fancy degree to be a scientist. All it takes is a curious mind and a keen eye for observation. And in case the mere thought of a world full of wonders isn't enough to get you motivated, there are dozens of ways your personal observations can contribute to formal, published research. It's called "citizen science".
Post on Feb 13, 2009 by Rachel Zurer
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
When Tech Evolves
For the last forty-five minutes, I have been perusing the California Academy of Sciences website, trying to think of a topic for this blog piece. It is 10 PM on the day before my entry is due, and I am doing what I have been doing since college – procrastinating! But now the Internet makes that so much more time consuming. Going through the pages and sifting ideas to see what might work, I am drawn into how technology and the Internet are making so much available to the public, and how information interacts at so many intersections. You just need to look at the Academy's website for examples.
Post on Feb 11, 2009 by Cat
Producer's Notes: Chasing Beetles, Finding Darwin
Today QUEST TV broadcasts its half-hour documentary "Chasing Beetles, Finding Darwin," which tells the story of California Academy of Sciences beetle expert David Kavanaugh's unusual prediction that a new species of beetle would be found in Northern California's Trinity Alps.
Post on Feb 10, 2009 by Gabriela Quirós
Reporter's Notes: Investigating Darwin's Legacy
This year marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin – and the 150th anniversary of his landmark work, "On the Origin of Species". One of the iconic fossils that supports Darwin's theory of evolution is called the Archaeopteryx.
Post on Feb 06, 2009 by David Gorn
Gorilla Cough
Forgive me for being Gorilla-Crazy and writing yet another blog about these creatures, but anyone who has completed a gorilla trek understands the obsession and concern. One issue: We make them sick.
Post on Feb 05, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe
Reporter's Notes: Putting a Price on Nature
Natural capital isn't something we hear about very often, and it certainly isn't a new idea. Aldo Leopold and other conservationists recognized the role that natural ecosystems play in our lives as early as the 1940's. But understanding and measuring that role hasn't been easy.
Post on Jan 30, 2009 by Lauren Sommer
Reporter's Notes: Birds vs. Planes
Dave Feliz calls it "the bird highway in the sky." Feliz works for California Department of Fish and Game, as area manager for the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, and he's talking about the Pacific Flyway. Millions of migratory birds travel the same route every year, called the Pacific Flyway, stretching from the north slope of [...]
Post on Jan 23, 2009 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Tracking Urban Lions
It's amazing that such large animals can live so near to urban areas and remain unseen – particularly since these animals inspire such fear and alarm whenever there is a reported sighting.
Post on Jan 09, 2009 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Last Minute Rules
The Bush Administration has recently passed dozens of so-called "midnight regulations" – last-minute rules and amendments. Many of those new laws affect the environment, including a change to the Endangered Species Act that has California environmentalists deeply worried.
Post on Jan 02, 2009 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Building Blocks Go Green
I got interested in this story after hearing Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla speak at a conference this fall in Sausalito. He explained how he decides where to invest in green tech and it was fascinating. He and other top venture capitalists think they can help stop global warming and make a ton of money at the same time.
Post on Dec 19, 2008 by Andrea Kissack
Engineering the Planet
On the surface, geoengineering almost seems like science fiction. Could humans engineer ways to compensate for global warming by changing dynamics in the Earth's atmosphere?
Post on Dec 18, 2008 by Lauren Sommer
Reporter's Notes: Dialing in on Traffic
The pilot project at UC Berkeley called Mobile Millennium uses cell phones as data points to show traffic patterns in real time. To become an early adopter of the technology, you must have an unlimited data plan on a mobile phone with a GPS system.
Post on Dec 12, 2008 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Get the Soot Out
It's not just truckers that will have to spend a lot of money to retrofit their diesel engines. And quite a few trucks on California roads will actually be unaffected by a new California diesel regulation. The California Air Resources Board is expected to vote on a new diesel-emissions regulation when the board meets on December 11 and 12 in Sacramento.
Post on Dec 05, 2008 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: The Graying of HIV
Some 30 researchers from the University of California-San Francisco and the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology have come together to investigate why HIV-positive patients, who are now living longer lives thanks to anti-retroviral drugs, seem to be aging faster than their uninfected peers.
Post on Nov 26, 2008 by Gabriela Quirós
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