Tag: "QUEST"
Reporter's notes: Sewage Happens
photo courtesy of the San Francisco Public Utilities CommissionWe’d had "aging infrastructure" on our story lists for some time when we first heard about the sewage spills in Mill Valley. When news came in that not just one, but two sewage spills had poured five million gallons of partially treated wastewater into Richardson Bay, we [...]
Post on Feb 21, 2008 by Amy Standen
Famous African American Scientists & Innovators: Part II
America might be on the pinnacle of a great change–namely having the first black President of the United States. The democratic primary race is still competitive between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. I was just in Washington, DC, over the President’s Day weekend and it was truly inspiring to see the support for Mr. Obama [...]
Post on Feb 20, 2008 by Cat
Quest Picks: Australia's Water-Guzzling Frogs
Today, Quest launches a new part of our blog, "Quest Picks." We scour the web and serve up the best of science, environment and nature content–from the Bay area and beyond–right to our readers. Today's pick is from YouTube. National Geographic, via YouTube, brings us the tale of Australia’s water-holding frog. This plucky amphibian rarely [...]
Post on Feb 18, 2008 by Amber Dance
Pet-Friendly Workplace
It’s 8:15 am on a sunny Monday; time to head to work. Got my work bag? Check. Keys? Check. Purse? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Waste-free, organic lunch? Check. Cat Carrier? Check. I gather my 6 month-old cats, Bear and Elphia, and off I go. I first brought them to work as tiny kittens out of necessity. [...]
Post on Feb 13, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe
Where in the web?
Saturn's moon Epimetheus from the Cassini spacecraft. Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA and APOD. On the bus in Denali National Park a few years ago, I found myself sitting next a couple from the East Bay. If you’ve ever been on the Denali bus, you know that it’s a long ride and [...]
Post on Feb 11, 2008 by Kyle S. Dawson
Save the rabbit (eared antennas)
Don't Sweat the Switch from Analog to Digital TV Broadcasting. The Government Will Rescue Your Old TV. Mostly. What does this have to do with energy conservation? Read on. Every old TV will be new again–for about $10. Photo credit: Human Productivity Lab, licensed through Creative Commons.When I was still new to the Bay Area, [...]
Post on Feb 08, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
The Right to Sunlight: Solar vs. Redwood Trees
In Silicon Valley, a battle between neighbors has turned into a different kind of face off: solar energy versus trees. It turns out that growing redwood trees can actually be a crime in California, if they block solar panels… as one couple in Sunnyvale found out the hard way. David Gorn reports on a new [...]
Post on Feb 07, 2008 by David Gorn
Discovery of a New Species: A Giant Elephant-Shrew
newly discovered Rhynchocyon udzungwensis the grey-faced sengiAlthough enigmatic new species of insects are fairly common discoveries, many large animals have already made an appearance on the species list. Charismatic animals such as mammals are one of the most documented on the planet and it is now very rare to find a new species in this [...]
Post on Feb 06, 2008 by Cat
Live! from the Green Carpet
January and February are exciting months for movie buffs like me. And no, I'm not referring to Golden Globes, Oscar nominations, or Screen Actors Guild awards. I'm talking about two wonderful "green" film festivals, both right here in our own watershed: the recent Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, and the San [...]
Post on Feb 04, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
Using life as a tool
Companies like GenoCAD allow users to piece together their own designer DNA. “Synthetic biology” seems like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it? I mean, if it’s biological, it’s natural, right? And if it’s natural, then it’s not synthetic. Sure. Except that modern science has sorta blurred all those nice convenient boundaries. Nothing has demonstrated this [...]
Post on Feb 04, 2008 by Robin Marks
How to get away with murder
ABC, Yahoo! and others ran a story about a woman who had a liver transplant whose blood type ended up changing. I love stories like this. Not because of the change itself. Most likely, stem cells traveled from the new liver to the patient’s bone marrow. There, the stem cells set up shop and gave [...]
Post on Feb 04, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Astronomy on the Wing
More than meets the eye: The constellation Orion in visible light (left) and infrared (right) Visible light image: Akira Fujii; Infrared image: Infrared Astronomical SatelliteSome months ago my blog, "SOFIA: Fly By Night," talked about the up-and-coming astronomy ace of the night skies, SOFIA: the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy–a 2.5 meter infrared telescope built [...]
Post on Feb 01, 2008 by Ben Burress
Answering the Call of the Wild
Why cell phones are bad for gorillas and how Eco-Cell is helping. Got a cell phone? Then in your pocket or stuck to your ear is a metallic ore called Coltan, short for Columbite-tantalite, a vital component in the capacitors that control current flow in cell phone circuit boards. Your i-pod, laptop, DVD player and [...]
Post on Jan 30, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe
Who Controls Your Thermostat? Part 2
No, this is not Big Brother. Credit: Jim GunshinanThe answer to the question, Who controls your thermostat?, which I raised in an earlier post, is now clearly answered. You control your thermostat! The California Energy Commission (CEC) was to require, as part of the 2008 Title 24 building standards, that all new homes be outfitted [...]
Post on Jan 25, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Cashing in on Carbon
When football fans tune in on Super Bowl Sunday next weekend, they'll be watching a greener Super Bowl, according to the NFL. Demand for carbon credits is booming, with companies from Dell Computer to Enterprise Rent-a-Car offering their customers offsets with their purchases. But critics are concerned that consumers don't know what they're buying – [...]
Post on Jan 24, 2008 by Lauren Sommer
The Eyes Have It
How can you tell when someone's smile is fake? See if you can tell from the 2 images below:* A real, spontaneous smile incorporates tiny muscles around the eye that are nearly impossible to contract at will. You can see this for yourself in an exhibit called "Polite Smile, Delight Smile" part of the Exploratorium's [...]
Post on Jan 24, 2008 by Robin Marks
Famous African American Scientists
Diversity of thought has always been a cornerstone of science; however, diversity amongst scientists has often gone unnoticed. Martin Luther King’s birthday was just celebrated in remembrance of his leadership in the African American community. However, he is not the only pioneer who has brought about great and lasting change. Below are just two examples [...]
Post on Jan 23, 2008 by Cat
Curing mouse sickle cell anemia with stem cells
Last blog I talked about how scientists turned skin cells into embryonic stem (ES) cells. This was big news because scientists can now make an ES-like cell without destroying an embryo. This blog I thought I'd talk about how scientists have used these cells to cure a mouse’s sickle cell anemia. If the mouse stays [...]
Post on Jan 21, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
An Asteroid's Close Call
This has been a month of dashed hopes for astronomers around the world. Last month it seemed possible that an asteroid the size of a Boeing 737 jet was due to collide with Mars on January 30. Today that seems far less likely, but, as Amy Standen reports, astronomers consider it a wake up call. [...]
Post on Jan 17, 2008 by Amy Standen
Near Mars Object
Victoria Crater on Mars, similar in size to the crater the near-Mars asteroid 2007 WD 5 would have produced. Credit: NASA/Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter The possibility that a sizable asteroid would strike the planet Mars on January 30th temporarily raised the excitement level in the astronomical community to a pretty high level in the last couple [...]
Post on Jan 16, 2008 by Ben Burress
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