Millie Hughes-Fulford: Scientist in Space
As the space shuttle program comes to an end, QUEST profiles Marin County former astronaut Millie Hughes-Fulford.
Video on Jul 26, 2011 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Why I Do Science: Dan Costa
One of the great things about my job is to be able to talk to some of the world's greatest and most charismatic scientists, like Professor Dan Costa of UC Santa Cruz.
Video on Jul 26, 2011 by Sheraz Sadiq from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Sound Waves – Listening to Orcas
They are an icon of the Pacific Northwest, stirring a mix of fascination, awe and affection. Thousands of people come to the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound just to catch a glimpse of the Southern Resident orcas that call these waters home.
Video on Jul 20, 2011 by Ethan Morris from QUEST Northwest
Web Extra: How Hummingbird Got Fire
Chariman of the Amah-Mutsun Ohlone tribal band, Valentin Lopez, reads the legend of how Hummingbird got fire from the Badger People.
Video on Jul 19, 2011 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Cool Critters: The Gray Fox
QUEST visits with a rescued North American Gray Fox at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek. This elusive species is native to the Bay Area and happens to be the only member of the dog family who can climb trees.
Video on Jul 19, 2011 by Amy Miller from QUEST Northern California
Mt. Umunhum: Return to the Summit
QUEST treks 3,486 feet to the peak of Mt. Umunhum, rising steeply above Silicon Valley. During the Cold War, the Air Force installed a sprawling radar station atop the mountain. For more than 50 years the summit has been off limits to the public. Now it’s being cleaned up and will be opened as an open space preserve.
Video on Jul 19, 2011 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Journey of the San Francisco Bay Trail
A dedicated group of outdoor lovers and trail planners is working to build a 500-mile trail around San Francisco Bay. Come along as QUEST hikes and bikes the newest section.
Video on Jul 12, 2011 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Lupe the Mammoth Comes to Life
In 2005, a partial skeleton of a juvenile mammoth was discovered along the Guadalupe River near downtown San Jose. A full-scale replica is now featured in a new exhibit at the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose. Learn more with Kaitlin Maguire from the UC Museum of Paleontology about these majestic creatures that roamed the Bay Area during the Ice Age.
Video on Jun 01, 2011 by Jenny Oh from QUEST Northern California
QUEST Lab: Properties of Plastic
Exploratorium Staff Scientist Julie Yu changes and manipulates the physical and chemical properties of plastic bottles by exposing them to heat. This is how plastic bags and bottles can be recycled and used over and over again.
Video on May 25, 2011 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Redwoods and Climate Change
QUEST follows a group of UC Berkeley scientists to the top of a 320-foot redwood in Mendocino County. Only 5 percent of these ancient redwoods survived our voracious desire for their hardy and plentiful wood. Now scientists are trying to predict how the remaining ones and their descendants might fare in the face of climate change in the decades to come.
Video on May 25, 2011 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Your Photos on QUEST: Steven Christenson
Most nature photographers put their cameras away at night. Not Steven Christenson. As the co-founder of the very successful Bay Area Night Photography group, he guides like-minded, low-light photographers to find interesting subjects after the sun goes down. Steven reveals his special process of photographing star trails for Your Photos on QUEST.
Video on May 18, 2011 by Amy Miller from QUEST Northern California
The Science & Art of Cheese
Cheese. It comes in more than 2,000 varieties — hard, soft, fresh and aged – and it's been with us for thousands of years. Take a journey to Cowgirl Creamery in West Marin to learn how artisan cheese is made and how scientists are putting cheese under the microscope to gain new insights about this incredible, edible food.
Video on May 18, 2011 by Sheraz Sadiq from QUEST Northern California
Web Extra: The Terroir of Cheese
Watch this QUEST web extra to learn how "terroir" – or the characteristics of a specific region such as its climate, soil and topography – indelibly influences the production of award-winning, artisan cheese.
Video on May 17, 2011 by Sheraz Sadiq from QUEST Northern California
Field Notes: Brian Fisher in Madagascar
Entomologist Brian Fisher braves raging rivers, and dense tropical forests as he travels the world searching for new species of ants before they are lost to habitat destruction. Experience a slice of Fisher's life and work through video footage from his field work with ants in Madagascar.
Video on May 11, 2011 by Amy Miller from QUEST Northern California
Bats In Our Midst
QUEST ventures under a Central Valley bridge to count the bats that make it their home. The bridge is one of the most important roosting places for Mexican free-tailed bats in the Central Valley, where this voracious insect-eating species protects the local crops from pests. Then meet two volunteers who take injured bats into their homes and nurse them to health.
Video on May 11, 2011 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Geothermal Heats Up
Solar and wind power may get the headlines when it comes to renewable energy. But another type of clean power is heating up in the hills just north of Sonoma wine country. The Geysers, the world's largest power-producing geothermal field, has been providing electricity for roughly 850,000 Northern California households, and is set to expand even further.
Video on May 04, 2011 by Amy Miller from QUEST Northern California
Your Videos on QUEST: Joshua Cassidy
In his debut film, Life by the Tide, San Francisco filmmaker Joshua Cassidy takes an intimate look into the tide pools at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, CA. Your Videos on QUEST features an excerpt of Cassidy's film.
Video on May 04, 2011 by Joshua Cassidy from QUEST Northern California
Searching for Life on Mars
After multiple unmanned missions to Mars, we still don't know if life has ever existed there. NASA scientists are hoping a new high-tech rover will help them solve the mystery. The Mars Science Laboratory is scheduled for launch in late 2011 and will search for any evidence that the Red Planet was once capable of supporting life.
Video on May 04, 2011 by Rachel Silverman from QUEST Northern California
Into the Deep with Elephant Seals
Thousands of northern elephant seals — some weighing up to 4,500 pounds — make an annual migration to breed each winter at Año Nuevo State Reserve, on the San Mateo County coast. Marine biologists are using high-tech tools to explore the secrets of these amazing creatures, which can hold their breath for an hour and dive a mile below the surface.
Video on May 04, 2011 by Sheraz Sadiq from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Banana Slugs Unpeeled
One of the most beloved and iconic native species within the old growth redwood forests is the Pacific Banana Slug. QUEST goes on a hunt to find and introduce Ariolomax dolichophallus, a bright yellow slug with a big personality.
Video on Apr 13, 2011 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
