Science on the SPOT: Secrets of Sourdough
What is true sourdough bread? It's more than just the tangy flavor. Science on the SPOT visits with Maria Marco of UC Davis and baker Eduardo Morrell to learn more about the secret science of sourdough.
Video on Mar 23, 2011 by Jenny Oh from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Fungus Fair
QUEST tags along with fair organizer J.R. Blair and his San Francisco State University students as they collect mushrooms in San Francisco's McLaren Park. Then we tour the annual Fungus Fair in Berkeley to explore the Bay Area's tasty, dangerous and weirdly wonderful fungi.
Video on Mar 09, 2011 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Revisiting Albino Redwoods, Biological Mystery
UC Santa Cruz plant biologists study rare albino redwood trees to better understand the inner workings of these unusual plants. By learning how albino plants survive, they may unlock some of the mysteries of how redwood trees live.
Video on Feb 23, 2011 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Revisiting Albino Redwoods, Cracking the Code
Stanford geneticists trek into the mountains to uncover rare albino redwood trees. Seeking to discover the root of the mutation, they are taking small samples back to their lab and for the first time will sequence the complicated redwood genome.
Video on Feb 23, 2011 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Peregrine Falcons Up Close
QUEST meets the San Francisco Zoo's resident Peregrine Falcon, "Bella." The story of the Peregrine Falcon is a conservation success story. And the zoo's hope is that when people meet Bella they are inspired to take conservation into their own hands.
Video on Feb 08, 2011 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Open Source Creativity – Hackerspaces
Inspired in part by the open source movement, public spaces are emerging where people congregate to share ideas, make cool projects, teach, and brainstorm on everything from coding to cooking.
Video on Jan 26, 2011 by Jenny Oh from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Restoring San Francisco's Lost Manzanita
QUEST explores how the San Francisco Botanical Garden is toiling to bring one of the city's rarest native plants, the Franciscana manzanita, back from the brink of extinction.
Video on Jan 19, 2011 by Gabriela Quirós from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Measuring Redwood Giants
Forest ecologist Steve Sillett leads a team of scientists as they climb and measure every branch of the tallest old growth redwoods in California to study how they are being impacted by climate change.
Video on Dec 17, 2010 by Amy Miller from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Watching the Tides
Ocean tides rise and fall twice a day, influenced by the gravitational forces of the sun and moon. QUEST explores how tides work and visits the oldest continually operating tidal gauge in the Western Hemisphere.
Video on Dec 10, 2010 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Cal Academy Butterfly Collection
The California Academy of Sciences has the largest collection of biological reference materials west of the Mississippi River. Norman Penny, collections manager of the entomology department, gives QUEST viewers a peek at the academy's vast butterfly collection.
Video on Nov 18, 2010 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Fire and Butterflies
Can fire save the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly? The Golden Gate National Recreation Area experiments with using controlled burns to improve habitat for this critically imperiled Bay Area native.
Video on Oct 27, 2010 by Joshua Cassidy from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Life on the Farallones
The Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco are a vital home to many birds and marine mammals. QUEST visits the Farallones and sees what life is like for scientists working in this forbidding and inhospitable world.
Video on Oct 13, 2010 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Digging the Devil's Slide Tunnel
California Highway One, south of Pacifica, has earned the nickname, "The Devil's Slide." Now two tunnels are being dug to bypass this treacherous stretch of road. QUEST goes deep underground to learn how Caltrans is digging this new tunnel.
Video on Oct 01, 2010 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
The Great White Shark Song: Live at the Farallones!
To celebrate autumn's return of the great white sharks to the Farallon Islands and the opening of the new Farallones exhibit at Cal Academy, KQED QUEST presents "The Great White Shark Song: Live at the Farallones!" by Andy Brandy Casagrande IV.
Video on Sep 16, 2010 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Color By Nano – The Art of Kate Nichols
Artist Kate Nichols longed to paint with the iridescent colors of butterfly wings, but no such pigments existed. So she became the first artist-in-residence at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to synthesize nanoparticles and incorporate them into her artwork.
Video on Sep 15, 2010 by Jenny Oh from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Driverless Cars
Meet Shelley, a car that drives itself. Researchers at Stanford University have developed an autonomous race car and plan on taking it on one of the toughest courses in the country. First, the car is taking them for a test ride at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
Video on Sep 03, 2010 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: Albino Redwoods, Ghosts of the Forest
QUEST ventures into the deep canopy of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park near Felton, California to track down the rare, elusive phantoms of the forest: albino redwood trees.
Video on Aug 26, 2010 by Chris Bauer from QUEST Northern California
Why I Do Science: Edward O. Wilson
As the "father of biodiversity", two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and guru of myrmecology (the study of ants), E. O. Wilson has been an inspiration to young scientists around the globe. Wilson discusses his life, his career, and his hope for the future of our living world.
Video on Aug 24, 2010 by Lindsay Kelliher from QUEST Northern California
Going UP: Sea Level Rise in San Francisco Bay
Scientists say it's no secret San Francisco Bay is rising, along with all of the earth's oceans. The reason — global warming. This rise in sea level will affect everyone who lives, works, or plays near the bay. QUEST asks how high will the Bay rise and when? And what steps can communities take to plan for it?
Video on Aug 24, 2010 by Rachel Silverman from QUEST Northern California
Science on the SPOT: DIY Fog at The Exploratorium
For a demonstration on how advection fog is created (and how you can do this at home), check out this video we filmed with The Exploratorium's Eric Muller.
Video on Jul 29, 2010 by Jenny Oh from QUEST Northern California
