Chemistry
KQED Science
A Simple Mineral Has Geochemical Power That Helps Spark Life
New work shows that the simple mineral sphalerite has geochemical powers suitable for helping life to arise from precursors in the mineral kingdom.
KQED Science
A Quest for Vegan Cheese That Actually Tastes Like Cheese
A team of Bay Area scientists is biohacking baker's yeast, in an effort to produce proteins that are just like milk proteins, only they're aren't from milk.
KQED Science
Carbon-Tracking Satellite Will Monitor Earth’s ‘Breathing’
The data could yield a much more precise picture of how accumulating greenhouse gases will affect the planet.
KQED Science
Drought Tech: How Solar Desalination Could Help Parched Farms
While coastal communities debate the merits of desalting seawater as a drought solution, a new approach to desalination could be a boon to farmers far inland.
KQED Science
Consumer Gene Tests Face Uncertain Future
Personal genetics companies that offer health insights are working to satisfy federal regulators and keep up with changing science.
KQED Science
California Farmers Look to Oil Industry for Water
As water supplies tighten for California farmers, some are looking to an unlikely new source: a water recycling project in one of the state's oldest oil fields.
KQED Science
How Corrosive Water off the West Coast Threatens the Food Chain
Earlier this year, managers at a hatchery near Vancouver, Canada said they lost three years' worth of scallops -- 10 million animals -- to acidic waters. Ocean acidification is worse off the West Coast than anywhere else in North America.
KQED Science
California Takes Aim at Toxic Nap Mats, Paint Strippers
Six years after voters passed the California Green Chemistry Initiative, the state lays out its plan to get toxic products off shelves.
KQED Science
Why Distant Dust Storms Matter to California Rainfall
Scientists are finding that dust storms in Asia and Africa influence how much snow falls in the Sierra Nevada. The research could help make weather forecasting more accurate and improve how California manages its water supply.
Forum
BPA-Free Plastics Linked to Adverse Human Health Effects
A new investigation by Mother Jones magazine finds that plastics free of the controversial additive bisphenol-A (BPA) may actually be more harmful to humans than those containing it. Meanwhile, scientists continue to debate what doses of the chemical are harmful. We'll discuss the latest news on the controversy over plastics, ...Read More
KQED Science
Are BPA-Free Plastics Any Safer?
Studies have linked the chemical BPA, found in some plastics, to a host of health problems. Now lab tests have found that the chemicals used to replace BPA may be just as harmful.
KQED Science
Fukushima Radiation on its Way to California, Scientists Say it Poses No Threat
Scientists are testing samples and using models to try to zero in on when it will reach the California coast and how much there will be when it does.
KQED Science
Seven Things to Know About the Sixth Mass Extinction
Elizabeth Kolbert’s book “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History” centers around two premises: that humans are witnessing a very high rate of species extinction and that humans are causing much of it.
KQED Science
Leaky Natural Gas Pipes Are a Bigger Problem Than Previously Thought
U.S. could make substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by stopping methane leaks from natural gas pipelines, says a new Stanford study.
KQED Science
Science of Beer: Tapping the Power of Brewer’s Yeast
Whether it’s a lager or ale, sour or bitter, dark or light, most beer has one thing in common: yeast. KQED Science visits a commercial yeast laboratory and a local brewery to reveal how this key ingredient is a major player in both science history and beer production.
QUEST
Could your driveway be poisoning your kids?
Parking lots coated with coal tar, a gooey black waste product of steel manufacturing, shed the coatings at a high rate. This toxic residue is showing up in dust on nearby apartment surfaces. ...Read More
KQED Science
As Toxics Regulations Increase, Companies Simply Switch Chemicals
A UCSF researcher explains how public pressure on makeup manufacturers seems to work, and why it's "common sense" to keep plastic dishware out of the microwave.
KQED Science
Spare-the-Air Days: How They Make the Call
Making the call a day ahead of time requires a blend of art and science -- and regulators aren't always right.
KQED Science
It’s Official: Toxic Flame Retardants No Longer Required in Furniture
California overturns a nearly 40-year-old law that made your sofa potentially menacing.
