Recent Articles
KQED Science
Now That Philae Has Landed, a Wealth of Data is Forthcoming
Yesterday morning, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft successfully launched the landing probe, Philae, to a landing on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, a historic first.
KQED Science
U.S. and China Greenhouse Gas Deal: Landmark Move or More Hot Air?
President Obama sets ambitious goals for greenhouse gas reductions, but the deal faces political battles here and overseas.
QUEST
Catching Up on Sleep Science
This video story was originally produced by Sheraz Sadiq and was updated by Lisa Landers and Arwen Curry. Be honest – do you ever brag about how little sleep you get? If so, you're not alone. Humans are the only species that seems to deliberately deprive themselves of ...Read More
KQED News
Tennis Players Are Getting Their First Servings Of Sabermetrics
Move over Billy Beane — baseball isn't the only sport that's buddying up to Big Data. Tennis pros — often driven by their coaches — are increasingly turning to data recorders from the likes of IBM, SAP and other tech firms that track the distance players run, where they ...Read More
QUEST
Diving Into the Twilight Zone
Through centuries of exploration, humans have climbed the highest peaks and hacked through the densest jungles. From pole to pole, there isn't a continent left unexplored, and very little land on earth that has not been set foot on by a human being. Yet only 10 percent of the world’s vast oceans have been truly explored. ...Read More
State of Health
UCSF Initiative Links ‘Sugar Science’ to Your Health
A new initiative from UC San Francisco is spelling out the health dangers of sugar in clear terms. The “sugar science” project distilled mountains of research on the health impacts of added sugar and found links to three chronic illnesses. ...Read More
KQED Science
Parched: California Wildlife Suffers in Drought
Birds, salmon and snakes depend on marshes and rivers for survival and migration, and to propagate the species. But many wildlife species are unable to find the water they need as the drought shrinks rivers and dries up wetlands.
QUEST
Searching for Other Earths
During six weeks every summer, for the past six years, University of California-Berkeley astrophysicist Geoff Marcy and five of his students have spent their nights in a small basement room on campus. The room has a microwave oven, a coffeemaker and a couch with two cushions. But none of ...Read More
KQED Science
Bay Area’s Coal Mining History at the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
One-third of the world's energy use relies on the greenhouse gas-producing coal, and the United Nations released a sobering report last week about its ongoing impact on global climate change. Find out about the Bay Area's own legacy with this fuel source.
KQED News
Security Agents Often Miss When Passports Don't Match Faces
Fake and stolen passports have become a huge international problem — and it turns out security agents, who should be able to catch them, have blind spots like the rest of us. How big is the problem? Interpol estimates that 9,800 people tried to cross into Europe with false documents ...Read More
KQED Science
Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows: A Long-standing Geological Puzzle
The iconic Tuolumne Meadows, in the high Sierra, is a geological puzzle. A newly published study traces the roots of the meadows to an incident deep in time and deep below the ground.
KQED Science
Life Aboard a ‘Polar Roller’: America’s Last Heavy Icebreaker
And a trick to prevent seasickness that the skipper swears by (other than staying ashore).
KQED News
America's T. Rex Gets A Makeover
The Wankel T. rex, named for the Montana rancher who found its bones, is destined to be the giant centerpiece for the new dinosaur hall at the National Museum of Natural History, in Washington, D.C. — the first nearly complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex the Smithsonian Institution has ...Read More
Forum
Crashes Cast Doubt on Future of Commercial Space Industry
Two recent crashes, including a fatal one involving a Virgin Galactic shuttle, raise new questions about the future of the commercial space industry. Twenty people who had purchased seats to fly to the edge of space on Virgin Galactic have reportedly asked for their money back. The second crash, with ...Read More
KQED Science
New California County Fracking Bans Likely to Face Challenges
Passage of two out of three local measures may just set the stage for next battle.
KQED Science
Bay Area Votes in Favor of Open Space and ‘Smart’ Growth
A local environmental group is declaring victories for open space preservation and smart growth in the Bay Area.
KQED News
Gov. Jerry Brown’s Tête-à-Tête With Prop. 1 Opponents
It'll wind up being just a footnote in the 2014 California general election campaign that ended Tuesday night: A few days ago, Gov. Jerry Brown held a campaign rally of sorts in Williams, a farm town on Interstate 5, about 50 miles northwest of downtown ...Read More
KQED Science
New Numbers Highlight Contrasts in California Water Use
Who's using the most -- and the least water? The numbers are in -- but officials warn that they can be misleading.
KQED News
State Water Bond Scores Easy Win
The most expensive measure on yesterday's statewide ballot and the one that may have the greatest impact on California's long-term future was Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion water bond.
KQED News
Let's Clear This Up — In New York City, There's Only 1 Rat For Every 4 People
Audie Cornish speaks with Jonathan Auerbach, a PhD student in statistics at Columbia University who endeavored to get a better estimate of the New York City rat population. Auerbach use data from reports of rats called in on the city's non-emergency number to arrive at his number: 2 million rats ...Read More
