Josh Rosen is TV Series Producer for QUEST. He is a senior writer and producer specializing in documentary series and factual programming. Over the last decade he's produced a wide range of non-fiction hours, covering everything from Antarctic expeditions to Civil War history. With a background in feature film, Josh spent four years working with legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog on multiple documentaries, including the Emmy-nominated "Little Dieter Needs to Fly," "Wings of Hope," and "Klaus Kinski: My Best Fiend." His more recent projects are currently airing on the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel, the History Channel, and worldwide through Granada Media and RDF Television.
OK, they might look a bit like a great potential pet, but as dog-like as they are, you really don't want one of these at home. They're spotted hyenas – and they're native to sub-Saharan Africa. And I guarantee you that they're tougher and stronger than they look. (They're also more closely related to cats than to dogs, but that's another story.)
Anyway, on the day we set out to film at the Oakland Zoo, I had at least a inkling of what to expect. In the 1990s, an old friend of mine had worked with spotted hyenas at the Berkeley Field Station for the Study of Behavior, Ecology and Reproduction. At the time the facility had more than 30 hyenas, and they were studying their behaviors (vocalizations, family structures, etc.). When I first saw the animals it was clear that they're pretty much one big muscle. Mostly jaw. My friend informed me that the mothers usually have two cubs, but that only one generally survives. Basically one cub kills or starves the other. I found that hard to believe – I mean they're just little babies aren't they? Then she showed me a newborn that had been rejected by its mother (basically beaten out in the competition by it's litter-mate). It was so cute and tiny. I asked if I could hold it. She said, "depends if you want your finger bitten off or not." OK, maybe she was exaggerating (or maybe not) but after watching the tiny cub crawl around on a blanket, it was clear: The thing could already growl and screech like a small adult. And it already had serious teeth, a strong jaw and a major attitude.
So I pretty much knew that these hyenas at the Oakland zoo were going to be more tiger than dog. Still, you have to see them up close to really get their power. And there are really few, if any, animals like them. Their ability to digest bone, their matriarchal structure, the idea that the female has a "phallus." I really recommend you check them out. And please, no matter how cute they look, I'd avoid petting them!
As the Series Producer for QUEST, I get to read through a lot of amazing science story ideas, but when I first read about the work that Carl Haber, Vitaliy Fadeyev and Earl Cornell were doing at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, I knew it was a story I wanted to do. OK, I admit that part of the reason is that I love music and sound, and have been interested in audio technology since I was a kid (back when we listened to records). But for me, a big part of the story's "coolness" is how this team – and Carl Haber in particular – came up with the idea. I love the idea that he was just listening to the radio one day and heard that the Library of Congress was failing in its struggle to preserve a significant portion of our nation's music and sound heritage. Haber basically thought, "well, as a designer of instrumentation for particle physics, I think I can help." And that's what he did. He felt passionate about solving a problem, and he changed the world.
I had heard of Edison-style wax cylinders, but I had never seen one, and I had no idea how much audio history (musical as well as cultural) had been recorded in the format. One of the best parts of the shoot (we shot on two different days), was our visit with Victoria Bradshaw at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Walking through the floor-to-ceiling shelving and stepping up to literally hundreds of carefully-packed wax cylinders was a revelation. Holding one in my hands (gloved hands) was an amazing feeling. And to see the wax cylinders upon which Alfred Kroeber had actually recorded Ishi speaking – hard to put into words. I couldn't help but imagine Kroeber himself, with a box of blank cylinders and a recorder strapped to a mule, fording a river on his way to meet an Indian who "spoke a language nobody can understand." Suddenly it was clear to me how important it is to save these recordings before they disintegrate.
And for a science-head, visiting Haber's lab was amazing. Far from antiseptic, the whole place was filled with hacked parts of microscopes, old record and cylinder players, computers running custom software, circuit boards, wires hanging everywhere. It was a great reminder that real science is a permanent work-in-progress. And when it's all said and done – and the Library of Congress is already using Haber's flat-record technology – we'll all be better off. Thanks to Haber's team, soon we'll have pristine, permanent copies of many of these endangered recordings. And as these collections are migrated to the web, that's great news, not just for museums and archives, but for all of us.
And one last quick thing: If you’re interested in learning more about our wax cylinder legacy, check out this UC Santa Barbara site. It has great information on the history of the format, and it offers hundreds of wax cylinders that you can listen stream right off the net!
What does our use of bottled water say about us? View our 2-minute TV short "Future History: Plastic Water Bottles" to take a look from the perspective of an anthropologist from the distant future, and the take our poll below:
Josh Rosen is Series Producer for QUEST on KQED Television.
It's been called "Burning Man for science geeks." The annual Maker Faire attracts thousands of amateur inventors and scientists, displaying their home-made prototypes and gadget hacks. In a world where the technological race is speeding up, the Maker movement has revealed that the do-it-yourself culture is in no danger of dying out.
In search of the common ancestor of all mammals, UC Santa Cruz scientist David Haussler is pulling a complete reversal. Instead of investigating fossil remains, he's comparing the genomes of living mammals and constructing a map of our common ancestors' DNA. His technique holds promise for providing a better picture of how life evolved on Earth.
Northern California residents may not be able to see the northern lights like people in Alaska can, but Bay Area scientists are playing a key role in understanding them. Find out more about the spectacular light shows up north and what scientists at UC Berkeley are discovering about the earth's magnetic field.
Over 100,000 acres of wetlands are being restored in the Bay Area, but how do we know what to restore them to? QUEST discovers how historical ecologists are recreating San Francisco Bay wetlands that existed decades ago.
Hoping to leave today's silicon solar cells behind, the Palo Alto company NanoSolar is creating paper-thin solar panels harnessing nanotechnology, a product that could revolutionize solar power.
California's landmark stem cell research program made headlines nationally, but what's the latest story behind the science? QUEST investigates the potential for medical breakthroughs in the next decade and how the Bay Area is leading the way.
Leave your comment or question below for Series Producer Josh Rosen on this story.
San Francisco Bay Invaders & Stem Cell Gold Rush (episode #110), airs tonight on QUEST at 7:30pm on KQED 9, and KQED HD, Comcast 709. (full schedule)
Sudden Oak Death and Science of Big Waves (episode #108), which also features this short story, airs tonight on QUEST at 7:30pm on KQED 9, and KQED HD, Comcast 709. (full schedule)
Josh Rosen is Series Producer for QUEST on KQED Television.
The QUEST Community Science Blog explores local science, nature, and environment issues & experiences in Northern California. A collaborative effort, our many writers come from local museums, zoos, science centers and research institutions, as well as KQED's TV and Radio producers covering stories in the field.
Watch the "Cool Critters: Hyenas" TV Story online, as well as find additional links and resources.
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