http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog Science, Environment, and Nature in the SF Bay Area Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:31:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en To go solar or not to go solar? Homeowners looking to save money on their energy bills have a number of factor to consider. It's easy to get excited about installing solar panels on your house - particularly when you find out that state and federal rebates can cut the ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/11/06/reporters-notes-getting-paid-to-go-solar/ 37.5629917 -122.3255254 Oakland Unified teachers assembling Galileoscopes at ChabotWhat was it like for Galileo, the first time he put an eye to his telescope to see things in the heavens as never before seen? As anyone who has seen a planet or a star cluster or a nebula—or the Moon—through even a ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/11/06/oakland-teachers-scope-out-what-galileo-saw/ 37.8148 -122.178 The Exploratorium turns 40!40 years ago, a San Francisco icon was born, the Exploratorium. The museum was founded by Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, a famous physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project. After a short career as a physics professor (he was branded a communist during McCarthyism), Oppenheimer was inspired to ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/11/05/science-event-pick-exploratorium-turns-40/ 37.8014 -122.448 Lawrence Berkeley Lab's TEAM 0.5 is capable of resolving individual carbon atoms in the honeycomb crystal structure of graphene. See QUEST's video The World's Most Powerful Microscope for more information. Image source: Nano LettersThe twentieth century’s most important physicist after Albert Einstein is almost certainly Richard Feynman. Known as much ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/11/02/50-years-later-still-plenty-of-room-at-the-bottom/ 37.8768 -122.251 Henry Coe State Park won't be experiencing any part-time closures, but it will reduce trash and restroom service and has shuttered a new visitor center off the Pacheco Pass. So you want to reserve that primo camping spot at your favorite California State Park? You might just have to take your ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/10/30/reporters-notes-saving-our-parks/ 37.8626523 -122.4269055 A technician checks the combustion efficiency and safety of a water heater—an important part of any home energy audit. I hope I’m certifiable. I’ll find out in about a year when I’ve completed all the training and taken the written and field exams to become a Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/10/30/am-i-certifiable/ 37.7749295 -122.4194155 The Bay Area Festival of Science The first weekend of November is science geek nirvana with the return of a Bay Area gem: Wonderfest, the Bay Area Festival of Science. The 2-day festival is Saturday, November 7th (on Stanford’s campus) and Sunday, November 8th (on Berkeley’s campus). Every year, Wonderfest pairs researchers ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/10/29/4124/ 37.8778 -122.243 Prion diseases are neurodegenerative, attacking the brain. Could they be responsible for the recent wave of Zombie attacks across the globe? Original photo: digitalsextant. I’m a sucker for zombie movies; I’ve watched dozens of them. I am especially fond of the Resident Evil Trilogy, where the T-Viruses effectively restructure ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/10/28/living-in-limbo-the-zombie-like-qualities-of-prions/ 37.769968 -122.467174 What can genetic testing tell you? A while back I took a 23andMe genetic test that looks at over 600,000 different spots on my DNA. The last few blogs I have been going over my genetic test results with an eye on how useful they are. And how well ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/10/26/an-incomplete-for-23andme%e2%80%99s-carrier-testing/ 37.33161018170129 -121.89019918441772 Luis Medellin and Karl Tupper set up a drift catcher in Lindsay, CA. My radio story on pesticide drift looks at how residents in the citrus town of Lindsay are monitoring pesticides in the air and in their bodies. They are using a device called a Drift Catcher, modeled after technology ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/10/26/reporters-notes-catching-the-drift-part-2/ 36.196619 -119.107647