http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog Science, Environment, and Nature in the SF Bay Area Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:34:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Centuries ago the stars were believed to reside just beyond the planets of our solar system.It never fails to astound me how big the Universe is—how far away even the nearest stars are, let alone other galaxies scattered from here to near infinity…. How do we know how far away celestial ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/07/03/far-out-man-measuring-astronomical-distances/ 37.8148 -122.178 Searching for tadpoles in Arroyo Viejo Creek at the Oakland Zoo. It Day #2 of Nature Play, a new Oakland Zoo ZooCamp program that I have been assigned to teach. I know all about “Nature Deficit Disorder” and “No Child Left Inside”. I have read “Last Child in the Woods” ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/07/01/nature-play-notes-from-the-field/ 37.7772 -122.166595 (left) A cell imaged with an optical microscope. (right) The same cell imaged by allowing the cell to absorb UCNPs and then irradiating it with infrared light. Each nanocrystal is one thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair. Image courtesy of PNAS."Like a silent black mist, nanoparticles ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/29/new-nanoparticles-shed-light-on-cell-behavior/ 37.873798 -122.254475 Are you using Twitter or other social media as a way to promote progressive causes like energy efficiency? What do you think about mandatory home energy audits or line drying clothes versus machine drying? Source image: Tina KellerSomebody close to me recently turned 50. Okay, it was me who ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/26/tweeting-for-energy-efficiency/ 37.8686 -122.267 Artist's depiction of a megalodon chasing two blue whales (image credit: Karen Carr, the Virginia Museum of Natural History) Often I am drawn back to one place at the California Academy of Sciences, staring down at the dancing forms in the Lagoon's shallow water. Rays and sharks glide easily just above ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/24/the-megalodons-descendents/ 37.769700 -122.466000 In a truly awful decision reminiscent of Gore vs. Bush, the Supreme Court has decided that there should be no federal mandate for genetic testing after someone has been convicted. Even though DNA evidence can free innocent people who were wrongfully accused. How absurd is this? It is especially ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/22/5-out-of-9-justices-recommend-leaving-innocent-people-in-jail/ 37.33161018170129 -121.89019918441772 This story marks the first time I've had to use a pseudynm to protect the identity of a horse. "Disney's" owner's desire for privacy only underscores the stakes here. Performance horses at his level can be worth $60,000 and more. Training, too, is an enormous investment. "Gretchen," as we call her ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/19/reporters-notes-stem-cells-and-horses/ 38.552848 -121.734745 What is it about new beginnings that gets people all stirred up? We're not sure, but we’re definitely feeling the excitement as we launched our shiny, new 2009-2010 QUEST Science Education Institute on Saturday, May 30 at the Oakland Zoo. For those of you who just tuned in, the QUEST ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/19/2009-2010-quest-science-education-gets-underway/ 37.762611 -122.409719 Mars as seen through Chabot Space & Science Center’s 20-inch telescope near the 2003 close encounter. Credit: Conrad Jung/Chabot Space & Science CenterIf you take away no other message from this blog, just remember this: the planet Mars is NOT passing close to Earth this August and will NOT ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/19/mars-encounter-an-inconvenient-hoax/ 37.8148 -122.178 Bring it on! A healthy dose of epicatechin, serotonin, caffeine, theobromine, phenylethylamine, and polyphenolsThe scientific name for chocolate, Theobroma, translates to “food of the gods.” This delectable confection has been worshipped for centuries and the fervor for this sweet treat hasn’t abated yet. Scientists have been studying the putative health ... http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/16/producers-notes-the-sweet-science-of-chocolate/ 37.76355 -122.458