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Lauren Sommer
Science and Environment Reporter
Lauren covers environment and science as a reporter with QUEST - KQED's multiplatform science and environmental series. As part of her day job, she has scaled Sierra Nevada peaks, hunted for newts in the rain, and desperately tried to get her sea legs - all in pursuit of good radio. Originally from the Bay Area, Lauren attended Cornell University and has a background in environmental policy. Before joining KQED, she cruised bunny slopes as a ski instructor in Tahoe, California and ate croissants in France as a travel writer for Frommer's. Her work has appeared on Marketplace, Living on Earth, and NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
Stories (132 archives)
Biotech Braces for Gene Patenting Ruling
California biotech companies had their eye on the U.S. Supreme Court this week as it heard arguments on a key question: can you patent a human gene? The court's ruling could mean millions of dollars to biotech companies and universities.
New Details on Delta Water Tunnel Plan
Governor Jerry Brown's administration has released more details about its $23 billion plan to build two 35-mile tunnels between the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and farms and cities elsewhere in the state. But environmentalists, worried about what will happen to fish in that water, are no more enchanted with the project than they were before the release.
New Details Emerge on Delta Water Plan
More details have emerged on a $23 billion plan for California's trickiest water problem: the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Water officials are proposing a pair of tunnels through the Delta, which supplies water to two-thirds of Californians. The plan links the water supply to an effort to protect endangered fish.
Calif. Senate Focuses on Fracking Regulation
Battles have been brewing in other states over the controversial oil and gas extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing -- but regulators in California are just starting to grapple with it. On Tuesday, state lawmakers grilled regulators about whether newly proposed rules would safely regulate fracking.
Deciphering the Elephant Seal's Mating Call
When you think of romance on the beach, that scene in "From Here to Eternity" may come to mind. You know, where Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr make out in the sand as waves crash over them? Well, a much, much less glamorous version of that is taking place now on California beaches. It's peak mating season for the northern elephant seal. KQED Science reporter Lauren Sommer visited a state reserve where researchers are learning how the sounds males make help them score with the ladies.
