Beach Day? These 5 Surprising Creatures Are Hanging Out Too
The 4 Most Ruthless Ants We’ve Ever Filmed
Clothes Moths Got Your Sweater? There's a Wasp for That
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Your Ear
Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injuries Gets Its First Overhaul in 50 Years
Spider Love Is a Battlefield
This Jumping Spider Trains Itself to Kill
5 of the Grossest House Pests We’ve Ever Filmed
Top Places to See Wildflowers Around the Bay Area
This Weevil Was Born in Your Rice and It’s Hungry
4 Tiny Romances That Are Almost Too Freaky to Share
Player sponsored by
window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"science_1998481": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1998481",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1998481",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL_1210_TN_Tiger-Beetles_KQED_A",
"publishDate": 1757713836,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1998479,
"modified": 1757713836,
"caption": null,
"credit": null,
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/DL_1210_TN_Tiger-Beetles_KQED_A-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/DL_1210_TN_Tiger-Beetles_KQED_A-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/DL_1210_TN_Tiger-Beetles_KQED_A-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/DL_1210_TN_Tiger-Beetles_KQED_A-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/DL_1210_TN_Tiger-Beetles_KQED_A-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/DL_1210_TN_Tiger-Beetles_KQED_A.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1998046": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1998046",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1998046",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1208_Beach Day-These-5-Surprising-Creatures-are-Hanging-Out-Too_KQED",
"publishDate": 1754083884,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1998036,
"modified": 1754084660,
"caption": "Beach hoppers like this one in the San Francisco Bay Area play a crucial ecological role by shredding kelp and other organic matter that washes ashore on sandy beaches around the world.",
"credit": "Mike Seely/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/DL1208_Beach-Day-These-5-Surprising-Creatures-are-Hanging-Out-Too_KQED-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/DL1208_Beach-Day-These-5-Surprising-Creatures-are-Hanging-Out-Too_KQED-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/DL1208_Beach-Day-These-5-Surprising-Creatures-are-Hanging-Out-Too_KQED-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/DL1208_Beach-Day-These-5-Surprising-Creatures-are-Hanging-Out-Too_KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/DL1208_Beach-Day-These-5-Surprising-Creatures-are-Hanging-Out-Too_KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/DL1208_Beach-Day-These-5-Surprising-Creatures-are-Hanging-Out-Too_KQED.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1997752": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1997752",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1997752",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1207_The-4-Most-Ruthless-Ants-Weve-Ever-Filmed_KQED",
"publishDate": 1752519776,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1997748,
"modified": 1752519867,
"caption": "A red fire ant bites and stings a human arm.",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/DL1207_The-4-Most-Ruthless-Ants-Weve-Ever-Filmed_KQED-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/DL1207_The-4-Most-Ruthless-Ants-Weve-Ever-Filmed_KQED-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/DL1207_The-4-Most-Ruthless-Ants-Weve-Ever-Filmed_KQED-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/DL1207_The-4-Most-Ruthless-Ants-Weve-Ever-Filmed_KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/DL1207_The-4-Most-Ruthless-Ants-Weve-Ever-Filmed_KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/DL1207_The-4-Most-Ruthless-Ants-Weve-Ever-Filmed_KQED.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1997369": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1997369",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1997369",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1206_Clothes-Moth-Got-Your-Sweater-Theres-a-Wasp-for-That_KQED_A",
"publishDate": 1749770960,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1997359,
"modified": 1749771044,
"caption": "An adult clothes moth, about the size of a pinky nail, shimmers with golden hairs on a red sweater.",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1206_Clothes-Moth-Got-Your-Sweater-Theres-a-Wasp-for-That_KQED_A-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1206_Clothes-Moth-Got-Your-Sweater-Theres-a-Wasp-for-That_KQED_A-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1206_Clothes-Moth-Got-Your-Sweater-Theres-a-Wasp-for-That_KQED_A-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1206_Clothes-Moth-Got-Your-Sweater-Theres-a-Wasp-for-That_KQED_A-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1206_Clothes-Moth-Got-Your-Sweater-Theres-a-Wasp-for-That_KQED_A-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1206_Clothes-Moth-Got-Your-Sweater-Theres-a-Wasp-for-That_KQED_A.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1997101": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1997101",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1997101",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A",
"publishDate": 1748631256,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1997098,
"modified": 1748631361,
"caption": "A mosquito flies close to a person's ear. The mosquito buzzing that you find annoying helps the pesky insects mate. ",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED and Andrew Aldersley/Imperial College London",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 450,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 574,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/DL1205_Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-in-Your-Ear_KQED_A.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1996934": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1996934",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996934",
"found": true
},
"title": "Asian female nurse check the X-ray Equipment. Asian female nurse preparing older woman patient for hospital CT scan at hospital. Healthcare concept.",
"publishDate": 1747776001,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1996927,
"modified": 1747776138,
"caption": "A UCSF doctor helped lead the first major update in over 50 years to how traumatic brain injuries are assessed — going beyond the Glasgow Coma Scale to include CT and MRI scans, biomarkers and other health factors.",
"credit": "Lu ShaoJi/Getty Images",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty-800x540.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 540,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty-1020x688.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 688,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty-160x108.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 108,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty-768x518.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 518,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty-1536x1036.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1036,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty-1920x1295.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1295,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1349
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1996743": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1996743",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996743",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B",
"publishDate": 1746815661,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1996740,
"modified": 1746815732,
"caption": "A close-up of a male and female long-jawed orb weaver during mating. The male keeps her jaws open to avoid becoming her next meal.",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 450,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 574,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DL1204_These-Spiders-Hook-Up-With-Enormous-Jaws_KQED_B.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1996655": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1996655",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996655",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A",
"publishDate": 1745270804,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1996631,
"modified": 1745270865,
"caption": "An adult female regal jumping spider stalks and captures a cricket. She uses her fangs to inject venom, which paralyzes and liquifies her prey. ",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED",
"altTag": "An adult female regal jumping spider stalks and captures a cricket. She uses her fangs to inject venom, which paralyzes and liquifies her prey.",
"description": "An adult female regal jumping spider stalks and captures a cricket. She uses her fangs to inject venom, which paralyzes and liquifies her prey. ",
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 450,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 574,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1203_This-Jumping-Spider-Trains-Itself-to-Kill_KQED_A.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1996511": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1996511",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996511",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED",
"publishDate": 1743117381,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1996508,
"modified": 1743117605,
"caption": "An adult bed bug stands on a human arm. It's about the size of an apple seed.",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 450,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 574,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/DL1119_5-of-the-Grossest-House-Pests-Weve-Ever-Filmed_A_KQED.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1981883": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1981883",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1981883",
"found": true
},
"title": "super-bloom-bay-area-2025",
"publishDate": 1679022010,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1981882,
"modified": 1742225924,
"caption": "California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and various other wildflowers blooming in a meadow in San José.",
"credit": "Sundry Photography/Getty Images",
"altTag": "Yellow and white wildflower blooms seen in a meadow.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-2048x1365.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1365,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456.jpg",
"width": 2121,
"height": 1414
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1996269": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1996269",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996269",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A",
"publishDate": 1741373111,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1996263,
"modified": 1741373143,
"caption": "A female rice weevil uses her mandibles and long snout, called a rostrum, to bore into a grain of rice, creating a small hole to feed and lay her eggs. ",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 450,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 574,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/DL1202_This-Weevil-Was-Born-in-Your-Rice-and-Its-Hungry_KQED_A.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1996279": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1996279",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996279",
"found": true
},
"title": "DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED",
"publishDate": 1741710590,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1996138,
"modified": 1741710636,
"caption": "Newts mate in the Japanese pond at the University of California Botanical Garden, in Berkeley.",
"credit": null,
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 450,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 574,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/DL1118_4-Tiny-Romances-That-Are-Almost-Too-Freaky-to-Share_B_KQED.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"adembosky": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "3205",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "3205",
"found": true
},
"name": "April Dembosky",
"firstName": "April",
"lastName": "Dembosky",
"slug": "adembosky",
"email": "adembosky@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news",
"science"
],
"title": "KQED Health Correspondent",
"bio": "April Dembosky is the health correspondent for KQED News and a regular contributor to NPR. She specializes in covering altered states of mind, from postpartum depression to methamphetamine-induced psychosis to the insanity defense. Her investigative series on insurance companies sidestepping mental health laws won multiple awards, including first place in beat reporting from the national Association of Health Care Journalists. She is the recipient of numerous other prizes and fellowships, including a national Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting, a Society of Professional Journalists award for long-form storytelling, and a Carter Center Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism.\r\n\r\nDembosky reported and produced \u003cem>Soundtrack of Silence\u003c/em>, an audio documentary about music and memory that is currently being made into a feature film by Paramount Pictures.\r\n\r\nBefore joining KQED in 2013, Dembosky covered technology and Silicon Valley for \u003cem>The Financial Times of London,\u003c/em> and contributed business and arts stories to \u003cem>Marketplace \u003c/em>and \u003cem>The New York Times.\u003c/em> She got her undergraduate degree in philosophy from Smith College and her master's in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a classically trained violinist and proud alum of the first symphony orchestra at Burning Man.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ef92999be4ceb9ea60701e7dc276f813?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "adembosky",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "April Dembosky | KQED",
"description": "KQED Health Correspondent",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ef92999be4ceb9ea60701e7dc276f813?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ef92999be4ceb9ea60701e7dc276f813?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/adembosky"
},
"gabriela-quiros": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6186",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6186",
"found": true
},
"name": "Gabriela Quirós",
"firstName": "Gabriela",
"lastName": "Quirós",
"slug": "gabriela-quiros",
"email": "gquiros@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Supervising Producer",
"bio": "Gabriela Quirós is the \u003cstrong>supervising producer for KQED's web science video series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/deeplook\">Deep Look\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>. She joined KQED as a TV producer when its science series QUEST started in 2006 and has covered everything from Alzheimer’s to bee die-offs to dark energy.\r\n\r\nShe won a 2022 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award with a team of her Deep Look colleagues. She has won six regional Emmys as a video producer and has shared eight more as the coordinating producer of Deep Look. The episode she produced about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/728086/how-mosquitoes-use-six-needles-to-suck-your-blood\">How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood\u003c/a> won a Webby \"People's Voice\" award. She has also earned awards from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists.\r\n\r\nHer videos for KQED have also aired on NOVA scienceNOW and the PBS NewsHour, and appeared on NPR.org.\r\n\r\nAs an independent filmmaker, she produced and directed the hour-long documentary \u003ca href=\"http://lpbp.org/beautiful-sin-qa-with-producer-gabriela-quiros/\">\u003cem>Beautiful Sin\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, about the surprising story of how Costa Rica became the only country in the world to outlaw in vitro fertilization. The film aired in 2015 on public television stations throughout the U.S., and in Costa Rica.\r\n\r\nShe started her journalism career as a newspaper reporter in Costa Rica, where she grew up. She won the National Science Journalism Award there for a series of articles about organic agriculture, and developed a life-long interest in health reporting. She moved to the Bay Area in 1996 to study documentary filmmaking at the University of California, Berkeley, where she received master’s degrees in journalism and Latin American studies.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6d82c20152affd1b434c31a904c40809?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "gabrielaquirosr",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": []
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"ef_view_calendar",
"ef_view_story_budget"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Gabriela Quirós | KQED",
"description": "Supervising Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6d82c20152affd1b434c31a904c40809?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6d82c20152affd1b434c31a904c40809?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/gabriela-quiros"
},
"joshua-cassidy": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6219",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6219",
"found": true
},
"name": "Josh Cassidy",
"firstName": "Josh",
"lastName": "Cassidy",
"slug": "joshua-cassidy",
"email": "jcassidy@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"science"
],
"title": "Digital Video Producer",
"bio": "Josh is a Senior Video Producer for KQED Science, and the Lead Producer and Cinematographer for Deep Look. After receiving his BS in Wildlife Biology from Ohio University, he went on to participate in marine mammal research for NOAA, USGS and the Intersea Foundation. He also served as the president of The Pacific Cetacean Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching students K-6 about whales. Josh studied science and natural history filmmaking at San Francisco State University and Montana State University.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f2582a0801a35af53b734d56bcac2bbe?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"author",
"edit_others_posts"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Josh Cassidy | KQED",
"description": "Digital Video Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f2582a0801a35af53b734d56bcac2bbe?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f2582a0801a35af53b734d56bcac2bbe?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/joshua-cassidy"
},
"smohamad": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11631",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11631",
"found": true
},
"name": "Sarah Mohamad",
"firstName": "Sarah",
"lastName": "Mohamad",
"slug": "smohamad",
"email": "smohamad@KQED.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Engagement Producer and Reporter, KQED Science",
"bio": "Sarah Mohamad is an audience engagement reporter and producer for KQED Science. She reports on audience-focused science and environment stories and manages the team's social media, newsletter, and engagement efforts. Prior to this role, she played a key role as project manager for NSF's \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/crackingthecode\">\u003cem>Cracking the Code: Influencing Millennial Science Engagement\u003c/em> \u003c/a>audience research.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e6224957cd82d015183756ddde1f928013a563d7ca2e4565f8c4de1ec64886c5?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "sarahkmohamad",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "about",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Sarah Mohamad | KQED",
"description": "Engagement Producer and Reporter, KQED Science",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e6224957cd82d015183756ddde1f928013a563d7ca2e4565f8c4de1ec64886c5?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e6224957cd82d015183756ddde1f928013a563d7ca2e4565f8c4de1ec64886c5?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/smohamad"
},
"rtuiran": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11858",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11858",
"found": true
},
"name": "Rosa Tuirán",
"firstName": "Rosa",
"lastName": "Tuirán",
"slug": "rtuiran",
"email": "rtuiran@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"science"
],
"title": "Digital Video Producer ",
"bio": "Rosa Tuirán is a PBS Accelerator Fellow for Diverse Voices and a video producer for KQED's web science video series, Deep Look. Originally from Mexico City, she studied International Relations for her B.A. After graduating, she pursued her passion for underwater photography in South Africa and later worked as a video journalist for BuzzFeed News in New York City.\r\n\r\nIn 2020, she received her Master of Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley with a focus on documentary filmmaking. During the pandemic's early stages, she was a part of the COVID-19 California reporting initiative with The New York Times and the Investigative Reporting Program. \r\n\r\nHer work has been featured on PBS Frontline, PBS NOVA, CBS News, National Geographic, The Guardian and The New York Times.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/192c377dfd982c86993f2351bc0d6fb2?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Rosa Tuirán | KQED",
"description": "Digital Video Producer ",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/192c377dfd982c86993f2351bc0d6fb2?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/192c377dfd982c86993f2351bc0d6fb2?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/rtuiran"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"science_category_biology": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_30",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "30",
"score": 12.793297
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Biology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Biology Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32,
"slug": "biology",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Biology",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "science",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial"
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/science?category=biology",
"seeMore": true,
"paginated": false,
"page": 1
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"science_1998479": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1998479",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1998479",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1758034831000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "tiger-beetles-bite-first-ask-questions-never",
"title": "Tiger Beetles Bite First, Ask Questions Never",
"publishDate": 1758034831,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "Tiger Beetles Bite First, Ask Questions Never | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Tiger beetles are lightning-fast hunters, sprinting so quickly they momentarily outrun their own vision. Watch how these tiny but ferocious predators use blistering speed to chase down prey and finish the kill with their oversized, crushing mandibles (lucky for us, they’re not human-sized!).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A fearsome hunter stalks its prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With its orange markings, giant mandibles, and generally ferocious nature, the tiger beetle really lives up to its name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its large compound eyes give it a wide field of view and excellent motion detection to find prey.\u003cbr>\nThe tiger beetle pops up to survey its territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those extra-long legs also give it extra-long strides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re some of the fastest-running insects on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s as small as your fingernail, but if a tiger beetle were the size of a human, it would run at the speed of a bullet train.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At those speeds, everything around you becomes a blur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how do tiger beetles see when they’re in a sprint?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, look how they keep stopping in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uhp!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oop!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wup!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hoop!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Woo!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Cornell University filmed a tiger beetle chasing a lure and slowed the footage way down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers think tiger beetles use those quick stops to reorient themselves and find their target again.\u003cbr>\nThey had tiger beetles run a simple obstacle course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At top speed, they had no trouble hurdling over the box in their path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when they covered the tiger beetles’ eyes, they … also went right over the obstacle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if they’re not using their eyes when they run, what are they using?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These beauties!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles have long antennae that curve down in front of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sprint, the antennae make contact first so the beetle has time to adjust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles running with their eyes uncovered but missing their antennae bump right into the box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s like running around blindfolded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The antennae are like stretching your arms out in front of you to keep from bashing into stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles need their incredible speed because they hunt animals that know how to get away in a hurry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oooh, not fast enough!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They use their long, jagged, sickle-shaped mandibles to catch and crush their prey, slicing in to get at those juicy innards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, long legs, great eyes, and what’s this, a bit of romance?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As long as it keeps its eye — or antennae — on the prize, a little blinding speed won’t stop the tiger beetle from being an absolute terror to the tiny inhabitants of this sunny, tranquil shore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey Deep Look fans, we need your support to keep our award-winning series going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Please donate to KQED, the PBS station where we make the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Click the link on-screen or in the description below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wait a minute. They fly?!\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": null,
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1757717955,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 40,
"wordCount": 494
},
"headData": {
"title": "Tiger Beetles Bite First, Ask Questions Never | KQED",
"description": "Tiger beetles are lightning-fast hunters, sprinting so quickly they momentarily outrun their own vision. Watch how these tiny but ferocious predators use blistering speed to chase down prey and finish the kill with their oversized, crushing mandibles (lucky for us, they’re not human-sized!). TRANSCRIPT A fearsome hunter stalks its prey. With its orange markings, giant",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Tiger Beetles Bite First, Ask Questions Never",
"datePublished": "2025-09-16T08:00:31-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-09-12T15:59:15-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 2874,
"slug": "animals",
"name": "Animals"
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/ojMnlGGWV1o",
"pbsMediaId": "3104502161",
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1998479/tiger-beetles-bite-first-ask-questions-never",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Tiger beetles are lightning-fast hunters, sprinting so quickly they momentarily outrun their own vision. Watch how these tiny but ferocious predators use blistering speed to chase down prey and finish the kill with their oversized, crushing mandibles (lucky for us, they’re not human-sized!).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A fearsome hunter stalks its prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With its orange markings, giant mandibles, and generally ferocious nature, the tiger beetle really lives up to its name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its large compound eyes give it a wide field of view and excellent motion detection to find prey.\u003cbr>\nThe tiger beetle pops up to survey its territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those extra-long legs also give it extra-long strides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re some of the fastest-running insects on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s as small as your fingernail, but if a tiger beetle were the size of a human, it would run at the speed of a bullet train.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At those speeds, everything around you becomes a blur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how do tiger beetles see when they’re in a sprint?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, look how they keep stopping in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uhp!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oop!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wup!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hoop!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Woo!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Cornell University filmed a tiger beetle chasing a lure and slowed the footage way down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers think tiger beetles use those quick stops to reorient themselves and find their target again.\u003cbr>\nThey had tiger beetles run a simple obstacle course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At top speed, they had no trouble hurdling over the box in their path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when they covered the tiger beetles’ eyes, they … also went right over the obstacle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if they’re not using their eyes when they run, what are they using?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These beauties!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles have long antennae that curve down in front of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sprint, the antennae make contact first so the beetle has time to adjust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles running with their eyes uncovered but missing their antennae bump right into the box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s like running around blindfolded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The antennae are like stretching your arms out in front of you to keep from bashing into stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles need their incredible speed because they hunt animals that know how to get away in a hurry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oooh, not fast enough!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They use their long, jagged, sickle-shaped mandibles to catch and crush their prey, slicing in to get at those juicy innards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, long legs, great eyes, and what’s this, a bit of romance?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As long as it keeps its eye — or antennae — on the prize, a little blinding speed won’t stop the tiger beetle from being an absolute terror to the tiny inhabitants of this sunny, tranquil shore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey Deep Look fans, we need your support to keep our award-winning series going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Please donate to KQED, the PBS station where we make the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Click the link on-screen or in the description below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wait a minute. They fly?!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1998479/tiger-beetles-bite-first-ask-questions-never",
"authors": [
"6219"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_30",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"featImg": "science_1998481",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1998036": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1998036",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1998036",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1754406904000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "beach-day-these-5-surprising-creatures-are-hanging-out-too",
"title": "Beach Day? These 5 Surprising Creatures Are Hanging Out Too",
"publishDate": 1754406904,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "Beach Day? These 5 Surprising Creatures Are Hanging Out Too | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Do you really know who you’re sharing the beach with? Purple sand dollars gobble bits of metal to stay grounded in turbulent waters. Mole crabs move sand like a conveyor belt. Hardworking bees sculpt tiny sandcastles. Under the moonlight, horseshoe crabs mate by the thousands and bury their eggs. And beach hoppers spend their nights partying and cleaning up while you sleep.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Surf’s up! Check out these five beach animals with totally surprising hidden lives. Bees that build sandcastles, mole crabs digging right under your feet, beach hoppers partying in the dead of night, and horseshoe crabs mating by the moonlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up, sand dollars and their heavy metal breakfast.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A Sand Dollar’s Breakfast is Totally Metal\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s a beachcomber’s prize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this sand dollar is just an empty husk … a skeleton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is what sand dollars really look like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Off the coast of California, Pacific sand dollars snuggle up together, like a big pile of purple sea cookies. They’re fuzzy … almost cuddly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But look closer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That fuzz is actually made up of tiny spines … thousands of them. Some long and spiky, others rounder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mixed in are miniature tube feet with grabby little suckers on the ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They use them to meticulously sift the sand and pass the grains down the line … until they reach the sand dollar’s mouth at the very center of its underside, buried under all those spines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sand dollars eat sand. They’re after the algae and bacteria that coat the grains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these sand dollars can also stand themselves up on their sides to use the long spines around their edges to trap tiny plankton floating by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what about that part that looks like a flower with five petals? It’s called the petaloid. They have special tube feet there that help the sand dollar breathe, absorbing oxygen out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see that same five-point body plan on the skeletons of their relatives, like starfish and sea urchins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, sand dollars are just a type of flat sea urchin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while their cousins prefer the rocky shore – chock full of life and spots to hide – sand dollars don’t have such a cozy place to live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re at the mercy of what’s basically an undersea desert – thrashed and sandblasted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So being flat is an advantage. They’re sleeker, streamlined against the powerful currents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they have another scrupulous solution for staying put.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all sand is the same. Mixed in there are some extra heavy grains. They’re made of magnetite, a type of iron ore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think that as they grow, young sand dollars sort them out and swallow them, grain after grain. The heavy ore builds up inside their bodies and helps weigh them down to the seafloor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, researchers used X-rays of sand dollars to look for it. See those bright white areas? Those are the pockets of magnetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s how these tireless little creatures can hack it – out here in such turbulent waters – where most other things can’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, it takes a lot of work just to lay around.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>For Pacific Mole Crabs It’s Dig or Die\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Where the waves break, there are signs of life underfoot – these expert diggers: mole crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chaotic, turbulent, harsh. The ocean’s edge isn’t the easiest place to make a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet, someone does: Pacific mole crabs, also called sand crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ve probably seen the little holes they make.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They spend their lives just under the surface of the sand, waves crashing overhead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That ever-present flux offers a meal. Each wave kicks up plankton and other tasty morsels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They peep out from below the sand and use their feathery antennae to catch food right out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they can’t just sit around gorging themselves all day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crabs want to stay in the swash zone – this part here where the waves break and sweep in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s always moving with the tides, up and down the beach. So the mole crabs have to move with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not the only ones out here looking for a meal. To birds, they’re basically beach candy. Easy pickings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So mole crabs have become champion diggers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can disappear in a flash, back under the sand to hide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they have to be fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what makes them so good at burrowing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at UC Berkeley want to find out. Back at the lab, they film the mole crabs in action using high-speed cameras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mole crabs actually burrow backwards, digging into the sand with their pointy rumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But moving densely packed sand is hard work. The grains stick to each other, making it tough to push through. So the crabs have become tiny engineers. They stir up the wet sand with their tails, making it easier to move. A process called liquefaction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, they push the loose sand up toward the surface by handing it off between their five pairs of legs. See? Kind of like a conveyor belt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The waves never rest, so the mole crabs do this day and night, as they’re tossed and tumbled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they take it all in stride. When you survive on chaos, fluidity is what it’s all about.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>This Bee Builds Sandcastles at the Beach\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These bees skip the hive life and build their own little sandcastles on the sides of beach cliffs. Ocean views, anyone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It might seem peculiar, bees living at the beach. But this is their home. And they spend the spring building their perfect beach condos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At their local watering hole, they’re not actually having a drink. They’re collecting water as a raw material. They slurp it into a pouch in their abdomen called a crop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can carry one sixth of their weight in water, hauling it to the side of this cliff in Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that’s a view!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back and forth, back and forth, 80 times a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re building their nests from the cliff’s mix of sand, clay and gravel, spraying water to soften it up. See how she extends her proboscis and uses it like a hose?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she digs and digs and digs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re digger bees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females build their nests side by side in what’s called an aggregation. The males, most of them have died by now, after mating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females work peacefully … most of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>-Hey, make your own nest!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some even make sandcastles, shaping the earth they dig out into a turret. To do that, they pat down the wet gravel with the tip of their abdomen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think the turrets could help keep out large parasitic insects, like other kinds of bees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This cratered landscape isn’t unusual. Most of the world’s bee species – 70%! – nest underground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nest opening leads to a burrow a couple of inches long. At the bottom, she digs holes called brood cells. She will lay an egg in each one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first she needs to stock up on food for her future offspring. This flower is a favorite for nectar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out the pollen on this bee. Wait a minute! That’s not our digger bee. That’s a yellow-faced bumblebee. She’ll sting you if you mess with her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our bee is a bumblebee mimic. She doesn’t sting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The real bumblebee has a bright-yellow band on the bottom of her abdomen. Our bee has a band higher up. By imitating a stinging bumblebee, she scares predators away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back from foraging, our digger packs pollen and nectar into each cell and lays an egg on top. The larva that hatches out will have a ready-made meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she tears down her turret, bit by bit. She uses it as mortar to seal her nest closed and keep her eggs safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After finishing a couple of nests, the bee’s brief, hardworking life comes to an end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beach will be her final resting place. And next year, the ever-shifting sand will bear witness to her young emerging from their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Once a Spawn a Time: Horseshoe Crabs Mob the Beach\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Once a year, under a full moon, millions of horseshoe crabs emerge from the ocean for a romantic rendezvous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they’re done, they leave their babies behind in the sand. These delicate, otherworldly creatures are just starting their lives, twitching and twirling inside their translucent homes. They’re baby horseshoe crabs, preparing for the moment they can break free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all started two weeks ago, when the tides were at their highest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Horseshoe crabs emerge from the briny deep and head for the shore with only one thing on their minds: a springtime spawning spree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These Atlantic horseshoe crabs gather, by the millions, along the east coast of North America, from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crowds here in Delaware are some of the biggest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The males show up first, hanging out on the beach and in the shallows of the bay. They scramble to latch on to the backs of passing females.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females can be the size of dinner plates, way bigger than the males.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Success!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take advantage of the fleeting high tides to haul their precious cargo as high up the beach as possible. The females muscle their way up the beach, with the males in tow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The greatest danger for these horseshoe crabs is flipping over, exposing their vulnerable underside. And it only takes a small wave to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the hood, horseshoe crabs’ legs end in pincers. But mature males have something special on their front legs. This “clasper” that looks like a little boxing glove with a hooked finger. It’s perfect for gripping the back of a female’s shell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To flip back over, the animals use their long, spiky tail, called a telson. It looks a little scary, but horseshoe crabs don’t sting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Horseshoe crabs have been making these high tide treks under the glow of the full moon since before the dinosaurs. That’s more than 400 million years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone finds a date. Especially those younger males. But they hike up the beach anyway in hopes of getting in on the action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This female is dragging around two admirers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a female finds a good spot, she digs and digs into the wet sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The female lays roughly four thousand eggs in one go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male that clung to her all this time is in the best position to fertilize the most eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All those single dudes crowd around too, vying to fertilize the rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the party winds down, the grownups start heading back to sea. But they’ll return for more of these high tide soirees throughout the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave their fertilized eggs behind, buried in the damp sand. Each one is smaller than a pea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next couple of weeks the embryos inside develop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the high tides return these larvae are ready to hatch. Jostling of the waves stimulates them to break out of their shell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is their chance. They have just a few hours to scramble into the turbulent surf, before the high tide recedes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll mature beneath the waves for roughly a decade before they’re ready to return as adults themselves, where they’ll take their turn in this ancient dance of the moon, tides and sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>These Acrobatic Beach Hoppers Shred All Night Long\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Moonlight parties aren’t just for horseshoe crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers throw their own night ragers and the dancing is acrobatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun sinks behind the waves, these performers awaken and get ready for their all-night show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take cues from the tides, the moon, and their appetite, emerging from sandy underground burrows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might know them as sand fleas, but they don’t bite and they aren’t fleas. They’re called beach hoppers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crustaceans are as small as an ant or as large as a cricket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their eyes are made up of hundreds of cells called ommatidia, but they don’t see much detail – just blurry shapes, light and dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re drawn towards shadowy blobs on the horizon. They hope it’s kelp, their favorite food. When they find it, they eat and eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they even eat one another. This large beach hopper is piercing the other right behind its eye, holding it in place with its claws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For protection, they dig burrows about a foot deep where the sand is damp and cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And males will fight over control of burrows, especially if there are females inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the night, the beach hopper acrobatics build into a dazzling show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A powerful flick of their curled-up tail launches them skyward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They do not stick the landing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A beach hopper can jump as high as your knees, dozens of times the length of its body. It’s a quick way to travel towards food or mates. Or to get out of harm’s way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers’ diets are mostly beach wrack – anything natural that washes ashore. Wrack is an essential source of nutrients for sandy beach ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These shredders break down the wrack into smaller parts. It’s the first step in sending nutrients into the food chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When predators like shorebirds or insects eat beach hoppers, they can carry these nutrients further inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without these hungry acrobats, beaches the world over would be strewn with rotting seaweed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a night of fighting and feasting, they leave only silhouettes behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun rises, the beach hoppers retreat to their burrows, just beyond the tide’s reach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The performers need their rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another spectacle is just a night away.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Do you really know who you’re sharing the beach with? Purple sand dollars gobble bits of metal to stay grounded in turbulent waters. Mole crabs move sand like a conveyor belt. Hardworking bees sculpt tiny sandcastles. Under the moonlight, horseshoe crabs mate by the thousands and bury their eggs. And beach hoppers spend their nights partying and cleaning up while you sleep.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1757628159,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 122,
"wordCount": 2403
},
"headData": {
"title": "Beach Day? These 5 Surprising Creatures Are Hanging Out Too | KQED",
"description": "Do you really know who you’re sharing the beach with? Purple sand dollars gobble bits of metal to stay grounded in turbulent waters. Mole crabs move sand like a conveyor belt. Hardworking bees sculpt tiny sandcastles. Under the moonlight, horseshoe crabs mate by the thousands and bury their eggs. And beach hoppers spend their nights partying and cleaning up while you sleep.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Beach Day? These 5 Surprising Creatures Are Hanging Out Too",
"datePublished": "2025-08-05T08:15:04-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-09-11T15:02:39-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 86,
"slug": "video",
"name": "Video"
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/lSIZPFQFVoU",
"pbsMediaId": "3103366812",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1998036",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1998036/beach-day-these-5-surprising-creatures-are-hanging-out-too",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Do you really know who you’re sharing the beach with? Purple sand dollars gobble bits of metal to stay grounded in turbulent waters. Mole crabs move sand like a conveyor belt. Hardworking bees sculpt tiny sandcastles. Under the moonlight, horseshoe crabs mate by the thousands and bury their eggs. And beach hoppers spend their nights partying and cleaning up while you sleep.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Surf’s up! Check out these five beach animals with totally surprising hidden lives. Bees that build sandcastles, mole crabs digging right under your feet, beach hoppers partying in the dead of night, and horseshoe crabs mating by the moonlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up, sand dollars and their heavy metal breakfast.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A Sand Dollar’s Breakfast is Totally Metal\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s a beachcomber’s prize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this sand dollar is just an empty husk … a skeleton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is what sand dollars really look like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Off the coast of California, Pacific sand dollars snuggle up together, like a big pile of purple sea cookies. They’re fuzzy … almost cuddly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But look closer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That fuzz is actually made up of tiny spines … thousands of them. Some long and spiky, others rounder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mixed in are miniature tube feet with grabby little suckers on the ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They use them to meticulously sift the sand and pass the grains down the line … until they reach the sand dollar’s mouth at the very center of its underside, buried under all those spines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sand dollars eat sand. They’re after the algae and bacteria that coat the grains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these sand dollars can also stand themselves up on their sides to use the long spines around their edges to trap tiny plankton floating by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what about that part that looks like a flower with five petals? It’s called the petaloid. They have special tube feet there that help the sand dollar breathe, absorbing oxygen out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see that same five-point body plan on the skeletons of their relatives, like starfish and sea urchins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, sand dollars are just a type of flat sea urchin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while their cousins prefer the rocky shore – chock full of life and spots to hide – sand dollars don’t have such a cozy place to live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re at the mercy of what’s basically an undersea desert – thrashed and sandblasted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So being flat is an advantage. They’re sleeker, streamlined against the powerful currents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they have another scrupulous solution for staying put.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all sand is the same. Mixed in there are some extra heavy grains. They’re made of magnetite, a type of iron ore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think that as they grow, young sand dollars sort them out and swallow them, grain after grain. The heavy ore builds up inside their bodies and helps weigh them down to the seafloor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, researchers used X-rays of sand dollars to look for it. See those bright white areas? Those are the pockets of magnetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s how these tireless little creatures can hack it – out here in such turbulent waters – where most other things can’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, it takes a lot of work just to lay around.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>For Pacific Mole Crabs It’s Dig or Die\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Where the waves break, there are signs of life underfoot – these expert diggers: mole crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chaotic, turbulent, harsh. The ocean’s edge isn’t the easiest place to make a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet, someone does: Pacific mole crabs, also called sand crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ve probably seen the little holes they make.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They spend their lives just under the surface of the sand, waves crashing overhead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That ever-present flux offers a meal. Each wave kicks up plankton and other tasty morsels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They peep out from below the sand and use their feathery antennae to catch food right out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they can’t just sit around gorging themselves all day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crabs want to stay in the swash zone – this part here where the waves break and sweep in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s always moving with the tides, up and down the beach. So the mole crabs have to move with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not the only ones out here looking for a meal. To birds, they’re basically beach candy. Easy pickings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So mole crabs have become champion diggers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can disappear in a flash, back under the sand to hide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they have to be fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what makes them so good at burrowing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at UC Berkeley want to find out. Back at the lab, they film the mole crabs in action using high-speed cameras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mole crabs actually burrow backwards, digging into the sand with their pointy rumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But moving densely packed sand is hard work. The grains stick to each other, making it tough to push through. So the crabs have become tiny engineers. They stir up the wet sand with their tails, making it easier to move. A process called liquefaction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, they push the loose sand up toward the surface by handing it off between their five pairs of legs. See? Kind of like a conveyor belt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The waves never rest, so the mole crabs do this day and night, as they’re tossed and tumbled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they take it all in stride. When you survive on chaos, fluidity is what it’s all about.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>This Bee Builds Sandcastles at the Beach\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These bees skip the hive life and build their own little sandcastles on the sides of beach cliffs. Ocean views, anyone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It might seem peculiar, bees living at the beach. But this is their home. And they spend the spring building their perfect beach condos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At their local watering hole, they’re not actually having a drink. They’re collecting water as a raw material. They slurp it into a pouch in their abdomen called a crop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can carry one sixth of their weight in water, hauling it to the side of this cliff in Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that’s a view!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back and forth, back and forth, 80 times a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re building their nests from the cliff’s mix of sand, clay and gravel, spraying water to soften it up. See how she extends her proboscis and uses it like a hose?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she digs and digs and digs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re digger bees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females build their nests side by side in what’s called an aggregation. The males, most of them have died by now, after mating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females work peacefully … most of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>-Hey, make your own nest!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some even make sandcastles, shaping the earth they dig out into a turret. To do that, they pat down the wet gravel with the tip of their abdomen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think the turrets could help keep out large parasitic insects, like other kinds of bees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This cratered landscape isn’t unusual. Most of the world’s bee species – 70%! – nest underground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nest opening leads to a burrow a couple of inches long. At the bottom, she digs holes called brood cells. She will lay an egg in each one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first she needs to stock up on food for her future offspring. This flower is a favorite for nectar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out the pollen on this bee. Wait a minute! That’s not our digger bee. That’s a yellow-faced bumblebee. She’ll sting you if you mess with her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our bee is a bumblebee mimic. She doesn’t sting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The real bumblebee has a bright-yellow band on the bottom of her abdomen. Our bee has a band higher up. By imitating a stinging bumblebee, she scares predators away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back from foraging, our digger packs pollen and nectar into each cell and lays an egg on top. The larva that hatches out will have a ready-made meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she tears down her turret, bit by bit. She uses it as mortar to seal her nest closed and keep her eggs safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After finishing a couple of nests, the bee’s brief, hardworking life comes to an end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beach will be her final resting place. And next year, the ever-shifting sand will bear witness to her young emerging from their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Once a Spawn a Time: Horseshoe Crabs Mob the Beach\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Once a year, under a full moon, millions of horseshoe crabs emerge from the ocean for a romantic rendezvous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they’re done, they leave their babies behind in the sand. These delicate, otherworldly creatures are just starting their lives, twitching and twirling inside their translucent homes. They’re baby horseshoe crabs, preparing for the moment they can break free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all started two weeks ago, when the tides were at their highest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Horseshoe crabs emerge from the briny deep and head for the shore with only one thing on their minds: a springtime spawning spree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These Atlantic horseshoe crabs gather, by the millions, along the east coast of North America, from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crowds here in Delaware are some of the biggest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The males show up first, hanging out on the beach and in the shallows of the bay. They scramble to latch on to the backs of passing females.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females can be the size of dinner plates, way bigger than the males.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Success!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take advantage of the fleeting high tides to haul their precious cargo as high up the beach as possible. The females muscle their way up the beach, with the males in tow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The greatest danger for these horseshoe crabs is flipping over, exposing their vulnerable underside. And it only takes a small wave to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the hood, horseshoe crabs’ legs end in pincers. But mature males have something special on their front legs. This “clasper” that looks like a little boxing glove with a hooked finger. It’s perfect for gripping the back of a female’s shell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To flip back over, the animals use their long, spiky tail, called a telson. It looks a little scary, but horseshoe crabs don’t sting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Horseshoe crabs have been making these high tide treks under the glow of the full moon since before the dinosaurs. That’s more than 400 million years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone finds a date. Especially those younger males. But they hike up the beach anyway in hopes of getting in on the action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This female is dragging around two admirers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a female finds a good spot, she digs and digs into the wet sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The female lays roughly four thousand eggs in one go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male that clung to her all this time is in the best position to fertilize the most eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All those single dudes crowd around too, vying to fertilize the rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the party winds down, the grownups start heading back to sea. But they’ll return for more of these high tide soirees throughout the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave their fertilized eggs behind, buried in the damp sand. Each one is smaller than a pea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next couple of weeks the embryos inside develop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the high tides return these larvae are ready to hatch. Jostling of the waves stimulates them to break out of their shell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is their chance. They have just a few hours to scramble into the turbulent surf, before the high tide recedes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll mature beneath the waves for roughly a decade before they’re ready to return as adults themselves, where they’ll take their turn in this ancient dance of the moon, tides and sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>These Acrobatic Beach Hoppers Shred All Night Long\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Moonlight parties aren’t just for horseshoe crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers throw their own night ragers and the dancing is acrobatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun sinks behind the waves, these performers awaken and get ready for their all-night show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take cues from the tides, the moon, and their appetite, emerging from sandy underground burrows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might know them as sand fleas, but they don’t bite and they aren’t fleas. They’re called beach hoppers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crustaceans are as small as an ant or as large as a cricket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their eyes are made up of hundreds of cells called ommatidia, but they don’t see much detail – just blurry shapes, light and dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re drawn towards shadowy blobs on the horizon. They hope it’s kelp, their favorite food. When they find it, they eat and eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they even eat one another. This large beach hopper is piercing the other right behind its eye, holding it in place with its claws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For protection, they dig burrows about a foot deep where the sand is damp and cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And males will fight over control of burrows, especially if there are females inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the night, the beach hopper acrobatics build into a dazzling show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A powerful flick of their curled-up tail launches them skyward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They do not stick the landing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A beach hopper can jump as high as your knees, dozens of times the length of its body. It’s a quick way to travel towards food or mates. Or to get out of harm’s way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers’ diets are mostly beach wrack – anything natural that washes ashore. Wrack is an essential source of nutrients for sandy beach ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These shredders break down the wrack into smaller parts. It’s the first step in sending nutrients into the food chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When predators like shorebirds or insects eat beach hoppers, they can carry these nutrients further inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without these hungry acrobats, beaches the world over would be strewn with rotting seaweed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a night of fighting and feasting, they leave only silhouettes behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun rises, the beach hoppers retreat to their burrows, just beyond the tide’s reach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The performers need their rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another spectacle is just a night away.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1998036/beach-day-these-5-surprising-creatures-are-hanging-out-too",
"authors": [
"6186"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_30",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_1970",
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1998046",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1997748": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1997748",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1997748",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1752591948000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-4-most-ruthless-ants-weve-ever-filmed",
"title": "The 4 Most Ruthless Ants We’ve Ever Filmed",
"publishDate": 1752591948,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "The 4 Most Ruthless Ants We’ve Ever Filmed | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Fire ants bite and sting! They also use their own young to build a terrifying raft during floods. Kidnapper ants steal other ants’ babies. Honeypot ants turn their sisters into living jugs of nectar. And Argentine ants trade bodyguard services for strings of sugary candy.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These four different ants are each ruthless in their own way. They steal other ants; use their own siblings as storage tanks; fight off huge maggots, and even throw their own babies in the water to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up is everyone’s favorite little friend, the fearsome fire ant. They’re already cranky on a nice day, but when the rain falls they turn into a living, stinging raft. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This soft mound of dirt is home to some tough insects: red fire ants. They’re all over the southern U.S. And if you get too close, you will regret it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They clamp onto you with their huge jaws. And then they sting. Over and over. Rude!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They inject nasty venom that burns and causes itchy welts to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you think they’re scary on land, you’re gonna absolutely hate ’em during a flood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Imagine wading into one of these. This floating nightmare is made out of thousands of fire ants. They’ve escaped their flooded nest by making a raft from their own bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how they pull it off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As flood water trickles into the tunnels below their mound, fire ants start a rescue mission. They evacuate the colony’s babies – these larvae and pupae – to the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But researchers at Louisiana State University found that instead of putting the babies on the top of the raft, where it’s dry, they put them on the bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen, these ants have their reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See the halo of hairs on these larvae? If you look at the raft from below you’ll see how those hairs trap air bubbles and hold the larvae together in clusters, you know, like giant floaties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those same bubbles help everyone breathe through tiny holes on the sides of their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And hey, don’t feel bad for these ants with their heads dunked underwater. They’ll get their turn on top of the raft eventually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers grab onto each other by the tips of their legs, called tarsi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of them hold onto the larvae, too, and lock legs – like ant scaffolding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then they’re ready to set sail, wherever the water may take them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants make these rafts really quickly. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check out this experiment. A researcher at Georgia Tech drops a ball of fire ants into the water. It only takes them two minutes to assemble. This ability has helped red fire ants spread across the world from South America, where they evolved along the rivers’ edge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rafts can stay afloat for almost two weeks. They survive on food they brought in their bellies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the whole colony to protect, workers are extra defensive. They sting with more venom than usual. Not a good time to run into them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the water recedes, they’ll dig a new nest … and live their best fire ant life, eating whatever crosses their path and stocking up for their next getaway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next up, kidnapper ants. They steal other ants’ babies. But why?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kidnapper Ants Steal Other Ants’ Babies – and Brainwash Them\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These ants are planning a heist. They don’t have a choice. They can’t feed themselves on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not plotting to steal food. They steal other ants. They’re kidnappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun sets in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, scouts leave their underground nest. They’re looking for ants of an entirely different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This nearby colony of black ants knows what’s out there. So, every afternoon, they block the entrance to their own nest to protect themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s too late – a scout spots them. She rushes back to mobilize her sisters. They charge out across the forest floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a raid!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The black ants try to defend themselves from the onslaught, but it’s not enough. They’re overwhelmed, panicked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The raiders start digging. Once they’re in, they know exactly what they’re after. The most prized possession ants have: their young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those white things are pupae – the developing juveniles. The kidnappers use their pointy, oversized mandibles to snatch them up and haul the young back to their nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, you’d think when the young ants grow up, they’d realize they’re surrounded by strangers in the nest of a totally different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But ants don’t really recognize each other by sight. They use smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers coat the young ants in secretions, imprinting their colony’s scent onto the new arrivals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow up, the young black ants think they’re at home, with their own family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have no idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the newly enslaved ants just get to work, leaving the nest to forage for food for their captors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captive ant’s mandibles are serrated for grinding up food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kidnapper’s jaws are really only good for one thing: grabbing young ants. They can’t even chew their own food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers get their captives to regurgitate food right into their mouths, kind of like a pre-made smoothie. It’s called trophallaxis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captive ants do pretty much all the work in the colony, like keeping up the nest and looking after the young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers can spend their days just lounging around in a big pile until it’s time to storm the forest floor again, looking for more unsuspecting ants to join their ranks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Honeypot ants have an interesting definition of family. To survive, they turn their own sisters into jugs of delicious nectar.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Honeypot Ants Turn Their Biggest Sisters Into Jugs of Nectar\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Deep inside their underground nest, honeypot ants are stuffing their own kin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The glistening globes hanging from the ceiling are actually part of the ants’ bodies. These portly ants are known as repletes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The elixir inside them will nourish the colony when food is scarce in the ants’ arid homelands in the Southwest and Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To feed a hungry nestmate, a plump replete opens its mandibles wide and regurgitates a tiny droplet that the other one slurps up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the liquid drains, the ant’s belly deflates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole thing happens while the replete is hanging by the tips of its legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how do these ants become living storage tanks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all starts with this giantess – the queen. All these workers are her daughters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She lays thousands of tiny white eggs. Workers tend to them as they grow into squirming larvae … and then pupae wrapped in fuzzy cocoons. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They choose the biggest newborns to stuff until they swell into repletes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To fill them up, workers venture out at night to forage. Dead insects provide protein and fat. Desert plants give them sweet nectar. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or dinner might be red artificial nectar, if a human is keeping the ants as pets. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers carry the nectar back. And they feed it, drop by drop, to their sisters, the ones they’re turning into repletes. They make up about one fifth of the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nectar flows into a pouch called the crop. The crop will swell into a storage tank because valves prevent most of the liquid from flowing into the stomach, where it would be digested. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As their belly grows, this flexible membrane stretches. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hard sclerites that protect the ant’s abdomen move away from one another, until they end up like a chain of islands on a tiny planet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suspending themselves allows the air to circulate around them, maybe preventing a fungi attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To our human eyes, these living chandeliers might seem like captives, hanging in the dark for weeks or months. Or it might look like they have it easy, just chilling while droplets are lovingly delivered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truth is that every worker in a colony has a key job. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And all of them, even a replete in its cozy home, can face a sudden demise … by a badger that digs up the nest … or someone delighting in a special treat, as humans have done for thousands of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>-Mmm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These Argentine ants are brave bodyguards, ready to do battle with anyone who threatens the source of their sweet treats. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Citrus Psyllids Bribe Ants With Strings of Candy Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This orchard is swarming with Argentine ants, but they’re not here for the juicy oranges. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve found something way better. They’re obsessed with these delicate candy ribbons, which happen to be coming out of the butts of these tiny insects: Asian citrus psyllids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They suck sap from citrus trees. And produce the prettiest of poops, called honeydew. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants ranch the psyllids like cattle, putting their lives on the line to protect their herd from predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ladybug larva is easily deterred. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this hoverfly larva takes more convincing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even more dangerous to psyllids is this tiny parasitoid wasp. It’s looking for a host for its eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the ants are having none of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The psyllids and their ant allies have an even bigger threat: citrus growers who are desperate to keep the pests out of their orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because psyllids can spread bacteria in their saliva that causes a disease called citrus greening. The disease turns leaves yellow and makes fruit green and bitter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citrus growers can spray pesticides, but those kill the helpful insects too, leaving the trees undefended when the psyllids inevitably find their way back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus spraying only gets at some of the ants, since most are safely underground at any one time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So let’s recap: It’s psyllids and their ant bodyguards vs. citrus growers, predators and parasites. Still with me? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because psyllids are so tough to get at, citrus growers decided to take out their ant accomplices instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying the ants’ behavior, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found a weakness they could exploit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants follow the easiest path from tree to tree. They’re all about efficiency. They turn the orchard’s irrigation pipes into mini highways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers set up sensors on the pipes that use invisible infrared beams to measure how many ants go marching through. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the most trafficked areas, researchers spread these tiny biodegradable balls. They’re soaked in sugar water laced with a slow-acting insecticide. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants slurp up the poison and bring it back to share with the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This targeted technique uses just a fraction of the pesticide that spraying would.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With fewer of their bodyguards around, the psyllids are more exposed to their enemies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parasitoid wasp moves right on in. And lays an egg on the psyllid’s soft underside. That wasp egg hatches and the larva right here burrows into the psyllid, devouring it from the inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wasp is all grown up, it chews its way out, right through the top of the dead psyllid. Glad they’re on our side, huh?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a story of unlikely allies, fighting an ongoing battle, for the sweetest of rewards. \u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Fire ants bite and sting! They also use their own young to build a terrifying raft during floods. Kidnapper ants steal other ants’ babies. Honeypot ants turn their sisters into living jugs of nectar. And Argentine ants trade bodyguard services for strings of sugary candy.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1752592135,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 93,
"wordCount": 1954
},
"headData": {
"title": "The 4 Most Ruthless Ants We’ve Ever Filmed | KQED",
"description": "Fire ants bite and sting! They also use their own young to build a terrifying raft during floods. Kidnapper ants steal other ants’ babies. Honeypot ants turn their sisters into living jugs of nectar. And Argentine ants trade bodyguard services for strings of sugary candy.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The 4 Most Ruthless Ants We’ve Ever Filmed",
"datePublished": "2025-07-15T08:05:48-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-07-15T08:08:55-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 86,
"slug": "video",
"name": "Video"
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/RBqt5egv6go",
"pbsMediaId": "3102929043",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1997748",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1997748/the-4-most-ruthless-ants-weve-ever-filmed",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Fire ants bite and sting! They also use their own young to build a terrifying raft during floods. Kidnapper ants steal other ants’ babies. Honeypot ants turn their sisters into living jugs of nectar. And Argentine ants trade bodyguard services for strings of sugary candy.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These four different ants are each ruthless in their own way. They steal other ants; use their own siblings as storage tanks; fight off huge maggots, and even throw their own babies in the water to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up is everyone’s favorite little friend, the fearsome fire ant. They’re already cranky on a nice day, but when the rain falls they turn into a living, stinging raft. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This soft mound of dirt is home to some tough insects: red fire ants. They’re all over the southern U.S. And if you get too close, you will regret it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They clamp onto you with their huge jaws. And then they sting. Over and over. Rude!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They inject nasty venom that burns and causes itchy welts to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you think they’re scary on land, you’re gonna absolutely hate ’em during a flood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Imagine wading into one of these. This floating nightmare is made out of thousands of fire ants. They’ve escaped their flooded nest by making a raft from their own bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how they pull it off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As flood water trickles into the tunnels below their mound, fire ants start a rescue mission. They evacuate the colony’s babies – these larvae and pupae – to the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But researchers at Louisiana State University found that instead of putting the babies on the top of the raft, where it’s dry, they put them on the bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen, these ants have their reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See the halo of hairs on these larvae? If you look at the raft from below you’ll see how those hairs trap air bubbles and hold the larvae together in clusters, you know, like giant floaties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those same bubbles help everyone breathe through tiny holes on the sides of their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And hey, don’t feel bad for these ants with their heads dunked underwater. They’ll get their turn on top of the raft eventually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers grab onto each other by the tips of their legs, called tarsi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of them hold onto the larvae, too, and lock legs – like ant scaffolding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then they’re ready to set sail, wherever the water may take them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants make these rafts really quickly. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check out this experiment. A researcher at Georgia Tech drops a ball of fire ants into the water. It only takes them two minutes to assemble. This ability has helped red fire ants spread across the world from South America, where they evolved along the rivers’ edge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rafts can stay afloat for almost two weeks. They survive on food they brought in their bellies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the whole colony to protect, workers are extra defensive. They sting with more venom than usual. Not a good time to run into them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the water recedes, they’ll dig a new nest … and live their best fire ant life, eating whatever crosses their path and stocking up for their next getaway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next up, kidnapper ants. They steal other ants’ babies. But why?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kidnapper Ants Steal Other Ants’ Babies – and Brainwash Them\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These ants are planning a heist. They don’t have a choice. They can’t feed themselves on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not plotting to steal food. They steal other ants. They’re kidnappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun sets in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, scouts leave their underground nest. They’re looking for ants of an entirely different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This nearby colony of black ants knows what’s out there. So, every afternoon, they block the entrance to their own nest to protect themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s too late – a scout spots them. She rushes back to mobilize her sisters. They charge out across the forest floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a raid!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The black ants try to defend themselves from the onslaught, but it’s not enough. They’re overwhelmed, panicked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The raiders start digging. Once they’re in, they know exactly what they’re after. The most prized possession ants have: their young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those white things are pupae – the developing juveniles. The kidnappers use their pointy, oversized mandibles to snatch them up and haul the young back to their nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, you’d think when the young ants grow up, they’d realize they’re surrounded by strangers in the nest of a totally different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But ants don’t really recognize each other by sight. They use smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers coat the young ants in secretions, imprinting their colony’s scent onto the new arrivals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow up, the young black ants think they’re at home, with their own family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have no idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the newly enslaved ants just get to work, leaving the nest to forage for food for their captors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captive ant’s mandibles are serrated for grinding up food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kidnapper’s jaws are really only good for one thing: grabbing young ants. They can’t even chew their own food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers get their captives to regurgitate food right into their mouths, kind of like a pre-made smoothie. It’s called trophallaxis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captive ants do pretty much all the work in the colony, like keeping up the nest and looking after the young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers can spend their days just lounging around in a big pile until it’s time to storm the forest floor again, looking for more unsuspecting ants to join their ranks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Honeypot ants have an interesting definition of family. To survive, they turn their own sisters into jugs of delicious nectar.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Honeypot Ants Turn Their Biggest Sisters Into Jugs of Nectar\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Deep inside their underground nest, honeypot ants are stuffing their own kin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The glistening globes hanging from the ceiling are actually part of the ants’ bodies. These portly ants are known as repletes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The elixir inside them will nourish the colony when food is scarce in the ants’ arid homelands in the Southwest and Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To feed a hungry nestmate, a plump replete opens its mandibles wide and regurgitates a tiny droplet that the other one slurps up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the liquid drains, the ant’s belly deflates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole thing happens while the replete is hanging by the tips of its legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how do these ants become living storage tanks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all starts with this giantess – the queen. All these workers are her daughters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She lays thousands of tiny white eggs. Workers tend to them as they grow into squirming larvae … and then pupae wrapped in fuzzy cocoons. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They choose the biggest newborns to stuff until they swell into repletes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To fill them up, workers venture out at night to forage. Dead insects provide protein and fat. Desert plants give them sweet nectar. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or dinner might be red artificial nectar, if a human is keeping the ants as pets. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers carry the nectar back. And they feed it, drop by drop, to their sisters, the ones they’re turning into repletes. They make up about one fifth of the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nectar flows into a pouch called the crop. The crop will swell into a storage tank because valves prevent most of the liquid from flowing into the stomach, where it would be digested. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As their belly grows, this flexible membrane stretches. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hard sclerites that protect the ant’s abdomen move away from one another, until they end up like a chain of islands on a tiny planet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suspending themselves allows the air to circulate around them, maybe preventing a fungi attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To our human eyes, these living chandeliers might seem like captives, hanging in the dark for weeks or months. Or it might look like they have it easy, just chilling while droplets are lovingly delivered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truth is that every worker in a colony has a key job. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And all of them, even a replete in its cozy home, can face a sudden demise … by a badger that digs up the nest … or someone delighting in a special treat, as humans have done for thousands of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>-Mmm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These Argentine ants are brave bodyguards, ready to do battle with anyone who threatens the source of their sweet treats. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Citrus Psyllids Bribe Ants With Strings of Candy Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This orchard is swarming with Argentine ants, but they’re not here for the juicy oranges. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve found something way better. They’re obsessed with these delicate candy ribbons, which happen to be coming out of the butts of these tiny insects: Asian citrus psyllids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They suck sap from citrus trees. And produce the prettiest of poops, called honeydew. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants ranch the psyllids like cattle, putting their lives on the line to protect their herd from predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ladybug larva is easily deterred. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this hoverfly larva takes more convincing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even more dangerous to psyllids is this tiny parasitoid wasp. It’s looking for a host for its eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the ants are having none of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The psyllids and their ant allies have an even bigger threat: citrus growers who are desperate to keep the pests out of their orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because psyllids can spread bacteria in their saliva that causes a disease called citrus greening. The disease turns leaves yellow and makes fruit green and bitter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citrus growers can spray pesticides, but those kill the helpful insects too, leaving the trees undefended when the psyllids inevitably find their way back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus spraying only gets at some of the ants, since most are safely underground at any one time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So let’s recap: It’s psyllids and their ant bodyguards vs. citrus growers, predators and parasites. Still with me? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because psyllids are so tough to get at, citrus growers decided to take out their ant accomplices instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying the ants’ behavior, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found a weakness they could exploit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants follow the easiest path from tree to tree. They’re all about efficiency. They turn the orchard’s irrigation pipes into mini highways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers set up sensors on the pipes that use invisible infrared beams to measure how many ants go marching through. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the most trafficked areas, researchers spread these tiny biodegradable balls. They’re soaked in sugar water laced with a slow-acting insecticide. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants slurp up the poison and bring it back to share with the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This targeted technique uses just a fraction of the pesticide that spraying would.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With fewer of their bodyguards around, the psyllids are more exposed to their enemies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parasitoid wasp moves right on in. And lays an egg on the psyllid’s soft underside. That wasp egg hatches and the larva right here burrows into the psyllid, devouring it from the inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wasp is all grown up, it chews its way out, right through the top of the dead psyllid. Glad they’re on our side, huh?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a story of unlikely allies, fighting an ongoing battle, for the sweetest of rewards. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1997748/the-4-most-ruthless-ants-weve-ever-filmed",
"authors": [
"6186"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1997752",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1997359": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1997359",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1997359",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1750777252000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "clothes-moths-got-your-sweater-theres-a-wasp-for-that",
"title": "Clothes Moths Got Your Sweater? There's a Wasp for That",
"publishDate": 1750777252,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "Clothes Moths Got Your Sweater? There’s a Wasp for That | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Once clothes moth larvae start eating your favorite garments, they’re tough to get rid of. Tiny parasitoid wasps are here to help – they lay their eggs inside the moth’s eggs so you can say bye-bye to those smelly mothballs.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This little larva is knitting itself a tiny sweater. Made of its own silk, and fibers it stole from your wardrobe. It’s a clothes moth, and as a larva it feasts on your favorite sweater. But don’t worry, you’ll meet its nemesis soon enough. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This larva’s love of fashion comes from its appetite for keratin, a protein in your sheep’s wool and cashmere sweaters. It’s also after the vitamin B in the sweat, oil and skin flakes you shed onto your clothes every day. But how did the moths get into your home in the first place? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, they didn’t fly in. You probably brought them home yourself! Their eggs or larvae hitchhike on thrifted clothing or vintage rugs. Once inside, that’s where they grow and reproduce, later spreading to the dark forgotten corners of your home. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This larva chomps on strand after strand of wool like al dente spaghetti. As it eats, it poops sand-colored frass. The pellets add some bling to the cocoon, and make it a nice, dark home to grow up inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey! Turn the light off! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adult clothes moths are about the size of a pinkie nail, and they’ve had a glow up. They’re no longer hungry for what’s left of your sweaters. They couldn’t eat them anyways; they have no working mouthparts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They turn around and plop their eggs in the same nutritious sweaters and rugs they grew up in. And in others nearby. And they mate with their own siblings. That means they multiply – fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you’ve got them in your closet, you might want to call in some backup. To fight clothes moths, researchers are enlisting another tiny insect: parasitoid wasps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re no bigger than a grain of salt. Trichogramma wasps have long been used to control pests in agriculture and gardening. They come on what looks like a business card, covered in thousands of eggs – moth eggs that have already been parasitized. Slip it into your closet, and about a week later, wasps emerge. They’re all female, ready to lay their own eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This lady patrols your sweaters, searching for moth eggs. When she finds one, she inspects it with her antennae to sense its freshness, size, and if it’s already been parasitized. Then she pierces the egg with her needlelike ovipositor and pushes her own egg inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She didn’t even have to mate before laying her eggs – she reproduces asexually. A few days later, instead of a moth larva, a wasp emerges; she’s ready to parasitize more moth eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new wasps keep the cycle going until the entire moth population is gone. That could take as little as a few weeks, depending on the size of the infestation. The best way to stop a clothes moth invasion is to prevent it in the first place! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inspect and vacuum secondhand rugs and furniture. Toss thrifted clothes in the freezer for at least seven days to kill any hidden eggs or larvae. And remember those smelly mothballs? They’re effective, but some contain chemicals that can be harmful to humans and pets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So next time you find holes in your clothes, you might want to consider starting up a little biology experiment in your closet.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Once clothes moth larvae start eating your favorite garments, they're tough to get rid of. Tiny parasitoid wasps are here to help – they lay their eggs inside the moth's eggs so you can say bye-bye to those smelly mothballs.\r\n",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1750778622,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 19,
"wordCount": 625
},
"headData": {
"title": "Clothes Moths Got Your Sweater? There's a Wasp for That | KQED",
"description": "Once clothes moth larvae start eating your favorite garments, they're tough to get rid of. Tiny parasitoid wasps are here to help – they lay their eggs inside the moth's eggs so you can say bye-bye to those smelly mothballs.\r\n",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Clothes Moths Got Your Sweater? There's a Wasp for That",
"datePublished": "2025-06-24T08:00:52-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-06-24T08:23:42-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9VoW0VKRwA",
"pbsMediaId": "3102296778",
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1997359/clothes-moths-got-your-sweater-theres-a-wasp-for-that",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Once clothes moth larvae start eating your favorite garments, they’re tough to get rid of. Tiny parasitoid wasps are here to help – they lay their eggs inside the moth’s eggs so you can say bye-bye to those smelly mothballs.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This little larva is knitting itself a tiny sweater. Made of its own silk, and fibers it stole from your wardrobe. It’s a clothes moth, and as a larva it feasts on your favorite sweater. But don’t worry, you’ll meet its nemesis soon enough. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This larva’s love of fashion comes from its appetite for keratin, a protein in your sheep’s wool and cashmere sweaters. It’s also after the vitamin B in the sweat, oil and skin flakes you shed onto your clothes every day. But how did the moths get into your home in the first place? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, they didn’t fly in. You probably brought them home yourself! Their eggs or larvae hitchhike on thrifted clothing or vintage rugs. Once inside, that’s where they grow and reproduce, later spreading to the dark forgotten corners of your home. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This larva chomps on strand after strand of wool like al dente spaghetti. As it eats, it poops sand-colored frass. The pellets add some bling to the cocoon, and make it a nice, dark home to grow up inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey! Turn the light off! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adult clothes moths are about the size of a pinkie nail, and they’ve had a glow up. They’re no longer hungry for what’s left of your sweaters. They couldn’t eat them anyways; they have no working mouthparts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They turn around and plop their eggs in the same nutritious sweaters and rugs they grew up in. And in others nearby. And they mate with their own siblings. That means they multiply – fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you’ve got them in your closet, you might want to call in some backup. To fight clothes moths, researchers are enlisting another tiny insect: parasitoid wasps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re no bigger than a grain of salt. Trichogramma wasps have long been used to control pests in agriculture and gardening. They come on what looks like a business card, covered in thousands of eggs – moth eggs that have already been parasitized. Slip it into your closet, and about a week later, wasps emerge. They’re all female, ready to lay their own eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This lady patrols your sweaters, searching for moth eggs. When she finds one, she inspects it with her antennae to sense its freshness, size, and if it’s already been parasitized. Then she pierces the egg with her needlelike ovipositor and pushes her own egg inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She didn’t even have to mate before laying her eggs – she reproduces asexually. A few days later, instead of a moth larva, a wasp emerges; she’s ready to parasitize more moth eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new wasps keep the cycle going until the entire moth population is gone. That could take as little as a few weeks, depending on the size of the infestation. The best way to stop a clothes moth invasion is to prevent it in the first place! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inspect and vacuum secondhand rugs and furniture. Toss thrifted clothes in the freezer for at least seven days to kill any hidden eggs or larvae. And remember those smelly mothballs? They’re effective, but some contain chemicals that can be harmful to humans and pets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So next time you find holes in your clothes, you might want to consider starting up a little biology experiment in your closet.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1997359/clothes-moths-got-your-sweater-theres-a-wasp-for-that",
"authors": [
"11858"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_30",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_1970",
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1997369",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1997098": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1997098",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1997098",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1748963743000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "why-mosquitoes-buzz-in-your-ear",
"title": "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Your Ear",
"publishDate": 1748963743,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Your Ear | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>The mosquito buzzing that you find annoying and disgusting is irresistible to a male mosquito. He follows the sound of a female mosquito’s beating wings to find a mate. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You’re settling in for a nap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as you drift off … That’s the sound of a female mosquito’s wings. Shoo!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s on her way to bite you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When \u003cem>Aedes aegypti\u003c/em> females dig in, they can transmit dangerous diseases, like yellow fever and dengue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only females bite us. She needs your nutritious blood to make her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Watch these other \u003cem>Deep Look\u003c/em> videos about mosquitoes:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/728086/how-mosquitoes-use-six-needles-to-suck-your-blood\">How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1960549/this-dangerous-mosquito-lays-her-armored-eggs-in-your-house/\">This Dangerous Mosquito Lays Her Armored Eggs – in Your House\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, she also needs a date. An aerial romance. Scientists are studying how exactly mosquitoes hook up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sound of a female’s wings flapping helps a male find her. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My, what hairy antennae you have!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His antennae give him exquisitely sensitive hearing. And for him, sound is the stuff of life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As he flies, he can beat his wings over 1,000 times per second. This churns out a whiny tone, with the loudest frequency around 600 hertz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A female beats her wings slower, with her loudest frequency around 400 hertz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check this out. If you blast a tone around 400 hertz out of your headphones, a male is drawn in like a magnet. Even this electronic sound does the trick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male hears the difference between his sound and hers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, he’s gotta go where the ladies hang out. So, even though he doesn’t bite, he makes the rounds at one of their favorite lunch spots: your ankles. Our foot stink attracts them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she flies by, her wings move the air, which moves his antennae and all its hairs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This triggers sensors inside these round pedicels at the base of his antennae: his ears … between his eyes. The sensors – 16,000 of them – send information to the brain. That’s as many sensory cells as we have in each ear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He follows his ears to a female. But, buzzkill, she just kicks him away. Turns out, this happens a lot. In one experiment, researchers tethered females to strands of hair so they could film them flying in slow motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They found that males get rejected 85% of the time. Ouch!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a male doesn’t get the boot, he moves to face her and hangs on to her with his legs. Then he curves his abdomen towards her and uses these tiny claspers to attach to her body and mate in midair – for up to 30 seconds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She only mates once. Then she finds a small pool of water and lays her eggs right above the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They become aquatic larvae … then, grow into pupae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few days later, an adult pulls itself out. From air to water and back to the air again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Great, more mosquitoes in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying how mosquitoes listen carefully to find a mate, maybe scientists can mess with their buzz.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The mosquito buzzing that you find annoying and disgusting is irresistible to a male mosquito. He follows the sound of a female mosquito’s beating wings to find a mate. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1748974959,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 28,
"wordCount": 551
},
"headData": {
"title": "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Your Ear | KQED",
"description": "The mosquito buzzing that you find annoying and disgusting is irresistible to a male mosquito. He follows the sound of a female mosquito’s beating wings to find a mate. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Your Ear",
"datePublished": "2025-06-03T08:15:43-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-06-03T11:22:39-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/QezzlDcaBmY",
"pbsMediaId": "3101947677",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1997098",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1997098/why-mosquitoes-buzz-in-your-ear",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>The mosquito buzzing that you find annoying and disgusting is irresistible to a male mosquito. He follows the sound of a female mosquito’s beating wings to find a mate. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You’re settling in for a nap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as you drift off … That’s the sound of a female mosquito’s wings. Shoo!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s on her way to bite you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When \u003cem>Aedes aegypti\u003c/em> females dig in, they can transmit dangerous diseases, like yellow fever and dengue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only females bite us. She needs your nutritious blood to make her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Watch these other \u003cem>Deep Look\u003c/em> videos about mosquitoes:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/728086/how-mosquitoes-use-six-needles-to-suck-your-blood\">How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1960549/this-dangerous-mosquito-lays-her-armored-eggs-in-your-house/\">This Dangerous Mosquito Lays Her Armored Eggs – in Your House\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, she also needs a date. An aerial romance. Scientists are studying how exactly mosquitoes hook up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sound of a female’s wings flapping helps a male find her. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My, what hairy antennae you have!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His antennae give him exquisitely sensitive hearing. And for him, sound is the stuff of life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As he flies, he can beat his wings over 1,000 times per second. This churns out a whiny tone, with the loudest frequency around 600 hertz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A female beats her wings slower, with her loudest frequency around 400 hertz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check this out. If you blast a tone around 400 hertz out of your headphones, a male is drawn in like a magnet. Even this electronic sound does the trick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male hears the difference between his sound and hers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, he’s gotta go where the ladies hang out. So, even though he doesn’t bite, he makes the rounds at one of their favorite lunch spots: your ankles. Our foot stink attracts them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she flies by, her wings move the air, which moves his antennae and all its hairs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This triggers sensors inside these round pedicels at the base of his antennae: his ears … between his eyes. The sensors – 16,000 of them – send information to the brain. That’s as many sensory cells as we have in each ear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He follows his ears to a female. But, buzzkill, she just kicks him away. Turns out, this happens a lot. In one experiment, researchers tethered females to strands of hair so they could film them flying in slow motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They found that males get rejected 85% of the time. Ouch!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a male doesn’t get the boot, he moves to face her and hangs on to her with his legs. Then he curves his abdomen towards her and uses these tiny claspers to attach to her body and mate in midair – for up to 30 seconds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She only mates once. Then she finds a small pool of water and lays her eggs right above the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They become aquatic larvae … then, grow into pupae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few days later, an adult pulls itself out. From air to water and back to the air again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Great, more mosquitoes in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying how mosquitoes listen carefully to find a mate, maybe scientists can mess with their buzz.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1997098/why-mosquitoes-buzz-in-your-ear",
"authors": [
"6186"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1997101",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1996927": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1996927",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996927",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1747946458000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "evaluation-traumatic-brain-injuries-gets-first-overhaul-50-years",
"title": "Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injuries Gets Its First Overhaul in 50 Years",
"publishDate": 1747946458,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injuries Gets Its First Overhaul in 50 Years | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:40 p.m. Thursday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time in over 50 years, emergency room doctors will have a new framework to assess people with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/445528/ucsf-study-probes-long-term-effects-of-head-trauma-and-not-just-in-football\">head injuries\u003c/a> from car or bike crashes, falls and assaults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Existing assessment protocols for traumatic brain injury rely on broad, vague measures that filter patients into three categories based on their symptoms: mild, moderate and severe. Doctors hope the new classification system, published Tuesday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(25)00154-1/fulltext\">The Lancet Neurology\u003c/a>, will bring more detail to diagnosis and more nuance to treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Patients labeled as ‘mild’ TBI were told they could go back to work in a couple days. Six weeks later, they’ve got pounding headaches, problems with their visual system, they’re not sleeping well. There’s nothing mild about that,” said Dr. Geoff Manley, professor of neurosurgery at UCSF and lead author of the new framework.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On the other hand, there are patients that were diagnosed with ‘severe’ TBI leading full lives, whose families had to consider removing life-sustaining treatment,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people have a 50% chance of experiencing a traumatic brain injury in their lifetime, Manley said. About 40% of those diagnosed with mild injury, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/437552/just-because-you-have-a-mild-concussion-doesnt-mean-youre-ok\">concussion\u003c/a>, never see a doctor, and about half diagnosed with severe injury are withdrawn from ventilators and allowed to die — a decision made, on average, after three days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same day Scott Hamilton crashed his Vespa on Market Street in San Francisco and slid 60 feet into the curb, doctors at San Francisco General Hospital recommended disconnecting his life support machines. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They told my wife: ‘He’s got a 1 in 10 chance of ever coming out of his coma, and if he does, he’s got a 1 in 20 chance of your thinking that was a good idea. He’s unlikely to live the night and I think you will consider that a blessing,’” Hamilton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996936\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996936 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A new classification system, developed by a coalition of 94 experts and patients across 14 countries, aims to improve brain injury assessment through a four-part framework: clinical evaluations, advanced imaging, blood tests and consideration of key demographic factors. \u003ccite>(Tom Werner/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Manley saw it differently and insisted his bosses give Hamilton more time. He made a full recovery. Twenty years later he’s married, working full time, and raising two teenage daughters. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I lose a lot of sleep at night wondering if I’m doing the right thing,” Manley said. “We certainly don’t want to create someone with profound disability long-term, but we have to give people time to recover.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new classification system, developed by a coalition of 94 experts and patients across 14 countries, is intended to make those decisions easier by making assessments more objective, detailed and precise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new framework is made up of four pillars: an expanded clinical evaluation; new blood tests; CT and MRI scans; and a review of demographic factors known to affect recovery times, like age, sex, family support, and a history of previous head injuries or mental health conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clinical assessments under the new system require doctors to be more exacting when scoring eye, verbal and motor function and to use new tools to measure pupil function.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New biomarker blood tests, developed by the military, help identify tissue damage and determine which patients need imaging and which can be spared the cost and radiation exposure of an unnecessary scan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where indicated, CT and MRI scans can reveal bleeding, blood clots or fractures that require surgery. Or they could show that a patient is doing better than their clinical presentation alone would indicate, as was the case for Hamilton. [aside postID=science_1996818 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-09-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']The final pillar requires taking an extensive medical and social history of the patient to look for factors likely to affect recovery time. People who are older, women and those with a history of concussions, headaches or mental health problems usually take longer to recover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you don’t ask about these elements, you may miss an opportunity to offer a more realistic prognosis to the patient,” said Dr. Cathra Halabi, director of UCSF’s Neurorecovery Clinic, which includes a program focused on people in the first six months after a traumatic brain injury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the new TBI assessment framework is geared primarily toward physicians treating people in acute settings within the first 24 hours of an injury, Halabi said it extends naturally to clinicians like her who see people longer term in an outpatient setting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More detailed assessments will help doctors better determine who needs urgent care and who doesn’t, who needs follow-up care and who doesn’t. They also have the potential to improve clinical trials, bringing more precision to patient selection and a better likelihood of discovering new effective treatments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the current system, Halabi frequently receives patient charts from the ER that say, “Bicycle accident, mild TBI.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She expects the new classification will yield a thorough diagnostic description along the lines of: “Thirty-year-old woman, helmeted bicycle accident, blunt head injury, brief loss of consciousness, peritraumatic amnesia. CT scan negative for bleeding. Experiencing double vision, emotional dysregulation. History of migraines and depression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The additional data will inform Halabi on how to properly care for this patient from the moment she comes into her clinic, and to be on the lookout for lingering and emerging symptoms like sleep impairments or endocrine dysfunction that could complicate healing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve seen all sorts of bicycle accidents with mild TBI, and every single person is different,” she said. “Unless you really ask and probe a bit more deeply on the other side of the acute phase, you may miss an opportunity to find an element of the case that’s going to help make that person recover.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The new system, published Tuesday by a lead author based at UCSF, aims to bring more nuanced diagnosis and treatment to head injuries previously classified as mild, moderate or severe.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1747946429,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 24,
"wordCount": 1021
},
"headData": {
"title": "Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injuries Gets Its First Overhaul in 50 Years | KQED",
"description": "The new system, published Tuesday by a lead author based at UCSF, aims to bring more nuanced diagnosis and treatment to head injuries previously classified as mild, moderate or severe.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injuries Gets Its First Overhaul in 50 Years",
"datePublished": "2025-05-22T13:40:58-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-05-22T13:40:29-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1996927",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1996927/evaluation-traumatic-brain-injuries-gets-first-overhaul-50-years",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:40 p.m. Thursday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time in over 50 years, emergency room doctors will have a new framework to assess people with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/445528/ucsf-study-probes-long-term-effects-of-head-trauma-and-not-just-in-football\">head injuries\u003c/a> from car or bike crashes, falls and assaults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Existing assessment protocols for traumatic brain injury rely on broad, vague measures that filter patients into three categories based on their symptoms: mild, moderate and severe. Doctors hope the new classification system, published Tuesday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(25)00154-1/fulltext\">The Lancet Neurology\u003c/a>, will bring more detail to diagnosis and more nuance to treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Patients labeled as ‘mild’ TBI were told they could go back to work in a couple days. Six weeks later, they’ve got pounding headaches, problems with their visual system, they’re not sleeping well. There’s nothing mild about that,” said Dr. Geoff Manley, professor of neurosurgery at UCSF and lead author of the new framework.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On the other hand, there are patients that were diagnosed with ‘severe’ TBI leading full lives, whose families had to consider removing life-sustaining treatment,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people have a 50% chance of experiencing a traumatic brain injury in their lifetime, Manley said. About 40% of those diagnosed with mild injury, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/437552/just-because-you-have-a-mild-concussion-doesnt-mean-youre-ok\">concussion\u003c/a>, never see a doctor, and about half diagnosed with severe injury are withdrawn from ventilators and allowed to die — a decision made, on average, after three days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same day Scott Hamilton crashed his Vespa on Market Street in San Francisco and slid 60 feet into the curb, doctors at San Francisco General Hospital recommended disconnecting his life support machines. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They told my wife: ‘He’s got a 1 in 10 chance of ever coming out of his coma, and if he does, he’s got a 1 in 20 chance of your thinking that was a good idea. He’s unlikely to live the night and I think you will consider that a blessing,’” Hamilton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996936\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996936 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A new classification system, developed by a coalition of 94 experts and patients across 14 countries, aims to improve brain injury assessment through a four-part framework: clinical evaluations, advanced imaging, blood tests and consideration of key demographic factors. \u003ccite>(Tom Werner/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Manley saw it differently and insisted his bosses give Hamilton more time. He made a full recovery. Twenty years later he’s married, working full time, and raising two teenage daughters. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I lose a lot of sleep at night wondering if I’m doing the right thing,” Manley said. “We certainly don’t want to create someone with profound disability long-term, but we have to give people time to recover.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new classification system, developed by a coalition of 94 experts and patients across 14 countries, is intended to make those decisions easier by making assessments more objective, detailed and precise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new framework is made up of four pillars: an expanded clinical evaluation; new blood tests; CT and MRI scans; and a review of demographic factors known to affect recovery times, like age, sex, family support, and a history of previous head injuries or mental health conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clinical assessments under the new system require doctors to be more exacting when scoring eye, verbal and motor function and to use new tools to measure pupil function.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New biomarker blood tests, developed by the military, help identify tissue damage and determine which patients need imaging and which can be spared the cost and radiation exposure of an unnecessary scan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where indicated, CT and MRI scans can reveal bleeding, blood clots or fractures that require surgery. Or they could show that a patient is doing better than their clinical presentation alone would indicate, as was the case for Hamilton. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "science_1996818",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-09-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The final pillar requires taking an extensive medical and social history of the patient to look for factors likely to affect recovery time. People who are older, women and those with a history of concussions, headaches or mental health problems usually take longer to recover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you don’t ask about these elements, you may miss an opportunity to offer a more realistic prognosis to the patient,” said Dr. Cathra Halabi, director of UCSF’s Neurorecovery Clinic, which includes a program focused on people in the first six months after a traumatic brain injury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the new TBI assessment framework is geared primarily toward physicians treating people in acute settings within the first 24 hours of an injury, Halabi said it extends naturally to clinicians like her who see people longer term in an outpatient setting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More detailed assessments will help doctors better determine who needs urgent care and who doesn’t, who needs follow-up care and who doesn’t. They also have the potential to improve clinical trials, bringing more precision to patient selection and a better likelihood of discovering new effective treatments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the current system, Halabi frequently receives patient charts from the ER that say, “Bicycle accident, mild TBI.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She expects the new classification will yield a thorough diagnostic description along the lines of: “Thirty-year-old woman, helmeted bicycle accident, blunt head injury, brief loss of consciousness, peritraumatic amnesia. CT scan negative for bleeding. Experiencing double vision, emotional dysregulation. History of migraines and depression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The additional data will inform Halabi on how to properly care for this patient from the moment she comes into her clinic, and to be on the lookout for lingering and emerging symptoms like sleep impairments or endocrine dysfunction that could complicate healing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve seen all sorts of bicycle accidents with mild TBI, and every single person is different,” she said. “Unless you really ask and probe a bit more deeply on the other side of the acute phase, you may miss an opportunity to find an element of the case that’s going to help make that person recover.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1996927/evaluation-traumatic-brain-injuries-gets-first-overhaul-50-years",
"authors": [
"3205"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_39",
"science_40",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_4414",
"science_5181",
"science_807",
"science_4277",
"science_309",
"science_5155"
],
"featImg": "science_1996934",
"label": "science"
},
"science_1996740": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1996740",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996740",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1747149034000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "these-spiders-hook-up-with-enormous-jaws",
"title": "Spider Love Is a Battlefield",
"publishDate": 1747149034,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "Spider Love Is a Battlefield | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>In order to mate, a male long-jawed orb weaver spider has to hook his huge jaws into those of a larger female. If he doesn’t get it right, he could become her next meal.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These spiders aren’t fighting. They’re hooking up, literally. But one of them could easily lose its life in the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called long-jawed orb weavers, named for their huge jaws tipped with lethal curved fangs. And these bulbous pedipalps? Only males have them. You’ll see them in action later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long-jawed orb weavers spin their web right over a river or pond. A sticky trap for insects that hatch from the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When an unlucky fly gets caught, she impales it with her fangs. She squishes the fly into a slimy ball and slurps it all up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But catching prey isn’t the only thing her web is good for. She coats each strand of silk with pheromones that males find irresistible. So when he’s searching for a mate, he follows the scent – with his legs. Spiders smell with these specialized hairs that can detect pheromones. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a lab experiment, a male repeatedly follows the unique perfume that females of his species leave behind, like a trail of breadcrumbs. In nature, the stakes are much higher. When this guy goes after a scent, he’s putting his life on the line. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Females are bigger; one wrong move and she could overpower and eat him. He rushes towards her; he has to act fast to get a good grip. He locks his jaws on to hers to keep her deadly fangs away from him. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This tiny hook latches on to her fangs on each jaw. They become a beautifully dangerous entanglement. Face to face, they curve towards each other. He raises his skinny pedipalp, ending in what looks like a boxing glove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he twists it in like a lightbulb. Inside each boxing glove is his sperm. Once he connects, elastic membranes inflate and deflate, each movement propelling his sperm onward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Okay, this isn’t exactly a quickie. After a few minutes he moves on to the second boxing glove. It takes both, alternating, to deliver his goods. The whole time, he’s still holding her back. His jaws. Her jaws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He prepared for this moment earlier by collecting sperm from his abdomen with his gloves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he’s done, there’s no time to cuddle, because if he sticks around for too long he might still become her next meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes, love really is a battlefield.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "In order to mate, a male long-jawed orb weaver spider has to hook his huge jaws into those of a larger female. If he doesn’t get it right, he could become her next meal.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1747414780,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 17,
"wordCount": 445
},
"headData": {
"title": "Spider Love Is a Battlefield | KQED",
"description": "In order to mate, a male long-jawed orb weaver spider has to hook his huge jaws into those of a larger female. If he doesn’t get it right, he could become her next meal.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Spider Love Is a Battlefield",
"datePublished": "2025-05-13T08:10:34-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-05-16T09:59:40-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CqBIjhpL0Q",
"pbsMediaId": "3101434931",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1996740",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1996740/these-spiders-hook-up-with-enormous-jaws",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>In order to mate, a male long-jawed orb weaver spider has to hook his huge jaws into those of a larger female. If he doesn’t get it right, he could become her next meal.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These spiders aren’t fighting. They’re hooking up, literally. But one of them could easily lose its life in the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called long-jawed orb weavers, named for their huge jaws tipped with lethal curved fangs. And these bulbous pedipalps? Only males have them. You’ll see them in action later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long-jawed orb weavers spin their web right over a river or pond. A sticky trap for insects that hatch from the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When an unlucky fly gets caught, she impales it with her fangs. She squishes the fly into a slimy ball and slurps it all up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But catching prey isn’t the only thing her web is good for. She coats each strand of silk with pheromones that males find irresistible. So when he’s searching for a mate, he follows the scent – with his legs. Spiders smell with these specialized hairs that can detect pheromones. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a lab experiment, a male repeatedly follows the unique perfume that females of his species leave behind, like a trail of breadcrumbs. In nature, the stakes are much higher. When this guy goes after a scent, he’s putting his life on the line. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Females are bigger; one wrong move and she could overpower and eat him. He rushes towards her; he has to act fast to get a good grip. He locks his jaws on to hers to keep her deadly fangs away from him. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This tiny hook latches on to her fangs on each jaw. They become a beautifully dangerous entanglement. Face to face, they curve towards each other. He raises his skinny pedipalp, ending in what looks like a boxing glove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he twists it in like a lightbulb. Inside each boxing glove is his sperm. Once he connects, elastic membranes inflate and deflate, each movement propelling his sperm onward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Okay, this isn’t exactly a quickie. After a few minutes he moves on to the second boxing glove. It takes both, alternating, to deliver his goods. The whole time, he’s still holding her back. His jaws. Her jaws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He prepared for this moment earlier by collecting sperm from his abdomen with his gloves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he’s done, there’s no time to cuddle, because if he sticks around for too long he might still become her next meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes, love really is a battlefield.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1996740/these-spiders-hook-up-with-enormous-jaws",
"authors": [
"11858"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_30",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1996743",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1996631": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1996631",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996631",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1745334210000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "this-jumping-spider-trains-itself-to-kill",
"title": "This Jumping Spider Trains Itself to Kill",
"publishDate": 1745334210,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "This Jumping Spider Trains Itself to Kill | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Regal jumping spiders train themselves from a young age to become masterful hunters. From the day they leave mom’s silk nest, the tiny spiderlings practice, practice, practice, using some of the best vision in the animal world, athletic leaps, sharp fangs and lethal venom.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With fangs that bite … \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>venom that paralyzes … \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>and liquifies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This regal jumping spider rules her tiny garden domain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She squeezes out every last drop, leaving nothing but a crumpled husk behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of a bottle cap, she had to teach herself how to be this fearsome, starting when she was smaller than a sesame seed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every jumping spider must learn to stalk and pounce — they don’t use a web to catch prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make the next generation of killers-in-training, she’ll need a mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A male arrives in formal attire — jet black with white markings. And blue-green iridescent chelicerae. That’s the name for these appendages that house their venom glands and end in their fangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quite dashing, indeed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He captivates her attention with his dance moves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They embrace, and things get intimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of weeks after mating, the female jumping spider lays 50-200 eggs inside her cozy nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She spins a protective silk sac around them … and guards them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch, the nest serves as both their nursery and a silky jungle gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They grow up here under the many watchful eyes of their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They don’t eat during these first few weeks, surviving off of yolk, an energy source left over from when they were in their eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their exoskeletons harden and darken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow, so does their curiosity … and their appetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have to venture out into the world to find their first meal. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jumping spiders’ keen eyesight is fine-tuned for daylight hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have eight eyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see them more clearly on their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three smaller pairs on the sides see motion, making it hard for predators to sneak up on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their central pair are their principal eyes that allow them to see crisp detail and vivid color. They also help these cuties judge distance so they can land on target.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something catches the spiderling’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at first, the spiderling is a bit unsure of what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t have a teacher. So it’s gotta improvise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, that could have gone better. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Got it! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now what? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right, this time, no messing around. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spiderling tries out its fangs for the very first time. It doesn’t take long before this tiny hunter enjoys the sweet taste of success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With practice, the spiderling improves its technique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she grows, she gets fuzzy, like really fuzzy. And gains the confidence to take on bigger and stronger prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over six to nine months, this self-made spider has become a stone cold killer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s the apex predator … at least on this twig.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Regal jumping spiders train themselves from a young age to become masterful hunters. From the day they leave mom’s silk nest, the tiny spiderlings practice, practice, practice, using some of the best vision in the animal world, athletic leaps, sharp fangs and lethal venom.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1745334197,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 42,
"wordCount": 513
},
"headData": {
"title": "This Jumping Spider Trains Itself to Kill | KQED",
"description": "Regal jumping spiders train themselves from a young age to become masterful hunters. From the day they leave mom’s silk nest, the tiny spiderlings practice, practice, practice, using some of the best vision in the animal world, athletic leaps, sharp fangs and lethal venom.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "This Jumping Spider Trains Itself to Kill",
"datePublished": "2025-04-22T08:03:30-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-04-22T08:03:17-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/soBeDiifEAY",
"pbsMediaId": "3100757556",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1996631",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1996631/this-jumping-spider-trains-itself-to-kill",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Regal jumping spiders train themselves from a young age to become masterful hunters. From the day they leave mom’s silk nest, the tiny spiderlings practice, practice, practice, using some of the best vision in the animal world, athletic leaps, sharp fangs and lethal venom.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With fangs that bite … \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>venom that paralyzes … \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>and liquifies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This regal jumping spider rules her tiny garden domain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She squeezes out every last drop, leaving nothing but a crumpled husk behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of a bottle cap, she had to teach herself how to be this fearsome, starting when she was smaller than a sesame seed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every jumping spider must learn to stalk and pounce — they don’t use a web to catch prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make the next generation of killers-in-training, she’ll need a mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A male arrives in formal attire — jet black with white markings. And blue-green iridescent chelicerae. That’s the name for these appendages that house their venom glands and end in their fangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quite dashing, indeed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He captivates her attention with his dance moves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They embrace, and things get intimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of weeks after mating, the female jumping spider lays 50-200 eggs inside her cozy nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She spins a protective silk sac around them … and guards them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch, the nest serves as both their nursery and a silky jungle gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They grow up here under the many watchful eyes of their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They don’t eat during these first few weeks, surviving off of yolk, an energy source left over from when they were in their eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their exoskeletons harden and darken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow, so does their curiosity … and their appetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have to venture out into the world to find their first meal. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jumping spiders’ keen eyesight is fine-tuned for daylight hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have eight eyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see them more clearly on their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three smaller pairs on the sides see motion, making it hard for predators to sneak up on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their central pair are their principal eyes that allow them to see crisp detail and vivid color. They also help these cuties judge distance so they can land on target.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something catches the spiderling’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at first, the spiderling is a bit unsure of what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t have a teacher. So it’s gotta improvise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, that could have gone better. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Got it! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now what? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right, this time, no messing around. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spiderling tries out its fangs for the very first time. It doesn’t take long before this tiny hunter enjoys the sweet taste of success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With practice, the spiderling improves its technique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she grows, she gets fuzzy, like really fuzzy. And gains the confidence to take on bigger and stronger prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over six to nine months, this self-made spider has become a stone cold killer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s the apex predator … at least on this twig.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1996631/this-jumping-spider-trains-itself-to-kill",
"authors": [
"6219"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_30",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_1970",
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1996655",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1996508": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1996508",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996508",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1743519908000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "5-of-the-grossest-house-pests-weve-ever-filmed",
"title": "5 of the Grossest House Pests We’ve Ever Filmed",
"publishDate": 1743519908,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "5 of the Grossest House Pests We’ve Ever Filmed | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>We hope your spring cleaning doesn’t uncover bed bugs, dust mites, termites, drain flies or cockroaches.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Dread them. Run from them. But that won’t stop these unwelcome house guests from coming to visit you anyway. In fact, you’ve probably got them in your home right now making themselves comfortable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s start with the tiny dust mite. It might seem harmless but in large numbers they can cause serious problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Meet the Dust Mites, Tiny Roommates That Feast On Your Skin\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Long ago – around the time we started growing our own food – humans settled down. We went home, inside. We built permanent shelters to protect us from the elements and keep the wild animals at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or so we thought. Surprise! The animals were right there with us. They still are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is dust. Zoom in and you find an ecosystem almost as elaborate as the one we left outside. But small enough for us to forget it exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust is pretty much anything small. But the most important ingredient of dust – at least for the purposes of this story – is skin. Your skin. Her skin. His skin. Tiny flakes that fall off our bodies all day long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco collect and study house dust to find out what exactly makes up this micro-universe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the cleanest homes are teeming with tiny, almost invisible roommates. And even more so if you have pets or kids or live on the ground floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most homes have over 100 species, no matter how often you vacuum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not just these guys. But these. And these. And these. Most of these microscopic roommates are harmless. Just freeloaders, basically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one can cause real trouble: the house dust mite. This is like the roommate who leaves his crap around and makes you sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust mites don’t bite people. They don’t need to. We feed them constantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skin flakes are hard to digest. It’s like eating hair, or feathers. So dust mites have powerful digestive enzymes to break the skin down. Those enzymes turn up in dust mite poop. And let’s just say you really don’t want to know how much dust mite poop is in your house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When people breathe dust, they breathe in the poop – and the enzymes, too, which irritate the lungs and can aggravate asthma, especially in kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like us humans, dust mites haven’t always lived inside either. These tiny relatives of spiders and scorpions once lived in birds’ nests. But then, some intrepid dust mites made the jump from birds’ homes to ours. And as our society thrived and grew, so did theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These bed bugs are after your blood and they go for it while you’re sleeping. Keep watching to see how researchers stop them dead in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Watch Bed Bugs Get Stopped in Their Tracks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the … OK, you know where this is going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lured in by our breath, bed bugs come for us when we’re most vulnerable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In dreamland, we’re oblivious to bed bug chow time. You won’t even feel it. It’s a quick meal. Just a few minutes. But it’s a filling one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stuffed with blood, it scurries to a nearby cranny: the seam of your mattress or behind a baseboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There, they get to work growing their families. Until you get …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can recognize them by their signature work of art: these tiny splotches. It’s the digested blood they leave behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1950s, we made bed bugs retreat with DDT. But some became resistant and now they’re back. We help them spread – in our clothes or luggage – when we travel around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can kill them with other insecticides or heat, but their game of hide-and-seek makes it tricky. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, there might be another way to stop them in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch this. It’s just taking a stroll and … Gotcha! Its foot is stuck. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This bean leaf can incapacitate the bloodsuckers. People in the Balkans discovered that years ago and would spread the leaves around their beds as a trap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leaf’s surface is covered in these tiny hooked hairs called trichomes. They pierce right through the bed bug’s feet, impaling their soft joints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many bean plants – like kidney and green beans – developed the hooks to defend against aphids and other plant-eating pests. But it just so happens to work on our bloodthirsty pest too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biologist and engineer Catherine Loudon is trying to copy the plant at the University of California, Irvine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s creating a synthetic material that can pierce bed bug feet just like bean leaves do. It’s not quite as effective as a real bean leaf, but she’s working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, bed bugs are still a step ahead. So keep an eye out. Spot them early and maybe you can get them before they get you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can infiltrate your home without being seen, and the results can be catastrophic. But these tiny homewreckers wouldn’t be able to do so much damage without the help of special microorganisms hidden in their gut.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>These Termites Turn Your House into a Palace of Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That lump on the side of this tree in the Amazon? It’s packed with termites. In the rainforest, that’s a good thing. They break down wood into stuff other creatures can eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But inside our homes, termites are pests. They cost us billions of dollars of damage every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take these dampwood termites that live on the cool California coast. They eat wood that’s wet or decayed, maybe from a leak in your house. Slowly, but surely, they gnaw and scrape away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What comes out the other end isn’t waste. It serves as a kind of mortar. And dried poop pellets make perfect building blocks for their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, they’re turning your house into theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s amazing is that they can digest wood, which is so hard, and get nutrients out of it. We certainly can’t do that. Termites are one of the only animals that can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out they don’t do this alone. Researchers are looking inside termites to figure out who’s actually responsible for this feat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Exploratorium, in San Francisco, museum biologists give the insect a little puff of carbon dioxide. When it’s nice and relaxed, the termite poops itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the microscope, multitudes appear. Hundreds of species of microbes live packed inside a termite’s gut, about one one-thousandth of a teaspoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This big one is called Trichonympha. It’s not an animal, plant or fungus. It’s a protist. Watch it move with the help of its flagella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protists like Trichonympha are essential for termites to turn the wood into a source of energy. They do this by fermenting the wood, much the same way a brewer turns grain into beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else is hidden deep in the termite’s gut: a powerful bacterium that combines nitrogen from the air and calories from the wood to make protein. That’s like turning a potato into a steak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can’t live without their microbes. And many of these microbes can’t live outside the termite. So what if we used the microbes against their hosts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, when we want to get rid of termites, we fumigate our houses with poison. But maybe we could just kill the protists instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Louisiana State University entomologists are engineering a gut bacterium to kill gut protists. They’d sneak the bacteria into the termite colony on something the termites would eat. The bacteria would kill the protists that help the termites digest wood, leaving them surrounded by food but starving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are experts in making their way into your house through some secret and slimy passageways. Check it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why Does This Fly Live in Your Bathroom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ever wonder where those little insects crawling around your bathroom came from? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bad news: your drain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all that fluffy hair, it looks like a tiny moth. And some do call it a moth fly. But a fly it is. A drain fly. It’s called Clogmia – how appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It grew up over several weeks, out of sight, among things you thought you’d washed away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drain flies sneak in from the outside, through a crack in an old pipe, for example, to sip some water they sensed with this long mustache – their maxillary palps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here, on the plentiful gunk in your pipes, they’ll grow a family. Welcome, little one! The larva is the length of an eyelash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gunk it lives in? Those are bits of you: hair, saliva and food. They make a nice meal for bacteria and fungi, which form this dark, living slime called a biofilm. This is what the larvae feed on. It also keeps them well moisturized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the larva ends up submerged, it can still chow down. It sweeps slime particles out of the water with a hairy mouthpart called the labrum and rakes them in with its mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Underwater, it breathes with a bubble on its backside that it collected at the surface. This allows it to venture through deep pools in your pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When larvae, or the more grown-up pupae, like this guy here, end up in a toilet bowl, it can be a shock. You might think the squigglers came out of you. Ew! Don’t worry – they can’t live inside us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even though the drain flies in your bathroom muck around in bacteria, they don’t really spread it to humans. They’re not interested in landing on us. Or even leaving the bathroom. They’re in their happy place. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you wash your hands? They protect themselves from the water with their hairy wings. Each hair has ridges that trap air so the drops roll right off. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if they’re caught off-guard by a sudden surge, the flies skate across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not invincible. When they get trapped underwater long enough, they can drown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you find you really need to get rid of them, drain cleaner helps, but it won’t keep them away forever. There will always be some slime left behind, deep in your pipes, that could attract the flies again. So, if they want it, why not let ‘em have it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are cockroaches – those disgusting disease-spreading roommates – good for anything at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think their super-strength might teach us some tricks that could someday save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cockroach vs. Hydraulic Press: Who Wins?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The American cockroach is one of the fastest insects on the planet. It can run up to 3.4 miles per hour. That’d be like a human knocking out eight marathons over their lunch break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It uses hooks, called tarsal claws, to flip over ledges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And not even a wall can stop it. Better to keep up the momentum and figure it out as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The roach is both tough and flexible. Its exoskeleton isn’t one large piece of armor, but many shield-like plates made of a tough material called chitin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re held together by lots of pliable joints. And they use all those bendy joints to fold up, origami-style, and push through impossibly small cracks, like that gap you never knew existed in your kitchen cupboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cockroach can army-crawl through a space a quarter of its normal standing height. That’s one reason it’s so good at surviving your thwack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how much pressure can the cockroach take?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists at UC Berkeley found it can withstand a thwack equivalent to 900 times its body weight and walk away unscathed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why are researchers so interested in all this? They think the roach, despite its ability to make us sick, can teach us to save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those researchers is now building robots the size of insects to squeeze into places you and I cannot. Like piles of rubble left by major earthquakes or hurricanes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And maybe down the line, much smaller versions of these robots could even enter our bodies to perform life-saving tasks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the one hand, we want to keep these creatures out – by sealing cracks, caulking windows and storing food in airtight containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we also want to learn from them. The cockroach teaches us that the key to overcoming adversity isn’t just toughness. It’s also flexibility.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "We hope your spring cleaning doesn’t uncover bed bugs, dust mites, termites, drain flies or cockroaches.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1743519281,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 82,
"wordCount": 2189
},
"headData": {
"title": "5 of the Grossest House Pests We’ve Ever Filmed | KQED",
"description": "We hope your spring cleaning doesn’t uncover bed bugs, dust mites, termites, drain flies or cockroaches.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "5 of the Grossest House Pests We’ve Ever Filmed",
"datePublished": "2025-04-01T08:05:08-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-04-01T07:54:41-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/xbW0dUfKOkk",
"pbsMediaId": "3100015723",
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1996508/5-of-the-grossest-house-pests-weve-ever-filmed",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>We hope your spring cleaning doesn’t uncover bed bugs, dust mites, termites, drain flies or cockroaches.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Dread them. Run from them. But that won’t stop these unwelcome house guests from coming to visit you anyway. In fact, you’ve probably got them in your home right now making themselves comfortable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s start with the tiny dust mite. It might seem harmless but in large numbers they can cause serious problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Meet the Dust Mites, Tiny Roommates That Feast On Your Skin\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Long ago – around the time we started growing our own food – humans settled down. We went home, inside. We built permanent shelters to protect us from the elements and keep the wild animals at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or so we thought. Surprise! The animals were right there with us. They still are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is dust. Zoom in and you find an ecosystem almost as elaborate as the one we left outside. But small enough for us to forget it exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust is pretty much anything small. But the most important ingredient of dust – at least for the purposes of this story – is skin. Your skin. Her skin. His skin. Tiny flakes that fall off our bodies all day long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco collect and study house dust to find out what exactly makes up this micro-universe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the cleanest homes are teeming with tiny, almost invisible roommates. And even more so if you have pets or kids or live on the ground floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most homes have over 100 species, no matter how often you vacuum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not just these guys. But these. And these. And these. Most of these microscopic roommates are harmless. Just freeloaders, basically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one can cause real trouble: the house dust mite. This is like the roommate who leaves his crap around and makes you sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust mites don’t bite people. They don’t need to. We feed them constantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skin flakes are hard to digest. It’s like eating hair, or feathers. So dust mites have powerful digestive enzymes to break the skin down. Those enzymes turn up in dust mite poop. And let’s just say you really don’t want to know how much dust mite poop is in your house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When people breathe dust, they breathe in the poop – and the enzymes, too, which irritate the lungs and can aggravate asthma, especially in kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like us humans, dust mites haven’t always lived inside either. These tiny relatives of spiders and scorpions once lived in birds’ nests. But then, some intrepid dust mites made the jump from birds’ homes to ours. And as our society thrived and grew, so did theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These bed bugs are after your blood and they go for it while you’re sleeping. Keep watching to see how researchers stop them dead in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Watch Bed Bugs Get Stopped in Their Tracks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the … OK, you know where this is going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lured in by our breath, bed bugs come for us when we’re most vulnerable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In dreamland, we’re oblivious to bed bug chow time. You won’t even feel it. It’s a quick meal. Just a few minutes. But it’s a filling one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stuffed with blood, it scurries to a nearby cranny: the seam of your mattress or behind a baseboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There, they get to work growing their families. Until you get …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can recognize them by their signature work of art: these tiny splotches. It’s the digested blood they leave behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1950s, we made bed bugs retreat with DDT. But some became resistant and now they’re back. We help them spread – in our clothes or luggage – when we travel around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can kill them with other insecticides or heat, but their game of hide-and-seek makes it tricky. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, there might be another way to stop them in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch this. It’s just taking a stroll and … Gotcha! Its foot is stuck. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This bean leaf can incapacitate the bloodsuckers. People in the Balkans discovered that years ago and would spread the leaves around their beds as a trap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leaf’s surface is covered in these tiny hooked hairs called trichomes. They pierce right through the bed bug’s feet, impaling their soft joints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many bean plants – like kidney and green beans – developed the hooks to defend against aphids and other plant-eating pests. But it just so happens to work on our bloodthirsty pest too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biologist and engineer Catherine Loudon is trying to copy the plant at the University of California, Irvine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s creating a synthetic material that can pierce bed bug feet just like bean leaves do. It’s not quite as effective as a real bean leaf, but she’s working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, bed bugs are still a step ahead. So keep an eye out. Spot them early and maybe you can get them before they get you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can infiltrate your home without being seen, and the results can be catastrophic. But these tiny homewreckers wouldn’t be able to do so much damage without the help of special microorganisms hidden in their gut.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>These Termites Turn Your House into a Palace of Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That lump on the side of this tree in the Amazon? It’s packed with termites. In the rainforest, that’s a good thing. They break down wood into stuff other creatures can eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But inside our homes, termites are pests. They cost us billions of dollars of damage every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take these dampwood termites that live on the cool California coast. They eat wood that’s wet or decayed, maybe from a leak in your house. Slowly, but surely, they gnaw and scrape away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What comes out the other end isn’t waste. It serves as a kind of mortar. And dried poop pellets make perfect building blocks for their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, they’re turning your house into theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s amazing is that they can digest wood, which is so hard, and get nutrients out of it. We certainly can’t do that. Termites are one of the only animals that can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out they don’t do this alone. Researchers are looking inside termites to figure out who’s actually responsible for this feat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Exploratorium, in San Francisco, museum biologists give the insect a little puff of carbon dioxide. When it’s nice and relaxed, the termite poops itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the microscope, multitudes appear. Hundreds of species of microbes live packed inside a termite’s gut, about one one-thousandth of a teaspoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This big one is called Trichonympha. It’s not an animal, plant or fungus. It’s a protist. Watch it move with the help of its flagella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protists like Trichonympha are essential for termites to turn the wood into a source of energy. They do this by fermenting the wood, much the same way a brewer turns grain into beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else is hidden deep in the termite’s gut: a powerful bacterium that combines nitrogen from the air and calories from the wood to make protein. That’s like turning a potato into a steak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can’t live without their microbes. And many of these microbes can’t live outside the termite. So what if we used the microbes against their hosts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, when we want to get rid of termites, we fumigate our houses with poison. But maybe we could just kill the protists instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Louisiana State University entomologists are engineering a gut bacterium to kill gut protists. They’d sneak the bacteria into the termite colony on something the termites would eat. The bacteria would kill the protists that help the termites digest wood, leaving them surrounded by food but starving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are experts in making their way into your house through some secret and slimy passageways. Check it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why Does This Fly Live in Your Bathroom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ever wonder where those little insects crawling around your bathroom came from? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bad news: your drain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all that fluffy hair, it looks like a tiny moth. And some do call it a moth fly. But a fly it is. A drain fly. It’s called Clogmia – how appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It grew up over several weeks, out of sight, among things you thought you’d washed away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drain flies sneak in from the outside, through a crack in an old pipe, for example, to sip some water they sensed with this long mustache – their maxillary palps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here, on the plentiful gunk in your pipes, they’ll grow a family. Welcome, little one! The larva is the length of an eyelash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gunk it lives in? Those are bits of you: hair, saliva and food. They make a nice meal for bacteria and fungi, which form this dark, living slime called a biofilm. This is what the larvae feed on. It also keeps them well moisturized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the larva ends up submerged, it can still chow down. It sweeps slime particles out of the water with a hairy mouthpart called the labrum and rakes them in with its mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Underwater, it breathes with a bubble on its backside that it collected at the surface. This allows it to venture through deep pools in your pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When larvae, or the more grown-up pupae, like this guy here, end up in a toilet bowl, it can be a shock. You might think the squigglers came out of you. Ew! Don’t worry – they can’t live inside us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even though the drain flies in your bathroom muck around in bacteria, they don’t really spread it to humans. They’re not interested in landing on us. Or even leaving the bathroom. They’re in their happy place. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you wash your hands? They protect themselves from the water with their hairy wings. Each hair has ridges that trap air so the drops roll right off. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if they’re caught off-guard by a sudden surge, the flies skate across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not invincible. When they get trapped underwater long enough, they can drown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you find you really need to get rid of them, drain cleaner helps, but it won’t keep them away forever. There will always be some slime left behind, deep in your pipes, that could attract the flies again. So, if they want it, why not let ‘em have it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are cockroaches – those disgusting disease-spreading roommates – good for anything at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think their super-strength might teach us some tricks that could someday save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cockroach vs. Hydraulic Press: Who Wins?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The American cockroach is one of the fastest insects on the planet. It can run up to 3.4 miles per hour. That’d be like a human knocking out eight marathons over their lunch break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It uses hooks, called tarsal claws, to flip over ledges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And not even a wall can stop it. Better to keep up the momentum and figure it out as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The roach is both tough and flexible. Its exoskeleton isn’t one large piece of armor, but many shield-like plates made of a tough material called chitin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re held together by lots of pliable joints. And they use all those bendy joints to fold up, origami-style, and push through impossibly small cracks, like that gap you never knew existed in your kitchen cupboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cockroach can army-crawl through a space a quarter of its normal standing height. That’s one reason it’s so good at surviving your thwack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how much pressure can the cockroach take?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists at UC Berkeley found it can withstand a thwack equivalent to 900 times its body weight and walk away unscathed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why are researchers so interested in all this? They think the roach, despite its ability to make us sick, can teach us to save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those researchers is now building robots the size of insects to squeeze into places you and I cannot. Like piles of rubble left by major earthquakes or hurricanes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And maybe down the line, much smaller versions of these robots could even enter our bodies to perform life-saving tasks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the one hand, we want to keep these creatures out – by sealing cracks, caulking windows and storing food in airtight containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we also want to learn from them. The cockroach teaches us that the key to overcoming adversity isn’t just toughness. It’s also flexibility.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1996508/5-of-the-grossest-house-pests-weve-ever-filmed",
"authors": [
"6186"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_1970",
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1996511",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1996323": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1996323",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996323",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1742122827000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area",
"title": "Top Places to See Wildflowers Around the Bay Area",
"publishDate": 1742122827,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Top Places to See Wildflowers Around the Bay Area | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Each spring, the Bay Area’s rolling hills and coastal landscapes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">burst into color\u003c/a> as wildflowers blanket the terrain. From the iconic\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Eschscholzia-californica-(California-Poppy)\"> California poppy\u003c/a> to the delicate\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Primula-jeffreyi-(Sierra-Shooting-Star)\"> shooting star\u003c/a>, these blooms are just now beginning to emerge around the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is the most biologically diverse state in the country and is home to more than 8,000 species of plants — over half of which are native to the state. Wildflowers have thrived in the Bay Area thanks to our Mediterranean climate of wet winters and dry summers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So with all the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-weather\">rain we’ve been getting\u003c/a> these past few months, what’s the forecast like for wildflower blooms — or even a “super bloom” — around the Bay Area and the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#superbloom-bay-area\">Jump straight to: Where to see wildflowers in bloom in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why California probably won’t see a 2025 ‘super bloom’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Cameron Barrows, a conservation ecologist at the Center for Conservation Biology at UC Riverside, told KQED in 2023: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">“Super bloom” is not actually a scientific term\u003c/a> and is mainly used by the media to describe incredible uncommon bloom events, when many different species of wildflowers bloom at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Minnich, a professor at UC Riverside’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said one of the most memorable \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">California super blooms of the last few decades\u003c/a>, back in 2005, was thanks to a wet winter that followed extended dry periods. “The best flower year is the first dry year after a multi-year drought,” said Minnich — because the drought suppresses invasive species or annual grasses, leaving room for the wildflowers to take off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While wildflowers are starting to bloom across the state, Minnich doesn’t anticipate a “super bloom” on a par with the breathtaking displays of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">2005\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/03/19/704707396/poppy-apocalypse-california-city-swarmed-by-selfie-stick-toting-tourists\">2019\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Southern California state parks\u003c/a>, the year’s wildflower bloom is expected to be limited due to below-average winter rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything here [in Southern California] is parched and brittle, with little or no green sprouts. Unless there is significant rain landing in the deserts in the next few weeks, I predict the desert wildflower show will be a bust,” UC Riverside’s Barrows told KQED by email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “a bad year for Southern California flowers doesn’t necessarily mean a bad year for Northern California flowers,” Ryan Forbes, an educator with California State Parks’ Bay Area district, told the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/california-wildflower-bloom-20188019.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. And the Bay Area offers many stunning spots for those eager to see wildflowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before heading out, check park websites for any closures or conditions. To avoid crowds, consider visiting wildflower sites on weekdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, respect the landscape by staying on marked trails, avoiding flower picking, and packing out what you bring in. Wildflowers play a vital role in supporting ecosystems, and damaging them affects pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as other wildlife that depend on them for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to contribute to wildflower research, consider sharing your sightings on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">iNaturalist app\u003c/a> to help scientists track species distribution and seasonal changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984535\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1984535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Purple wildflowers blossom.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stems of purple lupine blossom along Grizzly Peak Boulevard in Berkeley, on April 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some of the spots listed below will bloom during the spring and summer months, and the number of flowers that actually bloom will vary every year depending on how much rain and dry weather we get. So, if you can’t make it out into nature soon, don’t worry: You’ve got time to spot some beautiful blooms over the next few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in San Francisco:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Bernal-Heights-Park-151\">Bernal Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/coronaheightspark-328\">Corona Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Grandview-Park-Trail-400\">Grandview Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfparksalliance.org/our-parks/parks/tank-hill\">Tank Hill\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/716/McLaren-Park\">McLaren Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm\">Lands End\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/batteries-to-bluffs-trail\">Batteries to Bluffs Trail in Presidio\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/511/Glen-Canyon-Park\">Glen Canyon Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Balboa-Natural-Area-325\">Balboa Natural Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Mt-Davidson-Park-190\">Mount Davidson\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in North Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/\">Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471\">Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm\">Tennessee Valley\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/sca-trailhead.htm\">SCA Trail, Sausalito\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=466\">China Camp State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in East Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Hills\">Berkeley Hills\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden\">Tilden Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote-hills\">Coyote Hills Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol\">Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.walnutcreekca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/664\">Shell Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Diablo (near Walnut Creek)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in South Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/santa-teresa-county-park\">Stile Ranch Trail at Santa Teresa County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/calero-county-park\">Calero County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/coyote-lake-harvey-bear-ranch-park\">Coyote Lake – Harvey Bear Ranch County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/almaden-quicksilver-county-park\">Almaden Quicksilver County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/joseph-d-grant-county-park\">Joseph D. Grant County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/uvas-canyon-county-park\">Uvas Canyon County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://parks.ca.gov/henrycoe/\">Henry W. Coe State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Hamilton\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/rancho.html\">Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/coyotevalley.html\">Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/sierra-azul\">Mount Umunhum, Sierra Azul Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/st-josephs-hill\">Manzanita Trail, St. Joseph’s Hill Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/2088/2028\">Alum Rock Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers on the Peninsula:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/moripoint.htm\">Mori Point, Pacifica\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=531\">Half Moon Bay State Beach\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/san-bruno-mountain-state-county-park\">San Bruno Mountain Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/edgewood-park-natural-preserve\">Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/pulgas-ridge\">Pulgas Ridge Reserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/russian-ridge\">Russian Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wildflower guided tours and events:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/calendar/month?terms=wildflower\">Wildflower events at East Bay Regional Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/upcoming-events?field_preserve=98&city=All&attributes=All&category=73&activities=All\">Guided hikes at Máyyan ‘Ooyákma-Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Spring flower bloom updates by California State Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/wildflower-shows\">Wildflower shows at California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "While experts say there might not be a ‘super bloom’ this year, wildflowers in the Bay Area are still a sight to behold. Here’s where to see them.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1747762262,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 20,
"wordCount": 861
},
"headData": {
"title": "Where to See the Best Wildflowers in the Bay Area | KQED",
"description": "Discover the best locations in the Bay Area to view vibrant wildflowers, including Mori Point, Edgewood Park, and guided hikes at Coyote Ridge.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Where to See the Best Wildflowers in the Bay Area | KQED",
"socialDescription": "Discover the best locations in the Bay Area to view vibrant wildflowers, including Mori Point, Edgewood Park, and guided hikes at Coyote Ridge.",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Top Places to See Wildflowers Around the Bay Area",
"datePublished": "2025-03-16T04:00:27-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-05-20T10:31:02-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1996323",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1996323/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Each spring, the Bay Area’s rolling hills and coastal landscapes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">burst into color\u003c/a> as wildflowers blanket the terrain. From the iconic\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Eschscholzia-californica-(California-Poppy)\"> California poppy\u003c/a> to the delicate\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Primula-jeffreyi-(Sierra-Shooting-Star)\"> shooting star\u003c/a>, these blooms are just now beginning to emerge around the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is the most biologically diverse state in the country and is home to more than 8,000 species of plants — over half of which are native to the state. Wildflowers have thrived in the Bay Area thanks to our Mediterranean climate of wet winters and dry summers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So with all the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-weather\">rain we’ve been getting\u003c/a> these past few months, what’s the forecast like for wildflower blooms — or even a “super bloom” — around the Bay Area and the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#superbloom-bay-area\">Jump straight to: Where to see wildflowers in bloom in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why California probably won’t see a 2025 ‘super bloom’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Cameron Barrows, a conservation ecologist at the Center for Conservation Biology at UC Riverside, told KQED in 2023: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">“Super bloom” is not actually a scientific term\u003c/a> and is mainly used by the media to describe incredible uncommon bloom events, when many different species of wildflowers bloom at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Minnich, a professor at UC Riverside’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said one of the most memorable \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">California super blooms of the last few decades\u003c/a>, back in 2005, was thanks to a wet winter that followed extended dry periods. “The best flower year is the first dry year after a multi-year drought,” said Minnich — because the drought suppresses invasive species or annual grasses, leaving room for the wildflowers to take off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While wildflowers are starting to bloom across the state, Minnich doesn’t anticipate a “super bloom” on a par with the breathtaking displays of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">2005\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/03/19/704707396/poppy-apocalypse-california-city-swarmed-by-selfie-stick-toting-tourists\">2019\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Southern California state parks\u003c/a>, the year’s wildflower bloom is expected to be limited due to below-average winter rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything here [in Southern California] is parched and brittle, with little or no green sprouts. Unless there is significant rain landing in the deserts in the next few weeks, I predict the desert wildflower show will be a bust,” UC Riverside’s Barrows told KQED by email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “a bad year for Southern California flowers doesn’t necessarily mean a bad year for Northern California flowers,” Ryan Forbes, an educator with California State Parks’ Bay Area district, told the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/california-wildflower-bloom-20188019.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. And the Bay Area offers many stunning spots for those eager to see wildflowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before heading out, check park websites for any closures or conditions. To avoid crowds, consider visiting wildflower sites on weekdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, respect the landscape by staying on marked trails, avoiding flower picking, and packing out what you bring in. Wildflowers play a vital role in supporting ecosystems, and damaging them affects pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as other wildlife that depend on them for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to contribute to wildflower research, consider sharing your sightings on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">iNaturalist app\u003c/a> to help scientists track species distribution and seasonal changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984535\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1984535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Purple wildflowers blossom.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stems of purple lupine blossom along Grizzly Peak Boulevard in Berkeley, on April 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some of the spots listed below will bloom during the spring and summer months, and the number of flowers that actually bloom will vary every year depending on how much rain and dry weather we get. So, if you can’t make it out into nature soon, don’t worry: You’ve got time to spot some beautiful blooms over the next few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in San Francisco:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Bernal-Heights-Park-151\">Bernal Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/coronaheightspark-328\">Corona Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Grandview-Park-Trail-400\">Grandview Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfparksalliance.org/our-parks/parks/tank-hill\">Tank Hill\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/716/McLaren-Park\">McLaren Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm\">Lands End\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/batteries-to-bluffs-trail\">Batteries to Bluffs Trail in Presidio\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/511/Glen-Canyon-Park\">Glen Canyon Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Balboa-Natural-Area-325\">Balboa Natural Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Mt-Davidson-Park-190\">Mount Davidson\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in North Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/\">Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471\">Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm\">Tennessee Valley\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/sca-trailhead.htm\">SCA Trail, Sausalito\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=466\">China Camp State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in East Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Hills\">Berkeley Hills\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden\">Tilden Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote-hills\">Coyote Hills Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol\">Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.walnutcreekca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/664\">Shell Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Diablo (near Walnut Creek)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in South Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/santa-teresa-county-park\">Stile Ranch Trail at Santa Teresa County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/calero-county-park\">Calero County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/coyote-lake-harvey-bear-ranch-park\">Coyote Lake – Harvey Bear Ranch County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/almaden-quicksilver-county-park\">Almaden Quicksilver County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/joseph-d-grant-county-park\">Joseph D. Grant County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/uvas-canyon-county-park\">Uvas Canyon County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://parks.ca.gov/henrycoe/\">Henry W. Coe State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Hamilton\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/rancho.html\">Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/coyotevalley.html\">Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/sierra-azul\">Mount Umunhum, Sierra Azul Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/st-josephs-hill\">Manzanita Trail, St. Joseph’s Hill Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/2088/2028\">Alum Rock Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers on the Peninsula:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/moripoint.htm\">Mori Point, Pacifica\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=531\">Half Moon Bay State Beach\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/san-bruno-mountain-state-county-park\">San Bruno Mountain Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/edgewood-park-natural-preserve\">Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/pulgas-ridge\">Pulgas Ridge Reserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/russian-ridge\">Russian Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wildflower guided tours and events:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/calendar/month?terms=wildflower\">Wildflower events at East Bay Regional Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/upcoming-events?field_preserve=98&city=All&attributes=All&category=73&activities=All\">Guided hikes at Máyyan ‘Ooyákma-Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Spring flower bloom updates by California State Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/wildflower-shows\">Wildflower shows at California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1996323/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area",
"authors": [
"11631"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_4992",
"science_1942",
"science_454",
"science_2377",
"science_448",
"science_309",
"science_3338",
"science_2371"
],
"featImg": "science_1981883",
"label": "science"
},
"science_1996263": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1996263",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996263",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1741706447000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "this-weevil-was-born-in-your-rice-and-its-hungry",
"title": "This Weevil Was Born in Your Rice and It’s Hungry",
"publishDate": 1741706447,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "This Weevil Was Born in Your Rice and It’s Hungry | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>While it has a cute snoot, a rice weevil is a stowaway. It sneaks into your pantry as an egg that its mom laid inside a single grain of rice. Once it hatches, it turns your rice into its new home.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Something is after your rice. And it’s coming from inside the pantry. But how’d it get there?\u003cbr>\nThe rice weevil is smaller than a grain of rice, but it could reduce your precious bounty to this. If you gave them eight months or so. They’re just like us: They love carbs. Their long snout, called a rostrum, is strong enough to pierce raw grains of rice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sharp mandibles at the tip cut through the hardest of grains. They gorge as they go. If they think they’re in danger, they’ll play dead. Don’t they totally blend in?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, I bet you didn’t think *this* was happening in your cupboard. To prepare for her babies, mom does what she knows best. She carves out a hole, then she turns around and lays an egg inside, down here. But sometimes she misses! An egg outside a grain of rice won’t survive, so she recycles it, by slurping it up. When she does lay her egg inside the rice, it grows into a larva.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The developing weevil devours the rice and emerges fully grown after about 30 days. All that’s left is a hollow husk. Weevil moms lay their eggs inside rice in the fields or when it’s stored. Those rice grains become tiny trojan horses, making their way into your kitchen. Despite their name, they’re not picky eaters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To keep weevils out, warehouses fumigate grains. But scientists are exploring an alternative. Using sensitive microphones, they pick up the sounds of larvae chewing, to find where they’re hiding. This listening technique could one day lead to less spraying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you discover unwelcome visitors in your rice, toss out the infested grains. Weevils won’t reproduce if it’s cold, and they need some moisture to live. So store your good stash in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. This will keep stowaways from spreading. If you do end up eating one, don’t panic. Rice weevils won’t make you sick. You’ve just gotten a touch more protein.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "While it has a cute snoot, a rice weevil is a stowaway. It sneaks into your pantry as an egg that its mom laid inside a single grain of rice. Once it hatches, it turns your rice into its new home. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1741706557,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 10,
"wordCount": 410
},
"headData": {
"title": "This Weevil Was Born in Your Rice and It’s Hungry | KQED",
"description": "While it has a cute snoot, a rice weevil is a stowaway. It sneaks into your pantry as an egg that its mom laid inside a single grain of rice. Once it hatches, it turns your rice into its new home. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "This Weevil Was Born in Your Rice and It’s Hungry",
"datePublished": "2025-03-11T08:20:47-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-03-11T08:22:37-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fjzjphH6CM",
"pbsMediaId": "3099352047",
"source": "Food",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1996263",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1996263/this-weevil-was-born-in-your-rice-and-its-hungry",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>While it has a cute snoot, a rice weevil is a stowaway. It sneaks into your pantry as an egg that its mom laid inside a single grain of rice. Once it hatches, it turns your rice into its new home.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Something is after your rice. And it’s coming from inside the pantry. But how’d it get there?\u003cbr>\nThe rice weevil is smaller than a grain of rice, but it could reduce your precious bounty to this. If you gave them eight months or so. They’re just like us: They love carbs. Their long snout, called a rostrum, is strong enough to pierce raw grains of rice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sharp mandibles at the tip cut through the hardest of grains. They gorge as they go. If they think they’re in danger, they’ll play dead. Don’t they totally blend in?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, I bet you didn’t think *this* was happening in your cupboard. To prepare for her babies, mom does what she knows best. She carves out a hole, then she turns around and lays an egg inside, down here. But sometimes she misses! An egg outside a grain of rice won’t survive, so she recycles it, by slurping it up. When she does lay her egg inside the rice, it grows into a larva.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The developing weevil devours the rice and emerges fully grown after about 30 days. All that’s left is a hollow husk. Weevil moms lay their eggs inside rice in the fields or when it’s stored. Those rice grains become tiny trojan horses, making their way into your kitchen. Despite their name, they’re not picky eaters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To keep weevils out, warehouses fumigate grains. But scientists are exploring an alternative. Using sensitive microphones, they pick up the sounds of larvae chewing, to find where they’re hiding. This listening technique could one day lead to less spraying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you discover unwelcome visitors in your rice, toss out the infested grains. Weevils won’t reproduce if it’s cold, and they need some moisture to live. So store your good stash in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. This will keep stowaways from spreading. If you do end up eating one, don’t panic. Rice weevils won’t make you sick. You’ve just gotten a touch more protein.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1996263/this-weevil-was-born-in-your-rice-and-its-hungry",
"authors": [
"11858"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_30",
"science_36",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_4414",
"science_507"
],
"featImg": "science_1996269",
"label": "source_science_1996263"
},
"science_1996138": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1996138",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1996138",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1739549705000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "4-tiny-romances-that-are-almost-too-freaky-to-share",
"title": "4 Tiny Romances That Are Almost Too Freaky to Share",
"publishDate": 1739549705,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "4 Tiny Romances That Are Almost Too Freaky to Share | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Praying mantises, barnacles, newts and earthworms have some of the strangest love lives.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>We get it, dating is hard. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From meeting the right special someone, to getting to know them, to avoiding imminent death. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bizarre romantic lives of these four tiny creatures sometimes end in strange and tragic ways. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Especially for the praying mantis. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to hooking up, a male mantis has good reason to fear commitment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Praying Mantis Love is Waaay Weirder Than You Think\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This mantis is at the top of her game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All summer, she’s been bulking up on grasshoppers and flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called bordered mantises. Ambush hunters, cloaked by camouflage – some green and some brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out those forelimbs. They’re lined with sharp spikes – almost like a couple extra sets of jaws to grab her prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve served her well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But summer is coming to an end here in California’s Owens Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one thing left for them to do is start the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sends out a chemical signal – an alluring cocktail of pheromones – into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This guy picks up the message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s way, way smaller than she is, simply outclassed when it comes to strength and deadliness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He makes his move, to pass on his genes …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uh …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s one way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he’s not the only male to meet his end this way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why would praying mantises do this – eat their own kind at a rather intimate moment? Seems like they wouldn’t last long as a species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it takes a ton of energy for females to produce their eggs, about a hundred of them developing inside her. She’ll lay them in a foamy cluster like this called an ootheca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that male is fueling the survival of his species, nutritionally speaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch in the spring, there will be plenty more mantises to replace this one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these bordered mantises weren’t going to live much longer anyway. They can’t survive the cold autumn nights. So males might as well take a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww … This time it worked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He delivers a packet of sperm to fertilize her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But each time, it’s a serious gamble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that didn’t go so well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But wait, look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s been decapitated, but his body is still moving, like it’s on autopilot – kind of a zombie mating machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s being controlled by nerves in the mantis’ abdomen and can still get the job done. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, males who successfully mate and get eaten in the process may father more eggs than those who get away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, while it may not really seem that way, this guy may be the ultimate winner in the primal quest to pass on his genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles might look like jagged little rocks at low tide. But they’re surprisingly well-equipped when it comes to finding a date.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Barnacles Go To Unbelievable Lengths To Hook Up\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Finding a date is hard enough in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s especially tricky when you’re stuck to a rock in the middle of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, acorn barnacles don’t get discouraged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crusty little animals actually have a pretty wild sex life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At low tide each one is sealed up inside its own miniature fortress. shielded by a ring of armored plates. The two central plates press together to form a water-tight seal so they don’t dry out in the open air. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re ready and waiting for the tide to rise so they can get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first they need to freshen up a bit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The barnacle unfurls eight pairs of delicate feathery legs called cirri, which they use to absorb oxygen from the water. The legs filter out plankton and debris churned up by the waves, bringing the catch inside to the mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They may not look like it from the outside, but beneath their shell it’s easier to see that barnacles are crustaceans related to crabs and shrimp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a nice meal, it’s ready for some action. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The little barnacle lets loose the longest penis of any animal – relative to its body size of course – stretching up to eight times the length of the barnacle itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this penis has skills. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can taste and smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the tip can feel around, probing to see which neighbors have ripe eggs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it finds what it’s looking for the barnacle delivers sperm to fertilize the eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles aren’t exactly prudes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pretty much everyone is fair play. Because they’re all hermaphrodites, simultaneously male and female.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes it’s one-on-one, sometimes more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles are nurturing parents, too. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They hold on to their fertilized eggs and protect them until they hatch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are their baby larvae called nauplii. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the young barnacles’ chance for adventure. They roam the sea searching for food and growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they survive long enough the barnacle larvae mature into cyprids. At this stage the barnacle doesn’t eat. The cyprid’s only mission is to find the ideal spot to glom onto before it starves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having survived the trials of youth, the barnacle settles in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now it’s time to get to know the neighbors. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How far would you go for love? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California newts make an epic journey back to the pond where they were born. Check it out. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Newt Sex: Buff Males! Writhing Females! Cannibalism!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Life is struggle. Sex. Death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s true across nature. It’s especially true for a newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the time, California newts live quiet, hidden lives in the forest. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But every winter – and newts can live for 20 years – they experience an uncontrollable urge. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s called water drive. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave the safety of their burrows to go mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They begin a treacherous odyssey, a migration back to the pond in which they were born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It begins with a hormone called prolactin, the same one that helps women produce breast milk. In newts, prolactin sparks a need to become aquatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water could be miles away, like three miles. That’s the equivalent of 36 miles for you and me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists don’t know for sure, but some think newts use their sense of smell to help guide them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they only have one real defense against snakes hiding in the brush: their skin. It’s covered in a poison strong enough to kill a person, if you ate one. Newts’ yellow eyes and belly tell predators to stay away. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But poison isn’t always enough to protect them. Many never make it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they move toward water, newts’ skin starts to lose its bumps and becomes smooth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their long tails flatten into fins. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their amphibian bodies transform from terrestrial to aquatic to prepare for a mating frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male newt bulks up. It grows thick pads on its feet, perfect for clamping onto a female. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The word is “amplexus,” Latin for “embrace,” which is one word for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newts can stay like this for hours, or days. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result: egg clusters that females lay in the pond. So many eggs that newts sometimes eat a few for extra protein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ones that survive will grow into larvae and stay in the water for several months, transforming into adults. In the fall, they’ll leave the pond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then, if they’re lucky, they’ll come back here, again, and again, and again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or at least, they’ll try.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Earthworm Love Is Cuddly … and Complicated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earthworm love. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s cuddly … and complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the start, the earthworm is built for romance, with four or five pairs of hearts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding a match, though, that’s a challenge for these mostly solitary animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They go out looking when they’re a few months to a year old, and they’ve grown this fleshy, saddle-shaped patch, called a clitellum. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re now mature enough to get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tube-shaped invertebrate seeks mate to share loamy soil and good times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The earthworm follows tastes and smells through dirt or leaf litter to find its valentine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It crawls around by anchoring its body with these bristles called setae … then pushing forward with its muscles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along the way, it fuels up on bacteria and tiny fungi in the soil and leaves, sucking them in with its mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such a luscious … lip?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every earthworm has some non-negotiables: Must breathe through iridescent skin. Must want kids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But male or female is not one of them. All earthworms are both. They’re hermaphrodites, which automatically doubles their chances of finding a mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they do, they waste no time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Side by side, they surround each other with rings of slime they exude from their skin, bodies pointing in opposite directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they embrace with these flaps on their clitella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can canoodle like this for an hour, swapping sperm. It travels outside their bodies, here, where they press up against each other, and flows between these segments into storage sacs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But their tender act has a dark side. As they do the deed, the earthworms stab each other with their pointy setae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those wounds mean the injured lovers won’t be hooking up with others anytime soon. Jealous much?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After they’ve parted ways, each earthworm produces a sheath with its clitellum and shimmies it down its tubular body. The protein-rich ring moves over tiny holes where it gathers eggs and some of the collected sperm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, it slips right off the worm and becomes a cocoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baby worms flourish inside, growing beating hearts that one day they’ll give to their special someone.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Praying mantises, barnacles, newts and earthworms have some of the strangest love lives.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1741710653,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 109,
"wordCount": 1700
},
"headData": {
"title": "4 Tiny Romances That Are Almost Too Freaky to Share | KQED",
"description": "Praying mantises, barnacles, newts and earthworms have some of the strangest love lives.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "4 Tiny Romances That Are Almost Too Freaky to Share",
"datePublished": "2025-02-14T08:15:05-08:00",
"dateModified": "2025-03-11T09:30:53-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"pbsMediaId": "3098646524",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-1996138",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1996138/4-tiny-romances-that-are-almost-too-freaky-to-share",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Praying mantises, barnacles, newts and earthworms have some of the strangest love lives.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>We get it, dating is hard. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From meeting the right special someone, to getting to know them, to avoiding imminent death. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bizarre romantic lives of these four tiny creatures sometimes end in strange and tragic ways. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Especially for the praying mantis. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to hooking up, a male mantis has good reason to fear commitment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Praying Mantis Love is Waaay Weirder Than You Think\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This mantis is at the top of her game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All summer, she’s been bulking up on grasshoppers and flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called bordered mantises. Ambush hunters, cloaked by camouflage – some green and some brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out those forelimbs. They’re lined with sharp spikes – almost like a couple extra sets of jaws to grab her prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve served her well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But summer is coming to an end here in California’s Owens Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one thing left for them to do is start the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sends out a chemical signal – an alluring cocktail of pheromones – into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This guy picks up the message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s way, way smaller than she is, simply outclassed when it comes to strength and deadliness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He makes his move, to pass on his genes …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uh …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s one way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he’s not the only male to meet his end this way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why would praying mantises do this – eat their own kind at a rather intimate moment? Seems like they wouldn’t last long as a species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it takes a ton of energy for females to produce their eggs, about a hundred of them developing inside her. She’ll lay them in a foamy cluster like this called an ootheca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that male is fueling the survival of his species, nutritionally speaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch in the spring, there will be plenty more mantises to replace this one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these bordered mantises weren’t going to live much longer anyway. They can’t survive the cold autumn nights. So males might as well take a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww … This time it worked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He delivers a packet of sperm to fertilize her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But each time, it’s a serious gamble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that didn’t go so well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But wait, look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s been decapitated, but his body is still moving, like it’s on autopilot – kind of a zombie mating machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s being controlled by nerves in the mantis’ abdomen and can still get the job done. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, males who successfully mate and get eaten in the process may father more eggs than those who get away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, while it may not really seem that way, this guy may be the ultimate winner in the primal quest to pass on his genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles might look like jagged little rocks at low tide. But they’re surprisingly well-equipped when it comes to finding a date.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Barnacles Go To Unbelievable Lengths To Hook Up\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Finding a date is hard enough in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s especially tricky when you’re stuck to a rock in the middle of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, acorn barnacles don’t get discouraged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crusty little animals actually have a pretty wild sex life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At low tide each one is sealed up inside its own miniature fortress. shielded by a ring of armored plates. The two central plates press together to form a water-tight seal so they don’t dry out in the open air. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re ready and waiting for the tide to rise so they can get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first they need to freshen up a bit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The barnacle unfurls eight pairs of delicate feathery legs called cirri, which they use to absorb oxygen from the water. The legs filter out plankton and debris churned up by the waves, bringing the catch inside to the mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They may not look like it from the outside, but beneath their shell it’s easier to see that barnacles are crustaceans related to crabs and shrimp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a nice meal, it’s ready for some action. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The little barnacle lets loose the longest penis of any animal – relative to its body size of course – stretching up to eight times the length of the barnacle itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this penis has skills. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can taste and smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the tip can feel around, probing to see which neighbors have ripe eggs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it finds what it’s looking for the barnacle delivers sperm to fertilize the eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles aren’t exactly prudes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pretty much everyone is fair play. Because they’re all hermaphrodites, simultaneously male and female.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes it’s one-on-one, sometimes more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles are nurturing parents, too. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They hold on to their fertilized eggs and protect them until they hatch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are their baby larvae called nauplii. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the young barnacles’ chance for adventure. They roam the sea searching for food and growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they survive long enough the barnacle larvae mature into cyprids. At this stage the barnacle doesn’t eat. The cyprid’s only mission is to find the ideal spot to glom onto before it starves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having survived the trials of youth, the barnacle settles in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now it’s time to get to know the neighbors. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How far would you go for love? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California newts make an epic journey back to the pond where they were born. Check it out. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Newt Sex: Buff Males! Writhing Females! Cannibalism!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Life is struggle. Sex. Death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s true across nature. It’s especially true for a newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the time, California newts live quiet, hidden lives in the forest. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But every winter – and newts can live for 20 years – they experience an uncontrollable urge. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s called water drive. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave the safety of their burrows to go mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They begin a treacherous odyssey, a migration back to the pond in which they were born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It begins with a hormone called prolactin, the same one that helps women produce breast milk. In newts, prolactin sparks a need to become aquatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water could be miles away, like three miles. That’s the equivalent of 36 miles for you and me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists don’t know for sure, but some think newts use their sense of smell to help guide them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they only have one real defense against snakes hiding in the brush: their skin. It’s covered in a poison strong enough to kill a person, if you ate one. Newts’ yellow eyes and belly tell predators to stay away. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But poison isn’t always enough to protect them. Many never make it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they move toward water, newts’ skin starts to lose its bumps and becomes smooth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their long tails flatten into fins. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their amphibian bodies transform from terrestrial to aquatic to prepare for a mating frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male newt bulks up. It grows thick pads on its feet, perfect for clamping onto a female. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The word is “amplexus,” Latin for “embrace,” which is one word for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newts can stay like this for hours, or days. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result: egg clusters that females lay in the pond. So many eggs that newts sometimes eat a few for extra protein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ones that survive will grow into larvae and stay in the water for several months, transforming into adults. In the fall, they’ll leave the pond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then, if they’re lucky, they’ll come back here, again, and again, and again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or at least, they’ll try.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Earthworm Love Is Cuddly … and Complicated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earthworm love. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s cuddly … and complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the start, the earthworm is built for romance, with four or five pairs of hearts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding a match, though, that’s a challenge for these mostly solitary animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They go out looking when they’re a few months to a year old, and they’ve grown this fleshy, saddle-shaped patch, called a clitellum. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re now mature enough to get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tube-shaped invertebrate seeks mate to share loamy soil and good times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The earthworm follows tastes and smells through dirt or leaf litter to find its valentine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It crawls around by anchoring its body with these bristles called setae … then pushing forward with its muscles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along the way, it fuels up on bacteria and tiny fungi in the soil and leaves, sucking them in with its mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such a luscious … lip?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every earthworm has some non-negotiables: Must breathe through iridescent skin. Must want kids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But male or female is not one of them. All earthworms are both. They’re hermaphrodites, which automatically doubles their chances of finding a mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they do, they waste no time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Side by side, they surround each other with rings of slime they exude from their skin, bodies pointing in opposite directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they embrace with these flaps on their clitella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can canoodle like this for an hour, swapping sperm. It travels outside their bodies, here, where they press up against each other, and flows between these segments into storage sacs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But their tender act has a dark side. As they do the deed, the earthworms stab each other with their pointy setae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those wounds mean the injured lovers won’t be hooking up with others anytime soon. Jealous much?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After they’ve parted ways, each earthworm produces a sheath with its clitellum and shimmies it down its tubular body. The protein-rich ring moves over tiny holes where it gathers eggs and some of the collected sperm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, it slips right off the worm and becomes a cocoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baby worms flourish inside, growing beating hearts that one day they’ll give to their special someone.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1996138/4-tiny-romances-that-are-almost-too-freaky-to-share",
"authors": [
"6186"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_30",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_1970",
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1996279",
"label": "science_1935"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/science?category=biology": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 0,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 648,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"science_1998479",
"science_1998036",
"science_1997748",
"science_1997359",
"science_1997098",
"science_1996927",
"science_1996740",
"science_1996631",
"science_1996508",
"science_1996323",
"science_1996263",
"science_1996138"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science_category_biology": {
"isLoading": true
},
"science_30": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_30",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "30",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Biology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Biology Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32,
"slug": "biology",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/biology"
},
"source_science_1996263": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1996263",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"science_1935": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1935",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1935",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Deep Look",
"description": "[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpAc7SyETD4?rel=0&w=640&h=360]\r\n\r\n\u003cbr/>\r\n\r\n\u003ch2>About Deep Look\u003c/h2>\r\n\r\n[dl_subscribe]\r\n\r\n\u003cp>See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small with Deep Look, a new ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios.\u003c/p>\r\n\r\n\u003cp>Don't miss an episode! \u003ca href=\"http://goo.gl/8NwXqt\">SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look on YouTube.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\r\n",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpAc7SyETD4?rel=0&w=640&h=360] About Deep Look [dl_subscribe] See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small with Deep Look, a new ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. Don't miss an episode! SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look on YouTube.",
"title": "Deep Look Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1946,
"slug": "deep-look",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/series/deep-look"
},
"science_2874": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2874",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2874",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Animals",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Animals Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2874,
"slug": "animals",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/animals"
},
"science_4450": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4450",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4450",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4450,
"slug": "science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/science"
},
"science_86": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_86",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "86",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Video",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Video Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 89,
"slug": "video",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/video"
},
"science_35": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_35",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "35",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Environment",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Environment Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 37,
"slug": "environment",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/environment"
},
"science_40": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_40",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "40",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 42,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/news"
},
"science_1970": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1970",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1970",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "deep look",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "deep look Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1981,
"slug": "deep-look-2",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/deep-look-2"
},
"science_4414": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4414",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4414",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4414,
"slug": "featured-science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/featured-science"
},
"science_5217": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5217",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5217",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5217,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/interest/california"
},
"science_5216": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5216",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5216",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5216,
"slug": "science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/interest/science"
},
"science_5229": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5229",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5229",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Climate",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Climate Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5229,
"slug": "climate",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/interest/climate"
},
"science_39": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_39",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "39",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 41,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/health"
},
"science_5181": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5181",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5181",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "health Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5181,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/health"
},
"science_807": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_807",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "807",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "neuroscience",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "neuroscience Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 814,
"slug": "neuroscience",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/neuroscience"
},
"science_4277": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4277",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4277",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Public health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Public health Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4277,
"slug": "public-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/public-health"
},
"science_309": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_309",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "309",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 314,
"slug": "science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/science"
},
"science_5155": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5155",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5155",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "UCSF",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "UCSF Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5155,
"slug": "ucsf",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/ucsf"
},
"science_5226": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5226",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5226",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5226,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/interest/health"
},
"science_5212": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5212",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5212",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5212,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/interest/news"
},
"science_5218": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5218",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5218",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5218,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/interest/housing"
},
"science_4992": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4992",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4992",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "audience-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "audience-news Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4992,
"slug": "audience-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/audience-news"
},
"science_1942": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1942",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1942",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California State Parks",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California State Parks Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1953,
"slug": "california-state-parks",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/california-state-parks"
},
"science_454": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_454",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "454",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "east bay regional parks district",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "east bay regional parks district Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 460,
"slug": "east-bay-regional-parks-district",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/east-bay-regional-parks-district"
},
"science_2377": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2377",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2377",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "flowers",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "flowers Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2389,
"slug": "flowers",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/flowers"
},
"science_448": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_448",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "448",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "parks",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "parks Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 454,
"slug": "parks",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/parks"
},
"science_3338": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3338",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3338",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "superbloom",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "superbloom Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3338,
"slug": "superbloom",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/superbloom"
},
"science_2371": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2371",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2371",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wildflowers",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wildflowers Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2383,
"slug": "wildflowers",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/wildflowers"
},
"science_36": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_36",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "36",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Food Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 38,
"slug": "food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/food"
},
"science_507": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_507",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "507",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "food Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 513,
"slug": "food-2",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/food-2"
},
"science_5220": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5220",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5220",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "East Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "East Bay Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5220,
"slug": "east-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/interest/east-bay"
},
"science_5208": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5208",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5208",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5208,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/interest/san-francisco"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
}
}
