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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]Animals that hide on the seafloor are often masters of disguise. But even the most evasive of prey cannot hide from hungry stingrays. These predators can detect tiny electric currents radiating from animals like shrimp and small fish. Without using their ears, nose, or eyes stingrays can locate and devour their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>We’re All Electric\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Exactly how this “electric sense” works is what fascinates Stephen Kajiura, an associate professor of biology at \u003ca href=\"http://www.fau.edu\">Florida Atlantic University\u003c/a>. In his \u003ca href=\"http://www.science.fau.edu/sharklab/\">shark lab\u003c/a>, Kajiura measures the low electric currents that animals generate, and replicates those currents to understand how stingrays find their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By luring a stingray toward electric pulses in a tank, Kajiura can measure the sensitivity and range of the stingray’s ability to detect them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171197\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 430px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-171197\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003.jpg\" alt=\"The white plate seen on the left has electric dipoles distributed across its surface. Dr. Kajiura can control the dipoles to test rays' responses to prey-simulating electric fields.\" width=\"430\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The white plate seen on the left has electric dipoles distributed across its surface. Dr. Kajiura can control the dipoles to test rays’ responses to prey-simulating electric fields. \u003ccite>(Florida Atlantic University )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“All organisms are electric,” Kajiura says. “They have this electric field, this aura around their body, whether you are a shrimp or a fish or a crab or whatever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, a fish breathes in and out about twice every second, generating a current of around 2 hertz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most animals don’t have the ability to detect electric fields. But sharks, rays, skates and sawfish — members of a group called \u003ca href=\"http://elasmo.org\">Elasmobranchii\u003c/a> — are masters of detecting electric signals. It’s one of their defining features. Elasmobranchs have specialized organs called \u003ca href=\"http://faculty.bennington.edu/~sherman/the%20ocean%20project/shark%27s%20electric%20sense.pdf\">Ampullae of Lorenzini\u003c/a>. These tiny structures allow them to home in on weak bioelectric fields generated by nearby prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What Tiny Pores You Have\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Elasmobranch’s electrosensory organs are named after a 17th century Italian physician, \u003ca href=\"http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/6883#/summary\">Stefano Lorenzini\u003c/a>, who first identified them while dissecting an electric ray. Lorenzini noticed dozens of tiny pores around the animal’s mouth. Each of the pores led to jelly-filled canals that ended in pocket-like structures that he called ampullae, the Latin word for a type of round-bottomed flask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_180566\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 438px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-180566\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001.jpg\" alt=\"Electric fields travel through the rays' canals and into their ampullae. Tiny hairs read the signals and send a message to the brain via a network of nerves. \" width=\"438\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Electric fields travel through the rays’ canals and into their ampullae. Tiny hairs read the signals and send a message to the brain via a network of nerves. \u003ccite>(Kia Simon/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We have discovered that sharks have electric sense only in 1966. That’s not even 50 years ago,” Kajiura says. “That’s a whole new sense that’s been discovered. It would be like us discovering vision for the first time only 50 years ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What Are Weak Bioelectric Fields?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Animals emit low frequency electric fields due to a process known as \u003ca href=\"http://www.britannica.com/science/osmoregulation\">osmoregulation\u003c/a>. This process allows the concentration of ions (\u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26883/\">charged atoms or molecules\u003c/a>) to flow between the inside of our bodies and the outside. In order for our cells to stay intact, the flow of ions needs to be balanced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But balanced doesn’t necessarily mean equal. The concentration of ions within a shrimp’s body is much lower than that of the sea water it swims in. Their \u003ca href=\"https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/electricity-magnetism/electric-potential-voltage/v/voltage\">voltage\u003c/a>, or potential difference generated between the two concentrations across \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3498741/\">“leaky” surfaces\u003c/a>, can then be measured.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_181209\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 421px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Stingray-specimen.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-181209\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Stingray-specimen.jpeg\" alt=\"A preserved specimen of the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. The ray is stained to show its electrosensory organs. \" width=\"421\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Stingray-specimen.jpeg 722w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Stingray-specimen-400x266.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 421px) 100vw, 421px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A preserved specimen of the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. The ray is stained to show its electrosensory organs. \u003ccite>(Stephen Kajiura/Florida Atlantic University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Across the shell of the shrimp, it’s not very leaky, it’s a nice watertight seal,” Kajiura explains. “But at places like the mouth, or the gills, where you’ve got this soft tissue, there is very little between… the inside the body and the seawater. You have the potential to have leaky ions going across.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Shark Repellent\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the long term, Kajiura says it may be possible to take advantage of electric sense to develop repellents. This could potentially keep sharks away from popular surfing spots and \u003ca href=\"http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/episodes/sharks/\">commercial fishing lines\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That would be good for sharks because they are often caught as bycatch and killed by long-line fisherman seeking tuna and swordfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Kajiura says, the overall topic of electroreception is wide open for discovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a whole new sense. A whole new way of collecting information about the environment,” he says. “And there is so little work that’s done on this entire sensory system, that I think there is so much cool stuff we can do. Things we don’t even know about yet. Things we haven’t even imagined yet, I think are wide open.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "When it comes to spotting prey, sharks and rays have a secret sense beyond sight and smell.\r\n",
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"title": "How Do Sharks and Rays Use Electricity to Find Hidden Prey? | KQED",
"description": "When it comes to spotting prey, sharks and rays have a secret sense beyond sight and smell.\r\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Animals that hide on the seafloor are often masters of disguise. But even the most evasive of prey cannot hide from hungry stingrays. These predators can detect tiny electric currents radiating from animals like shrimp and small fish. Without using their ears, nose, or eyes stingrays can locate and devour their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>We’re All Electric\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Exactly how this “electric sense” works is what fascinates Stephen Kajiura, an associate professor of biology at \u003ca href=\"http://www.fau.edu\">Florida Atlantic University\u003c/a>. In his \u003ca href=\"http://www.science.fau.edu/sharklab/\">shark lab\u003c/a>, Kajiura measures the low electric currents that animals generate, and replicates those currents to understand how stingrays find their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By luring a stingray toward electric pulses in a tank, Kajiura can measure the sensitivity and range of the stingray’s ability to detect them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171197\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 430px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-171197\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003.jpg\" alt=\"The white plate seen on the left has electric dipoles distributed across its surface. Dr. Kajiura can control the dipoles to test rays' responses to prey-simulating electric fields.\" width=\"430\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v4.mp4_.00_02_48_22.Still003-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The white plate seen on the left has electric dipoles distributed across its surface. Dr. Kajiura can control the dipoles to test rays’ responses to prey-simulating electric fields. \u003ccite>(Florida Atlantic University )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“All organisms are electric,” Kajiura says. “They have this electric field, this aura around their body, whether you are a shrimp or a fish or a crab or whatever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, a fish breathes in and out about twice every second, generating a current of around 2 hertz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most animals don’t have the ability to detect electric fields. But sharks, rays, skates and sawfish — members of a group called \u003ca href=\"http://elasmo.org\">Elasmobranchii\u003c/a> — are masters of detecting electric signals. It’s one of their defining features. Elasmobranchs have specialized organs called \u003ca href=\"http://faculty.bennington.edu/~sherman/the%20ocean%20project/shark%27s%20electric%20sense.pdf\">Ampullae of Lorenzini\u003c/a>. These tiny structures allow them to home in on weak bioelectric fields generated by nearby prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What Tiny Pores You Have\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Elasmobranch’s electrosensory organs are named after a 17th century Italian physician, \u003ca href=\"http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/6883#/summary\">Stefano Lorenzini\u003c/a>, who first identified them while dissecting an electric ray. Lorenzini noticed dozens of tiny pores around the animal’s mouth. Each of the pores led to jelly-filled canals that ended in pocket-like structures that he called ampullae, the Latin word for a type of round-bottomed flask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_180566\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 438px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-180566\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001.jpg\" alt=\"Electric fields travel through the rays' canals and into their ampullae. Tiny hairs read the signals and send a message to the brain via a network of nerves. \" width=\"438\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Electroreception-v6.00_02_24_13.Still001-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Electric fields travel through the rays’ canals and into their ampullae. Tiny hairs read the signals and send a message to the brain via a network of nerves. \u003ccite>(Kia Simon/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We have discovered that sharks have electric sense only in 1966. That’s not even 50 years ago,” Kajiura says. “That’s a whole new sense that’s been discovered. It would be like us discovering vision for the first time only 50 years ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What Are Weak Bioelectric Fields?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Animals emit low frequency electric fields due to a process known as \u003ca href=\"http://www.britannica.com/science/osmoregulation\">osmoregulation\u003c/a>. This process allows the concentration of ions (\u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26883/\">charged atoms or molecules\u003c/a>) to flow between the inside of our bodies and the outside. In order for our cells to stay intact, the flow of ions needs to be balanced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But balanced doesn’t necessarily mean equal. The concentration of ions within a shrimp’s body is much lower than that of the sea water it swims in. Their \u003ca href=\"https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/electricity-magnetism/electric-potential-voltage/v/voltage\">voltage\u003c/a>, or potential difference generated between the two concentrations across \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3498741/\">“leaky” surfaces\u003c/a>, can then be measured.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_181209\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 421px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Stingray-specimen.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-181209\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Stingray-specimen.jpeg\" alt=\"A preserved specimen of the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. The ray is stained to show its electrosensory organs. \" width=\"421\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Stingray-specimen.jpeg 722w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/Stingray-specimen-400x266.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 421px) 100vw, 421px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A preserved specimen of the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. The ray is stained to show its electrosensory organs. \u003ccite>(Stephen Kajiura/Florida Atlantic University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Across the shell of the shrimp, it’s not very leaky, it’s a nice watertight seal,” Kajiura explains. “But at places like the mouth, or the gills, where you’ve got this soft tissue, there is very little between… the inside the body and the seawater. You have the potential to have leaky ions going across.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Shark Repellent\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the long term, Kajiura says it may be possible to take advantage of electric sense to develop repellents. This could potentially keep sharks away from popular surfing spots and \u003ca href=\"http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/episodes/sharks/\">commercial fishing lines\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That would be good for sharks because they are often caught as bycatch and killed by long-line fisherman seeking tuna and swordfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Kajiura says, the overall topic of electroreception is wide open for discovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a whole new sense. A whole new way of collecting information about the environment,” he says. “And there is so little work that’s done on this entire sensory system, that I think there is so much cool stuff we can do. Things we don’t even know about yet. Things we haven’t even imagined yet, I think are wide open.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Hunter or Hunted: Why Animals Have Differently Shaped Pupils",
"headTitle": "Hunter or Hunted: Why Animals Have Differently Shaped Pupils | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Have you ever looked at a cat and wondered why on earth they have such creepy slits for pupils?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists previously thought slit pupils were an advantage for being active both day and night because they can change so much in area, giving cats more control over how much light enters their eyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/7/e1500391\">a new study\u003c/a> published this week in \u003ca href=\"http://advances.sciencemag.org/\">Science Advances\u003c/a> shows vertical slits provide other visual benefits that help cats and other predators to find food. And horizontal slits help their prey escape becoming a meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It turns out, slit orientation matters,” says Martin Banks, lead researcher of the study and a professor of optometry at the University of California, Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Consider a Cat Eye \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cats are ambush predators. And like cats, the vast majority of ambush hunters also have vertical pupils.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These predators hide patiently, and then strike suddenly. That means they need to estimate the distance to their food accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171312\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1283px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171312 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o.jpg\" alt=\"Although domestic dogs have round pupils, some species of canids have vertical pupils. \" width=\"1283\" height=\"657\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o.jpg 1283w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o-400x205.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o-800x410.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o-1180x604.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o-960x492.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1283px) 100vw, 1283px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Although domestic dogs have round pupils, smaller canine species like red foxes have vertical pupils. \u003ccite>(Normalityrelief/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Turns out, vertical slit pupils are ideal for this job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pupils work just like a camera aperture. When a camera is focused on an object, things that are closer or farther away appear blurry. The range that’s in focus is called \u003ca href=\"http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/07/17/what-is-depth-of-field-how-aperture-focal-length-and-focus-control-whats-sharp/\">depth of field\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Photographers control depth of field by changing the size of the opening. Smaller aperture, wider depth of field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171304\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 317px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171304 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/cateye.jpg\" alt=\"This image demonstrates how an asymmetric depth of field might look to an animal with a vertical slit pupil. Three crosses are placed at different distances from the camera, which is focused on the nearest cross. The vertical lines of all three crosses are relatively sharp,whereas the horizontal lines of the two farther crosses are quite blurred.\" width=\"317\" height=\"288\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image demonstrates how an image might look to an animal with an asymmetric depth of field. Three white crosses are placed at different distances from the camera, which is focused on the nearest cross. The vertical lines of all three crosses are relatively sharp, whereas the horizontal lines of the two farther crosses are quite blurred. \u003ccite>(Martin Banks)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the aperture of a slit pupil is smaller in one direction than the other. So the depth of field is also asymmetrical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For cats, this means vertical lines behind the focal point stay relatively sharp, but horizontal lines at the same distance are completely blurry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that gives the hunters more precise cues to pinpoint their food. The ability to see sharper vertical lines improves the predator’s ability to estimate distance. And the blurry horizontal lines are also a distance cue themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Banks found that these benefits only hold for smaller animals that are closer to the ground. Taller animals can’t use that extra distance information from blur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why big cats like lions and tigers have round pupils, whereas smaller cats have slit pupils.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How to Not Become Cat Food\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Animals that are likely to be prey also tend to have slit pupils, but they are oriented horizontally. Their eyes are also usually on the sides of their head: an adaptation to scan for predators in all directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And when they detect a predator, they run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that’s an interesting problem, because their eyes aren’t facing the way they’re running,” Banks explains. “They need to see clearly ahead of them, which is kind of out of the corner of their eye.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171305\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171305 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o.jpg\" alt=\"Barbary sheep, like many other grazing prey animals, have horizontal pupils and eyes on the side of their heads.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1451\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-400x290.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-800x580.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-1440x1045.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-1920x1393.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-1180x856.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-960x696.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Like many other grazing prey animals, Barbary sheep have horizontal pupils and eyes on the side of their heads. \u003ccite>(Hans De Bisschop/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a prey animal, a horizontal slit pupil gives the eye the most light from the sides and less from above. And that’s a good thing because it means the animal is getting more light from what’s basically in front or behind it and less dazzling sunshine from above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>This Will Make Your Head Spin\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what happens when grazers lower their heads to feed? Do their horizontal pupils become vertical? Can they still see panoramically? To find out, Banks spent several hours at the Oakland Zoo, photographing sheep and goats with their heads up and down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And by golly, when they pitch their heads down, the eyes rotate so the pupils stay parallel to the ground,” he says excitedly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1657px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171306 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631.jpg\" alt=\"When they lower their heads to graze, prey animals rotate their eyes to maintain horizontal pupils.\" width=\"1657\" height=\"1310\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631.jpg 1657w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-400x316.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-800x632.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-1440x1138.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-1180x933.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-960x759.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1657px) 100vw, 1657px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When they lower their heads to graze, prey animals rotate their eyes to maintain horizontal pupils. \u003ccite>(Chuck Redden/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, sheep can rotate their eyes up to 50 degrees to maintain horizontal pupils. And the eyes have to rotate in different directions — one clockwise, the other counterclockwise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s wild!” he exclaims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>More Mammals Needed\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a fun study,” says Chris Heesy, a professor of anatomy at Midwestern University in Arizona. “They’re trying to explain a lot. And that’s always interesting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heesy suggested that analyzing mammals separately and including a wider range of species like rodents, primates and marsupials would give a stronger test of the authors’ theories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He would also like to see more discussion of the animals that buck the trends. Like the mongoose. It’s an ambush predator, but it has horizontal slit pupils.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The most interesting cases, of course, are the counter examples that don’t fit the pattern,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 960px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171309 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/11855712_10103308715429560_8816993721573882774_n.jpg\" alt=\"Vertically oriented pupils may give ambush predators an edge on pouncing their prey. Or toys.\" width=\"960\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/11855712_10103308715429560_8816993721573882774_n.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/11855712_10103308715429560_8816993721573882774_n-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/11855712_10103308715429560_8816993721573882774_n-800x532.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vertically oriented pupils may give ambush predators an edge on pouncing their prey. Or toys. \u003ccite>(Kimberly Morgan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, the next time you find yourself face to face with a cat, remember this: it knows exactly how far away you are.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "New research suggests that pupil shapes help animals with different ecological niches to find food -- or escape becoming it.",
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"description": "New research suggests that pupil shapes help animals with different ecological niches to find food -- or escape becoming it.",
"title": "Hunter or Hunted: Why Animals Have Differently Shaped Pupils | KQED",
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"headline": "Hunter or Hunted: Why Animals Have Differently Shaped Pupils",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Have you ever looked at a cat and wondered why on earth they have such creepy slits for pupils?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists previously thought slit pupils were an advantage for being active both day and night because they can change so much in area, giving cats more control over how much light enters their eyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/7/e1500391\">a new study\u003c/a> published this week in \u003ca href=\"http://advances.sciencemag.org/\">Science Advances\u003c/a> shows vertical slits provide other visual benefits that help cats and other predators to find food. And horizontal slits help their prey escape becoming a meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It turns out, slit orientation matters,” says Martin Banks, lead researcher of the study and a professor of optometry at the University of California, Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Consider a Cat Eye \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cats are ambush predators. And like cats, the vast majority of ambush hunters also have vertical pupils.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These predators hide patiently, and then strike suddenly. That means they need to estimate the distance to their food accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171312\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1283px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171312 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o.jpg\" alt=\"Although domestic dogs have round pupils, some species of canids have vertical pupils. \" width=\"1283\" height=\"657\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o.jpg 1283w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o-400x205.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o-800x410.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o-1180x604.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/5955648171_6296da4579_o-960x492.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1283px) 100vw, 1283px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Although domestic dogs have round pupils, smaller canine species like red foxes have vertical pupils. \u003ccite>(Normalityrelief/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Turns out, vertical slit pupils are ideal for this job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pupils work just like a camera aperture. When a camera is focused on an object, things that are closer or farther away appear blurry. The range that’s in focus is called \u003ca href=\"http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/07/17/what-is-depth-of-field-how-aperture-focal-length-and-focus-control-whats-sharp/\">depth of field\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Photographers control depth of field by changing the size of the opening. Smaller aperture, wider depth of field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171304\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 317px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171304 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/cateye.jpg\" alt=\"This image demonstrates how an asymmetric depth of field might look to an animal with a vertical slit pupil. Three crosses are placed at different distances from the camera, which is focused on the nearest cross. The vertical lines of all three crosses are relatively sharp,whereas the horizontal lines of the two farther crosses are quite blurred.\" width=\"317\" height=\"288\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image demonstrates how an image might look to an animal with an asymmetric depth of field. Three white crosses are placed at different distances from the camera, which is focused on the nearest cross. The vertical lines of all three crosses are relatively sharp, whereas the horizontal lines of the two farther crosses are quite blurred. \u003ccite>(Martin Banks)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the aperture of a slit pupil is smaller in one direction than the other. So the depth of field is also asymmetrical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For cats, this means vertical lines behind the focal point stay relatively sharp, but horizontal lines at the same distance are completely blurry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that gives the hunters more precise cues to pinpoint their food. The ability to see sharper vertical lines improves the predator’s ability to estimate distance. And the blurry horizontal lines are also a distance cue themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Banks found that these benefits only hold for smaller animals that are closer to the ground. Taller animals can’t use that extra distance information from blur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why big cats like lions and tigers have round pupils, whereas smaller cats have slit pupils.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How to Not Become Cat Food\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Animals that are likely to be prey also tend to have slit pupils, but they are oriented horizontally. Their eyes are also usually on the sides of their head: an adaptation to scan for predators in all directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And when they detect a predator, they run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that’s an interesting problem, because their eyes aren’t facing the way they’re running,” Banks explains. “They need to see clearly ahead of them, which is kind of out of the corner of their eye.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171305\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171305 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o.jpg\" alt=\"Barbary sheep, like many other grazing prey animals, have horizontal pupils and eyes on the side of their heads.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1451\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-400x290.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-800x580.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-1440x1045.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-1920x1393.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-1180x856.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/17843637119_68670e6bca_o-960x696.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Like many other grazing prey animals, Barbary sheep have horizontal pupils and eyes on the side of their heads. \u003ccite>(Hans De Bisschop/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a prey animal, a horizontal slit pupil gives the eye the most light from the sides and less from above. And that’s a good thing because it means the animal is getting more light from what’s basically in front or behind it and less dazzling sunshine from above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>This Will Make Your Head Spin\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what happens when grazers lower their heads to feed? Do their horizontal pupils become vertical? Can they still see panoramically? To find out, Banks spent several hours at the Oakland Zoo, photographing sheep and goats with their heads up and down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And by golly, when they pitch their heads down, the eyes rotate so the pupils stay parallel to the ground,” he says excitedly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1657px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171306 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631.jpg\" alt=\"When they lower their heads to graze, prey animals rotate their eyes to maintain horizontal pupils.\" width=\"1657\" height=\"1310\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631.jpg 1657w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-400x316.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-800x632.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-1440x1138.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-1180x933.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/3580241884_989b76a550_o-e1438908508631-960x759.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1657px) 100vw, 1657px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When they lower their heads to graze, prey animals rotate their eyes to maintain horizontal pupils. \u003ccite>(Chuck Redden/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, sheep can rotate their eyes up to 50 degrees to maintain horizontal pupils. And the eyes have to rotate in different directions — one clockwise, the other counterclockwise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s wild!” he exclaims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>More Mammals Needed\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a fun study,” says Chris Heesy, a professor of anatomy at Midwestern University in Arizona. “They’re trying to explain a lot. And that’s always interesting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heesy suggested that analyzing mammals separately and including a wider range of species like rodents, primates and marsupials would give a stronger test of the authors’ theories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He would also like to see more discussion of the animals that buck the trends. Like the mongoose. It’s an ambush predator, but it has horizontal slit pupils.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The most interesting cases, of course, are the counter examples that don’t fit the pattern,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_171309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 960px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-171309 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/11855712_10103308715429560_8816993721573882774_n.jpg\" alt=\"Vertically oriented pupils may give ambush predators an edge on pouncing their prey. Or toys.\" width=\"960\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/11855712_10103308715429560_8816993721573882774_n.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/11855712_10103308715429560_8816993721573882774_n-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/08/11855712_10103308715429560_8816993721573882774_n-800x532.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vertically oriented pupils may give ambush predators an edge on pouncing their prey. Or toys. \u003ccite>(Kimberly Morgan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, the next time you find yourself face to face with a cat, remember this: it knows exactly how far away you are.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Killer Fungus Could ‘Devour’ California’s Salamanders",
"headTitle": "Killer Fungus Could ‘Devour’ California’s Salamanders | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>If salamanders could worry, they would already have a long list of woes, including losing their homes to deforestation, or becoming an avian snack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a newly discovered pathogen could easily trump anything on that list. It’s a fungus whose scientific name, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://amphibiaweb.org:8000/chytrid/Bsal.html\">Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, literally means “salamander-devouring.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the fungus, which scientists call Bsal, has only been found in Europe and Asia. But \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aab1052\">a study\u003c/a> published last week in \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencemag.org/\">Science\u003c/a> suggests that the international pet trade will most likely spread it to North America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a very new pathogen, so we don’t know much about it,” says Tiffany Yap, a graduate student at UCLA who led the study in collaboration with amphibian experts from San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley. “What we do know is that it could be incredibly devastating to the salamanders here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each year, the United States imports hundreds of thousands of salamanders as pets. And the vast majority of these animals could potentially be carrying Bsal. The scientists warn that an immediate ban on salamander trade is necessary to prevent the fungus from spreading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Until we can tell that salamanders coming in from other places are free of Bsal, it seems like a logical and important step to prevent them from entering,” says Yap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong class=\"size-full wp-image-154064\">Something Wicked This Way Comes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This new disease is closely related to the \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/2013/08/23/captive-breeding-program-may-ensure-survival-for-african-frogs/\">chytrid fungus\u003c/a> that has already driven more than 200 species of frogs to extinction. But instead of frogs, Bsal seems to prefer \u003ca href=\"http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/salamander-newt\">salamanders and newts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When an animal gets infected, the fungus invades its skin and starts eroding the cells away. And if salamanders lose skin, they’re toast. That’s because they take in water, salts and oxygen through their skin. In fact, half of salamander species \u003ca href=\"http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/lungless-salamanders.xml\">don’t even have lungs\u003c/a> – they breathe through their skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_154062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 3300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-154062\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR.jpg\" alt=\"The red-bellied newt, common along the coast in northern California, migrates from upland areas to breed in streams in the spring. It is one of hundreds of species of salamanders endemic to North America threatened by an emerging infectious pathogen.\" width=\"3300\" height=\"2200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR.jpg 3300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3300px) 100vw, 3300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The red-bellied newt, common along the coast in northern California, migrates from upland areas to breed in streams in the spring. It is one of hundreds of species of salamanders endemic to North America threatened by a fast-spreading pathogen. \u003ccite>(Emanuele Biggi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>An outbreak of Bsal could be especially dangerous in North America because this is where over half of the world’s salamander species live, including almost all of the lungless species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"size-full wp-image-154062\">But Yap wanted to see just how dangerous the pathogen might be here. So she mapped out where salamanders live and where the climate would be suitable for Bsal to transmit itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She found that salamanders in southern Appalachia, the Pacific Northwest, and the Sierra Nevada will be especially vulnerable to Bsal. And alarmingly, more than 98 percent of potentially infected salamanders enter the country through five ports that are in or near these vulnerable regions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A World Without Salamanders?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If salamanders have a low public profile, it may be because they’re hard to spot in the wild. “It’s really easy to think that they don’t do anything because a lot of times you don’t even know they’re around,” says Yap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many ecosystems in North America rely on salamanders to keep insect populations in check. They’re also an important food for birds and mammals. Yap says that losing salamanders could cripple the food chain in some places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_154064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1974px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-154064\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163.png\" alt=\"The eastern spotted newt has the most expansive range of any salamander in eastern North America, but its range could contract significantly if there was a Bsal outbreak.\" width=\"1974\" height=\"1234\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163.png 1974w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-400x250.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-800x500.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-1440x900.png 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-1920x1200.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-1180x738.png 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-960x600.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1974px) 100vw, 1974px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The eastern spotted newt has the most expansive range of any salamander in eastern North America, but its range could contract significantly from a Bsal outbreak. \u003ccite>(Todd Pierson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is absolutely a real threat,” says Brian Todd, an amphibian expert at UC Davis who was not involved with the research. “With any pathogen like this, it only takes one animal getting out to have potentially catastrophic consequences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Todd is optimistic that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could enact an immediate ban on salamander imports and that would help stop the spread of Bsal. “We already have policies and institutions in place here in the U.S. that we just have to activate or put to use to try to avert this problem,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he thinks it’s going to be more challenging to regulate salamander trade on a global scale. “It’s unclear who has the mandate at the global level to deal with these issues,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Yap says that people can help stop the spread of the fungus by not buying Asian salamanders, which are the most likely to be infected. She cautions \u003ca href=\"http://www.amphibians.org/salamanderheros/\">current salamander owners \u003c/a>to not release pets into the wild. She also recommends proper disposal of wastewater and testing animals for the fungus.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Scientists say an immediate import ban on pet salamanders is needed to prevent a biodiversity crisis.",
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"description": "Scientists say an immediate import ban on pet salamanders is needed to prevent a biodiversity crisis.",
"title": "Killer Fungus Could ‘Devour’ California’s Salamanders | KQED",
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"headline": "Killer Fungus Could ‘Devour’ California’s Salamanders",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If salamanders could worry, they would already have a long list of woes, including losing their homes to deforestation, or becoming an avian snack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a newly discovered pathogen could easily trump anything on that list. It’s a fungus whose scientific name, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://amphibiaweb.org:8000/chytrid/Bsal.html\">Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, literally means “salamander-devouring.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the fungus, which scientists call Bsal, has only been found in Europe and Asia. But \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aab1052\">a study\u003c/a> published last week in \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencemag.org/\">Science\u003c/a> suggests that the international pet trade will most likely spread it to North America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a very new pathogen, so we don’t know much about it,” says Tiffany Yap, a graduate student at UCLA who led the study in collaboration with amphibian experts from San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley. “What we do know is that it could be incredibly devastating to the salamanders here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each year, the United States imports hundreds of thousands of salamanders as pets. And the vast majority of these animals could potentially be carrying Bsal. The scientists warn that an immediate ban on salamander trade is necessary to prevent the fungus from spreading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Until we can tell that salamanders coming in from other places are free of Bsal, it seems like a logical and important step to prevent them from entering,” says Yap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong class=\"size-full wp-image-154064\">Something Wicked This Way Comes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This new disease is closely related to the \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/2013/08/23/captive-breeding-program-may-ensure-survival-for-african-frogs/\">chytrid fungus\u003c/a> that has already driven more than 200 species of frogs to extinction. But instead of frogs, Bsal seems to prefer \u003ca href=\"http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/salamander-newt\">salamanders and newts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When an animal gets infected, the fungus invades its skin and starts eroding the cells away. And if salamanders lose skin, they’re toast. That’s because they take in water, salts and oxygen through their skin. In fact, half of salamander species \u003ca href=\"http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/lungless-salamanders.xml\">don’t even have lungs\u003c/a> – they breathe through their skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_154062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 3300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-154062\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR.jpg\" alt=\"The red-bellied newt, common along the coast in northern California, migrates from upland areas to breed in streams in the spring. It is one of hundreds of species of salamanders endemic to North America threatened by an emerging infectious pathogen.\" width=\"3300\" height=\"2200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR.jpg 3300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/yap3HR-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3300px) 100vw, 3300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The red-bellied newt, common along the coast in northern California, migrates from upland areas to breed in streams in the spring. It is one of hundreds of species of salamanders endemic to North America threatened by a fast-spreading pathogen. \u003ccite>(Emanuele Biggi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>An outbreak of Bsal could be especially dangerous in North America because this is where over half of the world’s salamander species live, including almost all of the lungless species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"size-full wp-image-154062\">But Yap wanted to see just how dangerous the pathogen might be here. So she mapped out where salamanders live and where the climate would be suitable for Bsal to transmit itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She found that salamanders in southern Appalachia, the Pacific Northwest, and the Sierra Nevada will be especially vulnerable to Bsal. And alarmingly, more than 98 percent of potentially infected salamanders enter the country through five ports that are in or near these vulnerable regions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A World Without Salamanders?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If salamanders have a low public profile, it may be because they’re hard to spot in the wild. “It’s really easy to think that they don’t do anything because a lot of times you don’t even know they’re around,” says Yap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many ecosystems in North America rely on salamanders to keep insect populations in check. They’re also an important food for birds and mammals. Yap says that losing salamanders could cripple the food chain in some places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_154064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1974px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-154064\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163.png\" alt=\"The eastern spotted newt has the most expansive range of any salamander in eastern North America, but its range could contract significantly if there was a Bsal outbreak.\" width=\"1974\" height=\"1234\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163.png 1974w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-400x250.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-800x500.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-1440x900.png 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-1920x1200.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-1180x738.png 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/96163-960x600.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1974px) 100vw, 1974px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The eastern spotted newt has the most expansive range of any salamander in eastern North America, but its range could contract significantly from a Bsal outbreak. \u003ccite>(Todd Pierson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is absolutely a real threat,” says Brian Todd, an amphibian expert at UC Davis who was not involved with the research. “With any pathogen like this, it only takes one animal getting out to have potentially catastrophic consequences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Todd is optimistic that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could enact an immediate ban on salamander imports and that would help stop the spread of Bsal. “We already have policies and institutions in place here in the U.S. that we just have to activate or put to use to try to avert this problem,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he thinks it’s going to be more challenging to regulate salamander trade on a global scale. “It’s unclear who has the mandate at the global level to deal with these issues,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Yap says that people can help stop the spread of the fungus by not buying Asian salamanders, which are the most likely to be infected. She cautions \u003ca href=\"http://www.amphibians.org/salamanderheros/\">current salamander owners \u003c/a>to not release pets into the wild. She also recommends proper disposal of wastewater and testing animals for the fungus.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "What Happens When The Birds And The Bees Don't Show Up On Time",
"headTitle": "What Happens When The Birds And The Bees Don’t Show Up On Time | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">High summer, with its brown hills and warm bay waters, beckons insects to blooming chaparral plants and songbirds to nest. It all runs according to a complex but precise natural clock. Or at least it’s supposed to.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Scientists are mobilizing platoons of volunteers to track the timing of all this, known as phenology — the study of seasonal events such as flowering and fruiting plants and the migration and reproduction of butterflies, birds, and other animals. Data about these seasonal phenomena will help scientists stay ahead of changes that may be coming with global climate change. As the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usanpn.org/about/why-phenology\">USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN)\u003c/a> puts it, phenology is “taking the pulse of our planet.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The changing climate can potentially create mismatches in the timing of plant blooms and presence of pollinators. That’s a concern, \u003ca href=\"https://www.usanpn.org/node/21457\">especially for migratory pollinators \u003c/a>and those in northern latitudes with a narrower time frame for matching up. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_153507\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom-800x1066.jpg\" alt=\"Coyotebrush is one of the plants studied in the California Phenology Project. It's dioecious with separate plants having the male and female flower parts.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1066\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-153507\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom-800x1066.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom-400x533.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coyotebrush is one of the plants studied in the California Phenology Project. It’s dioecious with separate plants having the male and female flower parts. \u003ccite>(Miguel Vieira/Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hummingbirds, for example, depend on certain flowers as way stations along their migration to northern nesting grounds. If the flowers weren’t blooming to support the intensive energy needs of the hummingbirds on their journey, it could spell disaster. Likewise, many of the crops that humans depend on for food and fiber can suffer if the proper pollinators aren’t in the neighborhood at the right time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.usanpn.org/cpp/about\">California Phenology Project\u003c/a> was launched in 2010 with support of from the National Park Service in partnership with USA-NPN at 19 sites across the state. They rolled out the project to test data-collection methods and mobilize a volunteer corps of citizen scientists. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Three years of refining training and protocols produced enough data for\u003ca href=\"http://www.esajournals.org/doi/10.1890/ES14-00433.1\"> a paper\u003c/a> published in the journal Ecosphere in June. The study tracked four plant species — coyote brush, valley oak, blue elderberry, and California buckwheat — across a variety of habitats. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They monitored each species through leaf budding, flowering, fruiting, and leaf drop and correlated it with climate drivers such as temperature and rainfall. The study determined that the methods and data collected by staff and trained volunteers was sufficient to detect phenological variability across the state and should be replicated in more areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_153506\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Citizen scientist volunteers just completed a training at Redwood Regional Park and will be going out on the trail to monitor plant phenology.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-153506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015.jpg 1224w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Citizen scientist volunteers just completed a training at Redwood Regional Park and will be going out on the trail to monitor plant phenology. \u003ccite>(Deborah Zierten/Save the Redwoods League)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebparks.org/\">East Bay Regional Park District\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.savetheredwoods.org/our-work/study/understanding-climate-change/citizen-science/\">Save the Redwoods League \u003c/a> have just partnered on a new project at Redwood Regional Park to monitor the plants there and contribute the data through the Nature’s Notebook monitoring program, part of USA-NPN. Fifteen new citizen scientists just completed the initial training and will be going out to collect data about what’s happening with the plants seasonally. The status of each marked plant will be recorded, from fruiting to the winter leaf drop, early spring leaf budding and spring flowers.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">If you’re inspired to join the growing group of volunteers watching the plants and animals and their phenology, you can join Nature’s Notebook and go \u003ca href=\"https://www.usanpn.org/about/approach\">online for the training materials on the USA-NPN website\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To join the Regional Park District or Redwoods League, watch for the next \u003ca href=\"http://www.savetheredwoods.org/our-work/study/understanding-climate-change/citizen-science/\">Redwood Regional Park training\u003c/a> later this fall. You can monitor the plants and animals in your yard or local park and report your findings on the national database. Now, how cool is that? \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Citizen scientists are mobilizing to track the local phenology, the timing of seasonal changes in the natural world. Here's why it matters.",
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"title": "What Happens When The Birds And The Bees Don't Show Up On Time | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">High summer, with its brown hills and warm bay waters, beckons insects to blooming chaparral plants and songbirds to nest. It all runs according to a complex but precise natural clock. Or at least it’s supposed to.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Scientists are mobilizing platoons of volunteers to track the timing of all this, known as phenology — the study of seasonal events such as flowering and fruiting plants and the migration and reproduction of butterflies, birds, and other animals. Data about these seasonal phenomena will help scientists stay ahead of changes that may be coming with global climate change. As the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usanpn.org/about/why-phenology\">USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN)\u003c/a> puts it, phenology is “taking the pulse of our planet.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The changing climate can potentially create mismatches in the timing of plant blooms and presence of pollinators. That’s a concern, \u003ca href=\"https://www.usanpn.org/node/21457\">especially for migratory pollinators \u003c/a>and those in northern latitudes with a narrower time frame for matching up. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_153507\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom-800x1066.jpg\" alt=\"Coyotebrush is one of the plants studied in the California Phenology Project. It's dioecious with separate plants having the male and female flower parts.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1066\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-153507\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom-800x1066.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom-400x533.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Baccharispilularis-bloom.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coyotebrush is one of the plants studied in the California Phenology Project. It’s dioecious with separate plants having the male and female flower parts. \u003ccite>(Miguel Vieira/Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hummingbirds, for example, depend on certain flowers as way stations along their migration to northern nesting grounds. If the flowers weren’t blooming to support the intensive energy needs of the hummingbirds on their journey, it could spell disaster. Likewise, many of the crops that humans depend on for food and fiber can suffer if the proper pollinators aren’t in the neighborhood at the right time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.usanpn.org/cpp/about\">California Phenology Project\u003c/a> was launched in 2010 with support of from the National Park Service in partnership with USA-NPN at 19 sites across the state. They rolled out the project to test data-collection methods and mobilize a volunteer corps of citizen scientists. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Three years of refining training and protocols produced enough data for\u003ca href=\"http://www.esajournals.org/doi/10.1890/ES14-00433.1\"> a paper\u003c/a> published in the journal Ecosphere in June. The study tracked four plant species — coyote brush, valley oak, blue elderberry, and California buckwheat — across a variety of habitats. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They monitored each species through leaf budding, flowering, fruiting, and leaf drop and correlated it with climate drivers such as temperature and rainfall. The study determined that the methods and data collected by staff and trained volunteers was sufficient to detect phenological variability across the state and should be replicated in more areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_153506\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Citizen scientist volunteers just completed a training at Redwood Regional Park and will be going out on the trail to monitor plant phenology.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-153506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Redwood-Phenology-Volunteers-2015.jpg 1224w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Citizen scientist volunteers just completed a training at Redwood Regional Park and will be going out on the trail to monitor plant phenology. \u003ccite>(Deborah Zierten/Save the Redwoods League)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebparks.org/\">East Bay Regional Park District\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.savetheredwoods.org/our-work/study/understanding-climate-change/citizen-science/\">Save the Redwoods League \u003c/a> have just partnered on a new project at Redwood Regional Park to monitor the plants there and contribute the data through the Nature’s Notebook monitoring program, part of USA-NPN. Fifteen new citizen scientists just completed the initial training and will be going out to collect data about what’s happening with the plants seasonally. The status of each marked plant will be recorded, from fruiting to the winter leaf drop, early spring leaf budding and spring flowers.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">If you’re inspired to join the growing group of volunteers watching the plants and animals and their phenology, you can join Nature’s Notebook and go \u003ca href=\"https://www.usanpn.org/about/approach\">online for the training materials on the USA-NPN website\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To join the Regional Park District or Redwoods League, watch for the next \u003ca href=\"http://www.savetheredwoods.org/our-work/study/understanding-climate-change/citizen-science/\">Redwood Regional Park training\u003c/a> later this fall. You can monitor the plants and animals in your yard or local park and report your findings on the national database. Now, how cool is that? \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How Do You Make Greener Fuel? Copy a Leaf",
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"content": "\u003cp>http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2015/07/20150727ScienceFrankenLeaf.mp3\u003cbr>\nThe fuel Californians burn getting around in cars and trucks is a big driver of climate change, accounting for more than a third of the carbon pollution the state puts out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers in Berkeley are hoping to reverse that trend that by making fuel that doesn’t come from oil or other fossil fuels. Instead, they’re turning to renewable and abundant materials, like sunlight and carbon dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sound familiar? Green plants have already cracked the code of how to survive on light, carbon dioxide and water, through the process of photosynthesis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nature has really given us a lot of things to be wowed and amazed by,” says \u003ca href=\"http://chemistry.berkeley.edu/faculty/chem/chris-chang\">Chris Chang\u003c/a>, a professor at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeley.edu/\">University of California, Berkeley\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.lbl.gov/\">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory\u003c/a>. Even the lowly weeds growing outside his chemistry lab are an inspiration for this work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_139911\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-139911\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-1440x1031.jpg\" alt='UC Berkeley scientist Chris Chang demonstrates his \"artificial leaf\" - living microbes that absorb energy from a solar panel.' width=\"640\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-1440x1031.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-400x286.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-800x573.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-1400x1003.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-1180x845.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-960x688.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.C. Berkeley scientist Chris Chang demonstrates his “artificial leaf” — living microbes that absorb energy from a solar panel. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“What we want to do is take that idea,” he says, “the idea of making something useful from water, carbon dioxide and light — things that are freely abundant, freely sustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It sounds simple, but scientists have spent decades trying to understand photosynthesis and copy it in the lab, in the hope that “artificial leaves” could one day make fuel for our cars, using carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chang, along with his colleagues Peidong Yang and Michelle Chang, have come up with their \u003ca href=\"http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/04/16/major-advance-in-artificial-photosynthesis/\">own prototype\u003c/a>, but it looks nothing like a leaf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s essentially like a fancy cup,” he says, “and we have a broth, a soup, which has got bacteria or yeast.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Microbes are good at making complex substances, Chang says. In your kitchen, they help make yogurt or \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/02/11/science-of-beer-tapping-the-power-of-brewers-yeast/\">beer\u003c/a>. He and his colleagues bioengineered microbes, changing their DNA to make other things — like biodiesel or the chemicals that make up plastics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The first thing we ended up making was actually natural gas,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the microbes don’t normally run on sunlight, like a plant does. Chang could capture sunlight with a small solar panel, but the bacteria wouldn’t be able to harvest the energy and use it on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“This is sort of our Frankenstein-type of experiment, but if Frankenstein was solar-powered.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Chris Chang, U.C. Berkeley\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>So, Chang and his colleagues built something that can transfer the energy to the microbes; they built it using nanotechnology. “Something that’s way too small to see,” he says. “Orders of magnitude thinner than a human hair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As small as the bacteria themselves — designed just for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bacteria are like Easter-egg shaped,” he says, “and then we have nanomaterials that sit like blades of grass, sort of sticking up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bacteria sit within that “nanotech grass” and absorb the energy from the solar panel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Essentially, Chang and his team electrified life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is sort of our Frankenstein-type of experiment, but if Frankenstein was solar-powered,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team’s Frankenstein solution was no simple feat. It took several labs of chemists and biologists, who don’t normally work together, to marry a living system with a man-made one. In early versions of the prototype, the nano-materials killed off the microbes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_139913\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Peidong-Yang-figure-2-web.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-139913\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Peidong-Yang-figure-2-web-400x434.jpg\" alt='Microbes absorb energy from a field of \"nanotech grass.\"' width=\"400\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Peidong-Yang-figure-2-web-400x434.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Peidong-Yang-figure-2-web.jpg 666w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Microbes absorb energy from a field of “nanotech grass.” \u003ccite>(Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The research is still in the early stages and Chang says they’re working to double the efficiency of the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, looking decades ahead, the hope is that jugs of these solar-powered microbes could sit in our garages, pumping out biodiesel for our cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Photosynthesis is just an absolute marvel of nature,” says \u003ca href=\"http://solarfuelshub.org/personnel/harry-atwater.html\">Harry Atwater\u003c/a>, director of the \u003ca href=\"http://solarfuelshub.org/\">Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis\u003c/a> (JCAP). “So it offers a really powerful template and example for us to follow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JCAP is a collaboration of four California institutions, including Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and was launched five years ago with $120 million from the federal Department of Energy. The goal is to use sunlight to make liquid fuels, which are used by the transportation industry because they’re more easily stored than electricity is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very unlikely that anytime soon either you or I are going to take a flight on an electric-powered airplane,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The center is working on creating “artificial leaves” purely through man-made chemistry, unlike Chang’s system that uses living microbes. What it’ll cost to make the fuel, and what people will pay for it are both unknown. But Atwater hopes to create usable fuels at a large scale within a generation, a pace that would mirror the success of rooftop solar panels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember when I was a kid, the idea of a photovoltaic industry that would produce significant power seemed like a far-fetched idea,” he says. “So that’s the sort of thing that gives me ultimate and profound optimism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he says, copying green plants and turning carbon dioxide into fuel source, instead of a pollutant, would be a much-needed climate change solution.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2015/07/20150727ScienceFrankenLeaf.mp3\u003cbr>\nThe fuel Californians burn getting around in cars and trucks is a big driver of climate change, accounting for more than a third of the carbon pollution the state puts out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers in Berkeley are hoping to reverse that trend that by making fuel that doesn’t come from oil or other fossil fuels. Instead, they’re turning to renewable and abundant materials, like sunlight and carbon dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sound familiar? Green plants have already cracked the code of how to survive on light, carbon dioxide and water, through the process of photosynthesis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nature has really given us a lot of things to be wowed and amazed by,” says \u003ca href=\"http://chemistry.berkeley.edu/faculty/chem/chris-chang\">Chris Chang\u003c/a>, a professor at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeley.edu/\">University of California, Berkeley\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.lbl.gov/\">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory\u003c/a>. Even the lowly weeds growing outside his chemistry lab are an inspiration for this work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_139911\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-139911\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-1440x1031.jpg\" alt='UC Berkeley scientist Chris Chang demonstrates his \"artificial leaf\" - living microbes that absorb energy from a solar panel.' width=\"640\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-1440x1031.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-400x286.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-800x573.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-1400x1003.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-1180x845.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang-960x688.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/chang.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.C. Berkeley scientist Chris Chang demonstrates his “artificial leaf” — living microbes that absorb energy from a solar panel. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“What we want to do is take that idea,” he says, “the idea of making something useful from water, carbon dioxide and light — things that are freely abundant, freely sustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It sounds simple, but scientists have spent decades trying to understand photosynthesis and copy it in the lab, in the hope that “artificial leaves” could one day make fuel for our cars, using carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chang, along with his colleagues Peidong Yang and Michelle Chang, have come up with their \u003ca href=\"http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/04/16/major-advance-in-artificial-photosynthesis/\">own prototype\u003c/a>, but it looks nothing like a leaf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s essentially like a fancy cup,” he says, “and we have a broth, a soup, which has got bacteria or yeast.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Microbes are good at making complex substances, Chang says. In your kitchen, they help make yogurt or \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/02/11/science-of-beer-tapping-the-power-of-brewers-yeast/\">beer\u003c/a>. He and his colleagues bioengineered microbes, changing their DNA to make other things — like biodiesel or the chemicals that make up plastics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The first thing we ended up making was actually natural gas,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the microbes don’t normally run on sunlight, like a plant does. Chang could capture sunlight with a small solar panel, but the bacteria wouldn’t be able to harvest the energy and use it on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“This is sort of our Frankenstein-type of experiment, but if Frankenstein was solar-powered.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Chris Chang, U.C. Berkeley\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>So, Chang and his colleagues built something that can transfer the energy to the microbes; they built it using nanotechnology. “Something that’s way too small to see,” he says. “Orders of magnitude thinner than a human hair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As small as the bacteria themselves — designed just for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bacteria are like Easter-egg shaped,” he says, “and then we have nanomaterials that sit like blades of grass, sort of sticking up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bacteria sit within that “nanotech grass” and absorb the energy from the solar panel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Essentially, Chang and his team electrified life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is sort of our Frankenstein-type of experiment, but if Frankenstein was solar-powered,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team’s Frankenstein solution was no simple feat. It took several labs of chemists and biologists, who don’t normally work together, to marry a living system with a man-made one. In early versions of the prototype, the nano-materials killed off the microbes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_139913\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Peidong-Yang-figure-2-web.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-139913\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Peidong-Yang-figure-2-web-400x434.jpg\" alt='Microbes absorb energy from a field of \"nanotech grass.\"' width=\"400\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Peidong-Yang-figure-2-web-400x434.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Peidong-Yang-figure-2-web.jpg 666w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Microbes absorb energy from a field of “nanotech grass.” \u003ccite>(Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The research is still in the early stages and Chang says they’re working to double the efficiency of the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, looking decades ahead, the hope is that jugs of these solar-powered microbes could sit in our garages, pumping out biodiesel for our cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Photosynthesis is just an absolute marvel of nature,” says \u003ca href=\"http://solarfuelshub.org/personnel/harry-atwater.html\">Harry Atwater\u003c/a>, director of the \u003ca href=\"http://solarfuelshub.org/\">Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis\u003c/a> (JCAP). “So it offers a really powerful template and example for us to follow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JCAP is a collaboration of four California institutions, including Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and was launched five years ago with $120 million from the federal Department of Energy. The goal is to use sunlight to make liquid fuels, which are used by the transportation industry because they’re more easily stored than electricity is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very unlikely that anytime soon either you or I are going to take a flight on an electric-powered airplane,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The center is working on creating “artificial leaves” purely through man-made chemistry, unlike Chang’s system that uses living microbes. What it’ll cost to make the fuel, and what people will pay for it are both unknown. But Atwater hopes to create usable fuels at a large scale within a generation, a pace that would mirror the success of rooftop solar panels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember when I was a kid, the idea of a photovoltaic industry that would produce significant power seemed like a far-fetched idea,” he says. “So that’s the sort of thing that gives me ultimate and profound optimism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he says, copying green plants and turning carbon dioxide into fuel source, instead of a pollutant, would be a much-needed climate change solution.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>By now, most Californians have gotten the message: let the lawn go. There’s a drought on. Many have turned off their sprinkler systems all together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That has meant some collateral damage, however; along with the grass, trees are dying, too, and those are valuable in lots of ways lawns are not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s Rachael Myrow talks with Igor Laćan, an urban forestry advisor with UC’s Cooperative Extension, about the implications of losing our trees, and how to prevent it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trees that are obviously dead and dying are a safety hazard, a fire hazard, and potentially a lawsuit waiting to happen. Laćan raises some compelling reasons to rescue struggling trees, though, like the boost they give to property values. Healthy trees also provide shade, filter the air, and generally make cities more “livable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other questions Laćan takes on:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Does it matter if the tree on your lawn is native?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>If you’re letting your lawn die, how do you keep your trees alive without attracting the attention of neighborhood drought-shamers?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>There’s a big, brewing El Nino out in the Pacific that could portend a punishing storm season this winter. What’s that’s likely to do to drought-weakened trees?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>What are Bay Area cities and counties doing to avoid becoming bleak, sun-baked deserts?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/215772659″]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>By now, most Californians have gotten the message: let the lawn go. There’s a drought on. Many have turned off their sprinkler systems all together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That has meant some collateral damage, however; along with the grass, trees are dying, too, and those are valuable in lots of ways lawns are not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s Rachael Myrow talks with Igor Laćan, an urban forestry advisor with UC’s Cooperative Extension, about the implications of losing our trees, and how to prevent it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trees that are obviously dead and dying are a safety hazard, a fire hazard, and potentially a lawsuit waiting to happen. Laćan raises some compelling reasons to rescue struggling trees, though, like the boost they give to property values. Healthy trees also provide shade, filter the air, and generally make cities more “livable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other questions Laćan takes on:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Does it matter if the tree on your lawn is native?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>If you’re letting your lawn die, how do you keep your trees alive without attracting the attention of neighborhood drought-shamers?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>There’s a big, brewing El Nino out in the Pacific that could portend a punishing storm season this winter. What’s that’s likely to do to drought-weakened trees?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>What are Bay Area cities and counties doing to avoid becoming bleak, sun-baked deserts?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='undefined' height='undefined'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/215772659″&visual=true&undefined'\n title='”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/215772659″'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Berkeley 'Corpse Flower' Blooming Soon in All Its Disgusting Glory",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Update\u003c/strong>: 9:55 p.m., July 26, 2015\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After days of coyly tempting staff and visitors with the occasional pungent whiff of rotting flesh, Trudy the \u003ca href=\"http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">corpse flower\u003c/a> finally blossomed on Saturday night at the UC Botanical Garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_145369\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 2387px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-145369\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048.jpg\" alt=\"Visitors react to Trudy with delight and disgust on Sunday afternoon.\" width=\"2387\" height=\"1907\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048.jpg 2387w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-400x320.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-800x639.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-1440x1150.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-1400x1118.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-1180x943.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-960x767.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2387px) 100vw, 2387px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors react to Trudy with delight and disgust on Sunday afternoon. \u003ccite>(Johanna Varner/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A record crowd of over 2,250 guests turned out to see and smell the 56-inch bloom today, almost ten times the typical number for a busy weekend day. Many visitors waited in line for over an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” says Paul Licht, the garden’s director, gesturing towards the queue of people eager to feel queasy at the flower’s stench.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_145370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2592px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145370 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051.jpg\" alt=\"Docents explain the titan arum's life cycle as they waft the foul stench over eager visitors.\" width=\"2592\" height=\"1936\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051.jpg 2592w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-400x299.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-800x598.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-1440x1076.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-1400x1046.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-1180x881.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-960x717.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2592px) 100vw, 2592px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Docents explain the titan arum’s life cycle as they waft the foul stench over eager visitors. \u003ccite>(Johanna Varner/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Trudy will remain on display for several days, but the odor has already started to fade. And in a few days, the whole flower will collapse so that it may restart its \u003ca href=\"https://bioscigreenhouse.osu.edu/titan-arum-faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">life cycle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Update\u003c/strong>: 1:10 p.m., July 24, 2015\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Good news for Bay Area working stiffs: you haven’t missed the chance to make yourself nauseous at the UC Botanical Garden. Despite high hopes for a putrid performance today, Trudy the corpse flower has not yet bloomed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Licht, director of the garden, had expected the plant to bloom overnight. But this morning, he says there are signs that the plant is getting ready to bloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specifically the skirt-like structure that wraps around the base of the flower, called the spathe, is starting to loosen. When the plant blooms, the spathe will fully open, exposing hundreds of tiny flowers and the wicked stench that so many visitors are dying to smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_139929\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-139929\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Licht, the botanical garden director, explains the Titan Arum's life cycle to visitors anxious to smell the nauseating flower.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul Licht, the botanical garden director, explains the Titan Arum’s life cycle to visitors anxious to smell the nauseating flower. \u003ccite>(Johanna Varner/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s impossible to predict for sure,” he says. “But it looks different this morning in an important way. It could be tonight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors can check Trudy’s progress on the \u003ca href=\"http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/#tab-1-1-trudys-progress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">botanical garden website\u003c/a> before planning a trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_139928\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-139928 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732.jpg\" alt=\"Trudy the corpse flower is showing signs that a bloom (and its distinctive odor of rotten flesh) is imminent. The botanical garden is collaborating with private photographers to capture time-lapse images of the event.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trudy the corpse flower is showing signs that a bloom (and its distinctive odor of rotten flesh) is imminent. The garden is collaborating with private photographers to capture the first-ever time-lapse video of a titan arum bloom in IMAX. \u003ccite>(Johanna Varner/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Original Post, 1:05 p.m., July 21, 2015:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/\">UC Berkeley Botanical Garden\u003c/a> has a stinky spectacle on display this week: a plant that looks a bit like a five-foot tall banana and smells like a dead mouse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s clearly, to me, the odor of a dead mammal, as opposed to a fish,” says Paul Licht, the director of the botanical garden. “Or maybe a dead rat. A big dead rat. Or a dead cow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s actually a blooming titan arum plant, also known as the “corpse flower” or by its colorful scientific name \u003cem>Amorphophallus titanum, \u003c/em>which means “giant misshapen penis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And to see one in full bloom is a rare sight, since titan arums typically only flower once every few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a pretty fantastic thing to witness, even if you’ve seen it before,” says Licht. “I’m still completely drawn to it. It’s something you want to see over and over again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"size-full wp-image-132696\">But what’s with the stench? Like most flowers, the titan arum is using odor to call in its pollinators. But instead of luring bees or bats with the sweet smells of pollen and nectar, the “corpse flower” produces an odor like rotten flesh to attract carrion flies and beetles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also heats its flower to over 100-degrees, which helps the foul smell permeate its native Sumatran rainforests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At UC Berkeley, the botanical garden staff has nicknamed this plant “Trudy.” This is the fourth time it has bloomed in the 20 years since it was planted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_132696\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 822px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-132696 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/3657564789_811465d7bf_b.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of Trudy's last bloom, in 2009.\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/3657564789_811465d7bf_b.jpg 822w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/3657564789_811465d7bf_b-400x498.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/3657564789_811465d7bf_b-800x997.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photo of Trudy’s last bloom, in 2009. \u003ccite>(James Gaither/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And its flowering stalk is growing quickly. As of Tuesday morning, Trudy stands at 53 inches tall, having grown two inches overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Licht says it’s impossible to predict when the flower will open in all its gory glory, but his best guess is that it will happen toward the end of this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its famous “corpse” odor will only be produced for the last 24 hours of the bloom. Then the flower will collapse to restart the plant’s life cycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To accommodate visitors, the botanical garden will have \u003ca href=\"http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/#tab-1-2-special-visiting-hours\">special visiting hours\u003c/a> this week, until the plant flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a fascinating flower, and it stinks,” says Licht. “But in a way that somehow appeals to people. People go to horror movies to be scared, right? Well, they go to see this flower to be made nauseous.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Update\u003c/strong>: 9:55 p.m., July 26, 2015\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After days of coyly tempting staff and visitors with the occasional pungent whiff of rotting flesh, Trudy the \u003ca href=\"http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">corpse flower\u003c/a> finally blossomed on Saturday night at the UC Botanical Garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_145369\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 2387px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-145369\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048.jpg\" alt=\"Visitors react to Trudy with delight and disgust on Sunday afternoon.\" width=\"2387\" height=\"1907\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048.jpg 2387w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-400x320.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-800x639.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-1440x1150.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-1400x1118.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-1180x943.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2048-960x767.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2387px) 100vw, 2387px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors react to Trudy with delight and disgust on Sunday afternoon. \u003ccite>(Johanna Varner/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A record crowd of over 2,250 guests turned out to see and smell the 56-inch bloom today, almost ten times the typical number for a busy weekend day. Many visitors waited in line for over an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” says Paul Licht, the garden’s director, gesturing towards the queue of people eager to feel queasy at the flower’s stench.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_145370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2592px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145370 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051.jpg\" alt=\"Docents explain the titan arum's life cycle as they waft the foul stench over eager visitors.\" width=\"2592\" height=\"1936\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051.jpg 2592w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-400x299.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-800x598.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-1440x1076.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-1400x1046.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-1180x881.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_2051-960x717.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2592px) 100vw, 2592px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Docents explain the titan arum’s life cycle as they waft the foul stench over eager visitors. \u003ccite>(Johanna Varner/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Trudy will remain on display for several days, but the odor has already started to fade. And in a few days, the whole flower will collapse so that it may restart its \u003ca href=\"https://bioscigreenhouse.osu.edu/titan-arum-faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">life cycle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Update\u003c/strong>: 1:10 p.m., July 24, 2015\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Good news for Bay Area working stiffs: you haven’t missed the chance to make yourself nauseous at the UC Botanical Garden. Despite high hopes for a putrid performance today, Trudy the corpse flower has not yet bloomed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Licht, director of the garden, had expected the plant to bloom overnight. But this morning, he says there are signs that the plant is getting ready to bloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specifically the skirt-like structure that wraps around the base of the flower, called the spathe, is starting to loosen. When the plant blooms, the spathe will fully open, exposing hundreds of tiny flowers and the wicked stench that so many visitors are dying to smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_139929\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-139929\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Licht, the botanical garden director, explains the Titan Arum's life cycle to visitors anxious to smell the nauseating flower.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0762-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul Licht, the botanical garden director, explains the Titan Arum’s life cycle to visitors anxious to smell the nauseating flower. \u003ccite>(Johanna Varner/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s impossible to predict for sure,” he says. “But it looks different this morning in an important way. It could be tonight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors can check Trudy’s progress on the \u003ca href=\"http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/#tab-1-1-trudys-progress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">botanical garden website\u003c/a> before planning a trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_139928\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-139928 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732.jpg\" alt=\"Trudy the corpse flower is showing signs that a bloom (and its distinctive odor of rotten flesh) is imminent. The botanical garden is collaborating with private photographers to capture time-lapse images of the event.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_0732-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trudy the corpse flower is showing signs that a bloom (and its distinctive odor of rotten flesh) is imminent. The garden is collaborating with private photographers to capture the first-ever time-lapse video of a titan arum bloom in IMAX. \u003ccite>(Johanna Varner/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Original Post, 1:05 p.m., July 21, 2015:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/\">UC Berkeley Botanical Garden\u003c/a> has a stinky spectacle on display this week: a plant that looks a bit like a five-foot tall banana and smells like a dead mouse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s clearly, to me, the odor of a dead mammal, as opposed to a fish,” says Paul Licht, the director of the botanical garden. “Or maybe a dead rat. A big dead rat. Or a dead cow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s actually a blooming titan arum plant, also known as the “corpse flower” or by its colorful scientific name \u003cem>Amorphophallus titanum, \u003c/em>which means “giant misshapen penis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And to see one in full bloom is a rare sight, since titan arums typically only flower once every few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a pretty fantastic thing to witness, even if you’ve seen it before,” says Licht. “I’m still completely drawn to it. It’s something you want to see over and over again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"size-full wp-image-132696\">But what’s with the stench? Like most flowers, the titan arum is using odor to call in its pollinators. But instead of luring bees or bats with the sweet smells of pollen and nectar, the “corpse flower” produces an odor like rotten flesh to attract carrion flies and beetles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also heats its flower to over 100-degrees, which helps the foul smell permeate its native Sumatran rainforests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At UC Berkeley, the botanical garden staff has nicknamed this plant “Trudy.” This is the fourth time it has bloomed in the 20 years since it was planted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_132696\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 822px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-132696 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/3657564789_811465d7bf_b.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of Trudy's last bloom, in 2009.\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/3657564789_811465d7bf_b.jpg 822w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/3657564789_811465d7bf_b-400x498.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/3657564789_811465d7bf_b-800x997.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photo of Trudy’s last bloom, in 2009. \u003ccite>(James Gaither/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And its flowering stalk is growing quickly. As of Tuesday morning, Trudy stands at 53 inches tall, having grown two inches overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Licht says it’s impossible to predict when the flower will open in all its gory glory, but his best guess is that it will happen toward the end of this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its famous “corpse” odor will only be produced for the last 24 hours of the bloom. Then the flower will collapse to restart the plant’s life cycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To accommodate visitors, the botanical garden will have \u003ca href=\"http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/#tab-1-2-special-visiting-hours\">special visiting hours\u003c/a> this week, until the plant flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a fascinating flower, and it stinks,” says Licht. “But in a way that somehow appeals to people. People go to horror movies to be scared, right? Well, they go to see this flower to be made nauseous.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Can A Thousand Tiny Swarming Robots Outsmart Nature?",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]How do you simultaneously control a thousand robots in a swarm? The question may seem like science fiction, but it’s one that has challenged real robotics engineers for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2010, the\u003ca href=\"http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/ssr/projects/progSA/kilobot.html\"> kilobot\u003c/a> entered the scene. Now, engineers are programming these tiny independent robots to cooperate on group tasks. This research could one day lead to robots that can assemble themselves into machines, or provide insights into how swarming behaviors emerge in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131203\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 592px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/DL-kilobots-small-quarter-Capture2.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131203\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/DL-kilobots-small-quarter-Capture2.jpg\" alt=\"Harvard engineers designed the kilobot to develop better algorithms for controlling thousands of robots in a swarm.\" width=\"592\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/DL-kilobots-small-quarter-Capture2.jpg 592w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/DL-kilobots-small-quarter-Capture2-400x293.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Harvard engineers designed the kilobot to develop better algorithms for controlling thousands of robots in a swarm. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kilobots were designed by\u003ca href=\"http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~mrubenst/\"> Michael Rubenstein\u003c/a>, a research scientist in the\u003ca href=\"http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/ssr/\"> Self Organizing Systems Research Group\u003c/a> at Harvard. Each robot consists of about $15 worth of parts: a microprocessor that is about as smart as a calculator, sensors for visible and infrared light, and two tiny cell-phone vibration units that allow it to move across a table. They are powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, like those found in small electronics or watches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131101\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131101\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006.jpg\" alt=\"Because kilobots are made from inexpensive parts, they don’t all behave the same way. Some of the 1,000+ robots in the swarm inevitably have faulty components or connections. As a result, engineers must write programs to control the swarm that can handle a few robots making errors or failing altogether.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Because kilobots are made from inexpensive parts, they don’t all behave the same way. Some of the 1,000+ robots in the swarm inevitably have faulty components or connections. As a result, engineers must write programs to control the swarm that can handle a few robots making errors or failing altogether. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Their individual behaviors are equally simple. Each robot can only perform a few functions: detect its neighbors, measure distance, flash a light, and move on a flat surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But together, they can complete tasks as a group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The coolest thing we’ve done with them is shape formation,” says Rubenstein. “You can draw a shape in a computer and we have an algorithm to let each robot make its own decisions to form that shape.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make the robots form a “K” (for “kilobot”), Rubenstein places a few robots to “seed” a corner of the shape. He then essentially gives the rest of the swarm a map of the shape and a\u003ca href=\"http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/a-thousand-kilobots-self-assemble\"> set of simple instructions\u003c/a>: measure your distance to the corner, then follow the edge of the group one-by-one until you are either about to exit the shape or you bump into the previous robot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Come back in 12 hours, and the thousand robot swarm has arranged itself into the letter K. And because these instructions don’t specify the exact movements of any individual, the kilobots execute the same program a little bit differently every time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131102\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131102\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k.jpg\" alt=\"In half a day, the swarm of 1,000 kilobots can self-assemble into a variety of shapes.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-1400x933.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In half a day, the swarm of 1,000 kilobots can self-assemble into a variety of shapes. \u003ccite>(Mike Rubenstein/Harvard SEAS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the future, this kind of research might lead to collaborative robots that could self-assemble into a composite structure. This larger robot could work in dangerous or contaminated areas, like cleaning up oil spills or conducting search-and-rescue activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That [structure] would act like a big robot, but since it’s made from lots of small ones, if it’s damaged it could repair itself,” Rubenstein explains. “It could also change its shape to adapt to the environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131103\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131103\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op.jpg\" alt=\"Just as single cells can assemble into complex multicellular organisms, the individual Kilobots can follow simple rules to autonomously assemble into predetermined shapes. The vast scale of this swarm is a milestone in itself. \" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-75x75.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just as single cells can assemble into complex multicellular organisms, the individual Kilobots can follow simple rules to autonomously assemble into predetermined shapes. The vast scale of this swarm is a milestone in itself. \u003ccite>(Mike Rubenstein/Harvard SEAS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And in the present, the kilobots might also be able to teach us a bit about how collective behaviors emerge in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, Rubenstein gave 100 kilobots to\u003ca href=\"http://systemsbiology.ucsf.edu/\"> The University of California-San Francisco’s Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology\u003c/a>. Although they are mostly used for\u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/site/kilobotsucsf/\"> outreach and education\u003c/a>, this swarm could also be used to test hypotheses about how collective behaviors emerge in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because the same kinds of simple instructions that kilobots use to self-assemble into shapes can make them mimic natural swarming behaviors, too. For example, kilobots can sync their flashing lights like a swarm of fireflies, differentiate similar to cells in an embryo and follow a scent trail like foraging ants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131104\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131104\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004.jpg\" alt=\"Kilobots can synchronize their flashing lights like fireflies by sensing and imitating their neighbors. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kilobots can synchronize their flashing lights like fireflies by sensing and imitating their neighbors. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Of course, different sets of individual instructions work better than others for a given process. But sometimes our instructions get the kilobots to complete a task even better than nature does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this could eventually let us reprogram natural systems to be more efficient. It means we might one day be able to engineer our own immune cells to track down and kill cancer, or design better ways to detect toxic chemicals in the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We usually try to program cells like little robots. Now we’re programming robots like cells,” says\u003ca href=\"http://limlab.ucsf.edu/people/kara.html\"> Kara Helmke\u003c/a>, the Education and Outreach Coordinator who commands the kilobot swarm at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite their slightly threatening name, these little robots aren’t likely to take over the world anytime soon—they can’t even walk on carpet yet. But the insights they are providing about collective behavior could eventually lead to robot swarms that exceed our wildest science fiction dreams.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "How do you simultaneously control a thousand robots in a swarm? The question may seem like science fiction, but it’s one that has challenged real robotics engineers for decades. ",
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"title": "Can A Thousand Tiny Swarming Robots Outsmart Nature? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>How do you simultaneously control a thousand robots in a swarm? The question may seem like science fiction, but it’s one that has challenged real robotics engineers for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2010, the\u003ca href=\"http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/ssr/projects/progSA/kilobot.html\"> kilobot\u003c/a> entered the scene. Now, engineers are programming these tiny independent robots to cooperate on group tasks. This research could one day lead to robots that can assemble themselves into machines, or provide insights into how swarming behaviors emerge in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131203\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 592px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/DL-kilobots-small-quarter-Capture2.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131203\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/DL-kilobots-small-quarter-Capture2.jpg\" alt=\"Harvard engineers designed the kilobot to develop better algorithms for controlling thousands of robots in a swarm.\" width=\"592\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/DL-kilobots-small-quarter-Capture2.jpg 592w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/DL-kilobots-small-quarter-Capture2-400x293.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Harvard engineers designed the kilobot to develop better algorithms for controlling thousands of robots in a swarm. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kilobots were designed by\u003ca href=\"http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~mrubenst/\"> Michael Rubenstein\u003c/a>, a research scientist in the\u003ca href=\"http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/ssr/\"> Self Organizing Systems Research Group\u003c/a> at Harvard. Each robot consists of about $15 worth of parts: a microprocessor that is about as smart as a calculator, sensors for visible and infrared light, and two tiny cell-phone vibration units that allow it to move across a table. They are powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, like those found in small electronics or watches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131101\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131101\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006.jpg\" alt=\"Because kilobots are made from inexpensive parts, they don’t all behave the same way. Some of the 1,000+ robots in the swarm inevitably have faulty components or connections. As a result, engineers must write programs to control the swarm that can handle a few robots making errors or failing altogether.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_00_40_26.Still006-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Because kilobots are made from inexpensive parts, they don’t all behave the same way. Some of the 1,000+ robots in the swarm inevitably have faulty components or connections. As a result, engineers must write programs to control the swarm that can handle a few robots making errors or failing altogether. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Their individual behaviors are equally simple. Each robot can only perform a few functions: detect its neighbors, measure distance, flash a light, and move on a flat surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But together, they can complete tasks as a group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The coolest thing we’ve done with them is shape formation,” says Rubenstein. “You can draw a shape in a computer and we have an algorithm to let each robot make its own decisions to form that shape.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make the robots form a “K” (for “kilobot”), Rubenstein places a few robots to “seed” a corner of the shape. He then essentially gives the rest of the swarm a map of the shape and a\u003ca href=\"http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/a-thousand-kilobots-self-assemble\"> set of simple instructions\u003c/a>: measure your distance to the corner, then follow the edge of the group one-by-one until you are either about to exit the shape or you bump into the previous robot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Come back in 12 hours, and the thousand robot swarm has arranged itself into the letter K. And because these instructions don’t specify the exact movements of any individual, the kilobots execute the same program a little bit differently every time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131102\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131102\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k.jpg\" alt=\"In half a day, the swarm of 1,000 kilobots can self-assemble into a variety of shapes.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-1400x933.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/kilobots-k-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In half a day, the swarm of 1,000 kilobots can self-assemble into a variety of shapes. \u003ccite>(Mike Rubenstein/Harvard SEAS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the future, this kind of research might lead to collaborative robots that could self-assemble into a composite structure. This larger robot could work in dangerous or contaminated areas, like cleaning up oil spills or conducting search-and-rescue activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That [structure] would act like a big robot, but since it’s made from lots of small ones, if it’s damaged it could repair itself,” Rubenstein explains. “It could also change its shape to adapt to the environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131103\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131103\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op.jpg\" alt=\"Just as single cells can assemble into complex multicellular organisms, the individual Kilobots can follow simple rules to autonomously assemble into predetermined shapes. The vast scale of this swarm is a milestone in itself. \" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Image1_sq_0_op-75x75.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just as single cells can assemble into complex multicellular organisms, the individual Kilobots can follow simple rules to autonomously assemble into predetermined shapes. The vast scale of this swarm is a milestone in itself. \u003ccite>(Mike Rubenstein/Harvard SEAS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And in the present, the kilobots might also be able to teach us a bit about how collective behaviors emerge in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, Rubenstein gave 100 kilobots to\u003ca href=\"http://systemsbiology.ucsf.edu/\"> The University of California-San Francisco’s Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology\u003c/a>. Although they are mostly used for\u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/site/kilobotsucsf/\"> outreach and education\u003c/a>, this swarm could also be used to test hypotheses about how collective behaviors emerge in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because the same kinds of simple instructions that kilobots use to self-assemble into shapes can make them mimic natural swarming behaviors, too. For example, kilobots can sync their flashing lights like a swarm of fireflies, differentiate similar to cells in an embryo and follow a scent trail like foraging ants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_131104\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-131104\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004.jpg\" alt=\"Kilobots can synchronize their flashing lights like fireflies by sensing and imitating their neighbors. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Kilobots-v3.00_02_21_06.Still004-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kilobots can synchronize their flashing lights like fireflies by sensing and imitating their neighbors. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Of course, different sets of individual instructions work better than others for a given process. But sometimes our instructions get the kilobots to complete a task even better than nature does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this could eventually let us reprogram natural systems to be more efficient. It means we might one day be able to engineer our own immune cells to track down and kill cancer, or design better ways to detect toxic chemicals in the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We usually try to program cells like little robots. Now we’re programming robots like cells,” says\u003ca href=\"http://limlab.ucsf.edu/people/kara.html\"> Kara Helmke\u003c/a>, the Education and Outreach Coordinator who commands the kilobot swarm at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite their slightly threatening name, these little robots aren’t likely to take over the world anytime soon—they can’t even walk on carpet yet. But the insights they are providing about collective behavior could eventually lead to robot swarms that exceed our wildest science fiction dreams.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Monkey Viruses: Predicting Pandemics With Strawberry Jam",
"headTitle": "Monkey Viruses: Predicting Pandemics With Strawberry Jam | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In Africa or Asia, monkeys thrive in urban settings. They roam freely in villages and temples. They raid the local food sources, rummage through garbage, and scrounge for any goodies tourists may be keeping in their bags. And in all this activity, they can pass their germs to humans, raising serious health concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tierra Smiley Evans, a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, is implementing a new technique to address viral sharing between humans and primates. She works for a project called \u003ca href=\"http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ohi/predict/\">PREDICT\u003c/a> that aims to prevent diseases that travel from animals to people. Using only nylon rope and strawberry jam, she has figured out a way to get monkeys to happily offer their spit to be screened for contagious viruses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the first time that saliva has been able to be collected non-invasively from wild primates for virus detection,” Smiley says. “This opens up a lot of doors for sampling primate populations that it has not been feasible to sample in the past.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_99788\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 367px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/journal.pntd_.0003813.g003.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-99788\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/journal.pntd_.0003813.g003.png\" alt=\"Red-tailed guenon in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. (T. Smiley Evans/UC Davis)\" width=\"367\" height=\"550\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Red-tailed guenon in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. \u003ccite>( T. Smiley Evans/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Smiley tried a similar technique for the first time in 2007, with captive mountain gorillas in Rwanda. But she couldn’t test the technique with wild gorillas because of strict laws against distributing man-made devices (like ropes) to endangered primate species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could see then, however, that it could have very useful applications with other types of primates,” she says, “in particular those that are living in close proximity to humans and are already behaviorally accustomed to foraging among garbage and other human materials.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Older methods of collecting samples from monkeys are not very efficient and require anesthetization. Techniques such as drawing blood or using oral swabs put both the monkeys and the handlers at bodily risk. To complicate matters, the monkeys’ innate intelligence enables them to evade capture when threatened. For a long time now, there has been a need for a better way to safely screen these animals for the harmful pathogens they may carry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How Do Viruses Get From Monkeys to Humans?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 1940 and 2004, \u003ca href=\"http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ohi/local_resources/pdfs/chapters/3_predict_introduction.pdf\">greater than 70 percent\u003c/a> of emerging zoonotic diseases in humans originated in wild animals. And, over time, the incidence of emerging infectious diseases caused by wildlife pathogens has increased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_103186\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 364px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-103186\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque.png\" alt=\"Rhesus macaque in Kathmandu Nepal's Thapatali temple complex. (T. Smiley Evans/UC Davis)\" width=\"364\" height=\"518\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque.png 983w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque-400x569.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque-800x1138.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque-960x1365.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 364px) 100vw, 364px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rhesus macaques in Kathmandu, Nepal’s Thapathali temple complex. \u003ccite>( T. Smiley Evans/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some pathogens, such as \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/herpesbvirus/\">herpes B\u003c/a>, are ubiquitous among certain species of primates and can be contracted by humans through direct contact with saliva–most commonly, through a monkey bite. But a virus can only be passed to humans if the monkey is actively shedding a contagion in their oral cavity. To put it simply, someone bit by a monkey infected with herpes B would not contract the virus if it wasn’t present in the monkey’s mouth during the transgression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other viruses, like \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/transmission/\">yellow fever\u003c/a>, can be passed indirectly among human and non-human primates through mosquito bites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new, non-invasive technique for screening wild primates is now being established as part of a global plan to keep pandemic diseases at bay. Last year, \u003ca href=\"http://www.usaid.gov/\">The United States Agency for International Development\u003c/a> awarded \u003ca href=\"http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=11096\">100 million dollars\u003c/a> to initiate this next stage of the PREDICT project, led by the U.C. Davis \u003ca href=\"http://globalhealth.ucdavis.edu/initiatives/one_health.html\">One Health Institute\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>It All Starts in the Lab\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cnprc.ucdavis.edu\">California National Primate Research Center\u003c/a>, captive-bred rhesus macaques were given various lengths of jam-covered rope. Many of the ropes were equipped with retrieval strings to make them easier to collect after the monkeys were done chewing on them. After recovering the ropes, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/probe/docs/techpcr/\">saliva could be tested\u003c/a> for primate DNA and RNA viruses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102571\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 409px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-102571\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope.png\" alt=\"Researchers tried three different rope materials. Left: nylon oral swab rope, middle: cotton rope, right: nylon rope. Nylon rope works best because RNA viruses degrade very quickly in the environment and cotton does not hold on to them long enough to be sampled. (N. Walker/UC Davis)\" width=\"409\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope.png 983w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope-400x268.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope-800x536.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope-960x644.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Researchers tried three different rope materials. Left: nylon oral swab rope, middle: cotton rope, right: nylon rope. Nylon rope works best because RNA viruses degrade very quickly in the environment and cotton does not hold on to them long enough to be sampled. \u003ccite>(N. Walker/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We tried different kinds of ropes for a couple reasons,” Smiley says. “One was to see if, at first, monkeys had a preference, like for some reason the texture was different, or there was something about it that they didn’t like. Just to see if one was logistically easier to use versus another.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out monkeys do have some preferences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The length of the rope made a huge difference in captivity,” Smiley says, “which was really interesting because these monkeys at the primate center, they were born there, they’ve never been in the wild, they’ve never encountered anything looking like a snake. But all of the really long ropes, they were really scared of and they didn’t want anything to do with it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The theory is that monkeys have an ingrained, evolutionary fear of anything resembling a snake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104484\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 363px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-104484\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope.png\" alt=\"Nylon rope disguised inside a banana for the baboons in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. (O.R. Okello/UC Davis)\" width=\"363\" height=\"243\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope.png 983w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope-400x267.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope-800x535.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope-960x642.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 363px) 100vw, 363px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nylon rope disguised inside a banana for the baboons in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. (O.R. Okello/UC Davis) \u003ccite>(O.R. Okello/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And why strawberry jam?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer is simple. Because it is affordable, easy to get anywhere in the world, and the monkeys can’t seem to get enough of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bringing the Rope to the Wild\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With successful results at the primate center, the PREDICT team can now use the same techniques on the free-ranging olive baboons, red-tailed guenons, rhesus macaques, and l’hoest monkeys that populate the villages of Uganda and sacred temples of Nepal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104486\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 385px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-104486\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon.png\" alt=\"Olive baboon in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda chewing on nylon rope disguised inside a banana. (T. Smiley Evans/UC Davis)\" width=\"385\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon.png 977w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon-400x599.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon-800x1198.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon-960x1438.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Olive baboon in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda chewing on nylon rope disguised inside a banana. \u003ccite>( T. Smiley Evans/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“All species accepted the ropes with fruit jam applied as an attractant except baboons,” Smiley says in her \u003ca href=\"http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003813\">recent study\u003c/a>. “The rope had to be completely disguised inside a banana in order for them to chew on it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baboons are also wary of the retrieval strings. Team members have to collect the actual chewed rope, which presents a whole new obstacle in making this method commonplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is important to be able to sample more groups of primates that may be challenging to collect samples from. But on the other hand,” Smiley says, “we want to make sure it’s done very discreetly and that there is no way you attract more human-primate interaction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smiley’s methods keep evolving. She is currently working on a non-invasive sampling technique which involves gathering chewed plants to test for primate viruses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an even more non-invasive method,” she says, “because it can be used with endangered species in which ropes can’t be used.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "A sweet new technique used on primates shows promise in predicting viral outbreaks. ",
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"title": "Monkey Viruses: Predicting Pandemics With Strawberry Jam | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In Africa or Asia, monkeys thrive in urban settings. They roam freely in villages and temples. They raid the local food sources, rummage through garbage, and scrounge for any goodies tourists may be keeping in their bags. And in all this activity, they can pass their germs to humans, raising serious health concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tierra Smiley Evans, a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, is implementing a new technique to address viral sharing between humans and primates. She works for a project called \u003ca href=\"http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ohi/predict/\">PREDICT\u003c/a> that aims to prevent diseases that travel from animals to people. Using only nylon rope and strawberry jam, she has figured out a way to get monkeys to happily offer their spit to be screened for contagious viruses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the first time that saliva has been able to be collected non-invasively from wild primates for virus detection,” Smiley says. “This opens up a lot of doors for sampling primate populations that it has not been feasible to sample in the past.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_99788\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 367px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/journal.pntd_.0003813.g003.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-99788\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/journal.pntd_.0003813.g003.png\" alt=\"Red-tailed guenon in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. (T. Smiley Evans/UC Davis)\" width=\"367\" height=\"550\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Red-tailed guenon in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. \u003ccite>( T. Smiley Evans/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Smiley tried a similar technique for the first time in 2007, with captive mountain gorillas in Rwanda. But she couldn’t test the technique with wild gorillas because of strict laws against distributing man-made devices (like ropes) to endangered primate species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could see then, however, that it could have very useful applications with other types of primates,” she says, “in particular those that are living in close proximity to humans and are already behaviorally accustomed to foraging among garbage and other human materials.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Older methods of collecting samples from monkeys are not very efficient and require anesthetization. Techniques such as drawing blood or using oral swabs put both the monkeys and the handlers at bodily risk. To complicate matters, the monkeys’ innate intelligence enables them to evade capture when threatened. For a long time now, there has been a need for a better way to safely screen these animals for the harmful pathogens they may carry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How Do Viruses Get From Monkeys to Humans?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 1940 and 2004, \u003ca href=\"http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ohi/local_resources/pdfs/chapters/3_predict_introduction.pdf\">greater than 70 percent\u003c/a> of emerging zoonotic diseases in humans originated in wild animals. And, over time, the incidence of emerging infectious diseases caused by wildlife pathogens has increased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_103186\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 364px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-103186\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque.png\" alt=\"Rhesus macaque in Kathmandu Nepal's Thapatali temple complex. (T. Smiley Evans/UC Davis)\" width=\"364\" height=\"518\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque.png 983w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque-400x569.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque-800x1138.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Rhesus-macaque-960x1365.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 364px) 100vw, 364px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rhesus macaques in Kathmandu, Nepal’s Thapathali temple complex. \u003ccite>( T. Smiley Evans/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some pathogens, such as \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/herpesbvirus/\">herpes B\u003c/a>, are ubiquitous among certain species of primates and can be contracted by humans through direct contact with saliva–most commonly, through a monkey bite. But a virus can only be passed to humans if the monkey is actively shedding a contagion in their oral cavity. To put it simply, someone bit by a monkey infected with herpes B would not contract the virus if it wasn’t present in the monkey’s mouth during the transgression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other viruses, like \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/transmission/\">yellow fever\u003c/a>, can be passed indirectly among human and non-human primates through mosquito bites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new, non-invasive technique for screening wild primates is now being established as part of a global plan to keep pandemic diseases at bay. Last year, \u003ca href=\"http://www.usaid.gov/\">The United States Agency for International Development\u003c/a> awarded \u003ca href=\"http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=11096\">100 million dollars\u003c/a> to initiate this next stage of the PREDICT project, led by the U.C. Davis \u003ca href=\"http://globalhealth.ucdavis.edu/initiatives/one_health.html\">One Health Institute\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>It All Starts in the Lab\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cnprc.ucdavis.edu\">California National Primate Research Center\u003c/a>, captive-bred rhesus macaques were given various lengths of jam-covered rope. Many of the ropes were equipped with retrieval strings to make them easier to collect after the monkeys were done chewing on them. After recovering the ropes, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/probe/docs/techpcr/\">saliva could be tested\u003c/a> for primate DNA and RNA viruses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102571\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 409px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-102571\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope.png\" alt=\"Researchers tried three different rope materials. Left: nylon oral swab rope, middle: cotton rope, right: nylon rope. Nylon rope works best because RNA viruses degrade very quickly in the environment and cotton does not hold on to them long enough to be sampled. (N. Walker/UC Davis)\" width=\"409\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope.png 983w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope-400x268.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope-800x536.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Chewing-rope-960x644.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Researchers tried three different rope materials. Left: nylon oral swab rope, middle: cotton rope, right: nylon rope. Nylon rope works best because RNA viruses degrade very quickly in the environment and cotton does not hold on to them long enough to be sampled. \u003ccite>(N. Walker/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We tried different kinds of ropes for a couple reasons,” Smiley says. “One was to see if, at first, monkeys had a preference, like for some reason the texture was different, or there was something about it that they didn’t like. Just to see if one was logistically easier to use versus another.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out monkeys do have some preferences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The length of the rope made a huge difference in captivity,” Smiley says, “which was really interesting because these monkeys at the primate center, they were born there, they’ve never been in the wild, they’ve never encountered anything looking like a snake. But all of the really long ropes, they were really scared of and they didn’t want anything to do with it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The theory is that monkeys have an ingrained, evolutionary fear of anything resembling a snake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104484\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 363px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-104484\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope.png\" alt=\"Nylon rope disguised inside a banana for the baboons in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. (O.R. Okello/UC Davis)\" width=\"363\" height=\"243\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope.png 983w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope-400x267.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope-800x535.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/bananarope-960x642.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 363px) 100vw, 363px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nylon rope disguised inside a banana for the baboons in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. (O.R. Okello/UC Davis) \u003ccite>(O.R. Okello/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And why strawberry jam?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer is simple. Because it is affordable, easy to get anywhere in the world, and the monkeys can’t seem to get enough of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bringing the Rope to the Wild\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With successful results at the primate center, the PREDICT team can now use the same techniques on the free-ranging olive baboons, red-tailed guenons, rhesus macaques, and l’hoest monkeys that populate the villages of Uganda and sacred temples of Nepal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104486\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 385px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-104486\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon.png\" alt=\"Olive baboon in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda chewing on nylon rope disguised inside a banana. (T. Smiley Evans/UC Davis)\" width=\"385\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon.png 977w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon-400x599.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon-800x1198.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/baboon-960x1438.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Olive baboon in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda chewing on nylon rope disguised inside a banana. \u003ccite>( T. Smiley Evans/U.C. Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“All species accepted the ropes with fruit jam applied as an attractant except baboons,” Smiley says in her \u003ca href=\"http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003813\">recent study\u003c/a>. “The rope had to be completely disguised inside a banana in order for them to chew on it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baboons are also wary of the retrieval strings. Team members have to collect the actual chewed rope, which presents a whole new obstacle in making this method commonplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is important to be able to sample more groups of primates that may be challenging to collect samples from. But on the other hand,” Smiley says, “we want to make sure it’s done very discreetly and that there is no way you attract more human-primate interaction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smiley’s methods keep evolving. She is currently working on a non-invasive sampling technique which involves gathering chewed plants to test for primate viruses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an even more non-invasive method,” she says, “because it can be used with endangered species in which ropes can’t be used.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "If You Think You Understand the Death of the Dinosaurs, You’re Wrong",
"headTitle": "If You Think You Understand the Death of the Dinosaurs, You’re Wrong | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2015/07/20150720ScienceDinosaurrocks.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A “Jurassic Park” sequel is once again dominating the box office this summer, underscoring the star power of dinosaurs. But, captivated as we are with bringing them back, scientists still argue over what caused their extinction 66 million years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not as settled as you might think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I put the question to Charles Marshall, director of the University of California \u003ca href=\"http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/\">Museum of Paleontology\u003c/a> in Berkeley: “Do we know what killed the dinosaurs?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No.” He repeated it emphatically, “No.” (Pause) “I guess the answer is no.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">‘There were dozens of hypotheses, and basically no one took any of them seriously.’\u003ccite>Charles Marshall,UC Museum of Paleontology Director\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>We were sitting in Marshall’s fifth-floor office, not far from the skull of a triceratops relative and some fossilized feet the size of tree stumps. He told me as recently as the 1970s, there wasn’t even a good guess as to what killed the dinosaurs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were dozens of hypotheses, and basically no one took any of them seriously.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is, until Berkeley scientists — led by Luis Alvarez (a Nobel laureate in physics) and his geologist son Walter Alvarez — brought forward the idea that Earth was slammed by a meteorite or comet roughly the size of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The theory and its backers got a major boost a few years later with the discovery of a 110-mile-wide crater on present-day Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the finding of the smoking gun, then the fact that there was a large meteorite started to become broadly accepted,” Marshall said. “So it sort’ve started to evolve into meteorite versus volcanism as the two hypotheses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_124231\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-124231\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Charles Marshall looks at a cast of a bird related to puffins and the Great Auk, found in southern California’s Monterey Formation.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles Marshall looks at a cast of a bird related to puffins and the Great Auk, found in southern California’s Monterey Formation. \u003ccite>(Daniel Potter/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Indeed, volcanoes have been hard to keep off the list of known suspects. Going back hundreds of millions of years, every other big extinction (barring the present day’s) is connected to volcanism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, around the same time as the meteorite impact and the disappearance of dinosaurs from the fossil record (along with many species, down to tiny ocean creatures), there was also a massive wave of volcanic activity in India – in a place known as the Deccan Traps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So for years scientists have argued back and forth: Impact! Volcanoes! Impact! …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until recently, when Berkeley geophysicist Mark Richards \u003ca href=\"http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2015/04/30/B31167.1.abstract\">offered this idea\u003c/a>: “I realized that the size of the impact is likely large enough to have triggered volcanic systems around the planet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bigger Than Big\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richards calculates that the energy of a rock the size of Mount Everest slamming down from space was enough to unleash a magnitude 11 quake. That is not a typo. When I told Richards I thought the scale only went to 10, he told me that’s actually not true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In earthquake terms, higher than 10 is a nightmare. Such a quake would be hundreds of times worse than the “big one” that hit San Francisco in 1906. Richards says it would’ve rattled the globe – even the volcanoes on the other side of the world in India.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_124232\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 414px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-124232\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-800x738.jpg\" alt=\"A relative to the present day Komodo dragon, the owner of this skull (left) sported flippers and could grow more than 20 feet long. To the right in Charles Marshall's lab sits an Allosaurus foot.\" width=\"414\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-800x738.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-400x369.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-1440x1329.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-1400x1292.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-1180x1089.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-960x886.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247.jpg 2007w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A relative to the present day Komodo dragon, the owner of this skull (left) sported flippers and could grow more than 20 feet long. To the right in Charles Marshall’s lab sits an Allosaurus foot. \u003ccite>(Daniel Potter/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“So the idea is that system may have been kicked into high gear by the impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richards is careful to say that if he’s right, and the two events are connected, we still don’t know precisely what killed the dinosaurs. Rather, the proposal points the way toward a new investigation, says Paul Renne, director of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.bgc.org/\">Berkeley Geochronology Center\u003c/a> and coauthor of Richards’ paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We just have to abandon the idea that it’s one or the other,” Renne said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the impact itself and a wave of volcanism would have the potential to unleash massive outpourings of noxious gases, resulting in wild swings in temperature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One factor might’ve been a release of CO2, say from so much vaporized limestone, resulting, along with other greenhouse gases, in a long-term warming effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_124230\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 530px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-124230\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"India’s Deccan Traps, described by geologists as a “large igneous province,” were formed over thousands of years as layer upon layer of lava flowed out and cooled, right around the same time the dinosaurs died.\" width=\"530\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">India’s Deccan Traps, described by geologists as a “large igneous province,” were formed over hundreds of thousands of years as layer upon layer of lava flowed out and cooled, right around the same time the dinosaurs died. \u003ccite>(Paul Renne/BGC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Renne says there could’ve also been an abundance of sulfate aerosols, “which, if they get up into the atmosphere, can actually reflect enough sunlight it results in cooling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, one could argue for a double event – sudden cooling first, followed by a long, hot period from the greenhouse effect. Whether the dinosaurs died in a single bad weekend, or the lifetime of an animal as the food web collapsed, or several millenia, remains unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The potential effects of either an impact or massive volcanism in many respects can be the same. The symptoms would be indistinguishable,” Renne says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Increasing Precision\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To better understand the impact and its possible connection to the eruptions in India, the next step will be establishing a narrower range of dates. For Renne, this entails using a basement room full of mass spectrometers to test rocks from the Deccan Traps. Canvas sacks full of such rocks are heaped in the hallway outside his office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m a rock aficionado, and I have lots of beautiful rocks and big crystals. These are some of the ugliest rocks you’ll ever see,” Renne said, producing a sample that to my untrained eye might as well have been gravel from a nearby quarry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_124234\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 355px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-124234\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"A fossilized Pteranodon swoops above Tyrannosaurus rex at the University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley.\" width=\"355\" height=\"474\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-400x533.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-1440x1920.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-1400x1867.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-960x1280.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fossilized Pteranodon swoops above Tyrannosaurus rex at the University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Daniel Potter/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dating these rocks is a slow process, involving shipping a few dozen milligrams out of state to be irradiated and then sent back for testing. It can take months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearby is a wood-paneled room that houses a magnetometer — another tool for dating prehistoric rocks. This is Courtney Sprain’s speciality; she’s a Ph.D. student who also coauthored Richards’ paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sprain spends part of each summer in Montana gathering samples from coal beds, and told me by the end of each day she tends to resemble a chimneysweep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the Earth’s magnetic core shifts (we’re not sure why this happens), it leaves a record in the rocks. Sprain teases out these clues to refine the timescale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re getting precision of 20-thousand years,” she says, “whereas before it was 500-thousand, a million.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Really, what would be ideal, if unrealistic, is precision down to what day of the week the impact occurred. But getting it under 10,000 years would be helpful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Geologist Eldridge Moores, a distinguished professor emeritus at U.C. Davis, known for his role in the John McPhee book “Assembling California,” says it’s like a detective trying to figure out someone’s exact time of death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You have to know that – it’s essential information before you can answer the next question, which is why. The same is true with the dinosaurs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moores was sitting with me at his house in Davis, a copy of Mark Richards’ paper on the dining room table before him, when I asked him the question: Do we know what killed the dinosaurs?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He told me no — but he thinks we’re getting closer.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "A meteorite killed the dinosaurs. Or was it volcanism? U.C. Berkeley scientists say the two were connected.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A “Jurassic Park” sequel is once again dominating the box office this summer, underscoring the star power of dinosaurs. But, captivated as we are with bringing them back, scientists still argue over what caused their extinction 66 million years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not as settled as you might think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I put the question to Charles Marshall, director of the University of California \u003ca href=\"http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/\">Museum of Paleontology\u003c/a> in Berkeley: “Do we know what killed the dinosaurs?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No.” He repeated it emphatically, “No.” (Pause) “I guess the answer is no.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">‘There were dozens of hypotheses, and basically no one took any of them seriously.’\u003ccite>Charles Marshall,UC Museum of Paleontology Director\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>We were sitting in Marshall’s fifth-floor office, not far from the skull of a triceratops relative and some fossilized feet the size of tree stumps. He told me as recently as the 1970s, there wasn’t even a good guess as to what killed the dinosaurs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were dozens of hypotheses, and basically no one took any of them seriously.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is, until Berkeley scientists — led by Luis Alvarez (a Nobel laureate in physics) and his geologist son Walter Alvarez — brought forward the idea that Earth was slammed by a meteorite or comet roughly the size of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The theory and its backers got a major boost a few years later with the discovery of a 110-mile-wide crater on present-day Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the finding of the smoking gun, then the fact that there was a large meteorite started to become broadly accepted,” Marshall said. “So it sort’ve started to evolve into meteorite versus volcanism as the two hypotheses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_124231\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-124231\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Charles Marshall looks at a cast of a bird related to puffins and the Great Auk, found in southern California’s Monterey Formation.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8518-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles Marshall looks at a cast of a bird related to puffins and the Great Auk, found in southern California’s Monterey Formation. \u003ccite>(Daniel Potter/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Indeed, volcanoes have been hard to keep off the list of known suspects. Going back hundreds of millions of years, every other big extinction (barring the present day’s) is connected to volcanism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, around the same time as the meteorite impact and the disappearance of dinosaurs from the fossil record (along with many species, down to tiny ocean creatures), there was also a massive wave of volcanic activity in India – in a place known as the Deccan Traps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So for years scientists have argued back and forth: Impact! Volcanoes! Impact! …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until recently, when Berkeley geophysicist Mark Richards \u003ca href=\"http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/early/2015/04/30/B31167.1.abstract\">offered this idea\u003c/a>: “I realized that the size of the impact is likely large enough to have triggered volcanic systems around the planet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bigger Than Big\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richards calculates that the energy of a rock the size of Mount Everest slamming down from space was enough to unleash a magnitude 11 quake. That is not a typo. When I told Richards I thought the scale only went to 10, he told me that’s actually not true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In earthquake terms, higher than 10 is a nightmare. Such a quake would be hundreds of times worse than the “big one” that hit San Francisco in 1906. Richards says it would’ve rattled the globe – even the volcanoes on the other side of the world in India.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_124232\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 414px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-124232\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-800x738.jpg\" alt=\"A relative to the present day Komodo dragon, the owner of this skull (left) sported flippers and could grow more than 20 feet long. To the right in Charles Marshall's lab sits an Allosaurus foot.\" width=\"414\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-800x738.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-400x369.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-1440x1329.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-1400x1292.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-1180x1089.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247-960x886.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/IMG_8537-e1437167252247.jpg 2007w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A relative to the present day Komodo dragon, the owner of this skull (left) sported flippers and could grow more than 20 feet long. To the right in Charles Marshall’s lab sits an Allosaurus foot. \u003ccite>(Daniel Potter/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“So the idea is that system may have been kicked into high gear by the impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richards is careful to say that if he’s right, and the two events are connected, we still don’t know precisely what killed the dinosaurs. Rather, the proposal points the way toward a new investigation, says Paul Renne, director of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.bgc.org/\">Berkeley Geochronology Center\u003c/a> and coauthor of Richards’ paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We just have to abandon the idea that it’s one or the other,” Renne said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the impact itself and a wave of volcanism would have the potential to unleash massive outpourings of noxious gases, resulting in wild swings in temperature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One factor might’ve been a release of CO2, say from so much vaporized limestone, resulting, along with other greenhouse gases, in a long-term warming effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_124230\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 530px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-124230\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"India’s Deccan Traps, described by geologists as a “large igneous province,” were formed over thousands of years as layer upon layer of lava flowed out and cooled, right around the same time the dinosaurs died.\" width=\"530\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/4DPotter1-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">India’s Deccan Traps, described by geologists as a “large igneous province,” were formed over hundreds of thousands of years as layer upon layer of lava flowed out and cooled, right around the same time the dinosaurs died. \u003ccite>(Paul Renne/BGC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Renne says there could’ve also been an abundance of sulfate aerosols, “which, if they get up into the atmosphere, can actually reflect enough sunlight it results in cooling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, one could argue for a double event – sudden cooling first, followed by a long, hot period from the greenhouse effect. Whether the dinosaurs died in a single bad weekend, or the lifetime of an animal as the food web collapsed, or several millenia, remains unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The potential effects of either an impact or massive volcanism in many respects can be the same. The symptoms would be indistinguishable,” Renne says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Increasing Precision\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To better understand the impact and its possible connection to the eruptions in India, the next step will be establishing a narrower range of dates. For Renne, this entails using a basement room full of mass spectrometers to test rocks from the Deccan Traps. Canvas sacks full of such rocks are heaped in the hallway outside his office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m a rock aficionado, and I have lots of beautiful rocks and big crystals. These are some of the ugliest rocks you’ll ever see,” Renne said, producing a sample that to my untrained eye might as well have been gravel from a nearby quarry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_124234\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 355px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-124234\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"A fossilized Pteranodon swoops above Tyrannosaurus rex at the University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley.\" width=\"355\" height=\"474\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-400x533.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-1440x1920.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-1400x1867.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Skeletons-960x1280.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fossilized Pteranodon swoops above Tyrannosaurus rex at the University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Daniel Potter/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dating these rocks is a slow process, involving shipping a few dozen milligrams out of state to be irradiated and then sent back for testing. It can take months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearby is a wood-paneled room that houses a magnetometer — another tool for dating prehistoric rocks. This is Courtney Sprain’s speciality; she’s a Ph.D. student who also coauthored Richards’ paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sprain spends part of each summer in Montana gathering samples from coal beds, and told me by the end of each day she tends to resemble a chimneysweep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the Earth’s magnetic core shifts (we’re not sure why this happens), it leaves a record in the rocks. Sprain teases out these clues to refine the timescale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re getting precision of 20-thousand years,” she says, “whereas before it was 500-thousand, a million.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Really, what would be ideal, if unrealistic, is precision down to what day of the week the impact occurred. But getting it under 10,000 years would be helpful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Geologist Eldridge Moores, a distinguished professor emeritus at U.C. Davis, known for his role in the John McPhee book “Assembling California,” says it’s like a detective trying to figure out someone’s exact time of death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You have to know that – it’s essential information before you can answer the next question, which is why. The same is true with the dinosaurs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moores was sitting with me at his house in Davis, a copy of Mark Richards’ paper on the dining room table before him, when I asked him the question: Do we know what killed the dinosaurs?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He told me no — but he thinks we’re getting closer.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Wendy's Ceratops, a New Face in the Dinosaur Line",
"headTitle": "Wendy’s Ceratops, a New Face in the Dinosaur Line | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Fossils of an early relative of \u003ci>Triceratops\u003c/i>, part of the horn-headed ceratopsid group of dinosaurs, have been recovered from the rocks of southern Canada. The find helps fill a gap in the evolution of these iconic, long-extinct creatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Triceratops\u003c/i> and its relatives were four-legged animals that had distinctive horns on their faces (\u003ci>ceratops\u003c/i> is scientific Greek for “horn-face”) and large bony frills behind their heads. They appear to have eaten brushy plants and lived in herds, making them the elephants, rhinos and zebras of their day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The newest member of the ceratopsid group was given the name \u003ci>Wendiceratops pinhornensis\u003c/i> by its discoverers, \u003ca href=\"https://evanslab.wordpress.com/people/\">David Evans\u003c/a> of the Royal Ontario Museum and \u003ca href=\"http://www.phaetongroup.com/ryan.php\">Michael Ryan\u003c/a> of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. “Wendiceratops” honors fossil-hunter Wendy Sloboda and “pinhornensis” refers to the Pinhorn Provincial Grazing Reserve in southern Alberta, where more than 200 its bones were dug up. Evans and Ryan painstakingly describe the bison-sized dinosaur in a \u003ca href=\"http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130007\">paper\u003c/a> in the open-access journal \u003ca href=\"https://www.plos.org/\">PLOS ONE\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The newly described species had an unusually flamboyant head for its time. It’s significant because at 79 million years of age it represents the beginning of an explosion in diversity among the ceratopsids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104383\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-104383\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live-800x656.jpg\" alt=\"Head of Wendiceratops\" width=\"800\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live-800x656.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live-400x328.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live-960x787.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003ci>Wendiceratops pinhornensis\u003c/i>, as reconstructed by scientific illustrator \u003ca href=\"http://www.ddufault.com/paleo.html\">Danielle Dufault\u003c/a> for the Royal Ontario Museum (Dufault/PLOS) \u003ccite>(Danielle Dufault/PLOS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ceratopsids are part of a much larger group of dinosaurs called the ceratopsians, which originated about 160 million years ago. The oldest ceratopsids have been found only in China in rocks about 90 million years old. After a gap of 10 million years, ceratopsids appeared in North America, where they thrived for the rest of the Cretaceous Period, from about 80 to 66 million years ago. They finally went extinct in the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/12/18/dinosaur-extinction-new-research-favors-volcanism-as-cause/\">catastrophic events that ended the Cretaceous\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i> fossils came from a “bonebed” that contained remains of at least four individuals. More than 200 fossils were retrieved from a space the size of a living room, excavated between 2011 and 2014. This is an unusually good record for an early American ceratopsid species, most of which are known from just a few fossil fragments. The collection has examples of most of the important bones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104384\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_quarry.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-104384\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_quarry-800x584.jpg\" alt=\"Wendiceratops quarry\" width=\"800\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_quarry.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_quarry-400x292.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i> quarry in southern Alberta. The diggers are standing at the level of the bonebed. Rock exposures like these have yielded thousands of dinosaur fossils in the U.S. and Canada. The Bay Area at this time was \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandgeology.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/shepherd-canyon-type-localities-of-oakland-rocks/\">deep underwater\u003c/a>. (Evans)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The most distinctive part of \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i> is its frill. The flaring top of the frill, or parietal bone, has several gently pointed spikes that flop forward like bangs. And the knobs along the sides and base of the frill lie in a line as even and consistent as a movie star’s teeth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104385\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-104385\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill-800x527.png\" alt=\"Frill bones of ceratopsids\" width=\"800\" height=\"527\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill-800x527.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill-400x263.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill-960x632.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill.png 1008w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The frill bones of \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i>, at center, consist of the central parietal bone and the two squamous bones below. Surrounding it are parietals of other ceratopsids: (left to right) \u003ci>Xenoceratops\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Centrosaurus\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Styracosaurus\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Achelosaurus\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Albertaceratops\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Pachyrhinosaurus\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Einiosaurus\u003c/i> and \u003ci>Diabloceratops\u003c/i>. (Evans/PLOS)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another feature of professional interest to Evans and Ryan is the nose horn, represented in the fossils by its bony core. (Until more fossils are found, we can only guess at the horn’s actual shape.) Their analysis shows that nose horns probably evolved at least two separate times in this line of dinosaurs. As in other cases of convergent evolution, the horns originated in different ways, but ended up looking the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Evans and Ryan note that \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i> shared the Cretaceous plains with several other ceratopsid species, such as \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albertaceratops\">\u003ci>Albertaceratops\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. This fits with the idea that the famous ornamented frills of the ceratopsids served to tell apart the different species, although they also may have helped the animals regulate their body temperature.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Fossils of an early relative of \u003ci>Triceratops\u003c/i>, part of the horn-headed ceratopsid group of dinosaurs, have been recovered from the rocks of southern Canada. The find helps fill a gap in the evolution of these iconic, long-extinct creatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Triceratops\u003c/i> and its relatives were four-legged animals that had distinctive horns on their faces (\u003ci>ceratops\u003c/i> is scientific Greek for “horn-face”) and large bony frills behind their heads. They appear to have eaten brushy plants and lived in herds, making them the elephants, rhinos and zebras of their day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The newest member of the ceratopsid group was given the name \u003ci>Wendiceratops pinhornensis\u003c/i> by its discoverers, \u003ca href=\"https://evanslab.wordpress.com/people/\">David Evans\u003c/a> of the Royal Ontario Museum and \u003ca href=\"http://www.phaetongroup.com/ryan.php\">Michael Ryan\u003c/a> of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. “Wendiceratops” honors fossil-hunter Wendy Sloboda and “pinhornensis” refers to the Pinhorn Provincial Grazing Reserve in southern Alberta, where more than 200 its bones were dug up. Evans and Ryan painstakingly describe the bison-sized dinosaur in a \u003ca href=\"http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130007\">paper\u003c/a> in the open-access journal \u003ca href=\"https://www.plos.org/\">PLOS ONE\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The newly described species had an unusually flamboyant head for its time. It’s significant because at 79 million years of age it represents the beginning of an explosion in diversity among the ceratopsids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104383\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-104383\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live-800x656.jpg\" alt=\"Head of Wendiceratops\" width=\"800\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live-800x656.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live-400x328.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live-960x787.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_live.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003ci>Wendiceratops pinhornensis\u003c/i>, as reconstructed by scientific illustrator \u003ca href=\"http://www.ddufault.com/paleo.html\">Danielle Dufault\u003c/a> for the Royal Ontario Museum (Dufault/PLOS) \u003ccite>(Danielle Dufault/PLOS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ceratopsids are part of a much larger group of dinosaurs called the ceratopsians, which originated about 160 million years ago. The oldest ceratopsids have been found only in China in rocks about 90 million years old. After a gap of 10 million years, ceratopsids appeared in North America, where they thrived for the rest of the Cretaceous Period, from about 80 to 66 million years ago. They finally went extinct in the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/12/18/dinosaur-extinction-new-research-favors-volcanism-as-cause/\">catastrophic events that ended the Cretaceous\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i> fossils came from a “bonebed” that contained remains of at least four individuals. More than 200 fossils were retrieved from a space the size of a living room, excavated between 2011 and 2014. This is an unusually good record for an early American ceratopsid species, most of which are known from just a few fossil fragments. The collection has examples of most of the important bones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104384\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_quarry.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-104384\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_quarry-800x584.jpg\" alt=\"Wendiceratops quarry\" width=\"800\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_quarry.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/Wendiceratops_quarry-400x292.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i> quarry in southern Alberta. The diggers are standing at the level of the bonebed. Rock exposures like these have yielded thousands of dinosaur fossils in the U.S. and Canada. The Bay Area at this time was \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandgeology.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/shepherd-canyon-type-localities-of-oakland-rocks/\">deep underwater\u003c/a>. (Evans)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The most distinctive part of \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i> is its frill. The flaring top of the frill, or parietal bone, has several gently pointed spikes that flop forward like bangs. And the knobs along the sides and base of the frill lie in a line as even and consistent as a movie star’s teeth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104385\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-104385\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill-800x527.png\" alt=\"Frill bones of ceratopsids\" width=\"800\" height=\"527\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill-800x527.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill-400x263.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill-960x632.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/wendi-frill.png 1008w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The frill bones of \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i>, at center, consist of the central parietal bone and the two squamous bones below. Surrounding it are parietals of other ceratopsids: (left to right) \u003ci>Xenoceratops\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Centrosaurus\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Styracosaurus\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Achelosaurus\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Albertaceratops\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Pachyrhinosaurus\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Einiosaurus\u003c/i> and \u003ci>Diabloceratops\u003c/i>. (Evans/PLOS)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another feature of professional interest to Evans and Ryan is the nose horn, represented in the fossils by its bony core. (Until more fossils are found, we can only guess at the horn’s actual shape.) Their analysis shows that nose horns probably evolved at least two separate times in this line of dinosaurs. As in other cases of convergent evolution, the horns originated in different ways, but ended up looking the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Evans and Ryan note that \u003ci>Wendiceratops\u003c/i> shared the Cretaceous plains with several other ceratopsid species, such as \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albertaceratops\">\u003ci>Albertaceratops\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. This fits with the idea that the famous ornamented frills of the ceratopsids served to tell apart the different species, although they also may have helped the animals regulate their body temperature.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Shark Attack: Despite the Hype, Risk Along California Coast at All-Time Low",
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"content": "\u003cp>Ever since \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucMLFO6TsFM\">trailers for the 1975 blockbuster\u003c/a>, Jaws advised filmgoers to “See it before you go swimming,” shark attacks have lurked among America’s shared national nightmares. And this being Shark Week on cable TV, it’s easy to get caught up in a fear frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a new study shows that the risk of a shark bite for surfers, swimmers and divers in California has dropped by 91 percent over the past five decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California ocean-goers are safer today than at any other time since the 1950s,” says Francesco Ferretti, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station and lead author of the study to be published later this month in \u003ca href=\"http://www.frontiersinecology.org\">Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shark population sizes are one risk factor for an attack — but not the only one. That risk also depends on the number of humans in the water and how often people and sharks are in the same place at the same time. To see how this risk has changed, the scientists analyzed patterns of great white shark attacks in California since 1950.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Great white sharks are thought to have thrived in California’s waters over the last 60 years due to increased state and federal protections. But the human population on the coast has increased much faster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So has the number of surfers, divers and swimmers in the water. According to Ferretti’s estimates, about 112 million more people visited California’s beaches in 2013, compared to 1950.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though the absolute numbers of shark attacks have increased since 1950, when you consider the number of people that are engaged in ocean activity, you see that actually the expected number of attacks for the same amount of people [in the ocean] has declined,” explains Ferretti.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104857\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-104857\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"A great white shark approaches a kayaker. Although the total number of shark bites has increased since 1950, the individual risk has fallen by 91 percent.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A great white shark approaches a kayaker. Although the total number of shark bites has increased since 1950, the individual risk has fallen by 91 percent. \u003ccite>(C & M Fallows/SeaPics.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By his math, the odds of a shark biting a surfer in California is one in 17 million, and the chances of an attack on a swimmer is one in 738 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means a Californian is 1,800 times more likely to die from drowning at the beach than from a shark attack, according to statistics from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferretti says that sharks may be spending more time near colonies of their favorite prey: elephant seals and California sea lions. They could also be learning to avoid heavily populated areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>In the Spotlight\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big predators are important parts of any ecosystem. Like the famous wolves in Yellowstone, great white sharks are considered key species in the ocean. They help keep prey populations under control and help maintain a diverse community of plants and animals along the coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also rarely attack humans. But attacks always make the news. For example, North Carolina has already seen a record \u003ca href=\"http://abc11.com/news/marine-injured-in-8th-shark-attack-along-nc-coast/831239/\">eight shark bites\u003c/a> this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The breathless Shark Week coverage, which often seems contrived to \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">advance viewer ratings more than science\u003c/a>, contributes to the hype and fear around shark attacks. But sharks are actually wimps on the list of world’s deadliest animals. That list is dominated by mosquitos and the diseases they vector. Bill Gates has famously suggested that cable TV consider switching publicity to “\u003ca href=\"http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mosquito Week\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_106682\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-106682\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/1G9DBSe-400x431.jpg\" alt=\"Together, mosquito-borne diseases and humans kill over 100,000-times more people per year than sharks. \" width=\"400\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/1G9DBSe-400x431.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/1G9DBSe.jpg 627w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Together, mosquito-borne diseases and humans kill over 100,000-times more people per year than sharks. \u003ccite>(gatesnotes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Attacks in the news might spur efforts to eliminate sharks, but in most cases research has shown that these strategies don’t actually reduce the risk of shark bites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Ferretti says that people can minimize their risk of a shark bite by becoming more informed of when and where sharks are most likely to be near shore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your risk to be bitten is much higher if you go surfing in the fall than if you go and surf in the spring,” he explains. “This is really important, to empower people with the information they can use when they make their decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Murky Waters\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Conceptually, this is an interesting paper looking at a species that is potentially dangerous to humans,” says Douglas Long, a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences and Professor of biology at St. Mary’s College, who studies white shark ecology and conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Long cautions that we don’t yet have reliable estimates of California’s great white shark population sizes. He also says that obtaining more precise estimates of ocean use by people would give a clearer picture of the risk of shark attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Either way, shark attacks are really rare,” he adds. “You have a greater chance of being killed in a traffic accident on the way to the beach, or even of being attacked by someone’s dog at the beach.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Ever since \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucMLFO6TsFM\">trailers for the 1975 blockbuster\u003c/a>, Jaws advised filmgoers to “See it before you go swimming,” shark attacks have lurked among America’s shared national nightmares. And this being Shark Week on cable TV, it’s easy to get caught up in a fear frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a new study shows that the risk of a shark bite for surfers, swimmers and divers in California has dropped by 91 percent over the past five decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California ocean-goers are safer today than at any other time since the 1950s,” says Francesco Ferretti, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station and lead author of the study to be published later this month in \u003ca href=\"http://www.frontiersinecology.org\">Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shark population sizes are one risk factor for an attack — but not the only one. That risk also depends on the number of humans in the water and how often people and sharks are in the same place at the same time. To see how this risk has changed, the scientists analyzed patterns of great white shark attacks in California since 1950.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Great white sharks are thought to have thrived in California’s waters over the last 60 years due to increased state and federal protections. But the human population on the coast has increased much faster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So has the number of surfers, divers and swimmers in the water. According to Ferretti’s estimates, about 112 million more people visited California’s beaches in 2013, compared to 1950.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though the absolute numbers of shark attacks have increased since 1950, when you consider the number of people that are engaged in ocean activity, you see that actually the expected number of attacks for the same amount of people [in the ocean] has declined,” explains Ferretti.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_104857\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-104857\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"A great white shark approaches a kayaker. Although the total number of shark bites has increased since 1950, the individual risk has fallen by 91 percent.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/0175802-CMF-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A great white shark approaches a kayaker. Although the total number of shark bites has increased since 1950, the individual risk has fallen by 91 percent. \u003ccite>(C & M Fallows/SeaPics.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By his math, the odds of a shark biting a surfer in California is one in 17 million, and the chances of an attack on a swimmer is one in 738 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means a Californian is 1,800 times more likely to die from drowning at the beach than from a shark attack, according to statistics from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferretti says that sharks may be spending more time near colonies of their favorite prey: elephant seals and California sea lions. They could also be learning to avoid heavily populated areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>In the Spotlight\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big predators are important parts of any ecosystem. Like the famous wolves in Yellowstone, great white sharks are considered key species in the ocean. They help keep prey populations under control and help maintain a diverse community of plants and animals along the coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also rarely attack humans. But attacks always make the news. For example, North Carolina has already seen a record \u003ca href=\"http://abc11.com/news/marine-injured-in-8th-shark-attack-along-nc-coast/831239/\">eight shark bites\u003c/a> this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The breathless Shark Week coverage, which often seems contrived to \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">advance viewer ratings more than science\u003c/a>, contributes to the hype and fear around shark attacks. But sharks are actually wimps on the list of world’s deadliest animals. That list is dominated by mosquitos and the diseases they vector. Bill Gates has famously suggested that cable TV consider switching publicity to “\u003ca href=\"http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mosquito Week\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_106682\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-106682\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/1G9DBSe-400x431.jpg\" alt=\"Together, mosquito-borne diseases and humans kill over 100,000-times more people per year than sharks. \" width=\"400\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/1G9DBSe-400x431.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/07/1G9DBSe.jpg 627w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Together, mosquito-borne diseases and humans kill over 100,000-times more people per year than sharks. \u003ccite>(gatesnotes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Attacks in the news might spur efforts to eliminate sharks, but in most cases research has shown that these strategies don’t actually reduce the risk of shark bites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Ferretti says that people can minimize their risk of a shark bite by becoming more informed of when and where sharks are most likely to be near shore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your risk to be bitten is much higher if you go surfing in the fall than if you go and surf in the spring,” he explains. “This is really important, to empower people with the information they can use when they make their decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Murky Waters\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Conceptually, this is an interesting paper looking at a species that is potentially dangerous to humans,” says Douglas Long, a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences and Professor of biology at St. Mary’s College, who studies white shark ecology and conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Long cautions that we don’t yet have reliable estimates of California’s great white shark population sizes. He also says that obtaining more precise estimates of ocean use by people would give a clearer picture of the risk of shark attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Either way, shark attacks are really rare,” he adds. “You have a greater chance of being killed in a traffic accident on the way to the beach, or even of being attacked by someone’s dog at the beach.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"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",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
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}
},
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"id": "bbc-world-service",
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"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",
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"meta": {
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"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
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}
},
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
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},
"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",
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"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 />",
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"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": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
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},
"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",
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}
},
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"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",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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}
},
"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": {
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"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"
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},
"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.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"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.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"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.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"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": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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},
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"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": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"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",
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"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": {
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"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": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
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