window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"science_9484": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_9484",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9484",
"found": true
},
"parent": 9482,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/mantle.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1380560610,
"modified": 1380560610,
"caption": "A dissected female squid mantle showing iridescent and white stripes (right side of image). Credit: Daniel DeMartini",
"description": "A dissected female squid mantle showing iridescent and white stripes.",
"title": "mantle",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_9429": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_9429",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9429",
"found": true
},
"parent": 9413,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/DSC01010.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1380313340,
"modified": 1380313340,
"caption": "A hot spot smolders in the Rim Fire (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)",
"description": null,
"title": "SONY DSC",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_9305": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_9305",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9305",
"found": true
},
"parent": 9303,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/sea-otter-USGS-Tania-Larson-e1380924981778.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1380169352,
"modified": 1380169352,
"caption": "A sea otter swims in Monterey Bay, California. \n(Tania Larson/USGS)\n",
"description": null,
"title": "sea otter - USGS Tania Larson",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_9022": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_9022",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9022",
"found": true
},
"parent": 9014,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RightHand-e1379962777841.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1379523416,
"modified": 1379523416,
"caption": "A group of researchers may have found a new set of genes that help to explain why people are usually right handed. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.",
"description": null,
"title": "RightHand",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_9126": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_9126",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9126",
"found": true
},
"parent": 9066,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/NuneBrain-e1379719453180.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1379659285,
"modified": 1379659285,
"caption": null,
"description": null,
"title": "NuneBrain",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_8570": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_8570",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8570",
"found": true
},
"parent": 8537,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Puma-face-640x360.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1378948696,
"modified": 1378948696,
"caption": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Puma face 640x360",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_8644": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_8644",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8644",
"found": true
},
"parent": 8641,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Forsters_Tern_flying-e1379038664662.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1379005612,
"modified": 1379005612,
"caption": "Forster's Terns are commonly seen in the Bay Area fall through spring. Photo by Ingrid Taylar, Wikimedia Commons.",
"description": null,
"title": "800px-Forster's_Tern_flying",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_8176": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_8176",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8176",
"found": true
},
"parent": 8167,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Pitfall_Atari.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1378511006,
"modified": 1378511006,
"caption": "With personalized genomics, pitfalls in our imagination can become real insights into threats to our health.",
"description": null,
"title": "Pitfall_Atari",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_8311": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_8311",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8311",
"found": true
},
"parent": 8272,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/tigerswallowtail1-e1378760125578.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1378760106,
"modified": 1378760106,
"caption": "A tiger swallowtail lands in Yerba Buena Park. (Molly Samuel/KQED)",
"description": "A tiger swallowtail lands in Yerba Buena Park. (Molly Samuel/KQED)",
"title": "tigerswallowtail",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_8362": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_8362",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8362",
"found": true
},
"parent": 8281,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RS3906_immunization_baby-scr.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 360
}
},
"publishDate": 1378833367,
"modified": 1378833367,
"caption": null,
"description": "GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 03: A young boy receives a immunization jab at a health centre in Glasgow September 3, 2007 in Glasgow, Scotland. Medical experts still believe the MMR jab is safe and that the vaccine does not cause autism. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)",
"title": "GYI0000650631.jpg",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_8111": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_8111",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8111",
"found": true
},
"parent": 8108,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/AIDSquilt.jpg",
"width": 637,
"height": 351
}
},
"publishDate": 1378483182,
"modified": 1378483182,
"caption": "We will know in a few years if a new treatment will end up being a cure for AIDS. This image of the AIDS quilt is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.",
"description": null,
"title": "AIDSquilt",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"mollysamuel": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "200",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "200",
"found": true
},
"name": "Molly Samuel",
"firstName": "Molly",
"lastName": "Samuel",
"slug": "mollysamuel",
"email": "msamuel@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "Molly Samuel joined KQED as an intern in 2007, and since then has worked here as a reporter, producer, director and blogger. Before becoming KQED Science’s Multimedia Producer, she was a producer for Climate Watch. Molly has also reported for NPR, KALW and High Country News, and has produced audio stories for The Encyclopedia of Life and the Oakland Museum of California. She was a fellow with the Middlebury Fellowships in Environmental Journalism and a journalist-in-residence at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center. Molly has a degree in Ancient Greek from Oberlin College and is a co-founder of the record label True Panther Sounds.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6abd3b949a89fe5109fa9917631d0b6?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"edit_users",
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Molly Samuel | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6abd3b949a89fe5109fa9917631d0b6?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6abd3b949a89fe5109fa9917631d0b6?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/mollysamuel"
},
"amystanden": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "210",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "210",
"found": true
},
"name": "Amy Standen",
"firstName": "Amy",
"lastName": "Standen",
"slug": "amystanden",
"email": "astanden@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Amy Standen (@amystanden) is co-host of #\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap\">TheLeapPodcast\u003c/a> (subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher!) and host of KQED and PBSDigital Studios' science video series, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/user/KQEDDeepLook\">Deep Look\u003c/a>. Her science radio stories appear on KQED and NPR.\r\n\r\nEmail her at astanden@kqed.org",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3d021b72de685a788b0487b059d0a6a1?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": []
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Amy Standen | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3d021b72de685a788b0487b059d0a6a1?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3d021b72de685a788b0487b059d0a6a1?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/amystanden"
},
"laurensommer": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "239",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "239",
"found": true
},
"name": "Lauren Sommer",
"firstName": "Lauren",
"lastName": "Sommer",
"slug": "laurensommer",
"email": "lsommer@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Lauren is a radio reporter formerly covering environment, water, and energy for KQED Science. As part of her day job, she has scaled Sierra Nevada peaks, run from charging elephant seals, and desperately tried to get her sea legs - all in pursuit of good radio. Her work has appeared on Marketplace, Living on Earth, Science Friday and NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. You can find her on Twitter at \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/lesommer\">@lesommer\u003c/a>.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/33aa3772bb86c6ad45b8aca6a238bbdf?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor",
"manage_content_types",
"manage_taxonomies"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Lauren Sommer | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/33aa3772bb86c6ad45b8aca6a238bbdf?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/33aa3772bb86c6ad45b8aca6a238bbdf?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/laurensommer"
},
"dr-barry-starr": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6177",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6177",
"found": true
},
"name": "Dr. Barry Starr",
"firstName": "Dr. Barry",
"lastName": "Starr",
"slug": "dr-barry-starr",
"email": "bstarr@thetech.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Dr. Barry Starr (\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/geneticsboy\">@geneticsboy\u003c/a>) is a Geneticist-in-Residence at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA and runs their Stanford at The Tech program. The program is part of an ongoing collaboration between the \u003ca href=\"http://genetics.stanford.edu/\">Stanford Department of Genetics\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.thetech.org/\">The Tech Museum of Innovation\u003c/a>. Together these two partners created the \u003ca href=\"http://www.thetech.org/exhibits/permanent/index.php?sGalKey=gtwt&galKey=lt\">Genetics: Technology with a Twist\u003c/a> exhibition.\r\n\r\nYou can also see \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/author/dr-barry-starr/\">additional posts by Barry at KQED Science\u003c/a>, and read his \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/author/dr-barry-starr/\">previous contributions\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/\">QUEST\u003c/a>, a project dedicated to exploring the Science of Sustainability.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a5680e4c642ea0f0f3041af16018969?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "geneticsboy",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": []
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Dr. Barry Starr | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a5680e4c642ea0f0f3041af16018969?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a5680e4c642ea0f0f3041af16018969?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/dr-barry-starr"
},
"joshua-cassidy": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6219",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6219",
"found": true
},
"name": "Josh Cassidy",
"firstName": "Josh",
"lastName": "Cassidy",
"slug": "joshua-cassidy",
"email": "jcassidy@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"science"
],
"title": "Digital Video Producer",
"bio": "Josh is a Senior Video Producer for KQED Science, and the Lead Producer and Cinematographer for Deep Look. After receiving his BS in Wildlife Biology from Ohio University, he went on to participate in marine mammal research for NOAA, USGS and the Intersea Foundation. He also served as the president of The Pacific Cetacean Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching students K-6 about whales. Josh studied science and natural history filmmaking at San Francisco State University and Montana State University.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f2582a0801a35af53b734d56bcac2bbe?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"author",
"edit_others_posts"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Josh Cassidy | KQED",
"description": "Digital Video Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f2582a0801a35af53b734d56bcac2bbe?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f2582a0801a35af53b734d56bcac2bbe?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/joshua-cassidy"
},
"lizagross": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6322",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6322",
"found": true
},
"name": "Liza Gross",
"firstName": "Liza",
"lastName": "Gross",
"slug": "lizagross",
"email": "lizagross@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "Liza Gross, an award-winning independent journalist and senior editor at the biomedical journal PLOS Biology, writes mostly about conservation and public and environmental health. She was a 2013 recipient of the NYU Reporting Award, a 2013 Dennis Hunt Health Journalism fellow and a 2015 USC Data Journalism fellow.\r\n\r\nRead her \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/author/lizagross/\">previous contributions\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"science.kqed.org/quest/\">QUEST\u003c/a>, a project dedicated to exploring the Science of Sustainability.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1f7d36efc78088d63466cef5f10c4c7a?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Liza Gross | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1f7d36efc78088d63466cef5f10c4c7a?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1f7d36efc78088d63466cef5f10c4c7a?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/lizagross"
},
"dannastaaf": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6324",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6324",
"found": true
},
"name": "Danna Staaf",
"firstName": "Danna",
"lastName": "Staaf",
"slug": "dannastaaf",
"email": "dannajoy@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "Danna Staaf is a marine biologist, science writer, novelist, artist, and educator. She holds a PhD in Squid Babies from Stanford and a BA in Biology from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She helped found the outreach program \u003ca href=\"http://gilly.stanford.edu/outreach.html\">Squids4Kids\u003c/a>, illustrated \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/the-game-of-science\">The Game of Science\u003c/a>, and blogs at \u003ca href=\"http://www.science20.com/squid_day\">Science 2.0\u003c/a>. She lives in San Jose with her husband, daughter, and cats.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/62085c2562a0b91949bfd6ff7548082e?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Danna Staaf | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/62085c2562a0b91949bfd6ff7548082e?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/62085c2562a0b91949bfd6ff7548082e?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/dannastaaf"
},
"sharolembry": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6328",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6328",
"found": true
},
"name": "Sharol Nelson-Embry",
"firstName": "Sharol",
"lastName": "Nelson-Embry",
"slug": "sharolembry",
"email": "bobsharol@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "Sharol Nelson-Embry is the Supervising Naturalist at the Crab Cove Visitor Center & Aquarium on San Francisco Bay in Alameda. Crab Cove is part of the East Bay Regional Park District, one of the largest and oldest regional park agencies in the nation. She graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Natural Resources Management and an epiphany that connecting kids with nature was her destiny. She's been rooted in the Bay Area since 1991 after working at nature centers and outdoor science schools around our fair state. She loves the great variety of habitats stretching from the Bay shoreline to the redwoods, lakes, and hills. Sharol enjoys connecting people to nature with articles in local newspapers and online forums.\r\n\r\nRead her \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/author/sharolembry/\">previous contributions\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"http://http://science.kqed.org/quest/\">QUEST\u003c/a>, a project dedicated to exploring the Science of Sustainability.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e1d65f00eccde30de75fac778ead552d?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Sharol Nelson-Embry | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e1d65f00eccde30de75fac778ead552d?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e1d65f00eccde30de75fac778ead552d?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/sharolembry"
},
"acurry": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6444",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6444",
"found": true
},
"name": "Arwen Curry",
"firstName": "Arwen",
"lastName": "Curry",
"slug": "acurry",
"email": "acurry@KQED.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Arwen Curry is Associate Producer of TV at KQED Science. She comes to KQED from documentary film, and is director of \u003cem>Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin\u003c/em>, a feature documentary about the influential science fiction writer. She was Associate Producer of the films \u003cem>Regarding Susan Sontag\u003c/em>, \u003cem>American Jerusalem: Jews and the Making of San Francisco\u003c/em>, \u003cem>EAMES: The Architect & The Painter\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Utopia in Four Movements\u003c/em>, and co-produced and directed \u003cem>Stuffed\u003c/em>, a short film about compulsive hoarding. Arwen was editor of the punk magazine \u003cem>Maximum Rock 'n' Roll\u003c/em>, and has been a contributor to Radio Lab and McSweeney’s. She is a Bay Area native and a graduate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/59af0722ca76a9bcd9dd6da80e683e18?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": []
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"leadcoordinator",
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Arwen Curry | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/59af0722ca76a9bcd9dd6da80e683e18?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/59af0722ca76a9bcd9dd6da80e683e18?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/acurry"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"science_category_biology": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_30",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "30",
"score": 12.793592
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Biology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Biology Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32,
"slug": "biology",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Biology",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "science",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 43
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/science?category=biology",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 43
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"science_9482": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_9482",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9482",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1380639603000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1380639603,
"format": "aside",
"title": "A Squid’s Switchable Cells Offer Key to Camouflage",
"headTitle": "A Squid’s Switchable Cells Offer Key to Camouflage | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9484\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/mantle.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9484\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/mantle.jpg\" alt=\"A dissected female squid mantle showing iridescent and white stripes.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9484\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dissected female squid mantle showing iridescent and white stripes (right side of image). Credit: Daniel DeMartini\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Market squid are known in California as the state’s largest fishery and as the basis for those little fried calamari rings. \u003ca href=\"http://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/19/3733.abstract\" title=\"Dynamic biophotonics: female squid exhibit sexually dimorphic tunable leucophores and iridocytes\">New research\u003c/a>, published October 1 in the \u003cem>Journal of Experimental Biology\u003c/em>, shows that they may also have something to offer the engineering sector: skin cells that can switch between transparent and white. Humans could use these cells to develop new bio-inspired materials; squid probably use them for cross-dressing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bmse.ucsb.edu/profiles/demartini/\" title=\"Daniel DeMartini Graduate Student Researcher\">Danny DeMartini\u003c/a>, a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and lead author of the study, started out working on a kind of cell called an \u003cstrong>iridocyte\u003c/strong>. As the name implies, these cells produce iridescent colors, like beetle wings or a peacock tail. But squid iridocytes are adaptive–unlike other animals, the squid can actively control their hue and brightness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9486\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 236px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/iridocytes-236x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9486\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/iridocytes-236x162.jpg\" alt=\"Super-bright iridescent stripe in the skin of a female market squid.\" width=\"236\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9486\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Super-bright iridescent stripe in the skin of a female market squid. Credit: Daniel DeMartini\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>DeMartini’s work took a leap forward when he noticed that female market squid have an unusually bright stripe of iridocytes on each side of their body. The super-bright cells from this stripe were easier to study, and he was able to determine the specific proteins that permit adaptive color-changing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he noticed that the female squid also had a white stripe on their backs, composed of \u003cstrong>leucophores\u003c/strong>–a kind of skin cell that scientists always considered to be statically white. But DeMartini found that they contained the same proteins he’d identified in the iridocytes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went home fairly depressed that day,” he says. If these proteins were present in supposedly static cells, then how could they be the key to changing color, as he’d thought? “Then I began to wonder if leucophores are adaptive. And in fact they are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He went on to discover that leucophores and iridocytes use the same proteins in different ways. Iridocytes pack theirs into folds in the cell membrane. When the squid’s brain sends a signal, the proteins condense, drawing the folds closer. The distance between the folds determines the wavelength of light reflected, allowing iridocytes to “tune” their color from red to blue. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, leucophores keep their proteins in membrane-enclosed spheres of many sizes. Before the signal to condense, the proteins are too dispersed to reflect light, and the leucophore is transparent. After condensation, the assorted spheres reflect all available wavelengths, making the leucophore appear white.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9489\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 216px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/aggregation-216x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9489\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/aggregation-216x162.jpg\" alt=\"Market squid mating and spawning party. I mean aggregation.\" width=\"216\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9489\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Market squid mating and spawning party. I mean aggregation. Credit: \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/farhaven/\">Jesse Claggett\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Such sophisticated color-changing abilities tempt imitation. Military applications are particularly obvious, and indeed, DeMartini’s work is funded by a Navy grant, though he says, “I don’t think we’re going to be stapling squid skin to soldiers anytime soon.” He also points out that the principles being discovered could find use in fields such as \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_communication\" title=\"Optical Communication - Wikipedia\">optical communication\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What about applications for the squid themselves? Why are the switchable white cells only found in females? Definitive answers await behavioral studies, but DeMartini theorizes that the white and rainbow stripes together could mimic the appearance of a male squid’s testis. This option would give females a tool (ahem) for discouraging unwanted attention.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 562,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 11
},
"modified": 1704934949,
"excerpt": "New research shows that market squid may have something to offer the engineering sector: skin cells that can switch between transparent and white. Humans could use these cells to develop new bio-inspired materials; squid probably use them for cross-dressing.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "New research shows that market squid may have something to offer the engineering sector: skin cells that can switch between transparent and white. Humans could use these cells to develop new bio-inspired materials; squid probably use them for cross-dressing.",
"title": "A Squid’s Switchable Cells Offer Key to Camouflage | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "A Squid’s Switchable Cells Offer Key to Camouflage",
"datePublished": "2013-10-01T08:00:03-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:02:29-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "a-squids-switchable-cells-offer-key-to-camouflage",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/9482/a-squids-switchable-cells-offer-key-to-camouflage",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9484\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/mantle.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9484\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/mantle.jpg\" alt=\"A dissected female squid mantle showing iridescent and white stripes.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9484\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dissected female squid mantle showing iridescent and white stripes (right side of image). Credit: Daniel DeMartini\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Market squid are known in California as the state’s largest fishery and as the basis for those little fried calamari rings. \u003ca href=\"http://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/19/3733.abstract\" title=\"Dynamic biophotonics: female squid exhibit sexually dimorphic tunable leucophores and iridocytes\">New research\u003c/a>, published October 1 in the \u003cem>Journal of Experimental Biology\u003c/em>, shows that they may also have something to offer the engineering sector: skin cells that can switch between transparent and white. Humans could use these cells to develop new bio-inspired materials; squid probably use them for cross-dressing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bmse.ucsb.edu/profiles/demartini/\" title=\"Daniel DeMartini Graduate Student Researcher\">Danny DeMartini\u003c/a>, a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and lead author of the study, started out working on a kind of cell called an \u003cstrong>iridocyte\u003c/strong>. As the name implies, these cells produce iridescent colors, like beetle wings or a peacock tail. But squid iridocytes are adaptive–unlike other animals, the squid can actively control their hue and brightness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9486\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 236px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/iridocytes-236x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9486\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/iridocytes-236x162.jpg\" alt=\"Super-bright iridescent stripe in the skin of a female market squid.\" width=\"236\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9486\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Super-bright iridescent stripe in the skin of a female market squid. Credit: Daniel DeMartini\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>DeMartini’s work took a leap forward when he noticed that female market squid have an unusually bright stripe of iridocytes on each side of their body. The super-bright cells from this stripe were easier to study, and he was able to determine the specific proteins that permit adaptive color-changing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he noticed that the female squid also had a white stripe on their backs, composed of \u003cstrong>leucophores\u003c/strong>–a kind of skin cell that scientists always considered to be statically white. But DeMartini found that they contained the same proteins he’d identified in the iridocytes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went home fairly depressed that day,” he says. If these proteins were present in supposedly static cells, then how could they be the key to changing color, as he’d thought? “Then I began to wonder if leucophores are adaptive. And in fact they are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He went on to discover that leucophores and iridocytes use the same proteins in different ways. Iridocytes pack theirs into folds in the cell membrane. When the squid’s brain sends a signal, the proteins condense, drawing the folds closer. The distance between the folds determines the wavelength of light reflected, allowing iridocytes to “tune” their color from red to blue. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, leucophores keep their proteins in membrane-enclosed spheres of many sizes. Before the signal to condense, the proteins are too dispersed to reflect light, and the leucophore is transparent. After condensation, the assorted spheres reflect all available wavelengths, making the leucophore appear white.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9489\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 216px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/aggregation-216x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9489\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/aggregation-216x162.jpg\" alt=\"Market squid mating and spawning party. I mean aggregation.\" width=\"216\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9489\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Market squid mating and spawning party. I mean aggregation. Credit: \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/farhaven/\">Jesse Claggett\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Such sophisticated color-changing abilities tempt imitation. Military applications are particularly obvious, and indeed, DeMartini’s work is funded by a Navy grant, though he says, “I don’t think we’re going to be stapling squid skin to soldiers anytime soon.” He also points out that the principles being discovered could find use in fields such as \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_communication\" title=\"Optical Communication - Wikipedia\">optical communication\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What about applications for the squid themselves? Why are the switchable white cells only found in females? Definitive answers await behavioral studies, but DeMartini theorizes that the white and rainbow stripes together could mimic the appearance of a male squid’s testis. This option would give females a tool (ahem) for discouraging unwanted attention.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/9482/a-squids-switchable-cells-offer-key-to-camouflage",
"authors": [
"6324"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_89"
],
"tags": [
"science_767"
],
"featImg": "science_9484",
"label": "science"
},
"science_9413": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_9413",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9413",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1380322274000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1380322274,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Can Renewable Energy Reduce California's Fire Risk?",
"headTitle": "Can Renewable Energy Reduce California’s Fire Risk? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"audio-wrap\">\n\u003ch2>Listen:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>http://kqed02.streamguys.us/anon.kqed/radio/science/2013/09/2013-09-30-science.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9429\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/DSC01010.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9429\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/DSC01010.jpg\" alt=\"A hot spot smolders in the Rim Fire (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A hotspot smolders in the burn area of the Rim Fire. (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3660/\">Rim Fire\u003c/a>, still smoldering in Yosemite National Park, is expected to be fully contained on Tuesday, six weeks after it started. The record-breaking blaze is calling attention to California’s overloaded forests, stocked with fuel after a century of aggressively snuffing out fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reducing the fuel load acre-by-acre is costly and runs headlong into a decades-old environmental debate over forest management. Now, California is making a new push to use forest fuels in biomass energy power plants, part of the state’s ambitious renewable energy goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For U.S. Forest Service scientists assessing the Rim Fire damage on the ground, the case for tackling the fuel problem is becoming increasingly clear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Forests Like a “Teenager’s Room”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9425\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 350px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/rimfire-compare.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9425\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/rimfire-compare.jpg\" alt=\"CAPTION\" width=\"350\" height=\"547\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dense tree stand \u003cstrong>(above)\u003c/strong> after the Rim Fire. A tree stand just across the road \u003cstrong>(below)\u003c/strong> was previously thinned out and still has green pine needles. (Photos: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The trees we see here today aren’t going to make it,” says Forest Service Ecologist Carol Ewell, slogging through a foot of powdery, white ash amid seemingly endless stands of blackened tree trunks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trees in this part of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus/\">Stanislaus National Forest\u003c/a> are bare, with no pine needles and few branches remaining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We use the word, it was ‘torched,” Ewell says. “The fire went all the way up the crown.” About 40 percent of the vegetation in the fire burned at this kind of “high severity” and is unlikely to survive, according to Forest Service estimates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ewell and Stanislaus National Forest fire planner Shelly Crook are doing some “fire forensics,” cataloging the damage to assess how past fuel reduction projects fared in the blaze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dense trees in this stand, just three and four feet apart, remind Crook of a teenager’s bedroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What happens if you let him go three years without cleaning their room,” she offers. “You know what the room is going to look like. So that’s what the forest is — and the vacuum cleaner out here is fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically, the Sierra Nevada saw more low-intensity burns that cleared out the understory every 5-to-20 years. Ewell says that stopped nearly a century ago, when the Service instituted its legendary “10 ‘clock” policy, the goal of putting out any fire by 10 a.m. on the day after it was reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Forest Service dropped that policy 30 years ago, but the legacy is still visible on the landscape. The Rim Fire used small trees like ladders, climbing upwards to create high-intensity crown fires that commonly leave just charred trunks behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet, right across the road, it’s an entirely different scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">All the climate change modeling, everything predicts this kind of stuff to happen, and we have to do something about it.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“I can see some really bright green, healthy needles showing through this canopy,” Crook says, peering upward. The needles at the base of the trees are brown, but green becomes increasingly dense farther on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The difference between two the plots, Crook says, is that one side of the road had been thinned out. The small trees were removed, leaving 10 to 20 feet of space between the larger trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s painfully obvious to me when you look at this,” she says. “This makes sense; the fire didn’t do as much here. The forest is in better condition here and it might survive it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bigger, Hotter Fires\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Rim Fire is like a wake-up call,” says Hugh Safford, regional ecologist for the Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is only the latest of a series of really big fires that we’ve been seeing, bigger and bigger and bigger over the last 25, 30 years,” he says. “All the climate change modeling, everything predicts this kind of stuff to happen, and we have to do something about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Safford says the best way to reduce forest fuels is to restore fire as a natural process. Forest managers have the option to allow some naturally caused fires to burn in remote areas or if they pose little threat of spreading. Fire officials saw the benefit of so-called “wildland fire use” when the Rim Fire slowed down as it hit areas inside the park boundary that had recently burned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9418\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 324px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RimFuels-1024x787.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-9418\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RimFuels-1024x787.jpg\" alt=\"CAPTION\" width=\"324\" height=\"249\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cstrong>Click to Enlarge\u003c/strong> – Map showing previous fuel treatment projects around Rim Fire over past 12 years by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. Includes prescribed fire, thinning (mechanical) and naturally caused fires allowed to burn (wildland fire use). (Source: Stanislaus National Forest)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Making the decision to let it burn is often more challenging for the Forest Service than for the National Park Service. National forests are often closer to developed areas and the agency juggles a number of internal priorities, including recreation, timber sales and hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have all the towns,” says Safford. “We have all the utility corridors. We have all the private inholdings. We’re a multiple-use agency.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Closer to development, the Forest Service focuses on prescribed burns and forest thinning, where small trees are taken out with machinery. It’s expensive work, running in the hundreds to thousands of dollars per acre. Only about 8 percent of national forest land within the Rim Fire perimeter had been treated in some way over the last 12 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just simply that the federal government dumps a whole bunch of money on a landscape and we do the work,” says Safford. “It’s done by private contractors almost always. They have to make some kind of a profit or the work doesn’t get done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contractors make their profit on the few trees that are big enough to use for lumber. But most of the material is too small, so it’s usually piled up and burned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Renewable Energy in the Forest\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People like Brett Storey say there’s a better way to handle forest material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What you’re seeing right here, this is where the facility would be,” he says, pointing to a lot next to Placer County’s recycling facility, about ten miles northwest of Lake Tahoe. His hope is that next year, it will be the \u003ca href=\"http://www.placer.ca.gov/news/2012/july/cabin%20creek\">Cabin Creek Biomass Facility\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whole towns get heated like this in Scandinavian counties,” he says. The power plant would be small compared to its fossil-fuel cousins, around 2 megawatts, enough electricity for about 1,500 homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The facility would run on wood and scrap that’s normally piled and burned during forest thinning operations in the area. Storey says the Forest Service produces a ready supply within 30 miles of where we stand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9440\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 326px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Mike-McMillan-USFS.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9440\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Mike-McMillan-USFS.jpg\" alt=\"(Photo: Mike McMillan, USFS)\" width=\"326\" height=\"253\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At more than a quarter-million acres, the Rim Fire is the largest Sierra Nevada fire in recorded history. (Photo: Mike McMillan, USFS)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I kind of joke around – they have this ten-year plan and I call it my super-size menu because it shows what years, how much acreage and how much material they’re going to be taking out,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Storey calls it a win-win: the local utility gets renewable energy and the money helps the Forest Service reduce fuels on more land. “It has the potential to solve multiple issues,” he says. “It can help with the fire. It can help with renewable energy. It can help with the air emissions from burning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is trying to jump-start the market for similar projects. Last year, the legislature passed \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Renewables/hot/SB_1122_Bioenergy_Feed-in_Tariff.htm\">SB 1122\u003c/a>, a bill that requires the state’s largest electric utilities to purchase 50 megawatts of power from small biomass plants that run on forestry material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could add 15 to 20 new biomass projects in the state. The electricity is likely to be much more expensive than solar and wind power, but unlike those sources, provides a constant “baseload” supply. The California Public Utilities Commission is currently setting up conditions for the power contracts, which must be approved by the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It helps us do more with the same amount of money,” says Larry Swan, a biomass utilization specialist with the Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having a market for small forest materials could help the Forest Service treat 10-20 percent more acres, he says, if the power plant is within 30 miles. Beyond that radius, the cost of transporting and trucking materials often makes biomass projects uneconomical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Biomass Opposition Emerges\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Because [biomass plants] are relatively new, people are a little afraid of them.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“You know it’s funny, renewable energy – everyone says they like it,” Storey says. “But because [biomass plants] are relatively new, people are a little afraid of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Cabin Creek project was originally proposed for a site in Kings Beach, closer to Lake Tahoe, but the local community was fiercely opposed. Environmental groups also took a stand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can call it thinning, but thinning is really logging,” says Kevin Bundy of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/\">Center for Biological Diversity\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You have to build roads and skid trails and landings,” he says. “There can be a fair amount of environmental damage associated with thinning operations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bundy says biomass power plants would only add pressure to thin, when fire should be used to reduce the fuel load instead. “When you install brand new energy infrastructure that requires a continuous 24/7 supply of fuel, that creates a demand,” he says. “That demand is going to affect the management of the forest in the immediately surrounding areas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9441\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 311px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Ewell.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9441\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Ewell.jpg\" alt=\"Forest Service ecologist Carol Ewell surveys the Rim Fire damage. (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\" width=\"311\" height=\"353\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Forest Service ecologist Carol Ewell surveys the Rim Fire damage. (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then there’s question of climate change – whether the carbon currently stored in the forest goes into the atmosphere or stays in the trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As they grow, they will continue to take carbon out of the atmosphere,” he says. “When you cut those trees down and burn them for bioenergy, you put all that carbon into the atmosphere where it warms the climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New trees will eventually reabsorb that carbon, but Bundy says the climate can’t afford even a short-term increase in emissions. The Center for Biological Diversity opposed the Cabin Creek project, though the group entered into negotiations with Placer County. Bundy is currently opposing a similar project proposed for North Fork in Madera County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the remains of the Rim Fire, signs of life are appearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ants survive!” exclaims Shelly Crook, spotting an ant colony emerging through the layer of ash. Recovery will take decades, she says, but she’s hoping the lessons from the Rim Fire will be taken to heart long before then.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1889,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 49
},
"modified": 1704934958,
"excerpt": "The Rim Fire is calling attention to a big problem: California’s forests are overloaded with fuel after a century of putting out fires. There’s a new push to use that fuel to make renewable energy, but it's sparked a heated debate. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The Rim Fire is calling attention to a big problem: California’s forests are overloaded with fuel after a century of putting out fires. There’s a new push to use that fuel to make renewable energy, but it's sparked a heated debate. ",
"title": "Can Renewable Energy Reduce California's Fire Risk? | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Can Renewable Energy Reduce California's Fire Risk?",
"datePublished": "2013-09-27T15:51:14-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:02:38-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "can-renewable-energy-reduce-californias-fire-risk",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "http://kqed02.streamguys.us/anon.kqed/radio/science/2013/09/2013-09-30-science.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/9413/can-renewable-energy-reduce-californias-fire-risk",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cdiv class=\"audio-wrap\">\n\u003ch2>Listen:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>http://kqed02.streamguys.us/anon.kqed/radio/science/2013/09/2013-09-30-science.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9429\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/DSC01010.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9429\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/DSC01010.jpg\" alt=\"A hot spot smolders in the Rim Fire (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A hotspot smolders in the burn area of the Rim Fire. (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3660/\">Rim Fire\u003c/a>, still smoldering in Yosemite National Park, is expected to be fully contained on Tuesday, six weeks after it started. The record-breaking blaze is calling attention to California’s overloaded forests, stocked with fuel after a century of aggressively snuffing out fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reducing the fuel load acre-by-acre is costly and runs headlong into a decades-old environmental debate over forest management. Now, California is making a new push to use forest fuels in biomass energy power plants, part of the state’s ambitious renewable energy goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For U.S. Forest Service scientists assessing the Rim Fire damage on the ground, the case for tackling the fuel problem is becoming increasingly clear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Forests Like a “Teenager’s Room”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9425\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 350px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/rimfire-compare.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9425\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/rimfire-compare.jpg\" alt=\"CAPTION\" width=\"350\" height=\"547\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dense tree stand \u003cstrong>(above)\u003c/strong> after the Rim Fire. A tree stand just across the road \u003cstrong>(below)\u003c/strong> was previously thinned out and still has green pine needles. (Photos: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The trees we see here today aren’t going to make it,” says Forest Service Ecologist Carol Ewell, slogging through a foot of powdery, white ash amid seemingly endless stands of blackened tree trunks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trees in this part of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus/\">Stanislaus National Forest\u003c/a> are bare, with no pine needles and few branches remaining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We use the word, it was ‘torched,” Ewell says. “The fire went all the way up the crown.” About 40 percent of the vegetation in the fire burned at this kind of “high severity” and is unlikely to survive, according to Forest Service estimates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ewell and Stanislaus National Forest fire planner Shelly Crook are doing some “fire forensics,” cataloging the damage to assess how past fuel reduction projects fared in the blaze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dense trees in this stand, just three and four feet apart, remind Crook of a teenager’s bedroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What happens if you let him go three years without cleaning their room,” she offers. “You know what the room is going to look like. So that’s what the forest is — and the vacuum cleaner out here is fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically, the Sierra Nevada saw more low-intensity burns that cleared out the understory every 5-to-20 years. Ewell says that stopped nearly a century ago, when the Service instituted its legendary “10 ‘clock” policy, the goal of putting out any fire by 10 a.m. on the day after it was reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Forest Service dropped that policy 30 years ago, but the legacy is still visible on the landscape. The Rim Fire used small trees like ladders, climbing upwards to create high-intensity crown fires that commonly leave just charred trunks behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet, right across the road, it’s an entirely different scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">All the climate change modeling, everything predicts this kind of stuff to happen, and we have to do something about it.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“I can see some really bright green, healthy needles showing through this canopy,” Crook says, peering upward. The needles at the base of the trees are brown, but green becomes increasingly dense farther on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The difference between two the plots, Crook says, is that one side of the road had been thinned out. The small trees were removed, leaving 10 to 20 feet of space between the larger trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s painfully obvious to me when you look at this,” she says. “This makes sense; the fire didn’t do as much here. The forest is in better condition here and it might survive it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bigger, Hotter Fires\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Rim Fire is like a wake-up call,” says Hugh Safford, regional ecologist for the Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is only the latest of a series of really big fires that we’ve been seeing, bigger and bigger and bigger over the last 25, 30 years,” he says. “All the climate change modeling, everything predicts this kind of stuff to happen, and we have to do something about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Safford says the best way to reduce forest fuels is to restore fire as a natural process. Forest managers have the option to allow some naturally caused fires to burn in remote areas or if they pose little threat of spreading. Fire officials saw the benefit of so-called “wildland fire use” when the Rim Fire slowed down as it hit areas inside the park boundary that had recently burned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9418\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 324px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RimFuels-1024x787.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-9418\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RimFuels-1024x787.jpg\" alt=\"CAPTION\" width=\"324\" height=\"249\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cstrong>Click to Enlarge\u003c/strong> – Map showing previous fuel treatment projects around Rim Fire over past 12 years by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. Includes prescribed fire, thinning (mechanical) and naturally caused fires allowed to burn (wildland fire use). (Source: Stanislaus National Forest)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Making the decision to let it burn is often more challenging for the Forest Service than for the National Park Service. National forests are often closer to developed areas and the agency juggles a number of internal priorities, including recreation, timber sales and hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have all the towns,” says Safford. “We have all the utility corridors. We have all the private inholdings. We’re a multiple-use agency.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Closer to development, the Forest Service focuses on prescribed burns and forest thinning, where small trees are taken out with machinery. It’s expensive work, running in the hundreds to thousands of dollars per acre. Only about 8 percent of national forest land within the Rim Fire perimeter had been treated in some way over the last 12 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just simply that the federal government dumps a whole bunch of money on a landscape and we do the work,” says Safford. “It’s done by private contractors almost always. They have to make some kind of a profit or the work doesn’t get done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contractors make their profit on the few trees that are big enough to use for lumber. But most of the material is too small, so it’s usually piled up and burned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Renewable Energy in the Forest\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People like Brett Storey say there’s a better way to handle forest material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What you’re seeing right here, this is where the facility would be,” he says, pointing to a lot next to Placer County’s recycling facility, about ten miles northwest of Lake Tahoe. His hope is that next year, it will be the \u003ca href=\"http://www.placer.ca.gov/news/2012/july/cabin%20creek\">Cabin Creek Biomass Facility\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whole towns get heated like this in Scandinavian counties,” he says. The power plant would be small compared to its fossil-fuel cousins, around 2 megawatts, enough electricity for about 1,500 homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The facility would run on wood and scrap that’s normally piled and burned during forest thinning operations in the area. Storey says the Forest Service produces a ready supply within 30 miles of where we stand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9440\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 326px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Mike-McMillan-USFS.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9440\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Mike-McMillan-USFS.jpg\" alt=\"(Photo: Mike McMillan, USFS)\" width=\"326\" height=\"253\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At more than a quarter-million acres, the Rim Fire is the largest Sierra Nevada fire in recorded history. (Photo: Mike McMillan, USFS)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I kind of joke around – they have this ten-year plan and I call it my super-size menu because it shows what years, how much acreage and how much material they’re going to be taking out,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Storey calls it a win-win: the local utility gets renewable energy and the money helps the Forest Service reduce fuels on more land. “It has the potential to solve multiple issues,” he says. “It can help with the fire. It can help with renewable energy. It can help with the air emissions from burning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is trying to jump-start the market for similar projects. Last year, the legislature passed \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Renewables/hot/SB_1122_Bioenergy_Feed-in_Tariff.htm\">SB 1122\u003c/a>, a bill that requires the state’s largest electric utilities to purchase 50 megawatts of power from small biomass plants that run on forestry material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could add 15 to 20 new biomass projects in the state. The electricity is likely to be much more expensive than solar and wind power, but unlike those sources, provides a constant “baseload” supply. The California Public Utilities Commission is currently setting up conditions for the power contracts, which must be approved by the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It helps us do more with the same amount of money,” says Larry Swan, a biomass utilization specialist with the Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having a market for small forest materials could help the Forest Service treat 10-20 percent more acres, he says, if the power plant is within 30 miles. Beyond that radius, the cost of transporting and trucking materials often makes biomass projects uneconomical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Biomass Opposition Emerges\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Because [biomass plants] are relatively new, people are a little afraid of them.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“You know it’s funny, renewable energy – everyone says they like it,” Storey says. “But because [biomass plants] are relatively new, people are a little afraid of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Cabin Creek project was originally proposed for a site in Kings Beach, closer to Lake Tahoe, but the local community was fiercely opposed. Environmental groups also took a stand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can call it thinning, but thinning is really logging,” says Kevin Bundy of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/\">Center for Biological Diversity\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You have to build roads and skid trails and landings,” he says. “There can be a fair amount of environmental damage associated with thinning operations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bundy says biomass power plants would only add pressure to thin, when fire should be used to reduce the fuel load instead. “When you install brand new energy infrastructure that requires a continuous 24/7 supply of fuel, that creates a demand,” he says. “That demand is going to affect the management of the forest in the immediately surrounding areas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9441\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 311px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Ewell.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9441\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Ewell.jpg\" alt=\"Forest Service ecologist Carol Ewell surveys the Rim Fire damage. (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\" width=\"311\" height=\"353\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Forest Service ecologist Carol Ewell surveys the Rim Fire damage. (Photo: Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then there’s question of climate change – whether the carbon currently stored in the forest goes into the atmosphere or stays in the trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As they grow, they will continue to take carbon out of the atmosphere,” he says. “When you cut those trees down and burn them for bioenergy, you put all that carbon into the atmosphere where it warms the climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New trees will eventually reabsorb that carbon, but Bundy says the climate can’t afford even a short-term increase in emissions. The Center for Biological Diversity opposed the Cabin Creek project, though the group entered into negotiations with Placer County. Bundy is currently opposing a similar project proposed for North Fork in Madera County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the remains of the Rim Fire, signs of life are appearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ants survive!” exclaims Shelly Crook, spotting an ant colony emerging through the layer of ash. Recovery will take decades, she says, but she’s hoping the lessons from the Rim Fire will be taken to heart long before then.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/9413/can-renewable-energy-reduce-californias-fire-risk",
"authors": [
"239"
],
"categories": [
"science_46",
"science_30",
"science_33",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_43"
],
"tags": [
"science_765",
"science_112",
"science_762",
"science_763",
"science_64",
"science_140",
"science_607",
"science_159"
],
"featImg": "science_9429",
"label": "science"
},
"science_9303": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_9303",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9303",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1380294054000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1380294054,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Can Sea Otters Make a Comeback in the San Francisco Bay?",
"headTitle": "Can Sea Otters Make a Comeback in the San Francisco Bay? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9305\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/sea-otter-USGS-Tania-Larson-1024x680.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-9305\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/sea-otter-USGS-Tania-Larson-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"A sea otter swims in Monterey Bay, California. Image Credit: Tania Larson/USGS\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sea otter swims in Monterey Bay, California.\u003cbr>Image Credit: Tania Larson/USGS\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Imagine sea otters drifting and diving in San Francisco Bay and swimming in the abundant pickleweed of the salt marshes surrounding its waters. Up until the early-1800s, that would have been a common sight. They’ve been long gone in our area, since the 1840s when fur hunters trapped the last of the surviving bay population around Corte Madera Creek. A remnant population, discovered near Big Sur in 1938, has been slowly expanding from an estimated 50 otters. Southern sea otter populations span from east of northern Santa Barbara to around Pigeon Point, and includes a small population on San Nicolas — the westernmost of the Channel Islands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9311\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 252px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/seaotterrange-252x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9311\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9311\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/seaotterrange-252x162.jpg\" alt=\"Sea otter range map. Image courtesy of Friends of the Sea Otter\" width=\"252\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sea otter range map. Image courtesy of Friends of the Sea Otter\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The annual \u003ca title=\"2013 Annual Sea Otter Population Census, USGS\" href=\"http://www.werc.usgs.gov/ProjectSubWebPage.aspx?SubWebPageID=23&ProjectID=91\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Southern sea otter population count\u003c/a>, just released, showed a complex but hopeful trend. The population appears to be increasing slightly overall, but it still hovers below the level needed to delist the federally threatened species. The southernmost population appears to have the highest mortality from great white shark bites. They’re not eating them, just tasting, but the otters can’t survive a bite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The largest population, in Elkhorn Slough on Monterey Bay, is the object of a \u003ca title=\"Elkhorn Slough Sea Otter Study, USGS\" href=\"http://www.werc.usgs.gov/project.aspx?projectid=255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new study\u003c/a> by UC Santa Cruz professor Tim Tinker of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and a team of scientists from a collaboration of agencies and non-profit organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Tinker commented, “Otters are an important species to study. They’re an apex predator and have a direct bearing on the health of the ecosystem.” The preliminary data from the Elkhorn Slough otter study reveals some interesting information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tinker stated, “In the the slough, otters’ primary foods are crabs, clams and worms, as well as snails and other benthic species. The data so far noted that areas in the slough populated by otters had \u003ca title=\"Sea Otters & Seagrass beds, UCSC news\" href=\"http://news.ucsc.edu/2013/08/sea-otters-seagrass.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">healthier seagrass beds\u003c/a>. Since with fewer crabs, the isopods and sea slugs could graze the algae off the grass, promoting better seagrass growth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wondered about otter behavior in the slough compared to kelp beds. He said instead of anchoring themselves and their pups to the kelp, otters in the slough use pickleweed or float in secluded, sheltered channels of the marsh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sea otters,” he added, “also act as an indicator species, a watery “canary in a coalmine” for environmental toxins that might affect human health. We eat many of the same sea creatures as otters, so toxins in their food may also be present in ours.” Watch this \u003ca title=\"Land-Sea Interface and Sea Otter Health\" href=\"http://vimeo.com/40683830#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video\u003c/a> about an environmental contaminant that was killing sea otters that started at Pinto Lake in Monterey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9306\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 216px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/IMG_0148-216x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9306\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/IMG_0148-216x162.jpg\" alt=\"Veterinarians from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife examine a sedated wild sea otter, performing important health checkups and taking biopsies to study on this threatened species.Image Credit: Ben Young Landis/USGS\" width=\"216\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Veterinarians from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife examine a sedated wild sea otter, performing important health checkups and taking biopsies to study on this threatened species.\u003cbr>Image Credit: Ben Young Landis/USGS\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Elkhorn Slough study will track individual otters over the next couple of years to gain a more complete and deeper understanding of the estuarine population. Scientists use dip nets to capture sea otters along with other methods. Here’s a \u003ca title=\"Elkhorn Slough dip net capture video, Sept. 19, 2013\" href=\"https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2hmEiqwfIrHLXBHRlZaUzdTd1k&usp=sharing#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video\u003c/a> of the scientists capturing an otter at Elkhorn Slough on Sept. 19, 2013 (courtesy of CA Department of Fish & Wildlife). Perhaps this will ultimately help scientists understand and better inform resource managers about how to bring the sea otters back to their historic range, which might eventually mean we could enjoy them again in our own estuary: the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can learn more about how you can help sea otters at the \u003ca title=\"Friends of the Sea Otter website\" href=\"http://www.seaotters.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friends of the Sea Otters\u003c/a> website. Test your otter counting skills on the USGS website for educators with the \u003ca title=\"Otter Spotter Game, USGS Educators webpage\" href=\"http://www.werc.usgs.gov/ProjectSubWebPage.aspx?SubWebPageID=5&ProjectID=91\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“Otter Spotter” game\u003c/a>. You can also enjoy the newly launched \u003ca title=\"Elkhorn Slough Sea Otter Cam, Friends of the Sea Otters website\" href=\"http://www.seaotters.org/yampah-island-program/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">otter camera\u003c/a> (during daytime hours) and observe otters at rest and play in Elkhorn Slough. Many of them are females and pups. Mostly, though, you can help sea otters by appreciating and protecting the amazing natural environments and land-sea interfaces we share.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 714,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 11
},
"modified": 1704934965,
"excerpt": "Sea otters once inhabited the San Francisco Bay. Learn about a new study at Elkhorn Slough that holds some hope for re-establishing otters in our estuary someday.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Sea otters once inhabited the San Francisco Bay. Learn about a new study at Elkhorn Slough that holds some hope for re-establishing otters in our estuary someday.",
"title": "Can Sea Otters Make a Comeback in the San Francisco Bay? | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Can Sea Otters Make a Comeback in the San Francisco Bay?",
"datePublished": "2013-09-27T08:00:54-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:02:45-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "can-sea-otters-make-a-comeback-in-the-san-francisco-bay",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/9303/can-sea-otters-make-a-comeback-in-the-san-francisco-bay",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9305\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/sea-otter-USGS-Tania-Larson-1024x680.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-9305\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/sea-otter-USGS-Tania-Larson-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"A sea otter swims in Monterey Bay, California. Image Credit: Tania Larson/USGS\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sea otter swims in Monterey Bay, California.\u003cbr>Image Credit: Tania Larson/USGS\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Imagine sea otters drifting and diving in San Francisco Bay and swimming in the abundant pickleweed of the salt marshes surrounding its waters. Up until the early-1800s, that would have been a common sight. They’ve been long gone in our area, since the 1840s when fur hunters trapped the last of the surviving bay population around Corte Madera Creek. A remnant population, discovered near Big Sur in 1938, has been slowly expanding from an estimated 50 otters. Southern sea otter populations span from east of northern Santa Barbara to around Pigeon Point, and includes a small population on San Nicolas — the westernmost of the Channel Islands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9311\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 252px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/seaotterrange-252x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9311\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9311\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/seaotterrange-252x162.jpg\" alt=\"Sea otter range map. Image courtesy of Friends of the Sea Otter\" width=\"252\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sea otter range map. Image courtesy of Friends of the Sea Otter\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The annual \u003ca title=\"2013 Annual Sea Otter Population Census, USGS\" href=\"http://www.werc.usgs.gov/ProjectSubWebPage.aspx?SubWebPageID=23&ProjectID=91\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Southern sea otter population count\u003c/a>, just released, showed a complex but hopeful trend. The population appears to be increasing slightly overall, but it still hovers below the level needed to delist the federally threatened species. The southernmost population appears to have the highest mortality from great white shark bites. They’re not eating them, just tasting, but the otters can’t survive a bite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The largest population, in Elkhorn Slough on Monterey Bay, is the object of a \u003ca title=\"Elkhorn Slough Sea Otter Study, USGS\" href=\"http://www.werc.usgs.gov/project.aspx?projectid=255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new study\u003c/a> by UC Santa Cruz professor Tim Tinker of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and a team of scientists from a collaboration of agencies and non-profit organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Tinker commented, “Otters are an important species to study. They’re an apex predator and have a direct bearing on the health of the ecosystem.” The preliminary data from the Elkhorn Slough otter study reveals some interesting information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tinker stated, “In the the slough, otters’ primary foods are crabs, clams and worms, as well as snails and other benthic species. The data so far noted that areas in the slough populated by otters had \u003ca title=\"Sea Otters & Seagrass beds, UCSC news\" href=\"http://news.ucsc.edu/2013/08/sea-otters-seagrass.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">healthier seagrass beds\u003c/a>. Since with fewer crabs, the isopods and sea slugs could graze the algae off the grass, promoting better seagrass growth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wondered about otter behavior in the slough compared to kelp beds. He said instead of anchoring themselves and their pups to the kelp, otters in the slough use pickleweed or float in secluded, sheltered channels of the marsh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sea otters,” he added, “also act as an indicator species, a watery “canary in a coalmine” for environmental toxins that might affect human health. We eat many of the same sea creatures as otters, so toxins in their food may also be present in ours.” Watch this \u003ca title=\"Land-Sea Interface and Sea Otter Health\" href=\"http://vimeo.com/40683830#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video\u003c/a> about an environmental contaminant that was killing sea otters that started at Pinto Lake in Monterey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9306\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 216px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/IMG_0148-216x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9306\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/IMG_0148-216x162.jpg\" alt=\"Veterinarians from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife examine a sedated wild sea otter, performing important health checkups and taking biopsies to study on this threatened species.Image Credit: Ben Young Landis/USGS\" width=\"216\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Veterinarians from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife examine a sedated wild sea otter, performing important health checkups and taking biopsies to study on this threatened species.\u003cbr>Image Credit: Ben Young Landis/USGS\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Elkhorn Slough study will track individual otters over the next couple of years to gain a more complete and deeper understanding of the estuarine population. Scientists use dip nets to capture sea otters along with other methods. Here’s a \u003ca title=\"Elkhorn Slough dip net capture video, Sept. 19, 2013\" href=\"https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2hmEiqwfIrHLXBHRlZaUzdTd1k&usp=sharing#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video\u003c/a> of the scientists capturing an otter at Elkhorn Slough on Sept. 19, 2013 (courtesy of CA Department of Fish & Wildlife). Perhaps this will ultimately help scientists understand and better inform resource managers about how to bring the sea otters back to their historic range, which might eventually mean we could enjoy them again in our own estuary: the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can learn more about how you can help sea otters at the \u003ca title=\"Friends of the Sea Otter website\" href=\"http://www.seaotters.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friends of the Sea Otters\u003c/a> website. Test your otter counting skills on the USGS website for educators with the \u003ca title=\"Otter Spotter Game, USGS Educators webpage\" href=\"http://www.werc.usgs.gov/ProjectSubWebPage.aspx?SubWebPageID=5&ProjectID=91\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“Otter Spotter” game\u003c/a>. You can also enjoy the newly launched \u003ca title=\"Elkhorn Slough Sea Otter Cam, Friends of the Sea Otters website\" href=\"http://www.seaotters.org/yampah-island-program/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">otter camera\u003c/a> (during daytime hours) and observe otters at rest and play in Elkhorn Slough. Many of them are females and pups. Mostly, though, you can help sea otters by appreciating and protecting the amazing natural environments and land-sea interfaces we share.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/9303/can-sea-otters-make-a-comeback-in-the-san-francisco-bay",
"authors": [
"6328"
],
"categories": [
"science_30"
],
"tags": [
"science_208"
],
"featImg": "science_9305",
"label": "science"
},
"science_9014": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_9014",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9014",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1379948434000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1379948434,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Why Are So Many People Right-Handed? Genetic Research May Hold The Clues",
"headTitle": "Why Are So Many People Right-Handed? Genetic Research May Hold The Clues | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9022\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RightHand.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9022\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9022\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RightHand.jpg\" alt=\"A group of researchers may have found a new set of genes that help to explain why people are usually right handed. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"640\" height=\"388\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of researchers may have found a new set of genes that help to explain why people are usually right-handed. Image courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Human-Hands-Front-Back.jpg\">Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists have struggled for a long time to explain why 85-90% of people are right-handed. They’ve known genetics plays an important role in people occasionally ending up left-handed, but they also know it is not the whole story. The consensus appears to be that around 25% of handedness can be explained by genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, there is a big difference between knowing genetics is involved and identifying the actual genes. But now it looks like scientists may finally be starting to make some progress in identifying some of these handedness genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1003751#s3\">new study\u003c/a> looking at people with dyslexia, researchers found that genes involved in making our brains and bodies have a distinct left and right side may also be involved in handedness too. If these genes are really important for handedness, then they may also provide an explanation for why most people are right-handed—because language and handedness evolved together, hand in hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were hints in earlier research that this might be the case. Speech is housed in the left part of the brain in 95% of right-handed people but only 70% of left-handed people. Clearly there is a connection but it is by no means the whole story as only 30% of lefties use the right side of their brain for language.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9025\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Spandrel.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9025\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9025\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Spandrel.jpg\" alt=\"Right handedness might have been a useful side effect of evolution sort of like this beautiful spandrel. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"200\" height=\"253\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Right-handedness might have been a useful side effect of evolution sort of like this beautiful spandrel. Image courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/SpandrelFiguresDC1.jpg\">Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So one way to think about right-handedness is that it is simply a side effect of language development (an \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spandrel_(biology)\">evolutionary spandrel\u003c/a>). Sort of like our big brains possibly being a \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/us/less-jaw-big-brain-evolution-milestone-laid-to-gene-flaw.html\">side effect of the smaller jaws\u003c/a> we needed once we changed our diet. If this is the case, then there is no need to invoke some disadvantage to being a lefty. (And no, it is an \u003ca href=\"http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-myths/201303/three-myths-and-three-facts-about-left-handers\">urban myth that lefties die early\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course the coevolution of language and handedness is just a theory at this point. There are definitely other theories that claim that being a lefty was an evolutionary disadvantage. For example, \u003ca href=\"http://www.livescience.com/19968-study-reveals-lefties-rare.html\">one group proposed that lefties are rare\u003c/a> because being left-handed impedes cooperation. Since humans do best with a lot of cooperation, most of us would favor one hand over the other. In this scenario we could have ended up left or right-handed…the luck of the draw made us right-handed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These two ideas are not easy to tease apart. For example, there is some evidence that Neanderthals favored their right hand too. But they almost certainly \u003ca href=\"http://genetics.thetech.org/original_news/news67\">had language\u003c/a> and cooperated with one another as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the bottom line is that we still don’t know why we evolved to be mostly right-handed. Was it just something that came along with learning to talk or was it an active process or something we haven’t thought of yet? We just don’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What this new study does provide is some genes that may be involved in determining handedness. But these genes are almost certainly not all of the possible handedness genes (click \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/?term=handedness\">here\u003c/a> for a bunch more). And besides, handedness isn’t even mostly genetic! We may never be able to simply look at someone’s DNA and predict whether they are a righty or a southpaw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9017\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/TableRHvsLH.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9017\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9017\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/TableRHvsLH.jpg\" alt=\"Even left handed parents only have left handed kids 26% of the time. Data taken from here.\" width=\"250\" height=\"146\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Even left-handed parents only have left-handed kids 26% of the time. Data taken from \u003ca href=\"http://zoe.bme.gatech.edu/~bv20/bmed2400/Bank/InheritanceOfHandedness.pdf\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now if I had to predict, though, I’d predict right-handed every time. As you can see on the right, I’d be right most of the time even if both parents are lefties!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the table, a right-handed parent is represented by an R and a left-handed parent with an L. As you can tell, even two left-handed parents have a right-handed child more often than not. Whatever genes are involved, they are not something Mendel could have easily figured out!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout this piece, I keep mentioning the environment. The idea is that we are all born to be right-handed but something in the environment occasionally pushes someone to be left-handed. Genes are involved by making us more or less likely to respond to whatever the environmental triggers are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists do not yet have a great feel for what in the environment might turn someone into a lefty. One idea that has been around for a long time is that difficult pregnancies make being left-handed more likely. Other factors that make someone more likely to be a lefty are if he is a boy or if he or she is one of a pair of twins. There is also some evidence that being either the first born or being the fourth born or higher increases you chances of being a lefty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While we are making progress, we still have a long way to go in figuring out why people are usually right-handed. It’ll be interesting to see if being right-handed was selected for, being left-handed selected against or if it is simply a consequence of language development.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 890,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 16
},
"modified": 1704935007,
"excerpt": "Scientists have struggled for a long time to explain why 85-90 percent of people are right-handed. They’ve known genetics plays an important role in people occasionally ending up left-handed, but they also know it is not the whole story.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Scientists have struggled for a long time to explain why 85-90 percent of people are right-handed. They’ve known genetics plays an important role in people occasionally ending up left-handed, but they also know it is not the whole story.",
"title": "Why Are So Many People Right-Handed? Genetic Research May Hold The Clues | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Why Are So Many People Right-Handed? Genetic Research May Hold The Clues",
"datePublished": "2013-09-23T08:00:34-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:03:27-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "why-are-so-many-people-right-handed-genetic-research-may-hold-the-clues",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/9014/why-are-so-many-people-right-handed-genetic-research-may-hold-the-clues",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9022\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RightHand.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9022\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9022\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/RightHand.jpg\" alt=\"A group of researchers may have found a new set of genes that help to explain why people are usually right handed. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"640\" height=\"388\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of researchers may have found a new set of genes that help to explain why people are usually right-handed. Image courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Human-Hands-Front-Back.jpg\">Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists have struggled for a long time to explain why 85-90% of people are right-handed. They’ve known genetics plays an important role in people occasionally ending up left-handed, but they also know it is not the whole story. The consensus appears to be that around 25% of handedness can be explained by genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, there is a big difference between knowing genetics is involved and identifying the actual genes. But now it looks like scientists may finally be starting to make some progress in identifying some of these handedness genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1003751#s3\">new study\u003c/a> looking at people with dyslexia, researchers found that genes involved in making our brains and bodies have a distinct left and right side may also be involved in handedness too. If these genes are really important for handedness, then they may also provide an explanation for why most people are right-handed—because language and handedness evolved together, hand in hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were hints in earlier research that this might be the case. Speech is housed in the left part of the brain in 95% of right-handed people but only 70% of left-handed people. Clearly there is a connection but it is by no means the whole story as only 30% of lefties use the right side of their brain for language.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9025\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Spandrel.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9025\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9025\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Spandrel.jpg\" alt=\"Right handedness might have been a useful side effect of evolution sort of like this beautiful spandrel. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"200\" height=\"253\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Right-handedness might have been a useful side effect of evolution sort of like this beautiful spandrel. Image courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/SpandrelFiguresDC1.jpg\">Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So one way to think about right-handedness is that it is simply a side effect of language development (an \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spandrel_(biology)\">evolutionary spandrel\u003c/a>). Sort of like our big brains possibly being a \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/us/less-jaw-big-brain-evolution-milestone-laid-to-gene-flaw.html\">side effect of the smaller jaws\u003c/a> we needed once we changed our diet. If this is the case, then there is no need to invoke some disadvantage to being a lefty. (And no, it is an \u003ca href=\"http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-myths/201303/three-myths-and-three-facts-about-left-handers\">urban myth that lefties die early\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course the coevolution of language and handedness is just a theory at this point. There are definitely other theories that claim that being a lefty was an evolutionary disadvantage. For example, \u003ca href=\"http://www.livescience.com/19968-study-reveals-lefties-rare.html\">one group proposed that lefties are rare\u003c/a> because being left-handed impedes cooperation. Since humans do best with a lot of cooperation, most of us would favor one hand over the other. In this scenario we could have ended up left or right-handed…the luck of the draw made us right-handed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These two ideas are not easy to tease apart. For example, there is some evidence that Neanderthals favored their right hand too. But they almost certainly \u003ca href=\"http://genetics.thetech.org/original_news/news67\">had language\u003c/a> and cooperated with one another as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the bottom line is that we still don’t know why we evolved to be mostly right-handed. Was it just something that came along with learning to talk or was it an active process or something we haven’t thought of yet? We just don’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What this new study does provide is some genes that may be involved in determining handedness. But these genes are almost certainly not all of the possible handedness genes (click \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/?term=handedness\">here\u003c/a> for a bunch more). And besides, handedness isn’t even mostly genetic! We may never be able to simply look at someone’s DNA and predict whether they are a righty or a southpaw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9017\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/TableRHvsLH.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9017\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9017\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/TableRHvsLH.jpg\" alt=\"Even left handed parents only have left handed kids 26% of the time. Data taken from here.\" width=\"250\" height=\"146\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Even left-handed parents only have left-handed kids 26% of the time. Data taken from \u003ca href=\"http://zoe.bme.gatech.edu/~bv20/bmed2400/Bank/InheritanceOfHandedness.pdf\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now if I had to predict, though, I’d predict right-handed every time. As you can see on the right, I’d be right most of the time even if both parents are lefties!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the table, a right-handed parent is represented by an R and a left-handed parent with an L. As you can tell, even two left-handed parents have a right-handed child more often than not. Whatever genes are involved, they are not something Mendel could have easily figured out!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout this piece, I keep mentioning the environment. The idea is that we are all born to be right-handed but something in the environment occasionally pushes someone to be left-handed. Genes are involved by making us more or less likely to respond to whatever the environmental triggers are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists do not yet have a great feel for what in the environment might turn someone into a lefty. One idea that has been around for a long time is that difficult pregnancies make being left-handed more likely. Other factors that make someone more likely to be a lefty are if he is a boy or if he or she is one of a pair of twins. There is also some evidence that being either the first born or being the fourth born or higher increases you chances of being a lefty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While we are making progress, we still have a long way to go in figuring out why people are usually right-handed. It’ll be interesting to see if being right-handed was selected for, being left-handed selected against or if it is simply a consequence of language development.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/9014/why-are-so-many-people-right-handed-genetic-research-may-hold-the-clues",
"authors": [
"6177"
],
"categories": [
"science_30"
],
"tags": [
"science_116",
"science_64",
"science_327"
],
"featImg": "science_9022",
"label": "science"
},
"science_9066": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_9066",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "9066",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1379720428000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1379720428,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Epilepsy Reveals the Brain in Action",
"headTitle": "Epilepsy Reveals the Brain in Action | KQED",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"audio-wrap\">\n\u003ch2>Listen:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>http://kqed02.streamguys.us/anon.kqed/radio/science/2013/09/2013-09-23-science.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Scientists who study the brain have it tough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike, say, cardiologists or researchers who study the digestive track, neurologists have few lab tests, few opportunities to actually watch the human brain in action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are a few rare exceptions. One comes with patients who have intractable epilepsy and seek brain surgery to remove the source of their seizures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nate Bennett is one such patient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9119\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 274px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Nate-eyes-closed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-9119 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Nate-eyes-closed.jpg\" alt=\"Nate relaxes in his hospital bed, waiting to detect changes as tiny jolts of electricity enter his brain. \" width=\"274\" height=\"365\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nate relaxes in his hospital bed, waiting to detect changes as tiny jolts of electricity enter his brain.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In his back pocket, Bennett carries around a black leather wallet, about the size of an envelope, attached to a keychain. He made it himself. His teeth have left deep scars in the leather. That’s a good sign: it means he had time to prepare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I tend to bite my tongue during the grand mal portion of the seizure,” says Bennett.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I’m conscious and I feel the seizure starting, I warn people around me what’s going on. I lay down on the floor and I put this in my mouth. That way, when I wake up, I may not have bitten my tongue.”\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nNeurons in lockstep\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the outside, a seizure looks like the product of a brain in chaos, but in reality, it’s the opposite. In an epileptic seizure, millions of neurons stop what they’re doing and suddenly begin firing in lockstep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robert Fisher, Director of the Stanford Epilepsy Center, compares it to a crowd at a football game. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of the chatter that you might see in a football stadium before the game starts, now it’s like the wave, or the cheer after a touchdown where everybody’s doing the same thing at once.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In centuries past, this looked to many like a spiritual possession. Joan of Arc may have had epilepsy. So might have Saint Teresa de Ávila.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over time, scientists have learned that epilepsy is a window into the brain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, the notion that certain parts of the body are controlled by certain parts of the brain was an insight first gleaned by the 19th-century English neurologist John Hughlings Jackson, when he observed an epileptic seizure that seemed to travel from one part of his patient’s body to another. To Jackson, this was a clue that the disease was affecting parts of the brain in succession, each with a corresponding effect on the body.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Depending on where a seizure strikes, a patient may lose or alter his sense or smell, flail his hands, or suddenly recall a specific childhood memory. \u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“Epilepsy gave us our first clue that parts of the brain are responsible for parts of the body, or different senses,” says Edward Chang, a neurologist and neurosurgeon at the University of California San Francisco.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nSeeking a cure in surgery\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, patients being treated for epilepsy have become active participants in this research. Nate Bennett is one of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last few years, Bennett’s epilepsy has become almost disabling. He’s having one or two grand mal seizures a month, sometimes in the middle of the workday. He’s unable to drive, and worries about having to go on disability and losing his health insurance. Medication isn’t helping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That makes him a candidate for surgery to remove the part of his brain that’s causing the seizures, and, possibly, cure his epilepsy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Stanford Hospital, where Bennett’s being treated, there are two stages to this process. First is a surgery to implant electrodes — in this case, thin plastic wires each about an inch-and-a-half long — into his brain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I visit him as he’s waking from anesthesia. He’s groggy, but he gives me a thumb’s up. “I’m putting reality back together here… gradually,” he says, with a smile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think I can tell you my full name,” he announces. “Nathaniel Walter Bennett. Right? Always a good start.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A doctor tells Bennett that while he was unconscious, a surgeon implanted seven electrodes in his brain, two on the right hemisphere, five on the left.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What a party,” Bennett replies wryly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9116\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 678px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/1.jpg\" alt=\"In surgery, a grid of electrodes is applied directly to a patient's brain. The electrodes can record changes in electrical activity at a fine level of detail. \" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9116\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In surgery, a grid of electrodes is applied directly to a patient’s brain. The electrodes can record changes in electrical activity at a fine level of detail.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The electrodes are intended to record exactly what happens in Bennett’s brain when he has a seizure. This can tell his doctors where his seizures are coming from and, in theory, which part of his brain to remove. It means spending a week or more in the hospital, off meds, waiting for seizures to strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nA rare opportunity for brain mapping\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I visit him the next day, Bennett’s head is swathed in bandages. A thick braid of electrical wires hangs from his left temple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s hanging in there, he says, but he wishes he’d have a seizure, so that his doctors might have some information to work with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To keep himself occupied, Bennett’s brought a bag of musical instruments and a copy of “Siddhartha,” by Hermann Hesse. One night, in which he’s instructed to stay awake as long as possible so as to hasten seizures, he watches a “Spongebob Squarepants” marathon on TV.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Electrical pulses make the patient do things without his will. “He is perceiving reality in a completely different way.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>But there are a few other things to do, including a functional mapping session with Bennett’s neurologist, Dr. Josef Parvizi, an associate professor of neurology at Stanford University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the day of the mapping, Dr. Parvizi wheels a cart with an electrical console and a laptop to Bennett’s bedside. Before surgeons remove part of Bennett’s brain, his doctors will want as detailed a picture of his brain as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where, exactly, are the parts that control his vision, for example, and his motor control? These are things you want to know before you take out the scalpel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nPainless electrical pulses cause strange reactions\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Parvizi tells Bennett to take a deep breath and relax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Bennett leans back in his bed, Parvizi sends a series of tiny electrical pulses into different parts of Bennett’s brain. The jolts are too small to cause Bennett any pain, but the results can be dramatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want you to tell us if you feel anything that resembles your seizures, ok?” says Parvizi. “One. Two three. Anything?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It kind of felt like somebody was poking me with a finger right here, “says Bennett, pointing to his forehead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next, Parvizi sends a signal to an area called the anterior cingulate, involved in automatic speech such as reflexive vocalizations like “ouch,” or laughter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let me know if anything changes,” says Parvizi calmly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suddenly Bennett lurches forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I, I I,” he stutters. “I became unable to speak. I was going to say “Jinx,” but then I started stuttering. I couldn’t get the words out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In injecting a little bit of electricity to the brain,” says Parvizi, the patient “ends up doing things without [his] will. He is perceiving the reality in a completely different way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of this is helpful for understanding Bennett’s epilepsy, but some of it is pure science, a rare opportunity for mind control, to simulate parts of the brain and see what happens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9117\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Homunculus-ja.svg_.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Homunculus-ja.svg_.png\" alt='The cortical homunculus (after the Latin for \"little man\") indicates which parts of the brain control which parts of the body, and the relative amount of neural area involved in different functions. ' width=\"800\" height=\"423\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9117\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cortical homunculus (after the Latin for “little man”) indicates which parts of the brain control which parts of the body, and the relative amount of neural area involved in different functions.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists and many patients see this as a win-win. For Bennett, it’s a way to “make something positive,” he says, out of his long medical journey with epilepsy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s rare that an epilepsy patient declines to participate in research,” says UCSF’s Edward Chang. “I think because they understand that we don’t know enough about how the brain works.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People like Nate have been immensely valuable,” says Parvizi. “They’ve courageously donated their time and they’ve valued brain research.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Chang, Parvizi and other scientists, it’s amazing access. In doing this work, they and others have identified parts of the brain involved in \u003ca href=\"http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2013/02/13541/secrets-human-speech-uncovered\">forming words\u003c/a>, counting and \u003ca href=\"http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/october/face-blind.html\">recognizing faces\u003c/a>, among other things. In many cases, they can turn these abilities on and off like a light switch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mapping the brain in pursuit of future therapies\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea is that when you start learning where certain abilities live in the brain, you come closer to finding new ways to fix them when they break down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take, for example, dyslexia or depression, says Parvizi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This really helps us understand, for example, the origin of psychological disorders. There are people who see reality very differently than us. We can’t just blame them. We need to understand how their brain is working in a way that they are seeing reality differently.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parvizi needs to wait for Bennett to have a natural seizure. But he also wants to stimulate the part of his brain that causes Bennett’s seizures, to elicit an “aura,” the particular sensation that can precede a seizure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parvizi sends a small electrical signal to Bennett’s temporal lobe, a part of the brain thought to be implicated in his seizures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah, there’s a change,” says Bennett. “I might have a seizure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parvizi asks Bennett to say more, but he falls silent. His face hardens; his eyes become fixed on a spot across the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A doctor moves quickly to Bennett’s side and injects him with a dose of medication intended to stop the seizure. A nurse ushers me out of the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I next look in, Bennett is sleeping peacefully. His seizure has been recorded, his brain mapped at the finest level of detail possible with today’s technology. He is, he hopes, one step closer to a life without epilepsy.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1770,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 57
},
"modified": 1704935010,
"excerpt": "It's common sense: If you want to study the brain, open it up and take a look. That's not an opportunity scientists often get. One rare exception: patients with severe epilepsy, who volunteer their time as research subjects in the course of their treatment. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "It's common sense: If you want to study the brain, open it up and take a look. That's not an opportunity scientists often get. One rare exception: patients with severe epilepsy, who volunteer their time as research subjects in the course of their treatment. ",
"title": "Epilepsy Reveals the Brain in Action | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Epilepsy Reveals the Brain in Action",
"datePublished": "2013-09-20T16:40:28-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:03:30-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "epilepsy-reveals-the-brain-in-action",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "http://kqed02.streamguys.us/anon.kqed/radio/science/2013/09/2013-09-23-science.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/9066/epilepsy-reveals-the-brain-in-action",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cdiv class=\"audio-wrap\">\n\u003ch2>Listen:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>http://kqed02.streamguys.us/anon.kqed/radio/science/2013/09/2013-09-23-science.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Scientists who study the brain have it tough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike, say, cardiologists or researchers who study the digestive track, neurologists have few lab tests, few opportunities to actually watch the human brain in action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are a few rare exceptions. One comes with patients who have intractable epilepsy and seek brain surgery to remove the source of their seizures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nate Bennett is one such patient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9119\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 274px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Nate-eyes-closed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-9119 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Nate-eyes-closed.jpg\" alt=\"Nate relaxes in his hospital bed, waiting to detect changes as tiny jolts of electricity enter his brain. \" width=\"274\" height=\"365\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nate relaxes in his hospital bed, waiting to detect changes as tiny jolts of electricity enter his brain.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In his back pocket, Bennett carries around a black leather wallet, about the size of an envelope, attached to a keychain. He made it himself. His teeth have left deep scars in the leather. That’s a good sign: it means he had time to prepare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I tend to bite my tongue during the grand mal portion of the seizure,” says Bennett.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I’m conscious and I feel the seizure starting, I warn people around me what’s going on. I lay down on the floor and I put this in my mouth. That way, when I wake up, I may not have bitten my tongue.”\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nNeurons in lockstep\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the outside, a seizure looks like the product of a brain in chaos, but in reality, it’s the opposite. In an epileptic seizure, millions of neurons stop what they’re doing and suddenly begin firing in lockstep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robert Fisher, Director of the Stanford Epilepsy Center, compares it to a crowd at a football game. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of the chatter that you might see in a football stadium before the game starts, now it’s like the wave, or the cheer after a touchdown where everybody’s doing the same thing at once.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In centuries past, this looked to many like a spiritual possession. Joan of Arc may have had epilepsy. So might have Saint Teresa de Ávila.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over time, scientists have learned that epilepsy is a window into the brain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, the notion that certain parts of the body are controlled by certain parts of the brain was an insight first gleaned by the 19th-century English neurologist John Hughlings Jackson, when he observed an epileptic seizure that seemed to travel from one part of his patient’s body to another. To Jackson, this was a clue that the disease was affecting parts of the brain in succession, each with a corresponding effect on the body.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Depending on where a seizure strikes, a patient may lose or alter his sense or smell, flail his hands, or suddenly recall a specific childhood memory. \u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“Epilepsy gave us our first clue that parts of the brain are responsible for parts of the body, or different senses,” says Edward Chang, a neurologist and neurosurgeon at the University of California San Francisco.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nSeeking a cure in surgery\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, patients being treated for epilepsy have become active participants in this research. Nate Bennett is one of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last few years, Bennett’s epilepsy has become almost disabling. He’s having one or two grand mal seizures a month, sometimes in the middle of the workday. He’s unable to drive, and worries about having to go on disability and losing his health insurance. Medication isn’t helping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That makes him a candidate for surgery to remove the part of his brain that’s causing the seizures, and, possibly, cure his epilepsy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Stanford Hospital, where Bennett’s being treated, there are two stages to this process. First is a surgery to implant electrodes — in this case, thin plastic wires each about an inch-and-a-half long — into his brain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I visit him as he’s waking from anesthesia. He’s groggy, but he gives me a thumb’s up. “I’m putting reality back together here… gradually,” he says, with a smile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think I can tell you my full name,” he announces. “Nathaniel Walter Bennett. Right? Always a good start.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A doctor tells Bennett that while he was unconscious, a surgeon implanted seven electrodes in his brain, two on the right hemisphere, five on the left.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What a party,” Bennett replies wryly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9116\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 678px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/1.jpg\" alt=\"In surgery, a grid of electrodes is applied directly to a patient's brain. The electrodes can record changes in electrical activity at a fine level of detail. \" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9116\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In surgery, a grid of electrodes is applied directly to a patient’s brain. The electrodes can record changes in electrical activity at a fine level of detail.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The electrodes are intended to record exactly what happens in Bennett’s brain when he has a seizure. This can tell his doctors where his seizures are coming from and, in theory, which part of his brain to remove. It means spending a week or more in the hospital, off meds, waiting for seizures to strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nA rare opportunity for brain mapping\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I visit him the next day, Bennett’s head is swathed in bandages. A thick braid of electrical wires hangs from his left temple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s hanging in there, he says, but he wishes he’d have a seizure, so that his doctors might have some information to work with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To keep himself occupied, Bennett’s brought a bag of musical instruments and a copy of “Siddhartha,” by Hermann Hesse. One night, in which he’s instructed to stay awake as long as possible so as to hasten seizures, he watches a “Spongebob Squarepants” marathon on TV.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Electrical pulses make the patient do things without his will. “He is perceiving reality in a completely different way.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>But there are a few other things to do, including a functional mapping session with Bennett’s neurologist, Dr. Josef Parvizi, an associate professor of neurology at Stanford University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the day of the mapping, Dr. Parvizi wheels a cart with an electrical console and a laptop to Bennett’s bedside. Before surgeons remove part of Bennett’s brain, his doctors will want as detailed a picture of his brain as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where, exactly, are the parts that control his vision, for example, and his motor control? These are things you want to know before you take out the scalpel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nPainless electrical pulses cause strange reactions\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Parvizi tells Bennett to take a deep breath and relax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Bennett leans back in his bed, Parvizi sends a series of tiny electrical pulses into different parts of Bennett’s brain. The jolts are too small to cause Bennett any pain, but the results can be dramatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want you to tell us if you feel anything that resembles your seizures, ok?” says Parvizi. “One. Two three. Anything?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It kind of felt like somebody was poking me with a finger right here, “says Bennett, pointing to his forehead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next, Parvizi sends a signal to an area called the anterior cingulate, involved in automatic speech such as reflexive vocalizations like “ouch,” or laughter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let me know if anything changes,” says Parvizi calmly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suddenly Bennett lurches forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I, I I,” he stutters. “I became unable to speak. I was going to say “Jinx,” but then I started stuttering. I couldn’t get the words out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In injecting a little bit of electricity to the brain,” says Parvizi, the patient “ends up doing things without [his] will. He is perceiving the reality in a completely different way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of this is helpful for understanding Bennett’s epilepsy, but some of it is pure science, a rare opportunity for mind control, to simulate parts of the brain and see what happens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_9117\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Homunculus-ja.svg_.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Homunculus-ja.svg_.png\" alt='The cortical homunculus (after the Latin for \"little man\") indicates which parts of the brain control which parts of the body, and the relative amount of neural area involved in different functions. ' width=\"800\" height=\"423\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9117\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cortical homunculus (after the Latin for “little man”) indicates which parts of the brain control which parts of the body, and the relative amount of neural area involved in different functions.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists and many patients see this as a win-win. For Bennett, it’s a way to “make something positive,” he says, out of his long medical journey with epilepsy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s rare that an epilepsy patient declines to participate in research,” says UCSF’s Edward Chang. “I think because they understand that we don’t know enough about how the brain works.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People like Nate have been immensely valuable,” says Parvizi. “They’ve courageously donated their time and they’ve valued brain research.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Chang, Parvizi and other scientists, it’s amazing access. In doing this work, they and others have identified parts of the brain involved in \u003ca href=\"http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2013/02/13541/secrets-human-speech-uncovered\">forming words\u003c/a>, counting and \u003ca href=\"http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/october/face-blind.html\">recognizing faces\u003c/a>, among other things. In many cases, they can turn these abilities on and off like a light switch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mapping the brain in pursuit of future therapies\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea is that when you start learning where certain abilities live in the brain, you come closer to finding new ways to fix them when they break down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take, for example, dyslexia or depression, says Parvizi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This really helps us understand, for example, the origin of psychological disorders. There are people who see reality very differently than us. We can’t just blame them. We need to understand how their brain is working in a way that they are seeing reality differently.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parvizi needs to wait for Bennett to have a natural seizure. But he also wants to stimulate the part of his brain that causes Bennett’s seizures, to elicit an “aura,” the particular sensation that can precede a seizure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parvizi sends a small electrical signal to Bennett’s temporal lobe, a part of the brain thought to be implicated in his seizures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah, there’s a change,” says Bennett. “I might have a seizure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parvizi asks Bennett to say more, but he falls silent. His face hardens; his eyes become fixed on a spot across the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A doctor moves quickly to Bennett’s side and injects him with a dose of medication intended to stop the seizure. A nurse ushers me out of the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I next look in, Bennett is sleeping peacefully. His seizure has been recorded, his brain mapped at the finest level of detail possible with today’s technology. He is, he hopes, one step closer to a life without epilepsy.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/9066/epilepsy-reveals-the-brain-in-action",
"authors": [
"210"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_39",
"science_40",
"science_43"
],
"tags": [
"science_64"
],
"featImg": "science_9126",
"label": "science"
},
"science_8537": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_8537",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8537",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1379102436000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science",
"term": 66
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1379102436,
"format": "video",
"title": "Science on the SPOT: Chasing Pumas",
"headTitle": "Science on the SPOT: Chasing Pumas | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Call them pumas, mountain lions, cougars, panthers, or any other of their various monikers; the sight of one of these full-grown cats staring down at you from a nearby tree is undeniably exhilarating. As ambush predators, pumas are professional hiders, and even regular visitors to puma habitat will likely go their entire lives without ever catching sight of North America’s largest cat. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8590\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 180px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Houghtaling_7f-180x320.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Houghtaling_7f-180x320.jpg\" alt=\"GPS tracking collars shed light into the mysterious lifestyles of this apex predator. Photo by Paul Houghtailing, Santa Cruz Puma Project.\" width=\"180\" height=\"320\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8590\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">GPS tracking collars shed light into the mysterious lifestyles of this apex predator. Photo by Paul Houghtailing, Santa Cruz Puma Project. \u003cem>Click on image to see a larger size.\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a beautiful summer day, we had the opportunity to follow Field Biologist Paul Houghtaling of the \u003ca href=\"http://santacruzpumas.org/\">Santa Cruz Puma Project\u003c/a> (SCPP) as he searched the rough back roads of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.livinglandscapeinitiative.org/news/CEMEX-Redwoods.php\">CEMEX Redwoods Property\u003c/a> in Davenport, CA. Lead by Chris Wilmers, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at University of California Santa Cruz, the team has gained renown for their work tracking the big cats in the Santa Cruz Mountains, as well as some \u003ca href=\"http://santacruzpumas.org/2013/05/16/the-downtown-puma-39m/\">high profile captures\u003c/a> of pumas that ventured too close to human habitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an apex predator in our Northern California region, mountain lions have huge home ranges. While mother pumas will remain in one area to raise their kittens, pumas generally patrol their territories without making use of any den or other home base. Paul informed us that female mountain lions tend to set their ranges depending on prey availability, which in the Santa Cruz Mountains tends to be deer. Adult males create their home ranges to include female mountain lions and exclude other males. The remaining young male pumas are forced to disperse and seek new territories, and it is often these individuals that get into trouble with humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8613\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 288px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Mark-and-paul-antennae-640x360-288x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Mark-and-paul-antennae-640x360-288x162.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Houghtaling and Pilot Mark Dedon secure radio antennas used to upload GPS and accelerometer data from the collared pumas. Photo by Josh Cassidy/KQED\" width=\"288\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8613\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul Houghtaling and Pilot Mark Dedon secure radio antennas used to upload GPS and accelerometer data from the collared pumas. Photo by Josh Cassidy/KQED. \u003cem>Click on image to see a larger size.\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As we made our way through the redwoods, Paul occasionally slowed and peered out through the side window of the truck, surveying the dust that accumulates in the inside of the curves of the dirt roads. Traveling pumas rarely obey traffic rules, and tend to cut corners when walking along roads. Paul searched there for footprints and other telltale mountain lion signs. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team employs several other techniques to determine if lions are in the area. This includes laying out road-killed deer with GPS tags in areas thought to be big cat territory. If a hungry lion moves the deer, the GPS tag sends an email to the team, who then head out to investigate.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">After a few hours of searching, Dan’s voice finally crackled over the radio. His dogs had tracked and treed an adult puma.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Once pumas reach adulthood, they live solitary lives, but still need to communicate with each other. One of the main ways they do so is by making ‘scrapes.’ Pumas, particularly adult males, will dig small holes and then urinate on the pile of loose soil created by the digging. Other pumas that frequent the area can interpret the chemical signal to gather information about the cat’s identity and reproductive status based on the signature proteins left behind. Pumas tend to make scrapes in the same areas over time, making it easier for other pumas (and intrepid field biologists) to find learn about which lions are in the area. The research team sets up camera traps in these areas in order to document which cats are have taken up residence in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7icpaPB_Xbw&w=640&h=360\u003cbr>\nDan Tichenor, from California Houndsmen for Conservation and his best dog, Osage, a Plott Hound. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul had memorized the location of several scrapes in the area, and part of his normal search routine is to stop by these areas and look for fresh activity. As he searched, he would regularly make attempts to hail Dan Tichenor, a volunteer from \u003ca href=\"http://www.californiahoundsmen.com/\">California Houndsmen for Conservation\u003c/a>, by radio. Dan had been on the property since before dawn with his pack of specially-bred and -trained hunting dogs. In this mountainous terrain, the radios were unreliable at best, and cell phones were of no use. After a few hours of searching, Dan’s voice finally crackled over the radio. His dogs had tracked and treed an adult puma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8797\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 288px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Kitten-640x360-288x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Kitten-640x360-288x162.jpg\" alt=\"In June of 2013, puma 38F gave birth to a litter of three kittens. Photo by Paul Houghtaling/Santa Cruz Puma Project \" width=\"288\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8797\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In June of 2013, puma 38F gave birth to a litter of three kittens. Photo by Paul Houghtaling/Santa Cruz Puma Project\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We hightailed it to Dan’s location, where Paul was able to capture the puma using a tranquilizer dart fired from a rifle. From the ground, the puma resembled a male lion that had been seen in the area, but when the team got the cat on the ground, it was obvious that this cat, dubbed 38F, was a female. Months later, Paul found 38F again, but this time she was not alone. She had given birth to three healthy kittens. The Santa Cruz Puma Project aims to track these kittens’ location and behavior for their entire lives to learn more about how they use their habitat and how their behavior changes when they come close to human dwellings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain lion populations had declined substantially in the California before they were protected from in the 1970’s. Before that time, hunters were offered a bounty for each puma killed. Since hunting pumas was outlawed, their population has rebounded. Today, they face a new problem. Humans have developed large areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains, building homes, farms and roads in the historical puma habitat. This has lead to an increase in conflicts between humans and the big cats, with pumas often finding themselves on the losing end. Today, the biggest threats to pumas include car strikes, and are targeted by citizens who seek depredation licenses to rid their property of pumas deemed problematic. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new bill, signed into law last week by Governor Jerry Brown will have a substantial effect on California pumas. The bill, SB132 proposed by State Senator Jerry Hill (D.) requires that nonlethal procedures be used to remove any mountain lion that has not been “designated as an imminent threat to public health and safety.” It also authorizes the California Department of Fish and Game to partner with other groups, such as the Santa Cruz Puma Project, to carry out the non-lethal removal of pumas that find themselves too close to humans. With luck, this new bill will make it easier for humans and mountain lions to coexist as their territories continue to overlap.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1114,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 12
},
"modified": 1704935056,
"excerpt": "Join a research team from University of California, Santa Cruz as they track, tranquilize and collar a wild puma. The special GPS collars collect data on the puma’s location and behavior, and they reveal how the big cats survive in their shrinking habitat in the Bay Area.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Join a research team from University of California, Santa Cruz as they track, tranquilize and collar a wild puma. The special GPS collars collect data on the puma’s location and behavior, and they reveal how the big cats survive in their shrinking habitat in the Bay Area.",
"title": "Science on the SPOT: Chasing Pumas | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Science on the SPOT: Chasing Pumas",
"datePublished": "2013-09-13T13:00:36-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:04:16-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "science-on-the-spot-chasing-pumas",
"status": "publish",
"videoEmbed": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQyh13LOmnM",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/8537/science-on-the-spot-chasing-pumas",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Call them pumas, mountain lions, cougars, panthers, or any other of their various monikers; the sight of one of these full-grown cats staring down at you from a nearby tree is undeniably exhilarating. As ambush predators, pumas are professional hiders, and even regular visitors to puma habitat will likely go their entire lives without ever catching sight of North America’s largest cat. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8590\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 180px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Houghtaling_7f-180x320.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Houghtaling_7f-180x320.jpg\" alt=\"GPS tracking collars shed light into the mysterious lifestyles of this apex predator. Photo by Paul Houghtailing, Santa Cruz Puma Project.\" width=\"180\" height=\"320\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8590\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">GPS tracking collars shed light into the mysterious lifestyles of this apex predator. Photo by Paul Houghtailing, Santa Cruz Puma Project. \u003cem>Click on image to see a larger size.\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a beautiful summer day, we had the opportunity to follow Field Biologist Paul Houghtaling of the \u003ca href=\"http://santacruzpumas.org/\">Santa Cruz Puma Project\u003c/a> (SCPP) as he searched the rough back roads of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.livinglandscapeinitiative.org/news/CEMEX-Redwoods.php\">CEMEX Redwoods Property\u003c/a> in Davenport, CA. Lead by Chris Wilmers, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at University of California Santa Cruz, the team has gained renown for their work tracking the big cats in the Santa Cruz Mountains, as well as some \u003ca href=\"http://santacruzpumas.org/2013/05/16/the-downtown-puma-39m/\">high profile captures\u003c/a> of pumas that ventured too close to human habitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an apex predator in our Northern California region, mountain lions have huge home ranges. While mother pumas will remain in one area to raise their kittens, pumas generally patrol their territories without making use of any den or other home base. Paul informed us that female mountain lions tend to set their ranges depending on prey availability, which in the Santa Cruz Mountains tends to be deer. Adult males create their home ranges to include female mountain lions and exclude other males. The remaining young male pumas are forced to disperse and seek new territories, and it is often these individuals that get into trouble with humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8613\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 288px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Mark-and-paul-antennae-640x360-288x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Mark-and-paul-antennae-640x360-288x162.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Houghtaling and Pilot Mark Dedon secure radio antennas used to upload GPS and accelerometer data from the collared pumas. Photo by Josh Cassidy/KQED\" width=\"288\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8613\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul Houghtaling and Pilot Mark Dedon secure radio antennas used to upload GPS and accelerometer data from the collared pumas. Photo by Josh Cassidy/KQED. \u003cem>Click on image to see a larger size.\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As we made our way through the redwoods, Paul occasionally slowed and peered out through the side window of the truck, surveying the dust that accumulates in the inside of the curves of the dirt roads. Traveling pumas rarely obey traffic rules, and tend to cut corners when walking along roads. Paul searched there for footprints and other telltale mountain lion signs. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team employs several other techniques to determine if lions are in the area. This includes laying out road-killed deer with GPS tags in areas thought to be big cat territory. If a hungry lion moves the deer, the GPS tag sends an email to the team, who then head out to investigate.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">After a few hours of searching, Dan’s voice finally crackled over the radio. His dogs had tracked and treed an adult puma.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Once pumas reach adulthood, they live solitary lives, but still need to communicate with each other. One of the main ways they do so is by making ‘scrapes.’ Pumas, particularly adult males, will dig small holes and then urinate on the pile of loose soil created by the digging. Other pumas that frequent the area can interpret the chemical signal to gather information about the cat’s identity and reproductive status based on the signature proteins left behind. Pumas tend to make scrapes in the same areas over time, making it easier for other pumas (and intrepid field biologists) to find learn about which lions are in the area. The research team sets up camera traps in these areas in order to document which cats are have taken up residence in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7icpaPB_Xbw&w=640&h=360\u003cbr>\nDan Tichenor, from California Houndsmen for Conservation and his best dog, Osage, a Plott Hound. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul had memorized the location of several scrapes in the area, and part of his normal search routine is to stop by these areas and look for fresh activity. As he searched, he would regularly make attempts to hail Dan Tichenor, a volunteer from \u003ca href=\"http://www.californiahoundsmen.com/\">California Houndsmen for Conservation\u003c/a>, by radio. Dan had been on the property since before dawn with his pack of specially-bred and -trained hunting dogs. In this mountainous terrain, the radios were unreliable at best, and cell phones were of no use. After a few hours of searching, Dan’s voice finally crackled over the radio. His dogs had tracked and treed an adult puma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8797\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 288px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Kitten-640x360-288x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Kitten-640x360-288x162.jpg\" alt=\"In June of 2013, puma 38F gave birth to a litter of three kittens. Photo by Paul Houghtaling/Santa Cruz Puma Project \" width=\"288\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8797\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In June of 2013, puma 38F gave birth to a litter of three kittens. Photo by Paul Houghtaling/Santa Cruz Puma Project\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We hightailed it to Dan’s location, where Paul was able to capture the puma using a tranquilizer dart fired from a rifle. From the ground, the puma resembled a male lion that had been seen in the area, but when the team got the cat on the ground, it was obvious that this cat, dubbed 38F, was a female. Months later, Paul found 38F again, but this time she was not alone. She had given birth to three healthy kittens. The Santa Cruz Puma Project aims to track these kittens’ location and behavior for their entire lives to learn more about how they use their habitat and how their behavior changes when they come close to human dwellings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain lion populations had declined substantially in the California before they were protected from in the 1970’s. Before that time, hunters were offered a bounty for each puma killed. Since hunting pumas was outlawed, their population has rebounded. Today, they face a new problem. Humans have developed large areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains, building homes, farms and roads in the historical puma habitat. This has lead to an increase in conflicts between humans and the big cats, with pumas often finding themselves on the losing end. Today, the biggest threats to pumas include car strikes, and are targeted by citizens who seek depredation licenses to rid their property of pumas deemed problematic. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new bill, signed into law last week by Governor Jerry Brown will have a substantial effect on California pumas. The bill, SB132 proposed by State Senator Jerry Hill (D.) requires that nonlethal procedures be used to remove any mountain lion that has not been “designated as an imminent threat to public health and safety.” It also authorizes the California Department of Fish and Game to partner with other groups, such as the Santa Cruz Puma Project, to carry out the non-lethal removal of pumas that find themselves too close to humans. With luck, this new bill will make it easier for humans and mountain lions to coexist as their territories continue to overlap.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/8537/science-on-the-spot-chasing-pumas",
"authors": [
"6219"
],
"series": [
"science_66"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_35",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_314",
"science_680"
],
"featImg": "science_8570",
"label": "science_66"
},
"science_8702": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_8702",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8702",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1379101168000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1379101168,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Humpback Whales Crowd Monterey Bay",
"headTitle": "Humpback Whales Crowd Monterey Bay | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8733\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/humpback-featured.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8733\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/humpback-featured.jpg\" alt=\"A humpback whale calf breaches in Monterey Bay. (Ryan Shorey/Monterey Bay Whale Watch) \" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A humpback whale calf breaches in Monterey Bay. (Ryan Shorey/Monterey Bay Whale Watch)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This is a great weekend to go whale watching, especially if you live near Monterey Bay. Local tour guides say they’re seeing surprisingly large numbers of humpbacks offshore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now there’s record numbers of humpback whales feeding in Monterey Bay,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.montereybaywhalewatch.com/NancyBlackBio.htm\">Nancy Black\u003c/a>, who’s been leading whale-watching trips on Monterey Bay for 26 years. She said she’s never seen anything like it. “It’s been going on for over a week.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a good reason for this: huge runs of anchovies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An explosion of anchovies means a feast not just for the whales, but for sea lions, brown pelicans and other birds. Black said she’s seen blue whales, too, which is unusual for this time of year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/09/whales-in-monterey-bay/\">Wired\u003c/a> has more on the whales crowding Monterey Bay:\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>\n\u003cdiv class=\"embedly\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumb embedly-thumbnail-small\" src=\"http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/09/humpback_lunge_feed_IMG_1246-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003ca class=\"embedly-title\" href=\"http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/09/whales-in-monterey-bay/\">Feeding Frenzy Fills Monterey Bay With Humpback Whales\u003c/a>Black estimates that there are at least 250 whales in the Monterey Bay — more than she’s ever seen in her 26 years in the area. She and her crew are shooting photos of the whales’ tails, which are unique to each individual. They’re sending the photos to the Cascadia Research Collective in Washington state, which maintains a whale-tail ID catalog. “I wouldn’t have been able to see this many whales when I started,” Black said, noting that the northeastern Pacific humpback whale population numbers have been increasing.No one know how long the whales will stay in the bay, or why the fish are so abundant this year. “It’s just incredible — the best whale watching ever,” Black said.\n\u003cdiv class=\"embedly-clear\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"embedly-powered\" style=\"float: right\">\u003ca title=\"Powered by Embedly\" href=\"http://embed.ly?src=anywhere\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"//static.embed.ly/images/logos/embedly-powered-small-light.png\" alt=\"Embedly Powered\">\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"media-attribution\">via \u003ca class=\"media-attribution-link\" href=\"http://www.wired.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wired\u003c/a>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"embedly-clear\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Humpback whales spend the summer feeding off the California coast. Come November, they’ll start migrating south, to Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To see them you need a good pair of binoculars or to get out on a boat. If you’re more the armchair whale-watching type, \u003ca href=\"http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/09/BabyBreach3.gif\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">check out this humpback calf breaching\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 356,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 10
},
"modified": 1704935058,
"excerpt": "This weekend is a great time to go whale watching, especially if you live near Monterey Bay. Local tour guides say they're seeing surprisingly large of humpbacks offshore.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "This weekend is a great time to go whale watching, especially if you live near Monterey Bay. Local tour guides say they're seeing surprisingly large of humpbacks offshore.",
"title": "Humpback Whales Crowd Monterey Bay | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Humpback Whales Crowd Monterey Bay",
"datePublished": "2013-09-13T12:39:28-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:04:18-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "humpback-whales-crowd-monterey-bay",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/8702/humpback-whales-crowd-monterey-bay",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8733\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/humpback-featured.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8733\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/humpback-featured.jpg\" alt=\"A humpback whale calf breaches in Monterey Bay. (Ryan Shorey/Monterey Bay Whale Watch) \" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A humpback whale calf breaches in Monterey Bay. (Ryan Shorey/Monterey Bay Whale Watch)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This is a great weekend to go whale watching, especially if you live near Monterey Bay. Local tour guides say they’re seeing surprisingly large numbers of humpbacks offshore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now there’s record numbers of humpback whales feeding in Monterey Bay,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.montereybaywhalewatch.com/NancyBlackBio.htm\">Nancy Black\u003c/a>, who’s been leading whale-watching trips on Monterey Bay for 26 years. She said she’s never seen anything like it. “It’s been going on for over a week.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a good reason for this: huge runs of anchovies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An explosion of anchovies means a feast not just for the whales, but for sea lions, brown pelicans and other birds. Black said she’s seen blue whales, too, which is unusual for this time of year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/09/whales-in-monterey-bay/\">Wired\u003c/a> has more on the whales crowding Monterey Bay:\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>\n\u003cdiv class=\"embedly\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumb embedly-thumbnail-small\" src=\"http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/09/humpback_lunge_feed_IMG_1246-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003ca class=\"embedly-title\" href=\"http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/09/whales-in-monterey-bay/\">Feeding Frenzy Fills Monterey Bay With Humpback Whales\u003c/a>Black estimates that there are at least 250 whales in the Monterey Bay — more than she’s ever seen in her 26 years in the area. She and her crew are shooting photos of the whales’ tails, which are unique to each individual. They’re sending the photos to the Cascadia Research Collective in Washington state, which maintains a whale-tail ID catalog. “I wouldn’t have been able to see this many whales when I started,” Black said, noting that the northeastern Pacific humpback whale population numbers have been increasing.No one know how long the whales will stay in the bay, or why the fish are so abundant this year. “It’s just incredible — the best whale watching ever,” Black said.\n\u003cdiv class=\"embedly-clear\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"embedly-powered\" style=\"float: right\">\u003ca title=\"Powered by Embedly\" href=\"http://embed.ly?src=anywhere\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"//static.embed.ly/images/logos/embedly-powered-small-light.png\" alt=\"Embedly Powered\">\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"media-attribution\">via \u003ca class=\"media-attribution-link\" href=\"http://www.wired.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wired\u003c/a>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"embedly-clear\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Humpback whales spend the summer feeding off the California coast. Come November, they’ll start migrating south, to Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To see them you need a good pair of binoculars or to get out on a boat. If you’re more the armchair whale-watching type, \u003ca href=\"http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/09/BabyBreach3.gif\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">check out this humpback calf breaching\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/8702/humpback-whales-crowd-monterey-bay",
"authors": [
"210"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_40"
],
"tags": [
"science_703",
"science_255"
],
"label": "science"
},
"science_8641": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_8641",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8641",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1379084439000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1379084439,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Diverse Populations of Terns Return to the Bay Area",
"headTitle": "Diverse Populations of Terns Return to the Bay Area | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8644\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Forsters_Tern_flying-e1379038664662.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Forsters_Tern_flying-e1379038664662.jpg\" alt=\"Forster's Terns are commonly seen in the Bay Area fall through spring. Photo by Ingrid Taylar, Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8644\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Forster’s terns are commonly seen in the Bay Area fall through spring. Photo by \u003ca href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forster's_Tern_flying.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ingrid Taylar, Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As the seasons turn, so the terns return, return, return (go ahead and hum along to the old \u003ca title=\"Byrds, Seasons Turn\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Byrds song\u003c/a>) to the Bay Area. One of nature’s amazing flyers, we’re fortunate to have so many terns visit throughout the year. To the casual beachgoer, they may look alike. But in fact, we have a whole kaleidoscope of tern species migrating to the Bay Area from as far away as the Arctic and Antarctic. Let’s take a closer look at some of our amazing tern diversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Indentification, Caspian Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Caspian_Tern/lifehistory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Caspian terns\u003c/a>, the world’s largest terns, have a nesting colony on \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebparks.org/parks/brooks_island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brooks Island\u003c/a> (an East Bay Regional Park.) They’ll nest there, then winter in Baja and southern Mexico. This is a large, healthy colony, though a \u003ca href=\"http://www.birdresearchnw.org/Project-Info/Study-Area/San-Francisco-Bay-Area/Brooks-Island/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report\u003c/a> noted reductions in the colony from 2003-2009 largely due to increased pressure from a recently established colony of California gulls. The study was done to assess relocating Caspians from their largest colony in Oregon, where they were taking too many young, endangered salmon smolt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8642\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 243px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/LEAST_TERN-243x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8642\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8642\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/LEAST_TERN-243x162.jpg\" alt=\"Endangered California Least Terns nest in the Bay Area, the northern edge of their range. Photo by Regular Daddy, Wikimedia Commons. \" width=\"243\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Endangered California least terns forage for small fish in nearshore waters in the Bay Area, the northern edge of their range. Photo by \u003ca title=\"Wikimedia Least Tern By Peter Wallack\" href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LEAST_TERN.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peter Wallack\u003c/a>, Wikimedia Commons.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We also host the smallest American tern, the \u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Identification, CA Least Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/least_tern/id\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California least tern\u003c/a>, with the largest, northernmost colony at Alameda Point in the East Bay. Read a first-hand report on the Alameda volunteer predator watch program written for a \u003ca title=\"KQED QUEST Observing Life and Death in the CA least tern colony\" href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/2012/06/22/observing-life-and-death-in-the-ca-least-tern-colony/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED QUEST blog\u003c/a> last summer. The endangered California least terns have an intensive management program overseen by both federal and local agencies. The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife manages the largest least tern colony at Alameda Point with lots of help from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/volunteer/friends-of-the-alameda-wildlife-refuge/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge\u003c/a>, which is part of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. A second, smaller but important nest site is managed by the East Bay Regional Parks at \u003ca title=\"Least Tern colony at Hayward Shoreline\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgyHI8JgMQo#t=126\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hayward Regional Shoreline Park\u003c/a>. They have many \u003ca title=\"EBRPD Wildlife Volunteers\" href=\"http://www.ebparks.org/getinvolved/volunteer/quack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">volunteers that help monitor\u003c/a> the colony. Though the least terns have departed their nesting colonies now, a few have been spotted lingering in the area. Most of the colonies have winged away south for their wintering grounds in Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Identification, Forster's Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Forsters_Tern/lifehistory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forster’s terns\u003c/a> are another common tern in the Bay Area. Though they breed in the interior states, they winter along the coast and on our bay. They’re the medium-size birds seen most often in our area. You can look for them hovering and diving for fish fall through spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another turn of the seasons and we get \u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Identification, Elegant Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/elegant_tern/id\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elegant terns\u003c/a>, with 90% of their population breeding on Isla Rasa, a small island off the coast of Mexico. Enjoy this great \u003ca title=\"Elegant Tern Colony on Isla Rasa, MX, YouTube\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUBX_tlHySc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video of the colony \u003c/a>and a short profile of Dr. Enriqueta Velarde, the woman who champions this bird sanctuary. With all their eggs in one basket — or in this case, one island — conservation heroes like her are vital to the species preservation. Once the Elegant terns disperse from their nesting colony, they head north following schools of fish and often stop in the Bay Area. They can be seen through the fall with their long black crests blowing like unruly comb-overs in the breeze. Then they’ll head south again, following the sun and fish, for the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8643\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 226px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Elegant_Tern_Bolsa_Chica-226x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8643\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8643\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Elegant_Tern_Bolsa_Chica-226x162.jpg\" alt=\"Elegant Terns disperse north from their breeding grounds and can be seen in the summer and fall. Photo by Regular Daddy, Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"226\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elegant terns disperse north from their breeding grounds and can be seen in the summer and fall. Photo by \u003ca title=\"Wikimedia, Elegant Tern by Regular Daddy\" href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elegant_Tern_Bolsa_Chica.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Regular Daddy\u003c/a>, Wikimedia Commons.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The champion flyers, \u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Identification, Arctic Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Arctic_Tern/id\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arctic terns\u003c/a>, breed in the Artic circle and summer in the Antarctic: the ultimate endless summer birds. They have the longest migration of any animal. Keep an eye out for them on their southern migration over the fall and winter when they stop off in the Bay Area and eagerly welcomed by bird watchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can test your tern identification skills with this \u003ca title=\"Golden Gate Audubon, How's Your Tern ID Quiz\" href=\"http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/blog-posts/hows-your-tern-id/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pictorial quiz\u003c/a> from the Audubon Society. To go for a walk and observe terns, simply choose one of the bay’s shoreline areas. You can join a walk with \u003ca title=\"EBRPD Naturalist Programs\" href=\"http://www.ebparks.org/activities/naturalists?#programs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">East Bay Regional Park naturalists\u003c/a> or with the \u003ca title=\"Golden Gate Audubon Field Trips\" href=\"http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/field-trips/fieldtrips/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Audubon Society field trips\u003c/a> to learn more from experienced birders. No previous bird watching experience is necessary.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 741,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 9
},
"modified": 1704935060,
"excerpt": "Terns can be found in the Bay Area year round, but they're not all the same species. Learn more about the diversity of tern populations that visit us.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Terns can be found in the Bay Area year round, but they're not all the same species. Learn more about the diversity of tern populations that visit us.",
"title": "Diverse Populations of Terns Return to the Bay Area | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Diverse Populations of Terns Return to the Bay Area",
"datePublished": "2013-09-13T08:00:39-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:04:20-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "diverse-populations-of-terns-return-to-the-bay-area",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/8641/diverse-populations-of-terns-return-to-the-bay-area",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8644\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Forsters_Tern_flying-e1379038664662.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/800px-Forsters_Tern_flying-e1379038664662.jpg\" alt=\"Forster's Terns are commonly seen in the Bay Area fall through spring. Photo by Ingrid Taylar, Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8644\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Forster’s terns are commonly seen in the Bay Area fall through spring. Photo by \u003ca href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forster's_Tern_flying.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ingrid Taylar, Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As the seasons turn, so the terns return, return, return (go ahead and hum along to the old \u003ca title=\"Byrds, Seasons Turn\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Byrds song\u003c/a>) to the Bay Area. One of nature’s amazing flyers, we’re fortunate to have so many terns visit throughout the year. To the casual beachgoer, they may look alike. But in fact, we have a whole kaleidoscope of tern species migrating to the Bay Area from as far away as the Arctic and Antarctic. Let’s take a closer look at some of our amazing tern diversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Indentification, Caspian Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Caspian_Tern/lifehistory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Caspian terns\u003c/a>, the world’s largest terns, have a nesting colony on \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebparks.org/parks/brooks_island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brooks Island\u003c/a> (an East Bay Regional Park.) They’ll nest there, then winter in Baja and southern Mexico. This is a large, healthy colony, though a \u003ca href=\"http://www.birdresearchnw.org/Project-Info/Study-Area/San-Francisco-Bay-Area/Brooks-Island/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report\u003c/a> noted reductions in the colony from 2003-2009 largely due to increased pressure from a recently established colony of California gulls. The study was done to assess relocating Caspians from their largest colony in Oregon, where they were taking too many young, endangered salmon smolt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8642\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 243px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/LEAST_TERN-243x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8642\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8642\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/LEAST_TERN-243x162.jpg\" alt=\"Endangered California Least Terns nest in the Bay Area, the northern edge of their range. Photo by Regular Daddy, Wikimedia Commons. \" width=\"243\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Endangered California least terns forage for small fish in nearshore waters in the Bay Area, the northern edge of their range. Photo by \u003ca title=\"Wikimedia Least Tern By Peter Wallack\" href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LEAST_TERN.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peter Wallack\u003c/a>, Wikimedia Commons.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We also host the smallest American tern, the \u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Identification, CA Least Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/least_tern/id\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California least tern\u003c/a>, with the largest, northernmost colony at Alameda Point in the East Bay. Read a first-hand report on the Alameda volunteer predator watch program written for a \u003ca title=\"KQED QUEST Observing Life and Death in the CA least tern colony\" href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/2012/06/22/observing-life-and-death-in-the-ca-least-tern-colony/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED QUEST blog\u003c/a> last summer. The endangered California least terns have an intensive management program overseen by both federal and local agencies. The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife manages the largest least tern colony at Alameda Point with lots of help from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/volunteer/friends-of-the-alameda-wildlife-refuge/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge\u003c/a>, which is part of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. A second, smaller but important nest site is managed by the East Bay Regional Parks at \u003ca title=\"Least Tern colony at Hayward Shoreline\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgyHI8JgMQo#t=126\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hayward Regional Shoreline Park\u003c/a>. They have many \u003ca title=\"EBRPD Wildlife Volunteers\" href=\"http://www.ebparks.org/getinvolved/volunteer/quack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">volunteers that help monitor\u003c/a> the colony. Though the least terns have departed their nesting colonies now, a few have been spotted lingering in the area. Most of the colonies have winged away south for their wintering grounds in Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Identification, Forster's Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Forsters_Tern/lifehistory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forster’s terns\u003c/a> are another common tern in the Bay Area. Though they breed in the interior states, they winter along the coast and on our bay. They’re the medium-size birds seen most often in our area. You can look for them hovering and diving for fish fall through spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another turn of the seasons and we get \u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Identification, Elegant Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/elegant_tern/id\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elegant terns\u003c/a>, with 90% of their population breeding on Isla Rasa, a small island off the coast of Mexico. Enjoy this great \u003ca title=\"Elegant Tern Colony on Isla Rasa, MX, YouTube\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUBX_tlHySc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video of the colony \u003c/a>and a short profile of Dr. Enriqueta Velarde, the woman who champions this bird sanctuary. With all their eggs in one basket — or in this case, one island — conservation heroes like her are vital to the species preservation. Once the Elegant terns disperse from their nesting colony, they head north following schools of fish and often stop in the Bay Area. They can be seen through the fall with their long black crests blowing like unruly comb-overs in the breeze. Then they’ll head south again, following the sun and fish, for the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8643\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 226px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Elegant_Tern_Bolsa_Chica-226x162.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8643\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8643\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Elegant_Tern_Bolsa_Chica-226x162.jpg\" alt=\"Elegant Terns disperse north from their breeding grounds and can be seen in the summer and fall. Photo by Regular Daddy, Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"226\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elegant terns disperse north from their breeding grounds and can be seen in the summer and fall. Photo by \u003ca title=\"Wikimedia, Elegant Tern by Regular Daddy\" href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elegant_Tern_Bolsa_Chica.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Regular Daddy\u003c/a>, Wikimedia Commons.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The champion flyers, \u003ca title=\"Cornell Bird Identification, Arctic Tern\" href=\"http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Arctic_Tern/id\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arctic terns\u003c/a>, breed in the Artic circle and summer in the Antarctic: the ultimate endless summer birds. They have the longest migration of any animal. Keep an eye out for them on their southern migration over the fall and winter when they stop off in the Bay Area and eagerly welcomed by bird watchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can test your tern identification skills with this \u003ca title=\"Golden Gate Audubon, How's Your Tern ID Quiz\" href=\"http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/blog-posts/hows-your-tern-id/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pictorial quiz\u003c/a> from the Audubon Society. To go for a walk and observe terns, simply choose one of the bay’s shoreline areas. You can join a walk with \u003ca title=\"EBRPD Naturalist Programs\" href=\"http://www.ebparks.org/activities/naturalists?#programs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">East Bay Regional Park naturalists\u003c/a> or with the \u003ca title=\"Golden Gate Audubon Field Trips\" href=\"http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/field-trips/fieldtrips/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Audubon Society field trips\u003c/a> to learn more from experienced birders. No previous bird watching experience is necessary.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/8641/diverse-populations-of-terns-return-to-the-bay-area",
"authors": [
"6328"
],
"categories": [
"science_30"
],
"tags": [
"science_163",
"science_454",
"science_703"
],
"featImg": "science_8644",
"label": "science"
},
"science_8167": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_8167",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8167",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1379027109000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1379027109,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Click to “Like” My Genome: Home Genetic Testing Goes Social",
"headTitle": "Click to “Like” My Genome: Home Genetic Testing Goes Social | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8176\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Pitfall_Atari.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8176 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Pitfall_Atari.jpg\" alt=\"With personalized genomics, pitfalls in our imagination become real insights into threats to our health.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">With personalized genomics, imagined dangers could become real insights about our health. (Image: Activision)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Remember the Activision game \u003ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhXMYw1lXY0\">Pitfall!\u003c/a>, back in the ‘80s? Your guy ran through a blocky two-dimensional jungle, swinging on a vine of pixels over alligator-infested bogs. Was he running toward or away from something? You didn’t care. Sometimes the chasms disappeared and reappeared beneath your feet. If you fell into quicksand or landed on a rattlesnake, you died. No big deal. It was just a game, lived in the moment. You were evading or finding peril as it scrolled across the screen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fast forward 20 years, to when we first heard it was possible for people to sequence their genomes. I was intrigued. This was around the time that the \u003ca href=\"http://www.genome.gov/10001772\">Human Genome Project\u003c/a> was nearing completion. Soon, I imagined, we all might be offered a chance to run through life with a new ability to sense what dangers lay ahead, lurking in our genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with its six-digit price point, genetic testing was a high-end game out of reach for most of us. In some ways, this is still the case. \u003cem>Whole genome\u003c/em> sequencing, which spells out all six billion letters of a person’s DNA, is still prohibitively expensive and has to be ordered by a doctor. But now it is possible to order a genetic scan of nearly a million key spots on one’s DNA for only $99 from \u003ca href=\"http://www.23andme.com/\">23andMe\u003c/a>, a Mountain View company co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, a biotech investor on the Google family tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, personalized genomics was a game I could afford. The $99 is one tenth of what the test originally cost when the company began offering it in 2007. Curiosity lured me in: I wanted to learn more about my heredity and my health. But I didn’t expect to find a whole new breed of social network, an online community structured not around shared interests, physical proximity, or social relationships, but around bits of shared DNA.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">I wanted to learn more about my heredity and my health. But I didn’t expect to find a whole new breed of social network.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Grabbing the rope was simple. I visited the company’s website, clicked on the huge green invitation to “Get to Know You,” paid up and became a member. A few days later, the smartly-packaged kit was waiting when I returned home from work. Inside were a tiny plastic vial and a smaller box to return the sealed saliva sample.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spat. As I held the sample, I felt oddly protective. Then I felt a flutter of anxiety. Should I be sending these defenseless drops of myself into the clutches of faceless white coats? I have often worked as a freelancer or in other nontraditional modes, and, like so many of my fellow Americans, am used to taking a DIY approach to health care to the degree that I can. But still I worried, could my results be used to deny me health coverage, or otherwise discriminate against me?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But I didn’t worry that much, and I slid the package into the corner mailbox the next morning. An existing law known as the \u003ca href=\"http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/gina.cfm\">Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act\u003c/a> (GINA), signed by \u003ca href=\"http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/the-genetic-inf/\">George W. Bush in 2008\u003c/a> protects Americans against discrimination based on genetic information. The law is far from iron-clad; it doesn’t cover long-term health, life or disability insurance. But there’s also \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/news/health/obamacare/obamacare-guide.jsp\">Obama’s health care law\u003c/a>, coming into effect in 2014, which should moot the point, because even if loopholes currently exist in the GINA law, the president’s healthcare act aims to further limit discrimination based on preexisting conditions. We’ll have to wait to see how well it works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But my willingness to outsource my data goes beyond feeling secure about privacy protections; it’s also about a new way of moving in the world. I’ve never been as protective of my identity as some people, but I now care even less. I sometimes make long personal phone calls on busy city streets, an activity I once found tacky and embarrassing. I’ve gone on internet dates. I post updates and pictures of myself on Facebook, to be perused by friends and “friends” alike. Curating my public persona seems like a lot of trouble, and ultimately pointless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In short, I’m of the world. And the world is not in a very private mood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not everyone shares (or can afford to share) this devil-may-care attitude when it comes to his or her genetic information. Some people have good reason to believe that they might be prone to certain illnesses, including incapacitating, contagious and/or fatal ones. Or they may carry mutations that might affect potential offspring. Or maybe they merely chafe at the image of their precious DNA shelved in a vault somewhere, as in the final sequence of \u003cem>Raiders of the Lost Ark.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8172\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 288px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/raiders_of_the_lost_ark2-e1378511556309-288x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8172 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/raiders_of_the_lost_ark2-e1378511556309-288x162.jpg\" alt=\"Genetic samples sent by 23andMe customers can be stored indefinitely to be studied by scientists.\" width=\"288\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003ca href=\"http://second-reel.blogspot.com/2010/07/homage-reference-and-free-association.html\">Genetic samples sent by 23andMe customers can be stored indefinitely to be studied by scientists. \u003c/a>\u003cbr>(Image: Lucasfilm)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To assuage these fears, 23andMe offers a menu of fates for both your physical sample and your data. On the conservative end, you can choose to have both destroyed after you receive your results. On the other end of the spectrum, you can allow the company to keep your DNA and study it ad infinitum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While 23andMe offers privacy options, the company regularly hints that it would be \u003ca href=\"https://www.23andme.com/about/values/\">noble of you to reveal all (in the interest of science)\u003c/a>, and it uses an enticing interface to hustle users for more information. For example, with a feature called “Quick Questions,” you can deliver substantial amounts of self-reported data on the web site before your saliva sample has even arrived at the lab. The more data 23andMe accumulates and can correlate with customers’ self-reported info, the deeper the ocean from which it can fish for new drugs and treatments. Using this “Aggregated Genetic and Self-Reported Information,” the company contributes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.23andme.com/for/scientists/\">papers in peer-reviewed journals\u003c/a>, and in theory could work with third parties to market new drugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It runs a good game, too. You may be made of stronger stuff, but when someone asks me a simple personal question with the promised reward of better self-understanding, I respond like a rat tapping a lever, or a teenager hitting ‘Start’ on a faux-wood-paneled game console.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>How would you describe your current weight?\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>When you travel, do you prefer your itinerary to be planned in advance or spontaneous?\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Do you cry easily?\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Do you have stretch marks on your hips, thighs, or backs of your arms?\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>When you’re in the mood for a snack, what kind of snack do you usually reach for?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As I waited for my results, I kept coming back to the site to answer questions and explore research on genetically influenced traits such as hair curliness, shyness and the tendency to create systems out of chaos. I found it irresistible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>23andMe also hosts a copious amount of (over)sharing: every trait, ancestry query or medical pitfall has its own group in which customers can discuss it. In hundreds of forums, seekers like me reach out to each other to fill in the gaps of their genetic stories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8173\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/23me-2-compressed-e1378836487128.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8173 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/23me-2-compressed-e1378836487128.jpg\" alt=\"23me-2-compressed\" width=\"640\" height=\"421\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">23andMe customers gather in forums to discuss everything from shared genetic mutations to the search for long-lost family. (Arwen Curry/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I realized that once my results were in, I would be able to see — and chat with — people genetically related to me around the world who had also taken the test. At first, I scoffed at this. Don’t people have enough “friends” without having “family,” too? But it was clear this was no fringe activity. These networks were overflowing with posts, comments and discussions, connecting people around the world by their genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as I was beginning to get saturated with other people’s data, an email arrived:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Dear Arwen,\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your 23andMe results are now available!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>>Log in now to view your results and start personalizing your 23andMe experience.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Ready to swing out over the abyss, I wondered, if I \u003cem>did\u003c/em> have a trait, mutation or disease, would I reach out to this group of online strangers to talk about it? If I learned I had distant cousins, would I want to talk to them, even expand what I thought of as family?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Have you taken the spit test? If you could be part of a community based on your DNA would you join? Add your thoughts to the comments below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In my next post, I will share some of my test results and introduce you to some of the people I met along the way. Stay tuned.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1507,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 31
},
"modified": 1704935070,
"excerpt": "Before gene sequencing, life was a like a video game: you’d run along, dealing with obstacles as they came up. Now we can learn more about what genetic dangers may lay ahead. KQED Science producer Arwen Curry decided to get in the game.\r\n",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Before gene sequencing, life was a like a video game: you’d run along, dealing with obstacles as they came up. Now we can learn more about what genetic dangers may lay ahead. KQED Science producer Arwen Curry decided to get in the game.\r\n",
"title": "Click to “Like” My Genome: Home Genetic Testing Goes Social | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Click to “Like” My Genome: Home Genetic Testing Goes Social",
"datePublished": "2013-09-12T16:05:09-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:04:30-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "click-to-like-my-genome-home-genetic-testing-goes-social",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/8167/click-to-like-my-genome-home-genetic-testing-goes-social",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8176\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Pitfall_Atari.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8176 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Pitfall_Atari.jpg\" alt=\"With personalized genomics, pitfalls in our imagination become real insights into threats to our health.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">With personalized genomics, imagined dangers could become real insights about our health. (Image: Activision)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Remember the Activision game \u003ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhXMYw1lXY0\">Pitfall!\u003c/a>, back in the ‘80s? Your guy ran through a blocky two-dimensional jungle, swinging on a vine of pixels over alligator-infested bogs. Was he running toward or away from something? You didn’t care. Sometimes the chasms disappeared and reappeared beneath your feet. If you fell into quicksand or landed on a rattlesnake, you died. No big deal. It was just a game, lived in the moment. You were evading or finding peril as it scrolled across the screen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fast forward 20 years, to when we first heard it was possible for people to sequence their genomes. I was intrigued. This was around the time that the \u003ca href=\"http://www.genome.gov/10001772\">Human Genome Project\u003c/a> was nearing completion. Soon, I imagined, we all might be offered a chance to run through life with a new ability to sense what dangers lay ahead, lurking in our genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with its six-digit price point, genetic testing was a high-end game out of reach for most of us. In some ways, this is still the case. \u003cem>Whole genome\u003c/em> sequencing, which spells out all six billion letters of a person’s DNA, is still prohibitively expensive and has to be ordered by a doctor. But now it is possible to order a genetic scan of nearly a million key spots on one’s DNA for only $99 from \u003ca href=\"http://www.23andme.com/\">23andMe\u003c/a>, a Mountain View company co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, a biotech investor on the Google family tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, personalized genomics was a game I could afford. The $99 is one tenth of what the test originally cost when the company began offering it in 2007. Curiosity lured me in: I wanted to learn more about my heredity and my health. But I didn’t expect to find a whole new breed of social network, an online community structured not around shared interests, physical proximity, or social relationships, but around bits of shared DNA.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">I wanted to learn more about my heredity and my health. But I didn’t expect to find a whole new breed of social network.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Grabbing the rope was simple. I visited the company’s website, clicked on the huge green invitation to “Get to Know You,” paid up and became a member. A few days later, the smartly-packaged kit was waiting when I returned home from work. Inside were a tiny plastic vial and a smaller box to return the sealed saliva sample.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spat. As I held the sample, I felt oddly protective. Then I felt a flutter of anxiety. Should I be sending these defenseless drops of myself into the clutches of faceless white coats? I have often worked as a freelancer or in other nontraditional modes, and, like so many of my fellow Americans, am used to taking a DIY approach to health care to the degree that I can. But still I worried, could my results be used to deny me health coverage, or otherwise discriminate against me?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But I didn’t worry that much, and I slid the package into the corner mailbox the next morning. An existing law known as the \u003ca href=\"http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/gina.cfm\">Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act\u003c/a> (GINA), signed by \u003ca href=\"http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/the-genetic-inf/\">George W. Bush in 2008\u003c/a> protects Americans against discrimination based on genetic information. The law is far from iron-clad; it doesn’t cover long-term health, life or disability insurance. But there’s also \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/news/health/obamacare/obamacare-guide.jsp\">Obama’s health care law\u003c/a>, coming into effect in 2014, which should moot the point, because even if loopholes currently exist in the GINA law, the president’s healthcare act aims to further limit discrimination based on preexisting conditions. We’ll have to wait to see how well it works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But my willingness to outsource my data goes beyond feeling secure about privacy protections; it’s also about a new way of moving in the world. I’ve never been as protective of my identity as some people, but I now care even less. I sometimes make long personal phone calls on busy city streets, an activity I once found tacky and embarrassing. I’ve gone on internet dates. I post updates and pictures of myself on Facebook, to be perused by friends and “friends” alike. Curating my public persona seems like a lot of trouble, and ultimately pointless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In short, I’m of the world. And the world is not in a very private mood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not everyone shares (or can afford to share) this devil-may-care attitude when it comes to his or her genetic information. Some people have good reason to believe that they might be prone to certain illnesses, including incapacitating, contagious and/or fatal ones. Or they may carry mutations that might affect potential offspring. Or maybe they merely chafe at the image of their precious DNA shelved in a vault somewhere, as in the final sequence of \u003cem>Raiders of the Lost Ark.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8172\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 288px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/raiders_of_the_lost_ark2-e1378511556309-288x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8172 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/raiders_of_the_lost_ark2-e1378511556309-288x162.jpg\" alt=\"Genetic samples sent by 23andMe customers can be stored indefinitely to be studied by scientists.\" width=\"288\" height=\"162\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003ca href=\"http://second-reel.blogspot.com/2010/07/homage-reference-and-free-association.html\">Genetic samples sent by 23andMe customers can be stored indefinitely to be studied by scientists. \u003c/a>\u003cbr>(Image: Lucasfilm)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To assuage these fears, 23andMe offers a menu of fates for both your physical sample and your data. On the conservative end, you can choose to have both destroyed after you receive your results. On the other end of the spectrum, you can allow the company to keep your DNA and study it ad infinitum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While 23andMe offers privacy options, the company regularly hints that it would be \u003ca href=\"https://www.23andme.com/about/values/\">noble of you to reveal all (in the interest of science)\u003c/a>, and it uses an enticing interface to hustle users for more information. For example, with a feature called “Quick Questions,” you can deliver substantial amounts of self-reported data on the web site before your saliva sample has even arrived at the lab. The more data 23andMe accumulates and can correlate with customers’ self-reported info, the deeper the ocean from which it can fish for new drugs and treatments. Using this “Aggregated Genetic and Self-Reported Information,” the company contributes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.23andme.com/for/scientists/\">papers in peer-reviewed journals\u003c/a>, and in theory could work with third parties to market new drugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It runs a good game, too. You may be made of stronger stuff, but when someone asks me a simple personal question with the promised reward of better self-understanding, I respond like a rat tapping a lever, or a teenager hitting ‘Start’ on a faux-wood-paneled game console.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>How would you describe your current weight?\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>When you travel, do you prefer your itinerary to be planned in advance or spontaneous?\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Do you cry easily?\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Do you have stretch marks on your hips, thighs, or backs of your arms?\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>When you’re in the mood for a snack, what kind of snack do you usually reach for?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As I waited for my results, I kept coming back to the site to answer questions and explore research on genetically influenced traits such as hair curliness, shyness and the tendency to create systems out of chaos. I found it irresistible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>23andMe also hosts a copious amount of (over)sharing: every trait, ancestry query or medical pitfall has its own group in which customers can discuss it. In hundreds of forums, seekers like me reach out to each other to fill in the gaps of their genetic stories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8173\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/23me-2-compressed-e1378836487128.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8173 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/23me-2-compressed-e1378836487128.jpg\" alt=\"23me-2-compressed\" width=\"640\" height=\"421\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">23andMe customers gather in forums to discuss everything from shared genetic mutations to the search for long-lost family. (Arwen Curry/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I realized that once my results were in, I would be able to see — and chat with — people genetically related to me around the world who had also taken the test. At first, I scoffed at this. Don’t people have enough “friends” without having “family,” too? But it was clear this was no fringe activity. These networks were overflowing with posts, comments and discussions, connecting people around the world by their genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as I was beginning to get saturated with other people’s data, an email arrived:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Dear Arwen,\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your 23andMe results are now available!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>>Log in now to view your results and start personalizing your 23andMe experience.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Ready to swing out over the abyss, I wondered, if I \u003cem>did\u003c/em> have a trait, mutation or disease, would I reach out to this group of online strangers to talk about it? If I learned I had distant cousins, would I want to talk to them, even expand what I thought of as family?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Have you taken the spit test? If you could be part of a community based on your DNA would you join? Add your thoughts to the comments below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In my next post, I will share some of my test results and introduce you to some of the people I met along the way. Stay tuned.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/8167/click-to-like-my-genome-home-genetic-testing-goes-social",
"authors": [
"6444"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_89",
"science_39"
],
"tags": [
"science_304",
"science_305",
"science_327",
"science_5181",
"science_697"
],
"featImg": "science_8176",
"label": "science"
},
"science_8272": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_8272",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8272",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1378766616000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1378766616,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Tracking Wildlife (Not Wild Life) on San Francisco's Market Street",
"headTitle": "Tracking Wildlife (Not Wild Life) on San Francisco’s Market Street | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>[audio=http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Market-Street-Swallowtails.mp3]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local naturalists are studying the concrete canyon of San Francisco’s Market Street, and finding that it provides habitat to some surprising denizens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8275\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/tigerswallowtail.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8275\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/tigerswallowtail.jpg\" alt=\"A tiger swallowtail lands in Yerba Buena gardens. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tiger swallowtail lands in Yerba Buena gardens. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It was a series of “tiger” sightings that sparked the idea — specifically the tiger swallowtail, a big yellow butterfly that seems to have taken to Market because the street resembles its natural habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This creature likes to go up and down watercourses,” said lepidopterist Liam O’Brien, on a recent stroll down one of San Francisco’s busiest downtown thoroughfares. “So if you think about a street, laid out in a long line, through the POV [point of view] of the creature, that’s the bank of a river,” explained O’Brien, who is heading up the project. The London plane trees planted along Market Street are one of the plants that the tiger swallowtails favor for egg laying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’ve developed some urban street smarts, as O’Brien pointed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“About a year ago, I saw one land on the cut flowers at that stand,” said O’Brien. “Imagine that, a creature going to a cut flower stand in a downtown setting. That just blows my mind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8315\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 355px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/liamobrien.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-8315 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/liamobrien.jpg\" alt=\"Liam O'Brien on the hunt for butterflies in Yerba Buena gardens in downtown San Francisco. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\" width=\"355\" height=\"474\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liam O’Brien on the hunt for butterflies in Yerba Buena gardens in downtown San Francisco. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He’s working on the project with Amber Hasselbring, executive director of the San Francisco non-profit \u003ca href=\"http://www.natureinthecity.org/\">Nature in the City\u003c/a>. The two landed a small grant to do the work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re probably the only field people in the country right now doing field work at One Sansome and Market,” said O’Brien, surrounded by high-rise office buildings. Sometimes he gets funny looks on his way to work. “Everyone’s going downtown, and I’m carrying a butterfly net on Muni at 8 AM.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger swallowtails are relatively common in urban areas, but their presence got O’Brien and Hasselbring curious about what else lives here. Now they’re \u003ca href=\"http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/tigers-on-market-street\">keeping track\u003c/a> of more insects and other pollinators on Market and in nearby parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen a lot of dragonflies, tons of hummingbirds, a lot of different bee species, quite a few different flies and moths, along with some other butterflies,” said Hasselbring. It’s all about keeping an eye out for wildlife, even in unexpected places, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of times we focus our attention on the places that we know we’ll see things,” said Hasselbring. “There’s spots that you’ll go in San Francisco to see wild nature, and Market Street would not be one of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8329\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/marketstreet.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8329\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/marketstreet.jpg\" alt=\"To a butterfly, Market Street in downtown San Francisco may look like a river canyon. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">To a butterfly, Market Street in downtown San Francisco may look like a river canyon. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And sometimes even these urban naturalists are surprised. The day I tagged along with O’Brien and Hasselbring, they spotted an \u003ca href=\"http://up.inaturalist.org/taxa/52484-Celastrina-echo\">echo blue butterfly\u003c/a> as it landed on a tree in Yerba Buena park. O’Brien said it was his most urban sighting of that species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How did that little blue butterfly find this ecosystem?” he wondered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>O’Brien and Hasselbring hope city planners will use the data they’re collecting, and consider the birds and the bugs when it eventually comes time to \u003ca href=\"http://www.bettermarketstreetsf.org/\">redesign Market Street\u003c/a>, as planned. Meanwhile, until the end of tiger swallowtail season in October, the two will be out patrolling with nets and cameras.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": true,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 631,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 15
},
"modified": 1704935093,
"excerpt": "Studying the \"wildlife\" of San Francisco's Market Street isn't exactly what you might think. Turns out it's a habitat that seems to attract butterflies and other critters.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Studying the "wildlife" of San Francisco's Market Street isn't exactly what you might think. Turns out it's a habitat that seems to attract butterflies and other critters.",
"title": "Tracking Wildlife (Not Wild Life) on San Francisco's Market Street | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Tracking Wildlife (Not Wild Life) on San Francisco's Market Street",
"datePublished": "2013-09-09T15:43:36-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:04:53-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "tracking-wildlife-not-wild-life-on-san-franciscos-market-street",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/8272/tracking-wildlife-not-wild-life-on-san-franciscos-market-street",
"audioUrl": "http://blogs.kqed.org/science/wp-content/blogs.dir/48/files/2013/09/Market-Street-Swallowtails.mp3",
"audioDuration": null,
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "audio",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "=http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Market-Street-Swallowtails.mp3"
},
"numeric": [
"=http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/Market-Street-Swallowtails.mp3"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local naturalists are studying the concrete canyon of San Francisco’s Market Street, and finding that it provides habitat to some surprising denizens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8275\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/tigerswallowtail.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8275\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/tigerswallowtail.jpg\" alt=\"A tiger swallowtail lands in Yerba Buena gardens. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tiger swallowtail lands in Yerba Buena gardens. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It was a series of “tiger” sightings that sparked the idea — specifically the tiger swallowtail, a big yellow butterfly that seems to have taken to Market because the street resembles its natural habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This creature likes to go up and down watercourses,” said lepidopterist Liam O’Brien, on a recent stroll down one of San Francisco’s busiest downtown thoroughfares. “So if you think about a street, laid out in a long line, through the POV [point of view] of the creature, that’s the bank of a river,” explained O’Brien, who is heading up the project. The London plane trees planted along Market Street are one of the plants that the tiger swallowtails favor for egg laying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’ve developed some urban street smarts, as O’Brien pointed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“About a year ago, I saw one land on the cut flowers at that stand,” said O’Brien. “Imagine that, a creature going to a cut flower stand in a downtown setting. That just blows my mind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8315\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 355px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/liamobrien.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-8315 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/liamobrien.jpg\" alt=\"Liam O'Brien on the hunt for butterflies in Yerba Buena gardens in downtown San Francisco. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\" width=\"355\" height=\"474\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liam O’Brien on the hunt for butterflies in Yerba Buena gardens in downtown San Francisco. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He’s working on the project with Amber Hasselbring, executive director of the San Francisco non-profit \u003ca href=\"http://www.natureinthecity.org/\">Nature in the City\u003c/a>. The two landed a small grant to do the work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re probably the only field people in the country right now doing field work at One Sansome and Market,” said O’Brien, surrounded by high-rise office buildings. Sometimes he gets funny looks on his way to work. “Everyone’s going downtown, and I’m carrying a butterfly net on Muni at 8 AM.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger swallowtails are relatively common in urban areas, but their presence got O’Brien and Hasselbring curious about what else lives here. Now they’re \u003ca href=\"http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/tigers-on-market-street\">keeping track\u003c/a> of more insects and other pollinators on Market and in nearby parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen a lot of dragonflies, tons of hummingbirds, a lot of different bee species, quite a few different flies and moths, along with some other butterflies,” said Hasselbring. It’s all about keeping an eye out for wildlife, even in unexpected places, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of times we focus our attention on the places that we know we’ll see things,” said Hasselbring. “There’s spots that you’ll go in San Francisco to see wild nature, and Market Street would not be one of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8329\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/marketstreet.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8329\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/marketstreet.jpg\" alt=\"To a butterfly, Market Street in downtown San Francisco may look like a river canyon. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">To a butterfly, Market Street in downtown San Francisco may look like a river canyon. (Molly Samuel/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And sometimes even these urban naturalists are surprised. The day I tagged along with O’Brien and Hasselbring, they spotted an \u003ca href=\"http://up.inaturalist.org/taxa/52484-Celastrina-echo\">echo blue butterfly\u003c/a> as it landed on a tree in Yerba Buena park. O’Brien said it was his most urban sighting of that species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How did that little blue butterfly find this ecosystem?” he wondered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>O’Brien and Hasselbring hope city planners will use the data they’re collecting, and consider the birds and the bugs when it eventually comes time to \u003ca href=\"http://www.bettermarketstreetsf.org/\">redesign Market Street\u003c/a>, as planned. Meanwhile, until the end of tiger swallowtail season in October, the two will be out patrolling with nets and cameras.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/8272/tracking-wildlife-not-wild-life-on-san-franciscos-market-street",
"authors": [
"200"
],
"categories": [
"science_46",
"science_30",
"science_35",
"science_43"
],
"featImg": "science_8311",
"label": "science"
},
"science_8281": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_8281",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8281",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1378759471000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1378759471,
"format": "aside",
"title": "The Real Vaccine Roulette: Missing Your Baby’s Scheduled Shots",
"headTitle": "The Real Vaccine Roulette: Missing Your Baby’s Scheduled Shots | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8282\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 288px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/newborn-288x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/newborn-288x162.jpg\" alt=\"Babies receive their first whooping cough vaccination at two months. Newborns and infants too young to be vaccinated face the greatest risk of serious complications or death from this highly contagious disease. (Photo: Pospiech via Wikipedia)\" width=\"288\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8282\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Babies receive their first whooping cough vaccination at two months. Newborns and infants too young to be vaccinated face the greatest risk of serious complications or death from this highly contagious disease. (Photo: \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Newborn_baby-1_hour_after.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pospiech via Wikipedia\u003c/a>)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Children who miss one or more of their scheduled whooping cough shots face a much greater risk of catching the potentially deadly disease, a new study shows. Risk jumps substantially with each delayed or skipped shot: children denied all recommended shots are 30 times more likely to get sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results, \u003ca href=\"http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1558057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published online Monday in JAMA\u003c/a>, reflect a growing tendency among parents to delay or refuse certain childhood vaccinations. More than \u003ca href=\"http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1558057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10 percent of parents\u003c/a> now “under-vaccinate” their kids, citing concerns about vaccine safety. Despite ongoing education campaigns to dispel misguided fears about vaccines, some parents still worry that t\u003ca href=\"http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/109/1/124.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oo many vaccines “overwhelm”\u003c/a> a young child’s immune system while others believe that s\u003ca href=\"http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/4/654.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pecific vaccines can cause autism\u003c/a> in healthy children. Neither is true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) causes violent, spasmodic coughing fits that produce the disease’s trademark “whoop” as victims desperately struggle to breathe. Babies too young to vaccinate are at greatest risk of serious complications, as the infection quickly overwhelms their immature bodies. Last week, two newborns \u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-05/lifestyle/sns-rt-us-usa-health-texas-20130905_1_mild-cough-pertussis-severe-coughing\">died in Texas\u003c/a> during one of the biggest whooping cough epidemics there in 50 years. Pertussis can also cause seizures, brain damage and mental retardation as infection robs tissues of oxygen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the 2010 California epidemic—the largest in 60 years—more than 9,000 people contracted pertussis, and ten infants died. Of 159 pertussis deaths reported to the CDC between 2004 and 2011, nearly half were babies under three months old. To protect babies too young to get vaccinated, health officials \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/features/pertussis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">urge pregnant women \u003c/a>to get a booster shot during the third trimester.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Veering from a Science-Based Schedule \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/about.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices\u003c/a> sets the childhood immunization schedule based on evidence-based approaches to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases. The ACIP recommends that children receive five doses of the DTaP shot—a diphtheria, tetanus and aceullar pertussis combination vaccine—between the ages of two months and six years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents worried about vaccine safety have increasingly adopted alternatives to these well-studied schedules, choosing to delay, space out or forgo shots altogether. \u003ca href=\"http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1558058\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">None of these options \u003c/a>has been studied to understand just how they affect disease risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toward that end, epidemiologist Jason Glanz and a team of health experts from across the country evaluated the consequences of delaying or refusing a child’s DTaP vaccination amid ongoing pertussis outbreaks. The team reviewed the medical records of children born between 2004 and 2008 at eight managed care organizations from coast to coast, including Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California. They identified confirmed cases of pertussis, then determined whether children were under- or fully vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As expected, the more DTaP shots missed, the higher the risk. Missing or delaying three doses made a child 19 times more likely to get pertussis. Under-vaccinating for all four scheduled shots made a child \u003cem>30 times more likely\u003c/em> to get pertussis. More than a third of pertussis cases in kids ages three months to three years old could have been prevented if they’d received their shots on time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not surprising that deviating from the recommended schedule places children at much greater risk of getting a serious infection, says Glanz, an investigator with the Institute for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Colorado. “The problem is that there are a lot of parents who think it’s okay to push [the vaccinations] off. They need to know that pushing them off places their children at risk, especially at a time when the disease is particularly serious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Theories without Evidence\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nGlanz and his colleagues didn’t interview parents for this study, so it’s not clear why they chose not to vaccinate their children against a disease that kills mostly babies. In \u003ca href=\"2205/S1876285913001563/1-s2.0-S1876285913001563-main.pdf?_tid=ce1164fa-1747-11e3-86a2-00000aab0f6c&acdnat=1378508472_27a83f2529a49f75e227540ca9c366e3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">another study,\u003c/a> Glanz found that although parents typically trust their pediatricians for most medical advice, they think doctors don’t provide “balanced” information about vaccination risks and benefits. For information on risk, parents rely on other parents, web sites, advocacy groups, \u003ca href=\"http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/1876-2859/PIIS1876285913001599.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">celebrities,\u003c/a> and books that advocate alternate schedules and raise unfounded fears about vaccine dangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fears about the pertussis vaccine surfaced in the early 80s, after the TV documentary “Vaccine Roulette” blamed the vaccine for leaving children dead or brain-damaged. The original vaccine contained the whole (killed) pathogen and so delivered hundreds of antigens to trigger an immune response. More antigens meant broader protection against numerous strains of the pathogen, but also produced more side effects, including febrile seizures, irritability, and a short-lived though frightening condition (called hypotonic hyporesponsive syndrome) that makes children limp and unresponsive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Studies found no support for long-term brain damage or other terrible dangers raised by “Vaccine Roulette,” but many parents, understandably scared by what they saw, stopped vaccinating their children. Pertussis has been \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt10-pertussis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on the rise ever since\u003c/a>, but not simply because parents shun vaccination. Public health officials attribute part of the increase to better recognition of the symptoms, now that the disease is common again, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2013/05/29/whooping-cough-remains-a-formidable-opponent-against-vaccinatio/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">along with waning immunity \u003c/a>and the evolution of more aggressive pathogens. To alleviate fears about the whole-cell vaccine, manufacturers created the current acellular version (DTaP) with just three antigens. Though DTaP is extremely effective in infants and young children, as Glanz’s study makes clear, it can’t target all circulating pathogen strains and wears off over time, which is why public health officials recommend booster shots for kids entering seventh grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The JAMA study paints a disturbing picture that many parents believe vaccines are more dangerous than an infectious disease that \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">once killed 9,000 people a year\u003c/a>. But it also shows that the childhood DTaP vaccine works. “Whatever concerns we have about the vaccine’s effectiveness, this study shows it prevents a lot of cases of serious infection without hurting kids,” says Roger Baxter, co-director of Kaiser Permanente’s Vaccine Study Center in Oakland. Baxter wasn’t involved in the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the childhood immunization schedule protects against more pathogens than ever before—thanks to discoveries that led to new vaccines—shots today elicit an immune response with just a fraction of the antigens present in older vaccines. That’s what vaccines are all about, says Baxter: protecting children against a disease by inducing an immune response without producing the illness. “It’s just sad that some people are afraid of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glanz wants parents to know that public health experts are on their side. “We know parents want to do what’s best for their child, and that’s our objective too,” he says. “Public health experts do studies like this not because we’re pro-vaccine but because we’re pro-child. We know these decisions can be difficult and there’s a lot of confusing information out there. We want to help parents make the best decisions for their child.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1221,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 17
},
"modified": 1704935095,
"excerpt": "Some parents are choosing to delay, space out or forgo their children's recommended vaccinations. But according to a new study, every shot parents choose to skip greatly increases their children's risk of getting a potentially fatal infectious disease.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Some parents are choosing to delay, space out or forgo their children's recommended vaccinations. But according to a new study, every shot parents choose to skip greatly increases their children's risk of getting a potentially fatal infectious disease.",
"title": "The Real Vaccine Roulette: Missing Your Baby’s Scheduled Shots | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The Real Vaccine Roulette: Missing Your Baby’s Scheduled Shots",
"datePublished": "2013-09-09T13:44:31-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:04:55-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-real-vaccine-roulette-missing-your-babys-scheduled-shots",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/8281/the-real-vaccine-roulette-missing-your-babys-scheduled-shots",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8282\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 288px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/newborn-288x162.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/newborn-288x162.jpg\" alt=\"Babies receive their first whooping cough vaccination at two months. Newborns and infants too young to be vaccinated face the greatest risk of serious complications or death from this highly contagious disease. (Photo: Pospiech via Wikipedia)\" width=\"288\" height=\"162\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8282\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Babies receive their first whooping cough vaccination at two months. Newborns and infants too young to be vaccinated face the greatest risk of serious complications or death from this highly contagious disease. (Photo: \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Newborn_baby-1_hour_after.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pospiech via Wikipedia\u003c/a>)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Children who miss one or more of their scheduled whooping cough shots face a much greater risk of catching the potentially deadly disease, a new study shows. Risk jumps substantially with each delayed or skipped shot: children denied all recommended shots are 30 times more likely to get sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results, \u003ca href=\"http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1558057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published online Monday in JAMA\u003c/a>, reflect a growing tendency among parents to delay or refuse certain childhood vaccinations. More than \u003ca href=\"http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1558057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10 percent of parents\u003c/a> now “under-vaccinate” their kids, citing concerns about vaccine safety. Despite ongoing education campaigns to dispel misguided fears about vaccines, some parents still worry that t\u003ca href=\"http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/109/1/124.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oo many vaccines “overwhelm”\u003c/a> a young child’s immune system while others believe that s\u003ca href=\"http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/4/654.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pecific vaccines can cause autism\u003c/a> in healthy children. Neither is true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) causes violent, spasmodic coughing fits that produce the disease’s trademark “whoop” as victims desperately struggle to breathe. Babies too young to vaccinate are at greatest risk of serious complications, as the infection quickly overwhelms their immature bodies. Last week, two newborns \u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-05/lifestyle/sns-rt-us-usa-health-texas-20130905_1_mild-cough-pertussis-severe-coughing\">died in Texas\u003c/a> during one of the biggest whooping cough epidemics there in 50 years. Pertussis can also cause seizures, brain damage and mental retardation as infection robs tissues of oxygen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the 2010 California epidemic—the largest in 60 years—more than 9,000 people contracted pertussis, and ten infants died. Of 159 pertussis deaths reported to the CDC between 2004 and 2011, nearly half were babies under three months old. To protect babies too young to get vaccinated, health officials \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/features/pertussis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">urge pregnant women \u003c/a>to get a booster shot during the third trimester.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Veering from a Science-Based Schedule \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/about.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices\u003c/a> sets the childhood immunization schedule based on evidence-based approaches to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases. The ACIP recommends that children receive five doses of the DTaP shot—a diphtheria, tetanus and aceullar pertussis combination vaccine—between the ages of two months and six years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents worried about vaccine safety have increasingly adopted alternatives to these well-studied schedules, choosing to delay, space out or forgo shots altogether. \u003ca href=\"http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1558058\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">None of these options \u003c/a>has been studied to understand just how they affect disease risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toward that end, epidemiologist Jason Glanz and a team of health experts from across the country evaluated the consequences of delaying or refusing a child’s DTaP vaccination amid ongoing pertussis outbreaks. The team reviewed the medical records of children born between 2004 and 2008 at eight managed care organizations from coast to coast, including Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California. They identified confirmed cases of pertussis, then determined whether children were under- or fully vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As expected, the more DTaP shots missed, the higher the risk. Missing or delaying three doses made a child 19 times more likely to get pertussis. Under-vaccinating for all four scheduled shots made a child \u003cem>30 times more likely\u003c/em> to get pertussis. More than a third of pertussis cases in kids ages three months to three years old could have been prevented if they’d received their shots on time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not surprising that deviating from the recommended schedule places children at much greater risk of getting a serious infection, says Glanz, an investigator with the Institute for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Colorado. “The problem is that there are a lot of parents who think it’s okay to push [the vaccinations] off. They need to know that pushing them off places their children at risk, especially at a time when the disease is particularly serious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Theories without Evidence\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nGlanz and his colleagues didn’t interview parents for this study, so it’s not clear why they chose not to vaccinate their children against a disease that kills mostly babies. In \u003ca href=\"2205/S1876285913001563/1-s2.0-S1876285913001563-main.pdf?_tid=ce1164fa-1747-11e3-86a2-00000aab0f6c&acdnat=1378508472_27a83f2529a49f75e227540ca9c366e3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">another study,\u003c/a> Glanz found that although parents typically trust their pediatricians for most medical advice, they think doctors don’t provide “balanced” information about vaccination risks and benefits. For information on risk, parents rely on other parents, web sites, advocacy groups, \u003ca href=\"http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/1876-2859/PIIS1876285913001599.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">celebrities,\u003c/a> and books that advocate alternate schedules and raise unfounded fears about vaccine dangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fears about the pertussis vaccine surfaced in the early 80s, after the TV documentary “Vaccine Roulette” blamed the vaccine for leaving children dead or brain-damaged. The original vaccine contained the whole (killed) pathogen and so delivered hundreds of antigens to trigger an immune response. More antigens meant broader protection against numerous strains of the pathogen, but also produced more side effects, including febrile seizures, irritability, and a short-lived though frightening condition (called hypotonic hyporesponsive syndrome) that makes children limp and unresponsive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Studies found no support for long-term brain damage or other terrible dangers raised by “Vaccine Roulette,” but many parents, understandably scared by what they saw, stopped vaccinating their children. Pertussis has been \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt10-pertussis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on the rise ever since\u003c/a>, but not simply because parents shun vaccination. Public health officials attribute part of the increase to better recognition of the symptoms, now that the disease is common again, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2013/05/29/whooping-cough-remains-a-formidable-opponent-against-vaccinatio/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">along with waning immunity \u003c/a>and the evolution of more aggressive pathogens. To alleviate fears about the whole-cell vaccine, manufacturers created the current acellular version (DTaP) with just three antigens. Though DTaP is extremely effective in infants and young children, as Glanz’s study makes clear, it can’t target all circulating pathogen strains and wears off over time, which is why public health officials recommend booster shots for kids entering seventh grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The JAMA study paints a disturbing picture that many parents believe vaccines are more dangerous than an infectious disease that \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">once killed 9,000 people a year\u003c/a>. But it also shows that the childhood DTaP vaccine works. “Whatever concerns we have about the vaccine’s effectiveness, this study shows it prevents a lot of cases of serious infection without hurting kids,” says Roger Baxter, co-director of Kaiser Permanente’s Vaccine Study Center in Oakland. Baxter wasn’t involved in the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the childhood immunization schedule protects against more pathogens than ever before—thanks to discoveries that led to new vaccines—shots today elicit an immune response with just a fraction of the antigens present in older vaccines. That’s what vaccines are all about, says Baxter: protecting children against a disease by inducing an immune response without producing the illness. “It’s just sad that some people are afraid of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glanz wants parents to know that public health experts are on their side. “We know parents want to do what’s best for their child, and that’s our objective too,” he says. “Public health experts do studies like this not because we’re pro-vaccine but because we’re pro-child. We know these decisions can be difficult and there’s a lot of confusing information out there. We want to help parents make the best decisions for their child.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/8281/the-real-vaccine-roulette-missing-your-babys-scheduled-shots",
"authors": [
"6322"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_39"
],
"tags": [
"science_664",
"science_64",
"science_197"
],
"featImg": "science_8362",
"label": "science"
},
"science_8108": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_8108",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "8108",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1378738857000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1378738857,
"format": "aside",
"title": "Molecular Scissors May Help Potentially Cure AIDS in the Future",
"headTitle": "Molecular Scissors May Help Potentially Cure AIDS in the Future | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8111\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 637px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/AIDSquilt.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8111\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8111\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/AIDSquilt.jpg\" alt=\"We will know in a few years if a new treatment will end up being a cure for AIDS. This image of the AIDS quilt is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"637\" height=\"351\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">We will know in a few years if a new treatment will end up being a cure for AIDS. This image of the AIDS quilt is courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AIDS_Quilt_at_2012_International_AIDS_Conference.JPG\">Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ever since AIDS emerged as a deadly disease in the early 1980’s, scientists have been looking for a cure. And now, using a very precise set of DNA scissors, they may finally be taking baby steps towards one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new hope rests on the old observation that a few people are highly resistant or even immune to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. These people can live a high-risk lifestyle that results in multiple exposures to the virus and still never end up with the disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When scientists looked at these people’s DNA, they found that many of them shared a specific genetic mutation called \u003ca href=\"http://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask336\">CCR5 delta32\u003c/a>. This mutation inactivates the CCR5 gene which means these people make no CCR5 protein. This lack of CCR5 protein makes these folks highly resistant to getting AIDS because the most virulent form of the virus, HIV-1, needs it to get into blood cells. No infection means no AIDS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While this is interesting and obviously a boon to the small minority of people with this mutation, it doesn’t seem like it would be very useful for people already infected with HIV. And yet it has turned out to be incredibly useful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learning about this mutation pointed scientists towards a new class of drugs, \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCR5_receptor_antagonist\">CCR5 receptor antagonists\u003c/a>. These drugs block the action of the CCR5 protein making it very difficult for HIV-1 to enter the patient’s blood cells. At least one of these, Selzentry, is currently being used to treat some cases of HIV.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this isn’t even the most exciting use of this discovery. Scientists in Germany actually used this knowledge to \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/2008/11/24/curing-aids-with-a-bone-marrow-transplant/\">cure a man of his AIDS\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8127\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/ccr5.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8127\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/ccr5.jpg\" alt=\"The molecule in yellow, CCR5, may be the key to an eventual cure for AIDS. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"250\" height=\"248\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8127\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The molecule in yellow, CCR5, may be the key to an eventual cure for AIDS. Image courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CCR5_receptor%2Bmembrane.png\">Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Back in 2007, an AIDS patient in Berlin Germany was told he would need a bone marrow transplant to treat his newly diagnosed leukemia. He and his doctor decided to seek out a donor who had the CCR5 delta 32 mutation. The hope was that this bone marrow transplant would treat both of his diseases at once. Their hope was realized: his leukemia went into remission and his viral load became undetectable. This bone marrow transplant cured his AIDS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bone marrow transplants replace a patient’s blood stem cells with the donor’s. What this means in this case is that the AIDS patient now had the donor’s blood cells coursing through his veins and these new blood cells lacked the CCR5 protein. Any HIV-1 he had in his system now had no way of making copies of itself which is why his viral load fell to the undetectable levels where they remain to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, scientists can’t do this for everyone with AIDS. Not only is the CCR5 delta 32 mutation rare enough that it would be impossible to find donor matches for all or even most AIDS patient, but bone marrow transplants are also dangerous, expensive treatments with a high mortality rate. No, we need a different way to use this mutation to help cure other AIDS patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One way would be to engineer the mutation into a patient’s blood cells. Now we could avoid having to find a donor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is just what the folks at Sangamo Biosciences are trying to do. With the help of a \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/audio/a-unique-hiv-case-inspires-new-research/\">team of academic collaborators\u003c/a> and money from \u003ca href=\"http://www.cirm.ca.gov/\">California Stem Cell Bond\u003c/a>, they have come up with a product called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sangamo.com/pipeline/sb-728.html\">SB-728\u003c/a> that can specifically inactivate the CCR5 gene in human cells. This treatment has even made it into clinical trials where so far the results appear to be encouraging (although \u003ca href=\"http://bir-llc.com/sb-728-t/\">not everyone agrees\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this approach works, it would be a game changer for AIDS. The disease would go from being manageable to being functionally cured. And that isn’t all. There are other diseases that could be treated similarly. Success here could translate to a whole new way to get at other intractable diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is all very exciting, but I want to caution against getting our hopes up just yet. This specific treatment could still fail in ongoing clinical trials or even turn out to not be a permanent cure. But still, because of the Berlin patient, we know that if we can inactivate the CCR5 gene in a patient’s blood cells, we can cure his or her AIDS. So even if this approach fails, there may be other ways to kill this gene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molecular Scissor Science\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8130\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/MolecularScissors.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8130\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/MolecularScissors.jpg\" alt=\"Image courtesy of Dr. Stacey Wirt, Stanford University.\" width=\"250\" height=\"253\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8130\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image courtesy of Dr. Stacey Wirt, Stanford University.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The science behind this approach is very cool. The basic idea is to create a pair of molecular scissors that will cut human DNA only at the CCR5 gene. Once cut, our cells will wreck the gene in the process of repairing the DNA. Remember, a broken CCR5 gene means no CCR5 protein which means no HIV-1 infection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scissors part is easy. There are lots of enzymes whose job it is to cut DNA. The most famous are the restriction endonucleases from bacteria that serve as a part of their primitive immune system (they chop up invading viruses). In fact, molecular biology is built on these enzymes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time scientists at Sangamo started working on this approach, there were no natural enzymes specific enough for their purposes. The enzymes known at this time would cut human DNA at thousands of different places which would obviously be catastrophic. The patient would not survive such treatment.\u003cbr>\nSo the scientists needed to come up with a way to make these scissors only cut at the spot they wanted. There are a number of ways to do this but the scientists at Sangamo focused on natural DNA binders called zinc finger proteins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first step was to figure out how these zinc finger proteins recognize specific DNA sequences. With a lot of work, they came to understand this well enough that they could now create zinc fingers that recognize any three bases they were interested in. So they could whip up one that recognized ATG and another that could recognize CCC and so on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three base pairs isn’t enough and in fact, is worse than any of the naturally available enzymes. To get at the 18-24 base pair recognition they needed, they decided to string together multiple zinc fingers. Now they had the specificity they needed. (I have simplified this mightily but it is the basic idea…click \u003ca href=\"http://www.zincfingers.org/default2.htm\">here \u003c/a>if you want to go deeper.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the scientists whipped up a protein that could specifically recognize the CCR5 gene and attached the unfortunately named Fok1 as its scissors. This protein cuts the CCR5 gene in cells in the lab and in clinical trials. So far so good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We need to wait to see what happens, but these trials are definitely something we need to keep our eyes on. They may not only lead to a functional cure for AIDS, but they could also open up a whole new way to treat diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDkUFzZoQAs\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A very nice explanation of zinc finger nucleases and a second type of scissors, TALENs.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1248,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 24
},
"modified": 1704935098,
"excerpt": "Ever since AIDS emerged as a deadly disease in the early 1980’s, scientists have been looking for a cure. And now, using a very precise set of DNA scissors, they may finally be taking baby steps towards one.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Ever since AIDS emerged as a deadly disease in the early 1980’s, scientists have been looking for a cure. And now, using a very precise set of DNA scissors, they may finally be taking baby steps towards one.",
"title": "Molecular Scissors May Help Potentially Cure AIDS in the Future | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Molecular Scissors May Help Potentially Cure AIDS in the Future",
"datePublished": "2013-09-09T08:00:57-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:04:58-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "molecular-scissors-may-help-potentially-cure-aids-in-the-future",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/8108/molecular-scissors-may-help-potentially-cure-aids-in-the-future",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8111\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 637px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/AIDSquilt.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8111\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8111\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/AIDSquilt.jpg\" alt=\"We will know in a few years if a new treatment will end up being a cure for AIDS. This image of the AIDS quilt is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"637\" height=\"351\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">We will know in a few years if a new treatment will end up being a cure for AIDS. This image of the AIDS quilt is courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AIDS_Quilt_at_2012_International_AIDS_Conference.JPG\">Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ever since AIDS emerged as a deadly disease in the early 1980’s, scientists have been looking for a cure. And now, using a very precise set of DNA scissors, they may finally be taking baby steps towards one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new hope rests on the old observation that a few people are highly resistant or even immune to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. These people can live a high-risk lifestyle that results in multiple exposures to the virus and still never end up with the disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When scientists looked at these people’s DNA, they found that many of them shared a specific genetic mutation called \u003ca href=\"http://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask336\">CCR5 delta32\u003c/a>. This mutation inactivates the CCR5 gene which means these people make no CCR5 protein. This lack of CCR5 protein makes these folks highly resistant to getting AIDS because the most virulent form of the virus, HIV-1, needs it to get into blood cells. No infection means no AIDS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While this is interesting and obviously a boon to the small minority of people with this mutation, it doesn’t seem like it would be very useful for people already infected with HIV. And yet it has turned out to be incredibly useful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learning about this mutation pointed scientists towards a new class of drugs, \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCR5_receptor_antagonist\">CCR5 receptor antagonists\u003c/a>. These drugs block the action of the CCR5 protein making it very difficult for HIV-1 to enter the patient’s blood cells. At least one of these, Selzentry, is currently being used to treat some cases of HIV.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this isn’t even the most exciting use of this discovery. Scientists in Germany actually used this knowledge to \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/2008/11/24/curing-aids-with-a-bone-marrow-transplant/\">cure a man of his AIDS\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8127\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/ccr5.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8127\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/ccr5.jpg\" alt=\"The molecule in yellow, CCR5, may be the key to an eventual cure for AIDS. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.\" width=\"250\" height=\"248\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8127\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The molecule in yellow, CCR5, may be the key to an eventual cure for AIDS. Image courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CCR5_receptor%2Bmembrane.png\">Wikimedia Commons\u003c/a>.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Back in 2007, an AIDS patient in Berlin Germany was told he would need a bone marrow transplant to treat his newly diagnosed leukemia. He and his doctor decided to seek out a donor who had the CCR5 delta 32 mutation. The hope was that this bone marrow transplant would treat both of his diseases at once. Their hope was realized: his leukemia went into remission and his viral load became undetectable. This bone marrow transplant cured his AIDS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bone marrow transplants replace a patient’s blood stem cells with the donor’s. What this means in this case is that the AIDS patient now had the donor’s blood cells coursing through his veins and these new blood cells lacked the CCR5 protein. Any HIV-1 he had in his system now had no way of making copies of itself which is why his viral load fell to the undetectable levels where they remain to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, scientists can’t do this for everyone with AIDS. Not only is the CCR5 delta 32 mutation rare enough that it would be impossible to find donor matches for all or even most AIDS patient, but bone marrow transplants are also dangerous, expensive treatments with a high mortality rate. No, we need a different way to use this mutation to help cure other AIDS patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One way would be to engineer the mutation into a patient’s blood cells. Now we could avoid having to find a donor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is just what the folks at Sangamo Biosciences are trying to do. With the help of a \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/audio/a-unique-hiv-case-inspires-new-research/\">team of academic collaborators\u003c/a> and money from \u003ca href=\"http://www.cirm.ca.gov/\">California Stem Cell Bond\u003c/a>, they have come up with a product called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sangamo.com/pipeline/sb-728.html\">SB-728\u003c/a> that can specifically inactivate the CCR5 gene in human cells. This treatment has even made it into clinical trials where so far the results appear to be encouraging (although \u003ca href=\"http://bir-llc.com/sb-728-t/\">not everyone agrees\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this approach works, it would be a game changer for AIDS. The disease would go from being manageable to being functionally cured. And that isn’t all. There are other diseases that could be treated similarly. Success here could translate to a whole new way to get at other intractable diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is all very exciting, but I want to caution against getting our hopes up just yet. This specific treatment could still fail in ongoing clinical trials or even turn out to not be a permanent cure. But still, because of the Berlin patient, we know that if we can inactivate the CCR5 gene in a patient’s blood cells, we can cure his or her AIDS. So even if this approach fails, there may be other ways to kill this gene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molecular Scissor Science\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_8130\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/MolecularScissors.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8130\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/09/MolecularScissors.jpg\" alt=\"Image courtesy of Dr. Stacey Wirt, Stanford University.\" width=\"250\" height=\"253\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8130\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image courtesy of Dr. Stacey Wirt, Stanford University.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The science behind this approach is very cool. The basic idea is to create a pair of molecular scissors that will cut human DNA only at the CCR5 gene. Once cut, our cells will wreck the gene in the process of repairing the DNA. Remember, a broken CCR5 gene means no CCR5 protein which means no HIV-1 infection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scissors part is easy. There are lots of enzymes whose job it is to cut DNA. The most famous are the restriction endonucleases from bacteria that serve as a part of their primitive immune system (they chop up invading viruses). In fact, molecular biology is built on these enzymes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time scientists at Sangamo started working on this approach, there were no natural enzymes specific enough for their purposes. The enzymes known at this time would cut human DNA at thousands of different places which would obviously be catastrophic. The patient would not survive such treatment.\u003cbr>\nSo the scientists needed to come up with a way to make these scissors only cut at the spot they wanted. There are a number of ways to do this but the scientists at Sangamo focused on natural DNA binders called zinc finger proteins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first step was to figure out how these zinc finger proteins recognize specific DNA sequences. With a lot of work, they came to understand this well enough that they could now create zinc fingers that recognize any three bases they were interested in. So they could whip up one that recognized ATG and another that could recognize CCC and so on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three base pairs isn’t enough and in fact, is worse than any of the naturally available enzymes. To get at the 18-24 base pair recognition they needed, they decided to string together multiple zinc fingers. Now they had the specificity they needed. (I have simplified this mightily but it is the basic idea…click \u003ca href=\"http://www.zincfingers.org/default2.htm\">here \u003c/a>if you want to go deeper.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the scientists whipped up a protein that could specifically recognize the CCR5 gene and attached the unfortunately named Fok1 as its scissors. This protein cuts the CCR5 gene in cells in the lab and in clinical trials. So far so good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We need to wait to see what happens, but these trials are definitely something we need to keep our eyes on. They may not only lead to a functional cure for AIDS, but they could also open up a whole new way to treat diseases.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/zDkUFzZoQAs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/zDkUFzZoQAs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A very nice explanation of zinc finger nucleases and a second type of scissors, TALENs.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/8108/molecular-scissors-may-help-potentially-cure-aids-in-the-future",
"authors": [
"6177"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_39"
],
"tags": [
"science_664",
"science_305",
"science_660"
],
"featImg": "science_8111",
"label": "science"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/science?category=biology": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 504,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 648,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"science_9482",
"science_9413",
"science_9303",
"science_9014",
"science_9066",
"science_8537",
"science_8702",
"science_8641",
"science_8167",
"science_8272",
"science_8281",
"science_8108"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science_category_biology": {
"isLoading": true
},
"science_30": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_30",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "30",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Biology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Biology Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32,
"slug": "biology",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/biology"
},
"science_89": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_89",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "89",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Engineering",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Engineering Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 92,
"slug": "engineering",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/engineering"
},
"science_767": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_767",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "767",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "squid",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "squid Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 774,
"slug": "squid",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/squid"
},
"science_46": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_46",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "46",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Audio",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Audio Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 48,
"slug": "audio",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/audio"
},
"science_33": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_33",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "33",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Energy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Energy Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 35,
"slug": "energy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/energy"
},
"science_35": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_35",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "35",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Environment",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Environment Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 37,
"slug": "environment",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/environment"
},
"science_40": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_40",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "40",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 42,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/news"
},
"science_43": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_43",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "43",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Radio",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Radio Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 45,
"slug": "radio",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/radio"
},
"science_765": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_765",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "765",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "carbon",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "carbon Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 772,
"slug": "carbon",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/carbon"
},
"science_112": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_112",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "112",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "fire",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "fire Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 116,
"slug": "fire",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/fire"
},
"science_762": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_762",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "762",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "forest",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "forest Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 769,
"slug": "forest",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/forest"
},
"science_763": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_763",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "763",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "forest service",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "forest service Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 770,
"slug": "forest-service",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/forest-service"
},
"science_64": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_64",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "64",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "full-image",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "full-image Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 67,
"slug": "full-image",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/full-image"
},
"science_140": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_140",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "140",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "renewable energy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "renewable energy Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 144,
"slug": "renewable-energy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/renewable-energy"
},
"science_607": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_607",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "607",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Rim Fire",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Rim Fire Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 613,
"slug": "rim-fire",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/rim-fire"
},
"science_159": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_159",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "159",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Yosemite",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Yosemite Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 163,
"slug": "yosemite",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/yosemite"
},
"science_208": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_208",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "208",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Bay Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 212,
"slug": "san-francisco-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/san-francisco-bay"
},
"science_116": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_116",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "116",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "evolution",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "evolution Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 120,
"slug": "evolution",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/evolution"
},
"science_327": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_327",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "327",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "genetics",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "genetics Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 333,
"slug": "genetics",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/genetics"
},
"science_39": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_39",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "39",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 41,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/health"
},
"science_66": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_66",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "66",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Science on the Spot",
"description": "The Science on the SPOT original web video series goes behind the scenes at local Bay Area labs, follows breaking discoveries, and gets you special access to obscure science locations and collections, plus much more.",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "The Science on the SPOT original web video series goes behind the scenes at local Bay Area labs, follows breaking discoveries, and gets you special access to obscure science locations and collections, plus much more.",
"title": "Science on the Spot Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 69,
"slug": "sots",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/series/sots"
},
"science_86": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_86",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "86",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Video",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Video Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 89,
"slug": "video",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/video"
},
"science_314": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_314",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "314",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "ecology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "ecology Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 320,
"slug": "ecology",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/ecology"
},
"science_680": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_680",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "680",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Santa Cruz",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Santa Cruz Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 686,
"slug": "santa-cruz",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/santa-cruz"
},
"science_703": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_703",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "703",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "migration",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "migration Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 710,
"slug": "migration",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/migration"
},
"science_255": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_255",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "255",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "whales",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "whales Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 259,
"slug": "whales",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/whales"
},
"science_163": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_163",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "163",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "birds",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "birds Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 167,
"slug": "birds",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/birds"
},
"science_454": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_454",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "454",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "east bay regional parks district",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "east bay regional parks district Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 460,
"slug": "east-bay-regional-parks-district",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/east-bay-regional-parks-district"
},
"science_304": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_304",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "304",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "23andMe",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "23andMe Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 309,
"slug": "23andme",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/23andme"
},
"science_305": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_305",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "305",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "DNA",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "DNA Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 310,
"slug": "dna",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/dna"
},
"science_5181": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5181",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5181",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "health Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5181,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/health"
},
"science_697": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_697",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "697",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "social media",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "social media Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 704,
"slug": "social-media",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/social-media"
},
"science_664": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_664",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "664",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "disease",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "disease Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 670,
"slug": "disease",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/disease"
},
"science_197": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_197",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "197",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "vaccine",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "vaccine Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 201,
"slug": "vaccine",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/vaccine"
},
"science_660": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_660",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "660",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "HIV",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "HIV Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 666,
"slug": "hiv",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/hiv"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
}
}
