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_1087342": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1087342",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1087342",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1087341,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-400x300.png",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 300
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-960x720.png",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 720
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f.png",
"width": 1283,
"height": 962
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-50x50.png",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-96x96.png",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-800x600.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 600
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-64x64.png",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-32x32.png",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-1180x885.png",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 885
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-150x150.png",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-768x576.png",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-1.57.43-pm-a92a39cf234d6960ebcf02c9ac862724e2ceea2f-128x128.png",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1476823750,
"modified": 1476823750,
"caption": null,
"description": null,
"title": "A video showing Pedals walking this June received more than 1 million views",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1075952": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1075952",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1075952",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1065215,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-1440x810.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 810
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL318-Termites-marquee-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1476469392,
"modified": 1476469521,
"caption": "A dampwood termite peeks through a hole in the wood at the Exploratorium, in San Francisco. ",
"description": null,
"title": "DL318-Termites-marquee",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1084031": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1084031",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1084031",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1084020,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-400x265.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 265
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 530
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-800x530.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 530
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-768x509.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 509
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/ESA-Probe_approaches-Mars_for_web-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1476723997,
"modified": 1476724022,
"caption": "A full-size model of the ExoMars entry, descent and landing module Schiaparelli, with its parachute deployed, was on display in the Netherlands in April. The actual lander is en route to the surface of Mars and set to arrive on Wednesday.\n",
"description": null,
"title": "ESA Probe_approaches Mars_for_web",
"credit": "ESA",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1069762": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1069762",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1069762",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1069638,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-960x640.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 640
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485.jpg",
"width": 6000,
"height": 4000
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-1440x960.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-1180x787.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 787
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2485-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1476281404,
"modified": 1476281460,
"caption": "A mini version of the Impossible burger cooked at its Redwood City headquarters in May.",
"description": null,
"title": "impossible-foods-2485",
"credit": "Maggie Carson Jurow",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1065459": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1065459",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1065459",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1065453,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central.jpg",
"width": 720,
"height": 405
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/upton_erskine_fire_climate_central-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1476142422,
"modified": 1476144532,
"caption": "The Erskine Fire spread so quickly in southern California earlier this year that some residents died before they could flee.",
"description": null,
"title": "upton_erskine_fire_climate_central",
"credit": "John Upton/Climate Central",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1054237": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1054237",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1054237",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1054235,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-400x237.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 237
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-960x568.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 568
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider.jpg",
"width": 1568,
"height": 928
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-1440x852.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 852
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-800x473.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 473
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-1180x698.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 698
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-768x455.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 455
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Brian-Feeney-with-his-electric-car—photo-by-Iris-Schneider-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1475788353,
"modified": 1475862580,
"caption": "Brian Feeney with his new Nissan Leaf, an electric car.",
"description": "Brian Feeney with his new Nissan Leaf, an electric car.",
"title": "Brian Feeney with his electric car—photo by Iris Schneider",
"credit": "Iris Schneider/CALmatters",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1053998": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1053998",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1053998",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1053884,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-960x641.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 641
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water.jpg",
"width": 1800,
"height": 1202
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-1440x962.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 962
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-800x534.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 534
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-1180x788.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 788
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-768x513.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 513
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Purified-water-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1475778099,
"modified": 1475778129,
"caption": "Samples of the water purification process at the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in San Jose, Calif.",
"description": "Samples of the water purification process at the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in San Jose, Calif",
"title": "Purified water",
"credit": "Tara Lohan / Water Deeply",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1027375": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1027375",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1027375",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1027372,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-1440x810.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 810
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-phead-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1474935231,
"modified": 1474935406,
"caption": "A jumping spider of the species Habronattus virgulatus prepares to court a female.",
"description": null,
"title": "DL317-phead",
"credit": "Josh Cassidy/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1046463": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1046463",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1046463",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1046457,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-400x215.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 215
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-960x516.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 516
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"height": 774
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-1440x774.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 774
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-800x430.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 430
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-1180x634.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 634
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-768x413.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 413
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-legged-frog-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1475538713,
"modified": 1475538766,
"caption": "A mountain yellow-legged frog.",
"description": null,
"title": "yellow-legged frog",
"credit": "Lauren Sommer/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1046219": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1046219",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1046219",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1046215,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central-400x300.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 300
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central.jpg",
"width": 720,
"height": 540
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrow_climate-central-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1475532101,
"modified": 1475532159,
"caption": "A DearTomorrow message documented at the March for a Clean Energy Revolution in July 2016.\n",
"description": null,
"title": "DearTomorrow_climate central",
"credit": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DearTomorrow/photos/a.1596655740588133.1073741828.1593032114283829/1730073390579700/?type=3&theater\">DearTomorrow\u003c/a>/Facebook",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1046097": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1046097",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1046097",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1046091,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-400x300.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 300
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-960x720.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 720
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee.jpg",
"width": 1600,
"height": 1200
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-1440x1080.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-800x600.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 600
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-1180x885.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 885
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-768x576.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/yellow-faced-bee-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1475527999,
"modified": 1475528217,
"caption": "A yellow-faced bee on a flower in Kauai, Hawaii.",
"description": null,
"title": "yellow faced bee",
"credit": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/starr-environmental/23918680354/in/photolist-E1wKpH-Dc3MWN-EghxJ6-DGE5zj-DKaXV6-E1BGy1-DXpcDQ-DuRxgj-DN96VE-EcWexj-DaQXtJ-Eqg61u-DU6jrk-CrBumA-DYkQeN-EpvYQZ-EhMe8L-E1sKmy-EterRx-DU6neV-8UryGv-DscX6F-EsJPbe-Dd1xCV-EgmKRp-8oKiE3-EpvYtg-E7ASw5\" target=\"_blank\">Forest and Kim Starr/flickr\u003c/a>",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1038211": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1038211",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1038211",
"found": true
},
"parent": 0,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-1440x810.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 810
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_FEATURE_1-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1475275648,
"modified": 1475280598,
"caption": "(Teodros Hailye/KQED)",
"description": null,
"title": "AUTO_FEATURE_1",
"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": {
"byline_science_1087341": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1087341",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1087341",
"name": "Camila Domonoske\u003c/br>NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1084020": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1084020",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1084020",
"name": "Camila Domonoske\u003c/br>NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1065453": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1065453",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1065453",
"name": "John Upton\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1054235": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1054235",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1054235",
"name": "Julie Cart\u003c/br>CALmatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1053884": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1053884",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1053884",
"name": "Tara Lohan \u003c/br> Water Deeply",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1046457": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1046457",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1046457",
"name": "Scott Smith\u003c/br>Associated Press",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1046215": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1046215",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1046215",
"name": "Brian Kahn\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1046091": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1046091",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1046091",
"name": "Merrit Kennedy\u003c/br>NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"lindseyhoshaw": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "5432",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "5432",
"found": true
},
"name": "Lindsey Hoshaw",
"firstName": "Lindsey",
"lastName": "Hoshaw",
"slug": "lindseyhoshaw",
"email": "lhoshaw@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Lindsey Hoshaw is a former interactive producer for KQED Science. Before joining KQED, Lindsey was a science correspondent for The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Forbes and Scientific American. On Twitter @lindseyhoshaw",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/274b07694c998eaa8f26cfabaa941186?s=600&d=mm&r=g",
"twitter": "lindseyhoshaw",
"facebook": "lindsey.hoshaw.9",
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"edit_theme_options",
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"edit_post_subscriptions",
"edit_usergroups",
"unfiltered_html",
"unfiltered_upload",
"leadcoordinator",
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "food",
"roles": []
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Lindsey Hoshaw | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/274b07694c998eaa8f26cfabaa941186?s=600&d=mm&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/274b07694c998eaa8f26cfabaa941186?s=600&d=mm&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/lindseyhoshaw"
},
"gabriela-quiros": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6186",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6186",
"found": true
},
"name": "Gabriela Quirós",
"firstName": "Gabriela",
"lastName": "Quirós",
"slug": "gabriela-quiros",
"email": "gquiros@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Supervising Producer",
"bio": "Gabriela Quirós is the \u003cstrong>supervising producer for KQED's web science video series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/deeplook\">Deep Look\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>. She joined KQED as a TV producer when its science series QUEST started in 2006 and has covered everything from Alzheimer’s to bee die-offs to dark energy.\r\n\r\nShe won a 2022 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award with a team of her Deep Look colleagues. She has won six regional Emmys as a video producer and has shared eight more as the coordinating producer of Deep Look. The episode she produced about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/728086/how-mosquitoes-use-six-needles-to-suck-your-blood\">How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood\u003c/a> won a Webby \"People's Voice\" award. She has also earned awards from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists.\r\n\r\nHer videos for KQED have also aired on NOVA scienceNOW and the PBS NewsHour, and appeared on NPR.org.\r\n\r\nAs an independent filmmaker, she produced and directed the hour-long documentary \u003ca href=\"http://lpbp.org/beautiful-sin-qa-with-producer-gabriela-quiros/\">\u003cem>Beautiful Sin\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, about the surprising story of how Costa Rica became the only country in the world to outlaw in vitro fertilization. The film aired in 2015 on public television stations throughout the U.S., and in Costa Rica.\r\n\r\nShe started her journalism career as a newspaper reporter in Costa Rica, where she grew up. She won the National Science Journalism Award there for a series of articles about organic agriculture, and developed a life-long interest in health reporting. She moved to the Bay Area in 1996 to study documentary filmmaking at the University of California, Berkeley, where she received master’s degrees in journalism and Latin American studies.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6d82c20152affd1b434c31a904c40809?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "gabrielaquirosr",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": []
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"ef_view_calendar",
"ef_view_story_budget"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Gabriela Quirós | KQED",
"description": "Supervising Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6d82c20152affd1b434c31a904c40809?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6d82c20152affd1b434c31a904c40809?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/gabriela-quiros"
},
"dpotter": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6609",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6609",
"found": true
},
"name": "Daniel Potter",
"firstName": "Daniel",
"lastName": "Potter",
"slug": "dpotter",
"email": "dpotter@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Daniel Potter is a reporter for KQED Science. Before that, he worked at Nashville Public Radio for six years. He’s gathered tape for The New York Times, contributed to a growing list of podcasts, and done national features for NPR on everything from bats to meningitis. He tweets at @hellodanpo.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/59396b9ad9c672dd4cd1d3e453425f12?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "hellodanpo",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": []
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Daniel Potter | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/59396b9ad9c672dd4cd1d3e453425f12?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/59396b9ad9c672dd4cd1d3e453425f12?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/dpotter"
},
"ekennerson": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11090",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11090",
"found": true
},
"name": "Elliott Kennerson",
"firstName": "Elliott",
"lastName": "Kennerson",
"slug": "ekennerson",
"email": "ekennerson@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "Elliott Kennerson joined KQED Science as a Digital Media Producer in 2015. Before joining KQED, he produced the Kickstarter-funded series “Animal R&R” for KPBS in San Diego. Elliott received his M.F.A. training in wildlife documentary at Montana State in Bozeman and holds a B.A. from Yale in archaeology. In his former life as an actor, he was an associate artist with LightBox Theater Company in New York. Elliott is the recipient of a 2017 Regional Emmy for his work as a producer on “Deep Look.\"",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/90ebfa58055409e54c8f8a4c120ecf91?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "edorank",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Elliott Kennerson | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/90ebfa58055409e54c8f8a4c120ecf91?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/90ebfa58055409e54c8f8a4c120ecf91?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ekennerson"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"science_category_news": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_40",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "40",
"score": 10.810295
},
"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,
"title": "News",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "science",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 212
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/science?category=news",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 212
}
},
{
"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_1087341": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1087341",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1087341",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1476824026000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1476824026,
"format": "video",
"title": "Internet Mourns Apparent Death of Pedals, a Real Stand-Up Bear",
"headTitle": "Internet Mourns Apparent Death of Pedals, a Real Stand-Up Bear | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Pedals, New Jersey’s beloved upright-walking black bear, appears to have been a casualty of this year’s bear hunt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wild animal had been captured on film ambulating in a distinctly human fashion — hence his name, short for “bipedal.” Pedals had a visible disability in his front forepaws, though he appeared to be in good health surviving in the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuJlsmTG2ik\">first filmed in 2014\u003c/a> and quickly accumulated a fan following. Whenever a few months passed without a sighting, his triumphant return to the public eye would \u003ca href=\"http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2016/06/pedals_2.html\">make local headlines.\u003c/a> Several of the videos went viral, making Pedals not only a local celebrity but a national one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most recently, Pedals was documented this June strolling around a golf course in Oak Ridge, N.J. More than 1 million people viewed the video, which offered a clear look at the bear (unlike some grainier footage, where he might be mistaken for a person in a bear costume).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/Mk-HHyGRSRw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fall, there were whispers of trouble. Since 2010, New Jersey has held an annual bear hunt; this year, it was expanded for the first time. The hunt ended on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the end of the bear hunting season, there were rumors that Pedals had been among the bears taken down by hunters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Facebook page dedicated to Pedals sightings — which has since been deactivated — reportedly posted on the alleged death with all-caps distress: “PEDALS IS DEAD,” the posting read, \u003ca href=\"http://www.phillyvoice.com/upright-pedals-bear-feared-dead-new-jersey/\">according to the PhillyVoice\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The posting reportedly said the hunter who took him down with an arrow “wanted him dead for nearly 3 years” and bragged about the kill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s Department of Environmental Protection initially declined to comment on the allegations, \u003ca href=\"http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/news/2016/bipedalbear10-16.htm\">saying in a statement\u003c/a> it has “no way of verifying the identity of any bear that has not been previously tagged or had a DNA sample previously taken.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now the department has released photos of a bear with Pedals’ distinctive disability, The Associated Press reports. An official said the agency does believe that Pedals was killed in the hunt, the AP says, while reiterating that there’s no DNA evidence or bear tag to rely on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pedals had previously been \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/nyregion/pedals-walking-bear-new-jersey.html\">the topic of debate\u003c/a> in New Jersey, between people who believed he should be taken to a wildlife sanctuary and those who pointed out he seemed to be thriving and should be allowed to continue to live in the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A GoFundMe page raised more than $22,000 to build Pedals his own enclosure. But New Jersey officials were not convinced that Pedals needed rescuing; some donations were refunded and others went to an enclosure for orphaned bear cubs instead, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/9f5ee9m4\">the organizers say\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that it’s seemingly too late to send Pedals to safety, some people have adopted a new mission: ending the bear hunts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NJ.com \u003ca href=\"http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/nj_senator_seeks_to_end_bear_hunts_as_pedals_feare.html\">reports\u003c/a> that a state senator is pushing a bill that would ban the black bear hunting season and replace it with a nonlethal population control system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A total of 562 bears were killed in this year’s hunt, according to \u003ca href=\"http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/bearseason_info.htm\">the state’s Fish and Wildlife division\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Internet+Mourns+Apparent+Death+Of+Pedals%2C+A+Real+Stand-Up+Bear&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 556,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 17
},
"modified": 1704929518,
"excerpt": "Pedals was a wild black bear with injured forepaws, who stood and walked on his hind legs. State officials say he appears to have been a casualty of this year's bear hunt.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Pedals was a wild black bear with injured forepaws, who stood and walked on his hind legs. State officials say he appears to have been a casualty of this year's bear hunt.",
"title": "Internet Mourns Apparent Death of Pedals, a Real Stand-Up Bear | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Internet Mourns Apparent Death of Pedals, a Real Stand-Up Bear",
"datePublished": "2016-10-18T13:53:46-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:31:58-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "internet-mourns-apparent-death-of-pedals-a-real-stand-up-bear",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=498398167&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/kowgYcjRTmE",
"nprStoryDate": "Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:17:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:58:08 -0400",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/18/498398167/internet-mourns-apparent-death-of-pedals-a-real-stand-up-bear?ft=nprml&f=498398167",
"nprImageAgency": "Screenshot by NPR",
"source": "NPR",
"nprStoryId": "498398167",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.npr.org/",
"nprByline": "Camila Domonoske\u003c/br>NPR",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "NJ.com",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:58:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/1087341/internet-mourns-apparent-death-of-pedals-a-real-stand-up-bear",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Pedals, New Jersey’s beloved upright-walking black bear, appears to have been a casualty of this year’s bear hunt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wild animal had been captured on film ambulating in a distinctly human fashion — hence his name, short for “bipedal.” Pedals had a visible disability in his front forepaws, though he appeared to be in good health surviving in the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuJlsmTG2ik\">first filmed in 2014\u003c/a> and quickly accumulated a fan following. Whenever a few months passed without a sighting, his triumphant return to the public eye would \u003ca href=\"http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2016/06/pedals_2.html\">make local headlines.\u003c/a> Several of the videos went viral, making Pedals not only a local celebrity but a national one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most recently, Pedals was documented this June strolling around a golf course in Oak Ridge, N.J. More than 1 million people viewed the video, which offered a clear look at the bear (unlike some grainier footage, where he might be mistaken for a person in a bear costume).\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/Mk-HHyGRSRw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Mk-HHyGRSRw'\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": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fall, there were whispers of trouble. Since 2010, New Jersey has held an annual bear hunt; this year, it was expanded for the first time. The hunt ended on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the end of the bear hunting season, there were rumors that Pedals had been among the bears taken down by hunters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Facebook page dedicated to Pedals sightings — which has since been deactivated — reportedly posted on the alleged death with all-caps distress: “PEDALS IS DEAD,” the posting read, \u003ca href=\"http://www.phillyvoice.com/upright-pedals-bear-feared-dead-new-jersey/\">according to the PhillyVoice\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The posting reportedly said the hunter who took him down with an arrow “wanted him dead for nearly 3 years” and bragged about the kill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s Department of Environmental Protection initially declined to comment on the allegations, \u003ca href=\"http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/news/2016/bipedalbear10-16.htm\">saying in a statement\u003c/a> it has “no way of verifying the identity of any bear that has not been previously tagged or had a DNA sample previously taken.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now the department has released photos of a bear with Pedals’ distinctive disability, The Associated Press reports. An official said the agency does believe that Pedals was killed in the hunt, the AP says, while reiterating that there’s no DNA evidence or bear tag to rely on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pedals had previously been \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/nyregion/pedals-walking-bear-new-jersey.html\">the topic of debate\u003c/a> in New Jersey, between people who believed he should be taken to a wildlife sanctuary and those who pointed out he seemed to be thriving and should be allowed to continue to live in the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A GoFundMe page raised more than $22,000 to build Pedals his own enclosure. But New Jersey officials were not convinced that Pedals needed rescuing; some donations were refunded and others went to an enclosure for orphaned bear cubs instead, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/9f5ee9m4\">the organizers say\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that it’s seemingly too late to send Pedals to safety, some people have adopted a new mission: ending the bear hunts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NJ.com \u003ca href=\"http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/nj_senator_seeks_to_end_bear_hunts_as_pedals_feare.html\">reports\u003c/a> that a state senator is pushing a bill that would ban the black bear hunting season and replace it with a nonlethal population control system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A total of 562 bears were killed in this year’s hunt, according to \u003ca href=\"http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/bearseason_info.htm\">the state’s Fish and Wildlife division\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Internet+Mourns+Apparent+Death+Of+Pedals%2C+A+Real+Stand-Up+Bear&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1087341/internet-mourns-apparent-death-of-pedals-a-real-stand-up-bear",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1087341"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_1087342",
"label": "source_science_1087341"
},
"science_1065215": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1065215",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1065215",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1476795601000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "these-termites-turn-your-house-into-a-palace-of-poop",
"title": "These Termites Turn Your House Into a Palace of Poop",
"publishDate": 1476795601,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "These Termites Turn Your House Into a Palace of Poop | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]Termites cause billions of dollars in damage in the United States every year. Most pest-control companies douse infested houses and surrounding soil with chemical insecticides. But researchers are now trying to take advantage of termites’ peculiar habits to control them with biological strategies instead, by disrupting their amazing digestive systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can crawl up into a house from the soil through \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7415.html\">tubes \u003c/a>they make out of dirt and saliva, or winged adults can fly in, or both, depending on the species and type of termite involved. Once they’re established inside a house, they crawl through tight spaces — like the cockroaches they’re closely related to — gnawing and scraping the wood, causing damage to anything from structural wood and paneling to furniture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1075830\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_DAMPWOOD_TERMITE_EATS_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1075830\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_DAMPWOOD_TERMITE_EATS_720.gif\" alt=\"A dampwood termite eats wood by gnawing and scraping it. \" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dampwood termite eats wood by gnawing and scraping it. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some types, such as dampwood termites that are attracted by water-damaged wood, use their cardboard-like poop pellets to build up their nests, turning a human house into a termite toilet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They build their own houses out of their own feces,” said entomologist Michael Scharf, of Purdue University, in Indiana.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termite poop isn’t smelly, like a carnivore’s fecal matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It smells smoky,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1075833\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_TERMITE_POOPS_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1075833\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_TERMITE_POOPS_720.gif\" alt=\"A dampwood termite poops on a piece of wood. These termites use their own feces as mortar and building blocks for their nests. \" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dampwood termite poops on a piece of wood. These termites use their own feces as mortar and building blocks for their nests. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And while they’re using their poop as a building material, termites are also feeding on the wood. They’re one of the few animals that can digest wood and extract nutrients from it, a feat humans are incapable of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can degrade proteins and fats and sugars and starches,” said microbiologist Jared Leadbetter, of the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena. “But we don’t have enzymes in our saliva that break down cellulose.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out that even termites need help breaking down the cellulose in wood. Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of species of microbes that live packed inside their guts help them do this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of these microbes are bacteria. Leadbetter and his colleagues have found that one of these bacteria, called Treponema azotonutricium, combines nitrogen from the air and calories from the wood to make protein for the termites. This almost-magical ability would be akin to a human turning a calorie-rich food like a potato into a protein-rich food like a steak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides the hundreds of bacteria, a termite’s gut is also host to a couple dozen species of protists, organisms that are neither animals, nor plants, nor fungi. Some of these protists swim around with the help of tail-like appendages called flagella. And scientists have found that several of them help termites break down wood by fermenting it, much the same way a brewer turns grain into beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1075832\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_PROTIST_SWIMS_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1075832\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_PROTIST_SWIMS_720.gif\" alt=\"Protists live inside termites' guts and help them break down wood by fermenting the cellulose. \" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protists live inside termites’ guts and help them break down wood by fermenting the cellulose. \u003ccite>(Jared Leadbetter, Caltech, and Jessica Polka and Ethan Garner/Harvard University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The termites need the protists,” said Scharf. “The termite secretes its own enzymes at the front of the gut, near their mouth, and starts to break down the wood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this isn’t enough to derive calories from the wood. The partially digested wood first has to travel to the back of the termite’s gut — the hindgut — which serves as a fermentation chamber where protists and bacteria turn the wood into a substance called acetate, which gives the termite energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers have found that certain types of protists are essential for termites’ survival. When these protists are eliminated from the termite’s gut, the insect can’t get any nutrition out of the wood. This is a weakness that biologists hope to exploit as a way to get rid of termites using biology rather than chemicals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Louisiana State University entomologist \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chinmay_Tikhe\">Chinmay Tikhe\u003c/a> is working to genetically engineer a bacterium found in the Formosan subterranean termite’s gut so that the bacterium will destroy the gut protists. The idea would be to sneak these killer bacteria into the termite colony on some sort of bait the termites would eat and carry back with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s like a Trojan Horse,” said Tikhe, referring to the strategy used by the Greeks to sneak their troops into the city of Troy using a wooden horse that was the city’s emblem. “The bacterium is from the gut, so the termite doesn’t realize that it’s a pathogen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bacteria would then kill the protists that help the termite derive nutrition from wood. The termites would eventually starve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The engineered bacterium would be specific enough to the Formosan termite that it wouldn’t spread to other species of termites that are beneficial to the environment, said Tikhe. Termites in the rainforest, for example, break down wood into things that other creatures can eat and they improve the soil by crawling through it, just like worms do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1075831\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_NASUTE_TERMITES_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1075831\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_NASUTE_TERMITES_720.gif\" alt=\"Termites in the rainforest, such as these nasute termites in Peru, are useful to the environment. They break down wood into nutrients for other animals and plants.\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Termites in the rainforest, such as these nasute termites in Peru, are useful to the environment. They break down wood into nutrients for other animals and plants. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Researchers have tested biological controls such as fungi as treatments against termites. But termites’ immune systems fight them back, and termites usually protect their colony by leaving it when they’re sick, said Tikhe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By tricking the termite into believing it’s eating a friendly microbe, researchers hope to turn its friends against their host.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Termites’ amazing digestive systems allow them to feed on wood and build nests from their own poop. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1738723796,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 22,
"wordCount": 951
},
"headData": {
"title": "These Termites Turn Your House Into a Palace of Poop | KQED",
"description": "Termites’ amazing digestive systems allow them to feed on wood and build nests from their own poop. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "These Termites Turn Your House Into a Palace of Poop",
"datePublished": "2016-10-18T06:00:01-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-02-04T18:49:56-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/DYPQ1Tjp0ew",
"pbsMediaId": "2365917696",
"sticky": false,
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1065215/these-termites-turn-your-house-into-a-palace-of-poop",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Termites cause billions of dollars in damage in the United States every year. Most pest-control companies douse infested houses and surrounding soil with chemical insecticides. But researchers are now trying to take advantage of termites’ peculiar habits to control them with biological strategies instead, by disrupting their amazing digestive systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can crawl up into a house from the soil through \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7415.html\">tubes \u003c/a>they make out of dirt and saliva, or winged adults can fly in, or both, depending on the species and type of termite involved. Once they’re established inside a house, they crawl through tight spaces — like the cockroaches they’re closely related to — gnawing and scraping the wood, causing damage to anything from structural wood and paneling to furniture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1075830\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_DAMPWOOD_TERMITE_EATS_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1075830\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_DAMPWOOD_TERMITE_EATS_720.gif\" alt=\"A dampwood termite eats wood by gnawing and scraping it. \" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dampwood termite eats wood by gnawing and scraping it. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some types, such as dampwood termites that are attracted by water-damaged wood, use their cardboard-like poop pellets to build up their nests, turning a human house into a termite toilet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They build their own houses out of their own feces,” said entomologist Michael Scharf, of Purdue University, in Indiana.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termite poop isn’t smelly, like a carnivore’s fecal matter.\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>“It smells smoky,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1075833\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_TERMITE_POOPS_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1075833\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_TERMITE_POOPS_720.gif\" alt=\"A dampwood termite poops on a piece of wood. These termites use their own feces as mortar and building blocks for their nests. \" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dampwood termite poops on a piece of wood. These termites use their own feces as mortar and building blocks for their nests. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And while they’re using their poop as a building material, termites are also feeding on the wood. They’re one of the few animals that can digest wood and extract nutrients from it, a feat humans are incapable of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can degrade proteins and fats and sugars and starches,” said microbiologist Jared Leadbetter, of the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena. “But we don’t have enzymes in our saliva that break down cellulose.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out that even termites need help breaking down the cellulose in wood. Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of species of microbes that live packed inside their guts help them do this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of these microbes are bacteria. Leadbetter and his colleagues have found that one of these bacteria, called Treponema azotonutricium, combines nitrogen from the air and calories from the wood to make protein for the termites. This almost-magical ability would be akin to a human turning a calorie-rich food like a potato into a protein-rich food like a steak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides the hundreds of bacteria, a termite’s gut is also host to a couple dozen species of protists, organisms that are neither animals, nor plants, nor fungi. Some of these protists swim around with the help of tail-like appendages called flagella. And scientists have found that several of them help termites break down wood by fermenting it, much the same way a brewer turns grain into beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1075832\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_PROTIST_SWIMS_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1075832\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_PROTIST_SWIMS_720.gif\" alt=\"Protists live inside termites' guts and help them break down wood by fermenting the cellulose. \" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protists live inside termites’ guts and help them break down wood by fermenting the cellulose. \u003ccite>(Jared Leadbetter, Caltech, and Jessica Polka and Ethan Garner/Harvard University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The termites need the protists,” said Scharf. “The termite secretes its own enzymes at the front of the gut, near their mouth, and starts to break down the wood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this isn’t enough to derive calories from the wood. The partially digested wood first has to travel to the back of the termite’s gut — the hindgut — which serves as a fermentation chamber where protists and bacteria turn the wood into a substance called acetate, which gives the termite energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers have found that certain types of protists are essential for termites’ survival. When these protists are eliminated from the termite’s gut, the insect can’t get any nutrition out of the wood. This is a weakness that biologists hope to exploit as a way to get rid of termites using biology rather than chemicals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Louisiana State University entomologist \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chinmay_Tikhe\">Chinmay Tikhe\u003c/a> is working to genetically engineer a bacterium found in the Formosan subterranean termite’s gut so that the bacterium will destroy the gut protists. The idea would be to sneak these killer bacteria into the termite colony on some sort of bait the termites would eat and carry back with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s like a Trojan Horse,” said Tikhe, referring to the strategy used by the Greeks to sneak their troops into the city of Troy using a wooden horse that was the city’s emblem. “The bacterium is from the gut, so the termite doesn’t realize that it’s a pathogen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bacteria would then kill the protists that help the termite derive nutrition from wood. The termites would eventually starve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The engineered bacterium would be specific enough to the Formosan termite that it wouldn’t spread to other species of termites that are beneficial to the environment, said Tikhe. Termites in the rainforest, for example, break down wood into things that other creatures can eat and they improve the soil by crawling through it, just like worms do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1075831\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_NASUTE_TERMITES_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1075831\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DL_318TermiteGut_NASUTE_TERMITES_720.gif\" alt=\"Termites in the rainforest, such as these nasute termites in Peru, are useful to the environment. They break down wood into nutrients for other animals and plants.\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Termites in the rainforest, such as these nasute termites in Peru, are useful to the environment. They break down wood into nutrients for other animals and plants. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Researchers have tested biological controls such as fungi as treatments against termites. But termites’ immune systems fight them back, and termites usually protect their colony by leaving it when they’re sick, said Tikhe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By tricking the termite into believing it’s eating a friendly microbe, researchers hope to turn its friends against their host.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1065215/these-termites-turn-your-house-into-a-palace-of-poop",
"authors": [
"6186"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_30",
"science_40",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_2824"
],
"featImg": "science_1075952",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1084020": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1084020",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1084020",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1476723099000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1476723099,
"format": "standard",
"title": "European Space Agency Probe Approaches Surface of Mars",
"headTitle": "European Space Agency Probe Approaches Surface of Mars | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>An experimental lander from the European Space Agency is making its final descent toward Mars, preparing for a controlled landing on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Schiaparelli probe detached from its mothership, the Trace Gas Orbiter, on Sunday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a moment of alarm when, after separating from the ship, Schiaparelli didn’t send the expected signals back to scientists on earth. It did send back a “carrier signal” to show it was operational, but didn’t communicate any telemetry data about its status or location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Basically, as scientists were wondering where the probe was and how it was doing, all the probe would say is that it wasn’t dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But within a couple of hours, a full telemetry link was restored, ESA \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Live_updates_ExoMars_arrival_and_landing\">says\u003c/a>. A spokeswoman \u003ca href=\"https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/europe-steers-lander-towards-mars-surface\">told the AFP\u003c/a> there were “a lot of relieved people” at mission control in Germany.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Schiaparelli probe is \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars_lander_module_named_Schiaparelli\">named after\u003c/a> the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, who observed and mapped the surface of Mars. It’s part of a joint operation between the ESA and the Russian space program called ExoMars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3WCtJt46qU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lander is currently in “hibernation mode” as it coasts towards Mars, pulled by gravity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If everything goes according to plan, the probe will make a six-minute descent through the atmosphere, protected by a heat-shield then slowed by a parachute. The landing is “controlled but not guided,” \u003ca href=\"http://exploration.esa.int/mars/47852-entry-descent-and-landing-demonstrator-module/\">ESA says. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then the lander will deploy what the ESA has dubbed the “DREAMS package” — for “Dust Characterisation, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a few days, until its battery runs out, the probe will measure wind, humidity, pressure, transparency, temperature and electrical fields, among other things, and send that data back to Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first the lander has to make it to its destination, and landing on Mars is notoriously tricky. There have been high-profile successes, from Viking I in 1976 to the Mars Science Laboratory and Curiosity rover in 2012. But there’s a \u003ca href=\"http://history.nasa.gov/marschro.htm\">long litany\u003c/a> of \u003ca href=\"http://www.space.com/16496-mars-landing-missions-timeline.html\">failures\u003c/a>, with landers lost in space or crashing to the planet’s surface. As \u003cem>Popular Science \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-08/mars-rover-curiosity%E2%80%99s-biggest-challenge-mars-itself\">noted in 2012\u003c/a>, “Mars usually wins.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The British lander Beagle 2 was one of the more recent Mars-landing letdowns. The probe, carried on ESA’s Mars Express ship, was set to land on Christmas in 2003. It set off from its mothership successfully but then went silent, missing and presumed lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a NASA orbiter snapped a picture of the lander that showed it actually made it safely to the surface — but it failed to set itself up to \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/01/16/377659485/long-lost-british-spacecraft-spotted-by-nasa-probe-orbiting-mars\">allow communication with Earth\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=European+Space+Agency+Probe+Approaches+Surface+Of+Mars&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 472,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 15
},
"modified": 1704929524,
"excerpt": "The Schiaparelli lander detached from its mothership, the Trace Gas Orbiter, on Sunday. It's expected to make a controlled landing on the Red Planet on Wednesday.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The Schiaparelli lander detached from its mothership, the Trace Gas Orbiter, on Sunday. It's expected to make a controlled landing on the Red Planet on Wednesday.",
"title": "European Space Agency Probe Approaches Surface of Mars | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "European Space Agency Probe Approaches Surface of Mars",
"datePublished": "2016-10-17T09:51:39-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:04-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "european-space-agency-probe-approaches-surface-of-mars",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.npr.org/",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=498232978&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Camila Domonoske\u003c/br>NPR",
"nprStoryDate": "Mon, 17 Oct 2016 09:23:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Mon, 17 Oct 2016 09:23:23 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/17/498232978/european-space-agency-probe-approaches-surface-of-mars?ft=nprml&f=498232978",
"nprImageAgency": "ESA",
"source": "NPR",
"nprStoryId": "498232978",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Mon, 17 Oct 2016 09:23:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/1084020/european-space-agency-probe-approaches-surface-of-mars",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>An experimental lander from the European Space Agency is making its final descent toward Mars, preparing for a controlled landing on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Schiaparelli probe detached from its mothership, the Trace Gas Orbiter, on Sunday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a moment of alarm when, after separating from the ship, Schiaparelli didn’t send the expected signals back to scientists on earth. It did send back a “carrier signal” to show it was operational, but didn’t communicate any telemetry data about its status or location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Basically, as scientists were wondering where the probe was and how it was doing, all the probe would say is that it wasn’t dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But within a couple of hours, a full telemetry link was restored, ESA \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Live_updates_ExoMars_arrival_and_landing\">says\u003c/a>. A spokeswoman \u003ca href=\"https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/europe-steers-lander-towards-mars-surface\">told the AFP\u003c/a> there were “a lot of relieved people” at mission control in Germany.\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 Schiaparelli probe is \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars_lander_module_named_Schiaparelli\">named after\u003c/a> the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, who observed and mapped the surface of Mars. It’s part of a joint operation between the ESA and the Russian space program called ExoMars.\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/s3WCtJt46qU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/s3WCtJt46qU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The lander is currently in “hibernation mode” as it coasts towards Mars, pulled by gravity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If everything goes according to plan, the probe will make a six-minute descent through the atmosphere, protected by a heat-shield then slowed by a parachute. The landing is “controlled but not guided,” \u003ca href=\"http://exploration.esa.int/mars/47852-entry-descent-and-landing-demonstrator-module/\">ESA says. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then the lander will deploy what the ESA has dubbed the “DREAMS package” — for “Dust Characterisation, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a few days, until its battery runs out, the probe will measure wind, humidity, pressure, transparency, temperature and electrical fields, among other things, and send that data back to Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first the lander has to make it to its destination, and landing on Mars is notoriously tricky. There have been high-profile successes, from Viking I in 1976 to the Mars Science Laboratory and Curiosity rover in 2012. But there’s a \u003ca href=\"http://history.nasa.gov/marschro.htm\">long litany\u003c/a> of \u003ca href=\"http://www.space.com/16496-mars-landing-missions-timeline.html\">failures\u003c/a>, with landers lost in space or crashing to the planet’s surface. As \u003cem>Popular Science \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-08/mars-rover-curiosity%E2%80%99s-biggest-challenge-mars-itself\">noted in 2012\u003c/a>, “Mars usually wins.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The British lander Beagle 2 was one of the more recent Mars-landing letdowns. The probe, carried on ESA’s Mars Express ship, was set to land on Christmas in 2003. It set off from its mothership successfully but then went silent, missing and presumed lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a NASA orbiter snapped a picture of the lander that showed it actually made it safely to the surface — but it failed to set itself up to \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/01/16/377659485/long-lost-british-spacecraft-spotted-by-nasa-probe-orbiting-mars\">allow communication with Earth\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=European+Space+Agency+Probe+Approaches+Surface+Of+Mars&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1084020/european-space-agency-probe-approaches-surface-of-mars",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1084020"
],
"categories": [
"science_28",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_1084031",
"label": "source_science_1084020"
},
"science_1069638": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1069638",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1069638",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1476297003000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1476297003,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Bioengineered 'Plant Meat' Comes to S.F. and L.A. Restaurants",
"headTitle": "Bioengineered ‘Plant Meat’ Comes to S.F. and L.A. Restaurants | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>On Wednesday, journalists swarmed a \u003ca href=\"http://www.tank18.com/#welcome2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SoMa wine bar\u003c/a> to hear which California restaurants would carry \u003ca href=\"http://impossiblefoods.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Impossible Foods\u003c/a>‘ planted-based Impossible burger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting Thursday, three restaurants will begin selling the burger including \u003ca href=\"https://www.jardiniere.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jardinière\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://cockscombsf.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cockscomb\u003c/a> in San Francisco and \u003ca href=\"http://www.crossroadskitchen.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Crossroads Kitchen\u003c/a> in Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The goal is to turn plants into meat much more sustainably and efficiently,” Impossible Foods founder and CEO Pat Brown said during the event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1070478\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1632px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1070478\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1.jpg\" alt=\"Journalists at wine bar Tank18 in SoMa learn about the ingredients in the burger.\" width=\"1632\" height=\"1224\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1632px) 100vw, 1632px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Journalists at wine bar Tank18 in SoMa learn about the ingredients in the burger. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Hoshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1070479\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1632px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1070479\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750.jpg\" alt='The burger contains wheat protein, potato protein and heme, the iron-containing molecule that gives beef its \"meaty\" flavor.' width=\"1632\" height=\"1224\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1632px) 100vw, 1632px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The burger contains wheat protein, potato protein and heme, the iron-containing molecule that gives beef its “meaty” flavor. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Hoshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chefs Traci Des Jardins, Chris Cosentino and Tal Ronnen joined Brown to talk about why they wanted to sell the burger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All the amino acids and the heme that come together in the taste, that’s what got me,” said Cosentino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By genetically modifying yeast to produce heme, an iron-containing molecule in red meat, the company has created a “bloody” burger that’s pink when raw and turns brown when it’s cooked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s bioengineered to mimic the taste, smell and mouthfeel of beef.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Textured wheat and potato protein form the base of the ground “meat” with flecks of coconut oil mixed in. The coconut oil stays solid until it hits the frying pan, where it begins to melt, just like beef fat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1069878\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 4834px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1069878\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350.jpg\" alt=\"Plant meat shrouded in dry ice, which keeps the food cool. \" width=\"4834\" height=\"4000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350.jpg 4834w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-400x331.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-800x662.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-768x635.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-1440x1192.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-1920x1589.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-1180x976.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-960x794.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4834px) 100vw, 4834px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plant meat shrouded in dry ice, which keeps the food cool. \u003ccite>(Maggie Carson Jurow)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1069764\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 5726px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1069764\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450.jpg\" alt=\"Coconut oil in the burgers mimics the consistency of beef fat. \" width=\"5726\" height=\"3507\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450.jpg 5726w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-400x245.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-800x490.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-768x470.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-1440x882.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-1920x1176.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-1180x723.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-960x588.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5726px) 100vw, 5726px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coconut oil in the burgers mimics the consistency of beef fat. \u003ccite>(Maggie Carson Jurow)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Brown, a former Stanford biochemist, said he wanted to give people the pleasure of eating meat without the environmental consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With seven billion people on the planet demanding meat, it’s really become an environmental disaster,” says Brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Impossible burger uses 95 percent less land, 74 percent less water, and creates 87 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to cattle raised for beef. And eventually, Brown says, his company’s burger will cost less than hamburger patties in the grocery aisle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some critics say Americans don’t want genetically engineered “Frankenfood” and that environmentally-friendly reasons aren’t enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think you’re going to get people to convert over,” says food analyst \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyblandsman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeffrey Landsman\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For example, you’re not going to get people to eat krill just because it’s plentiful and sustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1069765\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 4000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1069765\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287.jpg\" alt=\"A large vat of heme, an iron-containing molecule and the "secret" ingredient in Impossible Foods' burgers.\" width=\"4000\" height=\"6000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287.jpg 4000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-400x600.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-1440x2160.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-1920x2880.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-1180x1770.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-960x1440.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A large vat of heme, an iron-containing molecule and the “secret” ingredient in Impossible Foods’ burgers. \u003ccite>(Maggie Carson Jurow)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, earlier this year, the company unveiled its burger to much \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/davidchang/status/758006915293118464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fanfare\u003c/a> at chef David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi in New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It has chosen restaurants over grocery stores partially to control the taste and dining experience. Award-winning chef and owner of San Francisco’s Jardinière, Traci Des Jardins, has helped the Redwood City-based company come up with complementary flavors for the burger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Impossible’s competitor, Los Angeles-based Beyond Meat, has taken the opposite approach. This summer it started selling fresh patties in the meat aisle at Whole Foods in Boulder, Colorado and expanded to \u003ca href=\"http://www.beyondmeat.com/whats-new/view/beyondburger-distribution-update\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">six other states\u003c/a>, although it isn’t available in California yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just this week, chicken giant \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/business/tyson-foods-a-meat-leader-invests-in-protein-alternatives.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tyson Foods bought a stake\u003c/a> in Beyond Meat suggesting a growing market for the increasing number of faux meat companies.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 604,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 20
},
"modified": 1704929535,
"excerpt": "After debuting on New York menus, Impossible Foods' bioengineered burger finally comes to California restaurants.\r\n",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "After debuting on New York menus, Impossible Foods' bioengineered burger finally comes to California restaurants.\r\n",
"title": "Bioengineered 'Plant Meat' Comes to S.F. and L.A. Restaurants | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Bioengineered 'Plant Meat' Comes to S.F. and L.A. Restaurants",
"datePublished": "2016-10-12T11:30:03-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:15-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "bioengineered-plant-meat-comes-to-s-f-and-l-a-restaurants",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/1069638/bioengineered-plant-meat-comes-to-s-f-and-l-a-restaurants",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On Wednesday, journalists swarmed a \u003ca href=\"http://www.tank18.com/#welcome2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SoMa wine bar\u003c/a> to hear which California restaurants would carry \u003ca href=\"http://impossiblefoods.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Impossible Foods\u003c/a>‘ planted-based Impossible burger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting Thursday, three restaurants will begin selling the burger including \u003ca href=\"https://www.jardiniere.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jardinière\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://cockscombsf.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cockscomb\u003c/a> in San Francisco and \u003ca href=\"http://www.crossroadskitchen.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Crossroads Kitchen\u003c/a> in Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The goal is to turn plants into meat much more sustainably and efficiently,” Impossible Foods founder and CEO Pat Brown said during the event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1070478\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1632px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1070478\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1.jpg\" alt=\"Journalists at wine bar Tank18 in SoMa learn about the ingredients in the burger.\" width=\"1632\" height=\"1224\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2745-1-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1632px) 100vw, 1632px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Journalists at wine bar Tank18 in SoMa learn about the ingredients in the burger. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Hoshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1070479\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1632px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1070479\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750.jpg\" alt='The burger contains wheat protein, potato protein and heme, the iron-containing molecule that gives beef its \"meaty\" flavor.' width=\"1632\" height=\"1224\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/IMG_2750-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1632px) 100vw, 1632px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The burger contains wheat protein, potato protein and heme, the iron-containing molecule that gives beef its “meaty” flavor. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Hoshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chefs Traci Des Jardins, Chris Cosentino and Tal Ronnen joined Brown to talk about why they wanted to sell the burger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All the amino acids and the heme that come together in the taste, that’s what got me,” said Cosentino.\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>By genetically modifying yeast to produce heme, an iron-containing molecule in red meat, the company has created a “bloody” burger that’s pink when raw and turns brown when it’s cooked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s bioengineered to mimic the taste, smell and mouthfeel of beef.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Textured wheat and potato protein form the base of the ground “meat” with flecks of coconut oil mixed in. The coconut oil stays solid until it hits the frying pan, where it begins to melt, just like beef fat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1069878\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 4834px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1069878\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350.jpg\" alt=\"Plant meat shrouded in dry ice, which keeps the food cool. \" width=\"4834\" height=\"4000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350.jpg 4834w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-400x331.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-800x662.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-768x635.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-1440x1192.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-1920x1589.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-1180x976.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2350-960x794.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4834px) 100vw, 4834px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plant meat shrouded in dry ice, which keeps the food cool. \u003ccite>(Maggie Carson Jurow)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1069764\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 5726px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1069764\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450.jpg\" alt=\"Coconut oil in the burgers mimics the consistency of beef fat. \" width=\"5726\" height=\"3507\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450.jpg 5726w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-400x245.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-800x490.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-768x470.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-1440x882.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-1920x1176.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-1180x723.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2450-960x588.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5726px) 100vw, 5726px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coconut oil in the burgers mimics the consistency of beef fat. \u003ccite>(Maggie Carson Jurow)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Brown, a former Stanford biochemist, said he wanted to give people the pleasure of eating meat without the environmental consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With seven billion people on the planet demanding meat, it’s really become an environmental disaster,” says Brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Impossible burger uses 95 percent less land, 74 percent less water, and creates 87 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to cattle raised for beef. And eventually, Brown says, his company’s burger will cost less than hamburger patties in the grocery aisle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some critics say Americans don’t want genetically engineered “Frankenfood” and that environmentally-friendly reasons aren’t enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think you’re going to get people to convert over,” says food analyst \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyblandsman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeffrey Landsman\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For example, you’re not going to get people to eat krill just because it’s plentiful and sustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1069765\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 4000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1069765\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287.jpg\" alt=\"A large vat of heme, an iron-containing molecule and the "secret" ingredient in Impossible Foods' burgers.\" width=\"4000\" height=\"6000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287.jpg 4000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-400x600.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-1440x2160.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-1920x2880.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-1180x1770.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/impossible-foods-2287-960x1440.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A large vat of heme, an iron-containing molecule and the “secret” ingredient in Impossible Foods’ burgers. \u003ccite>(Maggie Carson Jurow)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, earlier this year, the company unveiled its burger to much \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/davidchang/status/758006915293118464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fanfare\u003c/a> at chef David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi in New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It has chosen restaurants over grocery stores partially to control the taste and dining experience. Award-winning chef and owner of San Francisco’s Jardinière, Traci Des Jardins, has helped the Redwood City-based company come up with complementary flavors for the burger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Impossible’s competitor, Los Angeles-based Beyond Meat, has taken the opposite approach. This summer it started selling fresh patties in the meat aisle at Whole Foods in Boulder, Colorado and expanded to \u003ca href=\"http://www.beyondmeat.com/whats-new/view/beyondburger-distribution-update\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">six other states\u003c/a>, although it isn’t available in California yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just this week, chicken giant \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/business/tyson-foods-a-meat-leader-invests-in-protein-alternatives.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tyson Foods bought a stake\u003c/a> in Beyond Meat suggesting a growing market for the increasing number of faux meat companies.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1069638/bioengineered-plant-meat-comes-to-s-f-and-l-a-restaurants",
"authors": [
"5432"
],
"categories": [
"science_35",
"science_36",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_1069762",
"label": "science"
},
"science_1065453": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1065453",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1065453",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1476190814000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1476190814,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Scientists Report Climate Change Behind Surge in Western Wildfires",
"headTitle": "Scientists Report Climate Change Behind Surge in Western Wildfires | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Western firefighting veterans lamenting a “new normal” amid surging forest fires have received an explanation for the destructiveness they’ve been unable to quell. Rising temperatures are flatly to blame for recent fearsome fire seasons, leading scientists reported Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of acres of forest burning yearly in large Western fires ballooned nine-fold from 1984 to 2015, with climate pollution and natural changes in the weather playing roughly equal roles in driving the deadly trend, research \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/10/05/1607171113.abstract\">published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/a> concluded.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘We need to re-examine where and how we build our communities, so that we can learn how to better coexist with wildfire.’\u003ccite>Max, Moritz,UC Berkeley fire ecologist\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The study showed that more than a century of fossil fuel burning, deforestation and farming has helped push the American West into an explosive new wildfire regime, and the findings suggest far worse could be ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The authors clearly demonstrate that a human influence on wildland fire as a consequence of global warming isn’t just a prediction for the future — it’s happening now,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.u.arizona.edu/~kanchukaitis/people.html\">Kevin Anchukaitis\u003c/a>, a University of Arizona scientist who was not involved with the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Previous efforts to link Western wildfires with climate change have \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-increases-wildfire-risks-in-california-19643\">hinted at a profound relationship\u003c/a> but led to unconvincing results, largely because long lists of factors influence ignition and wildfire properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monday’s study focused on forest dryness, identifying the commanding role it has been playing in driving fires. The researchers relied on climate data and modeling to present a sweeping regional view of 30 years of worsening forest fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The exact percentage of human contribution remains uncertain, but the overall relationship — an increase in fuel aridity, fire days, and fire extent — is clear and significant,” Anchukaitis said. “The statistical analysis is very convincing and elegantly done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1065463\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Upton_wildfire_climatechange.jpg\" alt=\"Upton_wildfire_climatechange\" width=\"720\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Upton_wildfire_climatechange.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Upton_wildfire_climatechange-400x273.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">Western wildfires have been devouring forests parched by higher temperatures in recent years, draining federal and local firefighting funds, killing residents unable to flee fast-moving flames and filling skies with \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/western-fires-may-sicken-more-people-20621\">sometimes-crippling levels of air pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new analysis showed temperature increases caused by rising levels of greenhouse gas pollution have had a drying effect on Western forests that caused 10.4 million acres to char in large fires during the three decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That suggests 44 percent of the forest area that burned during the three decades analyzed burned because of the effects of global warming. The finding was an estimate, with the researchers concluding global warming likely drove between 6 million acres and 16 million acres of forest fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greenhouse gas pollution was also found to have extended fires seasons and caused additional days of severe fire danger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “compounding effects” of climate change and natural weather fluctuations are “giving rise to this remarkable increase in forest fire activity,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.uidaho.edu/sci/geography/people/faculty/jabatzoglou\">John Abatzoglou\u003c/a>, a geographer at the University of Idaho who coauthored Monday’s paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as greenhouse gas pollution has warmed the planet’s surface in recent decades, warming rates across the West have been exceptionally rapid. That’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/west-coast-warming-natural-variability-18067\">largely because of the effects\u003c/a> of a slow-moving ocean cycle, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which influences the global climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Warming caused by natural climatic variation was blamed for the burning of 11.4 million acres of Western forests during the study period — slightly more than the effects of warming caused by humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study focused on the heavy role that temperatures can play on forest fires, ignoring other kinds of wildfires, such as those afflicting grasslands, and ignoring other factors that can shape fire seasons. Fires need ignition sources to get started — these include lightning strikes, arsonists and campfires. They’re also affected by the thickness and type of vegetation that they consume, which in turn are shaped by weather, climate and wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While this paper is an important contribution, we still face several open questions about other drivers of change on fire regimes,” said \u003ca href=\"https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/max-moritz\">Max Moritz\u003c/a>, a fire ecology and management scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. He was not involved with the research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to have more wildfire on many of these landscapes,” Moritz said. “We need to re-examine where and how we build our communities, so that we can learn how to better coexist with wildfire — similar to how we’ve adapted to other natural hazards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Gov. Jerry Brown and Nevada Sen. Harry Reid have directly linked the “new normal” of Western wildfires with global warming. Monday’s findings lent scientific credence to these claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The effect of warming on fire activity is actually exponential,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/williams\">Park Williams\u003c/a>, a scientist at Columbia University who produced Monday’s study with Abatzoglou. “That means that every degree of warming has a bigger impact than the previous degree of warming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A United Nations climate treaty \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/landmark-paris-climate-pact-take-effect-30-days-20766\">will take force next month\u003c/a> that’s designed to spur nations to work together to reduce their impacts on the climate, such as by ditching coal energy in favor of cleaner alternatives. Exhaustive work and escalating political commitment will be needed if the civilization-saving potential of the Paris climate agreement is to be realized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though climate is changing gradually, the way that fire responds is not gradual,” Williams said. “As warming continues, there will probably be another leap, where fires are getting quite a bit more energetic — and quite a bit larger.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Climate Central\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 956,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 24
},
"modified": 1704929537,
"excerpt": "Global warming is being blamed for 44 percent of the total area burned in Western forest fires since 1984.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Global warming is being blamed for 44 percent of the total area burned in Western forest fires since 1984.",
"title": "Scientists Report Climate Change Behind Surge in Western Wildfires | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Scientists Report Climate Change Behind Surge in Western Wildfires",
"datePublished": "2016-10-11T06:00:14-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:17-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "scientists-report-climate-change-behind-surge-in-western-wildfires",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"nprByline": "John Upton\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Climate Central",
"path": "/science/1065453/scientists-report-climate-change-behind-surge-in-western-wildfires",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Western firefighting veterans lamenting a “new normal” amid surging forest fires have received an explanation for the destructiveness they’ve been unable to quell. Rising temperatures are flatly to blame for recent fearsome fire seasons, leading scientists reported Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of acres of forest burning yearly in large Western fires ballooned nine-fold from 1984 to 2015, with climate pollution and natural changes in the weather playing roughly equal roles in driving the deadly trend, research \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/10/05/1607171113.abstract\">published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/a> concluded.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘We need to re-examine where and how we build our communities, so that we can learn how to better coexist with wildfire.’\u003ccite>Max, Moritz,UC Berkeley fire ecologist\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The study showed that more than a century of fossil fuel burning, deforestation and farming has helped push the American West into an explosive new wildfire regime, and the findings suggest far worse could be ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The authors clearly demonstrate that a human influence on wildland fire as a consequence of global warming isn’t just a prediction for the future — it’s happening now,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.u.arizona.edu/~kanchukaitis/people.html\">Kevin Anchukaitis\u003c/a>, a University of Arizona scientist who was not involved with the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Previous efforts to link Western wildfires with climate change have \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-increases-wildfire-risks-in-california-19643\">hinted at a profound relationship\u003c/a> but led to unconvincing results, largely because long lists of factors influence ignition and wildfire properties.\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>Monday’s study focused on forest dryness, identifying the commanding role it has been playing in driving fires. The researchers relied on climate data and modeling to present a sweeping regional view of 30 years of worsening forest fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The exact percentage of human contribution remains uncertain, but the overall relationship — an increase in fuel aridity, fire days, and fire extent — is clear and significant,” Anchukaitis said. “The statistical analysis is very convincing and elegantly done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1065463\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Upton_wildfire_climatechange.jpg\" alt=\"Upton_wildfire_climatechange\" width=\"720\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Upton_wildfire_climatechange.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Upton_wildfire_climatechange-400x273.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">Western wildfires have been devouring forests parched by higher temperatures in recent years, draining federal and local firefighting funds, killing residents unable to flee fast-moving flames and filling skies with \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/western-fires-may-sicken-more-people-20621\">sometimes-crippling levels of air pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new analysis showed temperature increases caused by rising levels of greenhouse gas pollution have had a drying effect on Western forests that caused 10.4 million acres to char in large fires during the three decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That suggests 44 percent of the forest area that burned during the three decades analyzed burned because of the effects of global warming. The finding was an estimate, with the researchers concluding global warming likely drove between 6 million acres and 16 million acres of forest fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greenhouse gas pollution was also found to have extended fires seasons and caused additional days of severe fire danger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “compounding effects” of climate change and natural weather fluctuations are “giving rise to this remarkable increase in forest fire activity,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.uidaho.edu/sci/geography/people/faculty/jabatzoglou\">John Abatzoglou\u003c/a>, a geographer at the University of Idaho who coauthored Monday’s paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as greenhouse gas pollution has warmed the planet’s surface in recent decades, warming rates across the West have been exceptionally rapid. That’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/west-coast-warming-natural-variability-18067\">largely because of the effects\u003c/a> of a slow-moving ocean cycle, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which influences the global climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Warming caused by natural climatic variation was blamed for the burning of 11.4 million acres of Western forests during the study period — slightly more than the effects of warming caused by humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study focused on the heavy role that temperatures can play on forest fires, ignoring other kinds of wildfires, such as those afflicting grasslands, and ignoring other factors that can shape fire seasons. Fires need ignition sources to get started — these include lightning strikes, arsonists and campfires. They’re also affected by the thickness and type of vegetation that they consume, which in turn are shaped by weather, climate and wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While this paper is an important contribution, we still face several open questions about other drivers of change on fire regimes,” said \u003ca href=\"https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/max-moritz\">Max Moritz\u003c/a>, a fire ecology and management scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. He was not involved with the research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to have more wildfire on many of these landscapes,” Moritz said. “We need to re-examine where and how we build our communities, so that we can learn how to better coexist with wildfire — similar to how we’ve adapted to other natural hazards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Gov. Jerry Brown and Nevada Sen. Harry Reid have directly linked the “new normal” of Western wildfires with global warming. Monday’s findings lent scientific credence to these claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The effect of warming on fire activity is actually exponential,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/williams\">Park Williams\u003c/a>, a scientist at Columbia University who produced Monday’s study with Abatzoglou. “That means that every degree of warming has a bigger impact than the previous degree of warming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A United Nations climate treaty \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/landmark-paris-climate-pact-take-effect-30-days-20766\">will take force next month\u003c/a> that’s designed to spur nations to work together to reduce their impacts on the climate, such as by ditching coal energy in favor of cleaner alternatives. Exhaustive work and escalating political commitment will be needed if the civilization-saving potential of the Paris climate agreement is to be realized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though climate is changing gradually, the way that fire responds is not gradual,” Williams said. “As warming continues, there will probably be another leap, where fires are getting quite a bit more energetic — and quite a bit larger.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Climate Central\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1065453/scientists-report-climate-change-behind-surge-in-western-wildfires",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1065453"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_1065459",
"label": "source_science_1065453"
},
"science_1054235": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1054235",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1054235",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1475864044000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1475864044,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Electric Car Sales Are Stalled In Nation's Biggest Market: California",
"headTitle": "Electric Car Sales Are Stalled In Nation’s Biggest Market: California | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The day Brian Feeney walked into a Palm Springs dealership to buy a new Nissan Leaf, he was fulfilling the dream of state policy-makers to entice Californians to break off their love affair with gas-guzzling cars. But the amount of meticulous research that went into Feeney’s purchase was identical to the amount of carbon emissions his all-electric Leaf would spew into the atmosphere: zero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, the salesman asked, how are you planning to get it home? Feeney blinked. His Pasadena house was more than 100 miles away—beyond the Leaf’s battery range.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, his fun new car was delivered to his home hitched to the back of a tow truck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story is an apt metaphor for California’s similarly impulsive embrace of zero emission vehicles—and the logistical challenges of figuring out how to get from point of origin to ultimate destination. Like Feeney, the state knew little about the market for electric vehicles before mandating a widespread and expensive transportation reboot designed to dramatically cut tailpipe emissions. And, like Feeney’s foray, the state’s electric car adventure has gotten off to a shaky start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, a half-dozen years into Gov. Jerry Brown’s futuristic vision of carbon-free transportation, California is encountering even more potholes along the electric highway — obstacles born from both practicalities and politics. Consumers, put off by high costs and concerned about limited range, just aren’t buying into the state’s ambitious aims. As a market share, hybrid electric and fully electric cars have been stuck at \u003ca href=\"http://drivingzev.com/sales\">only 3 percent\u003c/a> of new cars sold in the state. Undaunted, the state intends that by 2025, just nine years from now, zero-emission cars will make up 15 percent of California’s new car fleet—a five-fold increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While more electric cars are sold every day, \u003ca href=\"http://on.nrdc.org/2dhRUBE\">a study\u003c/a> for the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that the state will meet only half the goal by 2025 unless vital changes are made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1054470\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/NewCarSalesInCaliforniaGraphic.png\" alt=\"NewCarSalesInCaliforniaGraphic\" width=\"550\" height=\"1425\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/NewCarSalesInCaliforniaGraphic.png 550w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/NewCarSalesInCaliforniaGraphic-400x1036.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lawmakers Send Mixed Messages\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exactly how this will happen is anybody’s guess. The state is relying on the requirements it’s placed on carmakers to get us there. The industry’s response: We can make the cars, but we can’t make people buy them. And car buyers? At the moment, most of them prefer bigger, fuel-slurping cars — especially with gasoline relatively cheap — and they’re put off by the larger price tags and smaller driving range of electric cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state of California has exercised its own policy-making power to help overcome these practical problems: issuing financial incentives for the purchase of low-emission cars, encouraging entrepreneurs and utilities to build out a network of convenient charging stations, and rewarding carmakers for filling the market. But political support from the Legislature has been erratic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature took until the last week of its session before finally topping up the funds in the state’s low-emissions vehicle rebate program. It also failed to approve a bill that would have codified the electric vehicle goals as law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The maneuvering revealed a split among the Democrats who dominate the Legislature: environmentalist coastal lawmakers running up against resistance from moderate Democrats representing poorer districts. Many of those lawmakers have received major \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/articles/oil-money-flows-for-black-and-latino-democrats/\">campaign contributions from the oil industry\u003c/a>. The pushback, which framed the debate around environmental justice issues, led lawmakers to agree to specific spending to make zero emission cars and charging stations more accessible for low income communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It may not be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our trajectory for 2025 is OK,” said state Air Resources Board commissioner Hector de la Torre. “After 2025 is where we are not doing so great. There’s an order of magnitude to go beyond.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">As a market share, hybrid electric and fully electric cars have been stuck at only 3 percent of new cars sold in the state. Undaunted, the state intends that by 2025, just nine years from now, zero-emission cars will make up 15 percent of California’s new car fleet—a five-fold increase.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Via a 2012 Executive Order, Gov. Brown called for 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles in operation statewide by 2025. That number today: about 220,000. The governor’s order also set a target that by 2050, “virtually all personal transportation in the state will be based on zero-emission vehicles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are way behind, we are really way behind,” said Michael Schneider, Chief Environmental Officer at San Diego Gas & Electric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Low-Income Residents Left Behind\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumers often like the idea of buying an electric car, at least in theory. But purchasing still-emerging technology comes at a steep price. A Nissan Leaf runs about $30,000, a Chevrolet Volt about $35,000. That makes mid-sized electrics $5,000-$10,000 more expensive than comparable gasoline models. Tesla’s boutique models are in the “if you have to ask…” category, topping out at more than $137,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although seven other states have joined California in establishing programs to juice sales of zero emission cars, California has lagged in expanding ownership much beyond wealthier coastal areas. Research shows that higher-income neighborhoods are buying these cars at ten times the rate of lower-income areas — a gap that’s widening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting zero emission cars into garages in disadvantaged communities is enlightened self-interest for everyone: lower income Californians tend to live in areas with the worst air quality, are more likely to have longer commutes, and do so in older, more polluting cars. “If you are being realistic about meeting these targets, you need to target communities of color,” said Joel Espino, an attorney with the Greenlining Institute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_713859\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-713859\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Scott Mercer and Abdellah Cherkaoui with the electric car charging service, Volta\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scott Mercer and Abdellah Cherkaoui with the electric car charging service, Volta \u003ccite>(Andrea Kissack/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Officials are working on it. Need-based programs in parts of Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley provide rebates and low interest loans—as much as $13,500—to allow low-income drivers to buy low-emission vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) is a business-friendly Democrat who proposed a bill that would have expanded the rebate program into his district. The bill stalled, leaving Cooper fed up with the incentive program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not meeting the goals right now of reaching the middle class and poor people,” he said. “People who are wealthy buy electric cars to drive in carpool lane and get to work quicker. Meanwhile, poor people are in their old clunkers. It’s crazy. Areas that really need the cleaner air—the ones that suffer the most—not much is being done. I’m really soured on the whole thing. I like electric vehicles but I am not supportive of welfare to the rich.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sustainability Not Included\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2009 California has offered rebates to consumers: $5,000 for hydrogen fuel vehicles, $2,500 for full-battery electric cars, and $1,500 for plug-in hybrids. Added to a federal tax credit of up to $7,500, these incentives have kept the engine of the zero-emission car market ticking over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the federal incentive is set to phase out in 2019 and the state capped income eligibility at $250,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Willing buyers are frustrated by the waiting list to receive state reimbursement, via a fund replenished by the Legislature’s 11\u003csup>th\u003c/sup> hour injection of $365 million from the proceeds of California’s cap-and-trade auctions. The changing landscape has led to what manufacturers describe as a “purchasing pause.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Hall, who manages the advanced vehicle program at General Motors, said car makers “are no longer talking about incentives because it’s on-again off-again. This is creating confusion in the market.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also “range anxiety,” the newfangled term for concern that motorists will be stranded without a charge or made to wait for hours re-energizing their car’s battery. From the teeny Smart Car’s average range of 68 miles to the Leaf’s 107, affordable electric cars are limiting.[contextly_sidebar id=”iK2MkoDLeko8pkkHUfcBJytQu5m9L2am”]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to build the rest of the machine,” said John Bozzella, president of Global Automakers, an industry group representing a dozen vehicle manufacturers. “If I am in a community and I don’t see a single charging station, my view will be that these technologies are still exotic. I’ll wait ten years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has only about 10,000 public charging stations—too few to service the anticipated surge of clean car sales, should a million more chargeable cars flood the roads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Cool Factor\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But public and private institutions are quickly adding stations, in part to comply with the state’s building code that requires new construction to be ‘charge ready.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the optimistic side, \u003ca href=\"http://www.hybridcars.com/california-plug-in-sales-led-us-last-year-with-nearly-five-times-greater-market-share/\">more than half\u003c/a> of the nation’s stock of battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen vehicles are sold in California. And more than two dozen different low-emission vehicle models are for sale here, with more on the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has the bad timing to be goosing along electric cars at a time when gasoline prices have fallen, consumers are showing a stronger appetite for larger cars, and Millennials—a natural constituency for “cool cars”—seem more interested in ride-sharing than car-buying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet more than 400,000 people have put down $1,000 deposits on Tesla’s Model 3, the company’s “affordable” $35,000 sedan, which is promised for delivery by the end of next year, and there is heightened consumer interest in the newly-released Chevy Bolt, an all-electric with a 230-mile range.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And those 20-somethings who use using ride-hailing services? Researchers say that the more frequently they ride in electric cars, the more likely they are to purchase one—and electrics are becoming more popular among Uber and Lyft drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those Uber drivers is the semi-retired Feeney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s on the waiting list for a Tesla.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>CALmatters is a non-profit journalism venture dedicated to exploring state policies and politics. For more stories by Julie Cart go to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/about/staff/julie-cart/\">calmatters.org/about/staff/julie-cart \u003c/a> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1788,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 42
},
"modified": 1704929544,
"excerpt": "Electric cars, including hybrids, make up only 3 percent of new cars sold in California, falling well short of state goals.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Electric cars, including hybrids, make up only 3 percent of new cars sold in California, falling well short of state goals.",
"title": "Electric Car Sales Are Stalled In Nation's Biggest Market: California | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Electric Car Sales Are Stalled In Nation's Biggest Market: California",
"datePublished": "2016-10-07T11:14:04-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:24-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "electric-car-sales-are-stalled-in-nations-biggest-market-california",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "https://calmatters.org/",
"nprByline": "Julie Cart\u003c/br>CALmatters",
"sticky": false,
"source": "CALmatters",
"path": "/science/1054235/electric-car-sales-are-stalled-in-nations-biggest-market-california",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The day Brian Feeney walked into a Palm Springs dealership to buy a new Nissan Leaf, he was fulfilling the dream of state policy-makers to entice Californians to break off their love affair with gas-guzzling cars. But the amount of meticulous research that went into Feeney’s purchase was identical to the amount of carbon emissions his all-electric Leaf would spew into the atmosphere: zero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, the salesman asked, how are you planning to get it home? Feeney blinked. His Pasadena house was more than 100 miles away—beyond the Leaf’s battery range.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, his fun new car was delivered to his home hitched to the back of a tow truck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story is an apt metaphor for California’s similarly impulsive embrace of zero emission vehicles—and the logistical challenges of figuring out how to get from point of origin to ultimate destination. Like Feeney, the state knew little about the market for electric vehicles before mandating a widespread and expensive transportation reboot designed to dramatically cut tailpipe emissions. And, like Feeney’s foray, the state’s electric car adventure has gotten off to a shaky start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, a half-dozen years into Gov. Jerry Brown’s futuristic vision of carbon-free transportation, California is encountering even more potholes along the electric highway — obstacles born from both practicalities and politics. Consumers, put off by high costs and concerned about limited range, just aren’t buying into the state’s ambitious aims. As a market share, hybrid electric and fully electric cars have been stuck at \u003ca href=\"http://drivingzev.com/sales\">only 3 percent\u003c/a> of new cars sold in the state. Undaunted, the state intends that by 2025, just nine years from now, zero-emission cars will make up 15 percent of California’s new car fleet—a five-fold increase.\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>While more electric cars are sold every day, \u003ca href=\"http://on.nrdc.org/2dhRUBE\">a study\u003c/a> for the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that the state will meet only half the goal by 2025 unless vital changes are made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1054470\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/NewCarSalesInCaliforniaGraphic.png\" alt=\"NewCarSalesInCaliforniaGraphic\" width=\"550\" height=\"1425\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/NewCarSalesInCaliforniaGraphic.png 550w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/NewCarSalesInCaliforniaGraphic-400x1036.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lawmakers Send Mixed Messages\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exactly how this will happen is anybody’s guess. The state is relying on the requirements it’s placed on carmakers to get us there. The industry’s response: We can make the cars, but we can’t make people buy them. And car buyers? At the moment, most of them prefer bigger, fuel-slurping cars — especially with gasoline relatively cheap — and they’re put off by the larger price tags and smaller driving range of electric cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state of California has exercised its own policy-making power to help overcome these practical problems: issuing financial incentives for the purchase of low-emission cars, encouraging entrepreneurs and utilities to build out a network of convenient charging stations, and rewarding carmakers for filling the market. But political support from the Legislature has been erratic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature took until the last week of its session before finally topping up the funds in the state’s low-emissions vehicle rebate program. It also failed to approve a bill that would have codified the electric vehicle goals as law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The maneuvering revealed a split among the Democrats who dominate the Legislature: environmentalist coastal lawmakers running up against resistance from moderate Democrats representing poorer districts. Many of those lawmakers have received major \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/articles/oil-money-flows-for-black-and-latino-democrats/\">campaign contributions from the oil industry\u003c/a>. The pushback, which framed the debate around environmental justice issues, led lawmakers to agree to specific spending to make zero emission cars and charging stations more accessible for low income communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It may not be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our trajectory for 2025 is OK,” said state Air Resources Board commissioner Hector de la Torre. “After 2025 is where we are not doing so great. There’s an order of magnitude to go beyond.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">As a market share, hybrid electric and fully electric cars have been stuck at only 3 percent of new cars sold in the state. Undaunted, the state intends that by 2025, just nine years from now, zero-emission cars will make up 15 percent of California’s new car fleet—a five-fold increase.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Via a 2012 Executive Order, Gov. Brown called for 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles in operation statewide by 2025. That number today: about 220,000. The governor’s order also set a target that by 2050, “virtually all personal transportation in the state will be based on zero-emission vehicles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are way behind, we are really way behind,” said Michael Schneider, Chief Environmental Officer at San Diego Gas & Electric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Low-Income Residents Left Behind\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumers often like the idea of buying an electric car, at least in theory. But purchasing still-emerging technology comes at a steep price. A Nissan Leaf runs about $30,000, a Chevrolet Volt about $35,000. That makes mid-sized electrics $5,000-$10,000 more expensive than comparable gasoline models. Tesla’s boutique models are in the “if you have to ask…” category, topping out at more than $137,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although seven other states have joined California in establishing programs to juice sales of zero emission cars, California has lagged in expanding ownership much beyond wealthier coastal areas. Research shows that higher-income neighborhoods are buying these cars at ten times the rate of lower-income areas — a gap that’s widening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting zero emission cars into garages in disadvantaged communities is enlightened self-interest for everyone: lower income Californians tend to live in areas with the worst air quality, are more likely to have longer commutes, and do so in older, more polluting cars. “If you are being realistic about meeting these targets, you need to target communities of color,” said Joel Espino, an attorney with the Greenlining Institute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_713859\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-713859\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Scott Mercer and Abdellah Cherkaoui with the electric car charging service, Volta\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IMG_0118.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scott Mercer and Abdellah Cherkaoui with the electric car charging service, Volta \u003ccite>(Andrea Kissack/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Officials are working on it. Need-based programs in parts of Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley provide rebates and low interest loans—as much as $13,500—to allow low-income drivers to buy low-emission vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) is a business-friendly Democrat who proposed a bill that would have expanded the rebate program into his district. The bill stalled, leaving Cooper fed up with the incentive program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not meeting the goals right now of reaching the middle class and poor people,” he said. “People who are wealthy buy electric cars to drive in carpool lane and get to work quicker. Meanwhile, poor people are in their old clunkers. It’s crazy. Areas that really need the cleaner air—the ones that suffer the most—not much is being done. I’m really soured on the whole thing. I like electric vehicles but I am not supportive of welfare to the rich.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sustainability Not Included\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2009 California has offered rebates to consumers: $5,000 for hydrogen fuel vehicles, $2,500 for full-battery electric cars, and $1,500 for plug-in hybrids. Added to a federal tax credit of up to $7,500, these incentives have kept the engine of the zero-emission car market ticking over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the federal incentive is set to phase out in 2019 and the state capped income eligibility at $250,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Willing buyers are frustrated by the waiting list to receive state reimbursement, via a fund replenished by the Legislature’s 11\u003csup>th\u003c/sup> hour injection of $365 million from the proceeds of California’s cap-and-trade auctions. The changing landscape has led to what manufacturers describe as a “purchasing pause.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Hall, who manages the advanced vehicle program at General Motors, said car makers “are no longer talking about incentives because it’s on-again off-again. This is creating confusion in the market.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also “range anxiety,” the newfangled term for concern that motorists will be stranded without a charge or made to wait for hours re-energizing their car’s battery. From the teeny Smart Car’s average range of 68 miles to the Leaf’s 107, affordable electric cars are limiting.\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to build the rest of the machine,” said John Bozzella, president of Global Automakers, an industry group representing a dozen vehicle manufacturers. “If I am in a community and I don’t see a single charging station, my view will be that these technologies are still exotic. I’ll wait ten years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has only about 10,000 public charging stations—too few to service the anticipated surge of clean car sales, should a million more chargeable cars flood the roads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Cool Factor\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But public and private institutions are quickly adding stations, in part to comply with the state’s building code that requires new construction to be ‘charge ready.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the optimistic side, \u003ca href=\"http://www.hybridcars.com/california-plug-in-sales-led-us-last-year-with-nearly-five-times-greater-market-share/\">more than half\u003c/a> of the nation’s stock of battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen vehicles are sold in California. And more than two dozen different low-emission vehicle models are for sale here, with more on the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has the bad timing to be goosing along electric cars at a time when gasoline prices have fallen, consumers are showing a stronger appetite for larger cars, and Millennials—a natural constituency for “cool cars”—seem more interested in ride-sharing than car-buying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet more than 400,000 people have put down $1,000 deposits on Tesla’s Model 3, the company’s “affordable” $35,000 sedan, which is promised for delivery by the end of next year, and there is heightened consumer interest in the newly-released Chevy Bolt, an all-electric with a 230-mile range.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And those 20-somethings who use using ride-hailing services? Researchers say that the more frequently they ride in electric cars, the more likely they are to purchase one—and electrics are becoming more popular among Uber and Lyft drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those Uber drivers is the semi-retired Feeney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s on the waiting list for a Tesla.\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>\u003cem>CALmatters is a non-profit journalism venture dedicated to exploring state policies and politics. For more stories by Julie Cart go to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/about/staff/julie-cart/\">calmatters.org/about/staff/julie-cart \u003c/a> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1054235/electric-car-sales-are-stalled-in-nations-biggest-market-california",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1054235"
],
"categories": [
"science_35",
"science_40"
],
"tags": [
"science_3028",
"science_101"
],
"featImg": "science_1054237",
"label": "source_science_1054235"
},
"science_1053884": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1053884",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1053884",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1475779647000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1475779647,
"format": "standard",
"title": "How California Is Learning to Love Drinking Recycled Water",
"headTitle": "How California Is Learning to Love Drinking Recycled Water | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Would you rather drink a cup of recycled wastewater or advanced purified water?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Actually, that’s a trick question – both terms are often used to talk about the same thing. But when it comes to public acceptance of the practice, the language you use makes a big difference. And so does education about how the process works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those are some of the things that have helped shift attitudes in California around potable reuse (drinking wastewater that has been purified for drinking). But it’s been a long road to get there and a few bumps remain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades ago, the idea of treating wastewater to drinking water standards was met with resistance and it earned the unfortunate moniker of “\u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/aug/04/political-analysis-legacy-toilet-tap/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">toilet to tap\u003c/a>” in 1995, which became widely touted in defeating proposals to purify recycled water for drinking in Southern California in the 1990s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_620612\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-620612\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A purple colored hydrant designates a recycled water fill station in Mountain View, California.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-1440x961.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-1920x1282.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-960x641.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A purple colored hydrant designates a recycled water fill station in Mountain View, California. \u003ccite>(Tara Lohan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"http://www.ocwd.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Orange County\u003c/a> paved a different way forward for California by using indirect potable reuse – treating wastewater to drinking water standards and then putting it back underground to mingle with water in the aquifer before being pumped back out for drinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Add to the equation another multi-year drought (just entering year six) and increased pressure on water sources from climate change and competing interests, and many Californians now seem ready to welcome recycled water into their homes. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiego.gov/water/purewater/purewatersd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Diego\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.valleywater.org/SVAWPC.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silicon Valley\u003c/a> are both on their way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Just Don’t Call It Wastewater\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, the water technology company Xylem conducted a survey of 3,000 Californians to gauge their support of water recycling. Water recycling can mean water treated for non-potable purposes, such as industrial uses and irrigation, but in this survey it was defined to mean wastewater that had been treated and purified for drinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of those surveyed, 42 percent were very willing to use recycled water in their everyday lives and 41 percent were somewhat willing. The numbers increase with more information. The survey found that 89 percent of people were willing to use recycled water after receiving information about how the treatment process works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings are similar to what Santa Clara Valley Water District has found as they have tested their customers on the concept as well. The water district has a facility, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.valleywater.org/SVAWPC.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center\u003c/a>, that can treat wastewater to drinking water standards, but currently the water is only used to supplement recycled water for non-potable uses such as irrigation. In the near future (likely the next two to three years), the agency may be using the water for indirect potable reuse to supplement groundwater for drinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘With enough information and education, you can change people’s understanding and perception.’\u003ccite>Marta Lugo, Santa Clara Valley Water District\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>A survey the agency conducted in Santa Clara County in 2010 found that initially, people were pretty opposed to the idea of one day drinking recycled water – only 31 percent were in favor of it. But after being read information about how the treatment and purification process works, 53 percent were supportive. And then after being given additional information about why it’s good for the environment and helps support groundwater supplies, support rose to 69 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we learned from that is with enough information and education you can change people’s understanding and perception,” said Marta Lugo, a public information representative of Santa Clara Valley Water District. Since education is key, in 2014 when the water district opened their water purification center, they immediately kicked off a public tour program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tasting is Believing\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If seeing is believing, then tasting usually seals the deal. Lugo said an open-house event last October drew 900 people from the community, and more than 90 percent took a taste test. “Many were surprised when they saw, smelled and tasted it,” said Lugo. “If people see their neighbors taking a taste, or their friends and peers, they get over a psychological barrier – it becomes normalized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says that acceptance has also grown during California’s drought, and being in Silicon Valley, they are aided by having many tech-minded residents. But a 2014 survey found that the biggest factor driving public acceptance of drinking recycled water is actually concern for the environment — the fact that recycled water is good for rivers, streams, fish, plants and wildlife, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The language is also important, said Lugo. People are more accepting when it is referred to as “highly” or “advanced purified water.” It’s not just semantics but an important distinction. Many Californians are already familiar with recycled water that is transported in purple pipes for irrigation and industrial uses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1054003\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1054003\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A view inside the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in San Jose, Calif.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-960x641.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view inside the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in San Jose, Calif. \u003ccite>(Tara Lohan/Water Deeply)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They are also repeatedly cautioned not to drink purple pipe water. “We had to find a way to disassociate from that, because even though we are recycling water, it is not the same water in the purple pipes. It’s a step ahead of that recycled water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water from the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center goes through three main processes – microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light. If it was to be used for drinking water, it would also receive advanced oxidation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next year, the California legislature is likely to begin addressing regulations for \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2016/09/20/wastewater-a-new-frontier-for-water-recycling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">direct potable reuse\u003c/a>, which will give another boost to the idea of wastewater as part of the water supply. But it will likely be many more years before direct potable use is widespread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"fin\">Water agencies like Santa Clara Valley Water District are moving slowly. “It’s not an overnight process, it’s taken years of education,” said Lugo. “It has only been in the last year and a half that we have moved to aggressively talking about recycled water for drinking water supplies – either for groundwater replenishment or for direct use. It’s a process, but for the most part, the community has been very supportive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article originally appeared on Water Deeply, and you can find it \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2016/10/06/how-california-is-learning-to-love-drinking-recycled-water\">here\u003c/a>. For important news about the California drought, you can sign up to the \u003ca href=\"http://waterdeeply.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8b78e9a34ff7443ec1e8c62c6&id=2947becb78\">Water Deeply email list\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1091,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 22
},
"modified": 1704929547,
"excerpt": "It wasn’t too long ago that the so-called “yuck factor” associated with recycled water was a deal breaker for many communities. But new research shows that Californians are warming to the concept.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "It wasn’t too long ago that the so-called “yuck factor” associated with recycled water was a deal breaker for many communities. But new research shows that Californians are warming to the concept.",
"title": "How California Is Learning to Love Drinking Recycled Water | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How California Is Learning to Love Drinking Recycled Water",
"datePublished": "2016-10-06T11:47:27-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:27-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-california-is-learning-to-love-drinking-recycled-water",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "Tara Lohan \u003c/br> Water Deeply",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/1053884/how-california-is-learning-to-love-drinking-recycled-water",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Would you rather drink a cup of recycled wastewater or advanced purified water?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Actually, that’s a trick question – both terms are often used to talk about the same thing. But when it comes to public acceptance of the practice, the language you use makes a big difference. And so does education about how the process works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those are some of the things that have helped shift attitudes in California around potable reuse (drinking wastewater that has been purified for drinking). But it’s been a long road to get there and a few bumps remain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades ago, the idea of treating wastewater to drinking water standards was met with resistance and it earned the unfortunate moniker of “\u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/aug/04/political-analysis-legacy-toilet-tap/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">toilet to tap\u003c/a>” in 1995, which became widely touted in defeating proposals to purify recycled water for drinking in Southern California in the 1990s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_620612\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-620612\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A purple colored hydrant designates a recycled water fill station in Mountain View, California.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-1440x961.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-1920x1282.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant-960x641.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/purple-hydrant.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A purple colored hydrant designates a recycled water fill station in Mountain View, California. \u003ccite>(Tara Lohan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"http://www.ocwd.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Orange County\u003c/a> paved a different way forward for California by using indirect potable reuse – treating wastewater to drinking water standards and then putting it back underground to mingle with water in the aquifer before being pumped back out for drinking.\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>Add to the equation another multi-year drought (just entering year six) and increased pressure on water sources from climate change and competing interests, and many Californians now seem ready to welcome recycled water into their homes. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiego.gov/water/purewater/purewatersd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Diego\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.valleywater.org/SVAWPC.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silicon Valley\u003c/a> are both on their way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Just Don’t Call It Wastewater\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, the water technology company Xylem conducted a survey of 3,000 Californians to gauge their support of water recycling. Water recycling can mean water treated for non-potable purposes, such as industrial uses and irrigation, but in this survey it was defined to mean wastewater that had been treated and purified for drinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of those surveyed, 42 percent were very willing to use recycled water in their everyday lives and 41 percent were somewhat willing. The numbers increase with more information. The survey found that 89 percent of people were willing to use recycled water after receiving information about how the treatment process works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings are similar to what Santa Clara Valley Water District has found as they have tested their customers on the concept as well. The water district has a facility, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.valleywater.org/SVAWPC.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center\u003c/a>, that can treat wastewater to drinking water standards, but currently the water is only used to supplement recycled water for non-potable uses such as irrigation. In the near future (likely the next two to three years), the agency may be using the water for indirect potable reuse to supplement groundwater for drinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘With enough information and education, you can change people’s understanding and perception.’\u003ccite>Marta Lugo, Santa Clara Valley Water District\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>A survey the agency conducted in Santa Clara County in 2010 found that initially, people were pretty opposed to the idea of one day drinking recycled water – only 31 percent were in favor of it. But after being read information about how the treatment and purification process works, 53 percent were supportive. And then after being given additional information about why it’s good for the environment and helps support groundwater supplies, support rose to 69 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we learned from that is with enough information and education you can change people’s understanding and perception,” said Marta Lugo, a public information representative of Santa Clara Valley Water District. Since education is key, in 2014 when the water district opened their water purification center, they immediately kicked off a public tour program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tasting is Believing\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If seeing is believing, then tasting usually seals the deal. Lugo said an open-house event last October drew 900 people from the community, and more than 90 percent took a taste test. “Many were surprised when they saw, smelled and tasted it,” said Lugo. “If people see their neighbors taking a taste, or their friends and peers, they get over a psychological barrier – it becomes normalized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says that acceptance has also grown during California’s drought, and being in Silicon Valley, they are aided by having many tech-minded residents. But a 2014 survey found that the biggest factor driving public acceptance of drinking recycled water is actually concern for the environment — the fact that recycled water is good for rivers, streams, fish, plants and wildlife, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The language is also important, said Lugo. People are more accepting when it is referred to as “highly” or “advanced purified water.” It’s not just semantics but an important distinction. Many Californians are already familiar with recycled water that is transported in purple pipes for irrigation and industrial uses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1054003\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1054003\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A view inside the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in San Jose, Calif.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water-960x641.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Santa-Clara-water.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view inside the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in San Jose, Calif. \u003ccite>(Tara Lohan/Water Deeply)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They are also repeatedly cautioned not to drink purple pipe water. “We had to find a way to disassociate from that, because even though we are recycling water, it is not the same water in the purple pipes. It’s a step ahead of that recycled water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water from the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center goes through three main processes – microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light. If it was to be used for drinking water, it would also receive advanced oxidation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next year, the California legislature is likely to begin addressing regulations for \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2016/09/20/wastewater-a-new-frontier-for-water-recycling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">direct potable reuse\u003c/a>, which will give another boost to the idea of wastewater as part of the water supply. But it will likely be many more years before direct potable use is widespread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"fin\">Water agencies like Santa Clara Valley Water District are moving slowly. “It’s not an overnight process, it’s taken years of education,” said Lugo. “It has only been in the last year and a half that we have moved to aggressively talking about recycled water for drinking water supplies – either for groundwater replenishment or for direct use. It’s a process, but for the most part, the community has been very supportive.”\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>\u003cem>This article originally appeared on Water Deeply, and you can find it \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2016/10/06/how-california-is-learning-to-love-drinking-recycled-water\">here\u003c/a>. For important news about the California drought, you can sign up to the \u003ca href=\"http://waterdeeply.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8b78e9a34ff7443ec1e8c62c6&id=2947becb78\">Water Deeply email list\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1053884/how-california-is-learning-to-love-drinking-recycled-water",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1053884"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_98"
],
"tags": [
"science_3180",
"science_2581"
],
"featImg": "science_1053998",
"label": "science"
},
"science_1027372": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1027372",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1027372",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1475586030000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "for-these-tiny-spiders-its-sing-or-get-served",
"title": "For These Tiny Spiders, It's Sing or Get Served",
"publishDate": 1475586030,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "For These Tiny Spiders, It’s Sing or Get Served | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]For the better part of the summer, \u003ca href=\"https://nature.berkeley.edu/eliaslab/index.html\">Erin Brandt,\u003c/a> a graduate student in environmental science at UC Berkeley, has been holding speed-dating sessions in the lab — for spiders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two by two, Brandt studies the mating habits of jumping spiders, a family of furry, often colorful arachnids that could fit on the tip of your pinky. Their elaborate courtship displays, which researchers say could help answer questions about the evolution of mating practices in general, have long interested scientists and even earned the spiders a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/salticidae/\">fan base online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029328\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1029328\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A male jumping spider performs his song and dance routine for a female.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A male jumping spider performs his song and dance routine for a female. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’m kind of known as the spider lady in my family now,” Brandt said. “I’m interested in how behaviors evolve, and jumping spiders are a great way to look at that. And they’re just so cute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the courtship, the male jumping spider performs an exuberant dance to get the female’s attention. Like a pint-sized Magic Mike working for twenties, he shimmies from side to side, waves his legs, and flaps his front appendages (called pedipalps) in her direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If she likes what she sees, the female may allow him to mate. But things can also go terribly wrong for these eight-legged suitors. She might decide to attack him, or even eat him for lunch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no way to tell what she’s going to do,” said Brandt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cannibalism is the result about seven percent of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029333\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_pedipalps_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1029333\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_pedipalps_720.gif\" alt=\"A jumping spider waves his arms and shakes his pedipalps during courtship.\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A jumping spider waves his arms and shakes his pedipalps during courtship. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These mating rituals were first described more than 100 years ago. Their study took on a new dimension, however, when scientists discovered that the males also sing when they attempt to woo their lady loves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By rubbing together their two body segments, the males create vibrations that travel through the ground. The female spiders can “hear” the male songs through ear-like slits in their legs, called sensilla.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029457\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_abdomen_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1029457\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_abdomen_720.gif\" alt='The male jumping spider \"sings\" by rubbing together the two main parts of his body.' width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The male jumping spider “sings” by rubbing together the two main parts of his body. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://nature.berkeley.edu/eliaslab/\">Damian Elias,\u003c/a> a professor who works with Brandt, first listened to these songs using\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>a modified phonograph needle that registered the vibrations. Today, using a more sophisticated vibrometer that tracks minute movements with a laser, researchers in his lab can turn these inaudible songs into something people can hear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Far from being random noise, each spider song is composed of a specific series of thumps, scrapes and buzzes, called motifs, all synched to the spider’s movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each spider makes the song his own. Though the motif sequence is the same within a species, individuals can add personal touches, such as an extra thump, or a longer, louder buzz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1029454\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Using a laser-equipped vibrometer, in red, scientists can now make jumping spider songs audible to people.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Dr. Damian Elias’s lab, a vibrometer shines a red laser beam on a spider, allowing scientists to make its song audible to people.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A male spider’s coordination of the dance and the song seems to affect his reproductive success — in other words, his ability to stay alive during this risky courtship trial. But what exactly the signals mean remains mysterious to scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only thing that’s known unambiguously is that vibration is important,” said Brandt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347204004804\">In a 2005 experiment,\u003c/a> Elias proved that importance by sticking the two parts of the male spiders’ bodies together with wax, effectively preventing them from singing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For these “muted” spiders, who could still dance, the success rate plummeted by two-thirds. Cannibalism by the females more than quadrupled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029337\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_female-eats-male_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1029337\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_female-eats-male_720.gif\" alt=\"Cannibalism of the male by the female is one potential result of courtship among jumping spiders.\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cannibalism of the male by the female is one potential result of courtship among jumping spiders. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Studies like these may one day shed light on courtship rituals throughout the animal world. That’s because jumping spider courtship is a classic example of what Charles Darwin called sexual selection, a footnote to evolution that attempts to explain an apparent contradiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 150 years ago, Darwin was troubled by the way some animals go to so much trouble to find mates. How, he wondered, could it be advantageous to the species in general?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer, according the sexual selection theory, is that the idea of “survival of the fittest” works not just \u003cem>between\u003c/em> species competing for resources, but \u003cem>within\u003c/em> the species as well. Courtships weed out individuals who would produce weak offspring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One sex has the burden of proof, the other has choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029453\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1029453\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A jumping spider female looks on as a male attempts to court her.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A jumping spider female looks on as a male attempts to court her. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The common assumption is that successful courtship behavior demonstrates health and vigor to a potential mate. But when it comes to jumping spiders, that assumption doesn’t tell the whole story. Sometimes, as Brandt has repeatedly observed, smaller males, or even those with a visible defect such as a missing limb, do just as well as healthy individuals\u003cstrong>.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What do females care about?” Brandt said. “We really don’t know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientific focus has shifted from describing male behaviors during these jumping spider courtships to figuring out what they mean, through the eyes and ears of the female.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Elias’s lab in Berkeley concentrates on the songs, another group of researchers is looking more deeply into the spiders’ dance routines. \u003ca href=\"http://ejakob.popslice.com/\">Elizabeth Jakob,\u003c/a> a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has developed an eye-movement tracker — like the ones used on people for psychology experiments — small enough to follow the gaze of female spiders. Two biologists at the University of Pittsburgh, \u003ca href=\"http://www.biology.pitt.edu/person/nathan-morehouse\">Nathan Morehouse\u003c/a> and and \u003ca href=\"http://www.danielzurek.com/\">Daniel Zurek,\u003c/a> are using Jakob’s tracker to follow the females’ visual interest while they watch videos of males performing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Gaze is where vision meets cognition,” said Morehouse. “It tells you something about the priorities of the animal, in terms of what’s most interesting to them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental factors could even play a role. Brandt’s research is looking into what effects temperature, and by extension global warming, might have on female choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all these experiments, the scientists ultimately hope to understand how a female decides whether she’s looking at a stud — or a dud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can endlessly look at the male,” Brandt said, “but the females have all the power. They’re driving the evolution of the system.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Jumping spider courtship is quite a song and dance routine. But if they bomb, they can wind up dinner. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1738723722,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 30,
"wordCount": 1100
},
"headData": {
"title": "For These Tiny Spiders, It's Sing or Get Served | KQED",
"description": "Jumping spider courtship is quite a song and dance routine. But if they bomb, they can wind up dinner. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "For These Tiny Spiders, It's Sing or Get Served",
"datePublished": "2016-10-04T06:00:30-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-02-04T18:48:42-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/y7qMqAgCqME",
"pbsMediaId": "2365917587",
"sticky": false,
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1027372/for-these-tiny-spiders-its-sing-or-get-served",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>For the better part of the summer, \u003ca href=\"https://nature.berkeley.edu/eliaslab/index.html\">Erin Brandt,\u003c/a> a graduate student in environmental science at UC Berkeley, has been holding speed-dating sessions in the lab — for spiders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two by two, Brandt studies the mating habits of jumping spiders, a family of furry, often colorful arachnids that could fit on the tip of your pinky. Their elaborate courtship displays, which researchers say could help answer questions about the evolution of mating practices in general, have long interested scientists and even earned the spiders a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/salticidae/\">fan base online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029328\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1029328\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A male jumping spider performs his song and dance routine for a female.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-submissive-CC-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A male jumping spider performs his song and dance routine for a female. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’m kind of known as the spider lady in my family now,” Brandt said. “I’m interested in how behaviors evolve, and jumping spiders are a great way to look at that. And they’re just so cute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the courtship, the male jumping spider performs an exuberant dance to get the female’s attention. Like a pint-sized Magic Mike working for twenties, he shimmies from side to side, waves his legs, and flaps his front appendages (called pedipalps) in her direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If she likes what she sees, the female may allow him to mate. But things can also go terribly wrong for these eight-legged suitors. She might decide to attack him, or even eat him for lunch.\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>“There’s no way to tell what she’s going to do,” said Brandt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cannibalism is the result about seven percent of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029333\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_pedipalps_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1029333\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_pedipalps_720.gif\" alt=\"A jumping spider waves his arms and shakes his pedipalps during courtship.\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A jumping spider waves his arms and shakes his pedipalps during courtship. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These mating rituals were first described more than 100 years ago. Their study took on a new dimension, however, when scientists discovered that the males also sing when they attempt to woo their lady loves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By rubbing together their two body segments, the males create vibrations that travel through the ground. The female spiders can “hear” the male songs through ear-like slits in their legs, called sensilla.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029457\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_abdomen_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1029457\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_abdomen_720.gif\" alt='The male jumping spider \"sings\" by rubbing together the two main parts of his body.' width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The male jumping spider “sings” by rubbing together the two main parts of his body. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://nature.berkeley.edu/eliaslab/\">Damian Elias,\u003c/a> a professor who works with Brandt, first listened to these songs using\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>a modified phonograph needle that registered the vibrations. Today, using a more sophisticated vibrometer that tracks minute movements with a laser, researchers in his lab can turn these inaudible songs into something people can hear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Far from being random noise, each spider song is composed of a specific series of thumps, scrapes and buzzes, called motifs, all synched to the spider’s movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each spider makes the song his own. Though the motif sequence is the same within a species, individuals can add personal touches, such as an extra thump, or a longer, louder buzz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1029454\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Using a laser-equipped vibrometer, in red, scientists can now make jumping spider songs audible to people.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-vibrometer-action-CC-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Dr. Damian Elias’s lab, a vibrometer shines a red laser beam on a spider, allowing scientists to make its song audible to people.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A male spider’s coordination of the dance and the song seems to affect his reproductive success — in other words, his ability to stay alive during this risky courtship trial. But what exactly the signals mean remains mysterious to scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only thing that’s known unambiguously is that vibration is important,” said Brandt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347204004804\">In a 2005 experiment,\u003c/a> Elias proved that importance by sticking the two parts of the male spiders’ bodies together with wax, effectively preventing them from singing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For these “muted” spiders, who could still dance, the success rate plummeted by two-thirds. Cannibalism by the females more than quadrupled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029337\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_female-eats-male_720.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1029337\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317_jumpingspider_female-eats-male_720.gif\" alt=\"Cannibalism of the male by the female is one potential result of courtship among jumping spiders.\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cannibalism of the male by the female is one potential result of courtship among jumping spiders. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Studies like these may one day shed light on courtship rituals throughout the animal world. That’s because jumping spider courtship is a classic example of what Charles Darwin called sexual selection, a footnote to evolution that attempts to explain an apparent contradiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 150 years ago, Darwin was troubled by the way some animals go to so much trouble to find mates. How, he wondered, could it be advantageous to the species in general?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer, according the sexual selection theory, is that the idea of “survival of the fittest” works not just \u003cem>between\u003c/em> species competing for resources, but \u003cem>within\u003c/em> the species as well. Courtships weed out individuals who would produce weak offspring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One sex has the burden of proof, the other has choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1029453\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1029453\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A jumping spider female looks on as a male attempts to court her.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/DL317-clypeatus-female-side-xclose.2-CC-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A jumping spider female looks on as a male attempts to court her. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The common assumption is that successful courtship behavior demonstrates health and vigor to a potential mate. But when it comes to jumping spiders, that assumption doesn’t tell the whole story. Sometimes, as Brandt has repeatedly observed, smaller males, or even those with a visible defect such as a missing limb, do just as well as healthy individuals\u003cstrong>.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What do females care about?” Brandt said. “We really don’t know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientific focus has shifted from describing male behaviors during these jumping spider courtships to figuring out what they mean, through the eyes and ears of the female.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Elias’s lab in Berkeley concentrates on the songs, another group of researchers is looking more deeply into the spiders’ dance routines. \u003ca href=\"http://ejakob.popslice.com/\">Elizabeth Jakob,\u003c/a> a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has developed an eye-movement tracker — like the ones used on people for psychology experiments — small enough to follow the gaze of female spiders. Two biologists at the University of Pittsburgh, \u003ca href=\"http://www.biology.pitt.edu/person/nathan-morehouse\">Nathan Morehouse\u003c/a> and and \u003ca href=\"http://www.danielzurek.com/\">Daniel Zurek,\u003c/a> are using Jakob’s tracker to follow the females’ visual interest while they watch videos of males performing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Gaze is where vision meets cognition,” said Morehouse. “It tells you something about the priorities of the animal, in terms of what’s most interesting to them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental factors could even play a role. Brandt’s research is looking into what effects temperature, and by extension global warming, might have on female choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all these experiments, the scientists ultimately hope to understand how a female decides whether she’s looking at a stud — or a dud.\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>“You can endlessly look at the male,” Brandt said, “but the females have all the power. They’re driving the evolution of the system.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1027372/for-these-tiny-spiders-its-sing-or-get-served",
"authors": [
"11090"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_30",
"science_40",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_5197",
"science_1665",
"science_309"
],
"featImg": "science_1027375",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1046457": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1046457",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1046457",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1475538813000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1475538813,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Endangered California Frog Rebounding in Yosemite",
"headTitle": "Endangered California Frog Rebounding in Yosemite | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>A native California frog once on the brink of extinction is making an encouraging comeback in Yosemite National Park, raising hopes for amphibians like it worldwide that are dying off at an alarming rate, researchers said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog — little more than 3 inches long and known for the coloring under its hind legs — was once the most abundant amphibian in the mountain range.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”GhXCbFrQe550VIrKoAcIH5ygS74JdmPh”]They were so numerous that they bounded by the dozens into lakes and streams with each step of an approaching person, says lead researcher Roland Knapp of the University of California Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their numbers began to plummet roughly a century ago as they were gobbled up by non-native trout stocked for fishing. Disease later struck, removing them from 90 percent of their native habitat in the Sierra, scientists say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Efforts to save the frog from extinction have led to a sevenfold increase in their numbers in Yosemite in the last 20 years, says Knapp, who charted the frog’s rebound in \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/09/28/1600983113.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a study published Monday\u003c/a> in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s got a long way to go to get to where it was,” he says. “It’s certainly an important milestone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Park officials stopped stocking non-native fish in some Yosemite lakes, helping the comeback, and it appears that the frog has developed a resistance to the disease deadly to amphibians, called the chytrid fungus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The disease has led to the extinction of more than 200 species of amphibians around the world in the last 30 years, Knapp said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The frog’s ability to develop a resistance, combined with better management practices, could reverse the decline of amphibians elsewhere, researchers say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rebound of the yellow-legged frog is limited to Yosemite, which makes up 13 percent of its historical habitat in the Sierra. Researchers say that elsewhere in the range, the frog remains scarce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is still protected as a federally endangered species, and state wildlife officials consider it threatened in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yosemite National Park called the rebound a rare success story in the world of endangered species, and one that made them hopeful the yellow-legged frog would eventually come off the endangered list.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people think that species linger on this list in perpetuity and we very rarely see species coming off the list,” says Rob Grasso, the park’s aquatic ecologist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This shows it can be done, and even such an imperiled species as the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog can recover when the odds are highly stacked against it,” Grasso says. “One day, it could be off the list. This gives us tremendous hope.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 473,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 16
},
"modified": 1704929554,
"excerpt": "Threatened by a deadly fungus, the yellow-legged frog is now making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Threatened by a deadly fungus, the yellow-legged frog is now making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts. ",
"title": "Endangered California Frog Rebounding in Yosemite | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Endangered California Frog Rebounding in Yosemite",
"datePublished": "2016-10-03T16:53:33-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:34-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "endangered-california-frog-rebounding-in-yosemite",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "Scott Smith\u003c/br>Associated Press",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Associated Press",
"path": "/science/1046457/endangered-california-frog-rebounding-in-yosemite",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A native California frog once on the brink of extinction is making an encouraging comeback in Yosemite National Park, raising hopes for amphibians like it worldwide that are dying off at an alarming rate, researchers said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog — little more than 3 inches long and known for the coloring under its hind legs — was once the most abundant amphibian in the mountain range.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>They were so numerous that they bounded by the dozens into lakes and streams with each step of an approaching person, says lead researcher Roland Knapp of the University of California Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their numbers began to plummet roughly a century ago as they were gobbled up by non-native trout stocked for fishing. Disease later struck, removing them from 90 percent of their native habitat in the Sierra, scientists say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Efforts to save the frog from extinction have led to a sevenfold increase in their numbers in Yosemite in the last 20 years, says Knapp, who charted the frog’s rebound in \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/09/28/1600983113.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a study published Monday\u003c/a> in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.\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>“It’s got a long way to go to get to where it was,” he says. “It’s certainly an important milestone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Park officials stopped stocking non-native fish in some Yosemite lakes, helping the comeback, and it appears that the frog has developed a resistance to the disease deadly to amphibians, called the chytrid fungus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The disease has led to the extinction of more than 200 species of amphibians around the world in the last 30 years, Knapp said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The frog’s ability to develop a resistance, combined with better management practices, could reverse the decline of amphibians elsewhere, researchers say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rebound of the yellow-legged frog is limited to Yosemite, which makes up 13 percent of its historical habitat in the Sierra. Researchers say that elsewhere in the range, the frog remains scarce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is still protected as a federally endangered species, and state wildlife officials consider it threatened in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yosemite National Park called the rebound a rare success story in the world of endangered species, and one that made them hopeful the yellow-legged frog would eventually come off the endangered list.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people think that species linger on this list in perpetuity and we very rarely see species coming off the list,” says Rob Grasso, the park’s aquatic ecologist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This shows it can be done, and even such an imperiled species as the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog can recover when the odds are highly stacked against it,” Grasso says. “One day, it could be off the list. This gives us tremendous hope.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1046457/endangered-california-frog-rebounding-in-yosemite",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1046457"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_35",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_1046463",
"label": "source_science_1046457"
},
"science_1046215": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1046215",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1046215",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1475532438000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1475532438,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Will Writing Letters to Our Kids Spur Us to Act on Climate Change?",
"headTitle": "Will Writing Letters to Our Kids Spur Us to Act on Climate Change? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Sitting there, with the cursor on your computer flickering, what words would you write to your child about this juncture in time, when we’re acutely aware that our \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/world-passes-400-ppm-threshold-permanently-20738\">carbon pollution is a problem\u003c/a>, but we have \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/un-climate-pact-closer-to-taking-effect-20721\">yet to take major actions\u003c/a> to reduce it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What would you tell them about what you did to make sure their future isn’t lived in an environmental wasteland? Would writing those words, to be preserved for the next generation, inspire you to do more?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the premise behind \u003ca href=\"http://www.deartomorrow.org/\">DearTomorrow\u003c/a>, a nascent project that’s archiving letters about climate change written by people to their future children, selves or family. Part social movement, part time capsule, DearTomorrow uses how much we care about future generations to get people engaged in dealing with climate change in the here and now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The inspiration for the project hit DearTomorrow co-founder \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/harshtruism\">Trisha Shrum\u003c/a> after hearing former United Nation’s climate chief \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/CFigueres\">Christiana Figueres\u003c/a> talk about her concern that children from future generations would look at her and ask what she did to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1046223\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1046223\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrowFacebook_1.jpg\" alt=\"A DearTomorrow message documented at the Paris climate talks in December 2015.\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A DearTomorrow message documented at the Paris climate talks in December 2015. \u003ccite>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DearTomorrow/photos/a.1596655740588133.1073741828.1593032114283829/1646020605651646/?type=3&theater\">DearTomorrow\u003c/a>/Facebook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Figueres words resonated with Shrum, making her wonder what she would tell her daughter who was 10 months old at the time. She confronted the blinking cursor, wrote a letter and in the process realized how much thinking about her daughter’s future was tied to her own present actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To my child, I’m the most powerful people in her life,” Shrum said. “It’s my job to take care of her and do what I can to ensure she has a chance at a really great future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it comes to being accountable to yourself, you can make excuses for why you don’t act on climate change. But any excuses you have to your child about why you didn’t do everything you could to protect them and their future is really, well, you can’t make those excuses. They fall flat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Writing a letter for her daughter to read in 2050 was a transformational moment in Shrum’s life and one she wanted to share with other people. She also knew that getting people to imagine a hopeful future for their children has the power to to disrupt how we view climate change, shifting it from an intractable problem to an opportunity to \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/eu-countries-renewable-goals-20021\">reshape our world\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because Shrum has a PhD in behavioral sciences and economics and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado. The project’s conception and execution is grounded in the science of how humans think and what it takes to get people to act on big problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to climate change, the big problem is that most people see it as a massive issue beyond their control. But having people write a letter to their future self or loved ones makes it personal. DearTomorrow also asks letter writers to focus on positive themes and why they have hope for future generations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s easy to get apocalyptic about climate change, but we want to deliver a message of hope and empowerment not one of doom and despair,” Shrum said. “We see that reflected in our letters. There are so many sentences that begin or end with, ‘I hope.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Social science research indicates that positivity has value as well. Per Espen Stoknes, a Norwegian psychologist who has studied why climate change is such a tough issue for humans to address, wrote an entire book on the topic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 2015 \u003ca href=\"http://e360.yale.edu/feature/how_can_we_make_people_care_about_climate_change/2892/\">interview with Yale E360\u003c/a>, Stoknes said, “Rather than something distant, communicators need to make climate change feel like something that is near, personal, and urgent. Rather than doom, we need to emphasize the opportunities that the crisis affords us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DearTomorrow is betting on the power of individuals to amplify that message even further. The other important aspect of the project is bridging the tribal divides we’ve built up (you only need to look at your Facebook newsfeed \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/presidential-debate-climate-change-20740\">this election season\u003c/a> to see them firsthand).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While our tribal nature has the power to divide, it can also bring people closer together. And when the messages are deeply personal, they can actually move people. Though the letters are addressed to future generations, the people who write them are free (and in fact encouraged) to share them with their current social networks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The power of this project is that we find people need to hear information from people they trust and in language they understand from people like them,” Shrum said. “When you share your reason for taking action on climate change in your voice, people can relate to it in a way that they might not if it was from (climate activist) Bill McKibben.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project has attracted hundreds of letters from everyday people. Companies such as Virgin have also gotten on board with letters from company leaders to their children. Shrum said she eventually wants to provide people with ways to turn what’s in their letters into concrete, meaningful actions to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The timing of DearTomorrow couldn’t be better when it comes to climate communication. A recent joint Yale and George Mason University survey found that the number of Americans who discuss climate change with family and friends has steadily dropped over the past eight years, creating what researchers call a “\u003ca href=\"http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/as-warnings-build-is-there-a-spiral-of-silence-on-climate-change\">spiral of silence\u003c/a>.” As fewer people talk about it, fewer people still feel comfortable bringing it up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That dynamic has to change and the public will have to be more engaged than ever with climate solutions if the world is to cut its fossil fuel habit. The letters of DearTomorrow will provide a snapshot for historians not just in 2050, but beyond, of the cultural mood in one of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/antarctica-co2-400-ppm-million-years-20451\">biggest periods of change in human history\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Archivists think in centuries and preservation,” Shrum said. “This is a special moment in history and we want to preserve that conversation at a transition point and what it was like to live when there was this massive change from this economy driven by fossil fuels to this one driven by clean energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Climate Central\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1093,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 23
},
"modified": 1704929557,
"excerpt": "A new project is archiving letters of climate hope from around the globe in an effort to spur climate action.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A new project is archiving letters of climate hope from around the globe in an effort to spur climate action.",
"title": "Will Writing Letters to Our Kids Spur Us to Act on Climate Change? | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Will Writing Letters to Our Kids Spur Us to Act on Climate Change?",
"datePublished": "2016-10-03T15:07:18-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:37-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "will-writing-letters-to-our-kids-spur-us-to-act-on-climate-change",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"nprByline": "Brian Kahn\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Climate Central",
"path": "/science/1046215/will-writing-letters-to-our-kids-spur-us-to-act-on-climate-change",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Sitting there, with the cursor on your computer flickering, what words would you write to your child about this juncture in time, when we’re acutely aware that our \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/world-passes-400-ppm-threshold-permanently-20738\">carbon pollution is a problem\u003c/a>, but we have \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/un-climate-pact-closer-to-taking-effect-20721\">yet to take major actions\u003c/a> to reduce it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What would you tell them about what you did to make sure their future isn’t lived in an environmental wasteland? Would writing those words, to be preserved for the next generation, inspire you to do more?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the premise behind \u003ca href=\"http://www.deartomorrow.org/\">DearTomorrow\u003c/a>, a nascent project that’s archiving letters about climate change written by people to their future children, selves or family. Part social movement, part time capsule, DearTomorrow uses how much we care about future generations to get people engaged in dealing with climate change in the here and now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The inspiration for the project hit DearTomorrow co-founder \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/harshtruism\">Trisha Shrum\u003c/a> after hearing former United Nation’s climate chief \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/CFigueres\">Christiana Figueres\u003c/a> talk about her concern that children from future generations would look at her and ask what she did to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1046223\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1046223\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/DearTomorrowFacebook_1.jpg\" alt=\"A DearTomorrow message documented at the Paris climate talks in December 2015.\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A DearTomorrow message documented at the Paris climate talks in December 2015. \u003ccite>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DearTomorrow/photos/a.1596655740588133.1073741828.1593032114283829/1646020605651646/?type=3&theater\">DearTomorrow\u003c/a>/Facebook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Figueres words resonated with Shrum, making her wonder what she would tell her daughter who was 10 months old at the time. She confronted the blinking cursor, wrote a letter and in the process realized how much thinking about her daughter’s future was tied to her own present actions.\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>“To my child, I’m the most powerful people in her life,” Shrum said. “It’s my job to take care of her and do what I can to ensure she has a chance at a really great future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it comes to being accountable to yourself, you can make excuses for why you don’t act on climate change. But any excuses you have to your child about why you didn’t do everything you could to protect them and their future is really, well, you can’t make those excuses. They fall flat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Writing a letter for her daughter to read in 2050 was a transformational moment in Shrum’s life and one she wanted to share with other people. She also knew that getting people to imagine a hopeful future for their children has the power to to disrupt how we view climate change, shifting it from an intractable problem to an opportunity to \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/eu-countries-renewable-goals-20021\">reshape our world\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because Shrum has a PhD in behavioral sciences and economics and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado. The project’s conception and execution is grounded in the science of how humans think and what it takes to get people to act on big problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to climate change, the big problem is that most people see it as a massive issue beyond their control. But having people write a letter to their future self or loved ones makes it personal. DearTomorrow also asks letter writers to focus on positive themes and why they have hope for future generations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s easy to get apocalyptic about climate change, but we want to deliver a message of hope and empowerment not one of doom and despair,” Shrum said. “We see that reflected in our letters. There are so many sentences that begin or end with, ‘I hope.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Social science research indicates that positivity has value as well. Per Espen Stoknes, a Norwegian psychologist who has studied why climate change is such a tough issue for humans to address, wrote an entire book on the topic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 2015 \u003ca href=\"http://e360.yale.edu/feature/how_can_we_make_people_care_about_climate_change/2892/\">interview with Yale E360\u003c/a>, Stoknes said, “Rather than something distant, communicators need to make climate change feel like something that is near, personal, and urgent. Rather than doom, we need to emphasize the opportunities that the crisis affords us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DearTomorrow is betting on the power of individuals to amplify that message even further. The other important aspect of the project is bridging the tribal divides we’ve built up (you only need to look at your Facebook newsfeed \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/presidential-debate-climate-change-20740\">this election season\u003c/a> to see them firsthand).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While our tribal nature has the power to divide, it can also bring people closer together. And when the messages are deeply personal, they can actually move people. Though the letters are addressed to future generations, the people who write them are free (and in fact encouraged) to share them with their current social networks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The power of this project is that we find people need to hear information from people they trust and in language they understand from people like them,” Shrum said. “When you share your reason for taking action on climate change in your voice, people can relate to it in a way that they might not if it was from (climate activist) Bill McKibben.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project has attracted hundreds of letters from everyday people. Companies such as Virgin have also gotten on board with letters from company leaders to their children. Shrum said she eventually wants to provide people with ways to turn what’s in their letters into concrete, meaningful actions to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The timing of DearTomorrow couldn’t be better when it comes to climate communication. A recent joint Yale and George Mason University survey found that the number of Americans who discuss climate change with family and friends has steadily dropped over the past eight years, creating what researchers call a “\u003ca href=\"http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/as-warnings-build-is-there-a-spiral-of-silence-on-climate-change\">spiral of silence\u003c/a>.” As fewer people talk about it, fewer people still feel comfortable bringing it up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That dynamic has to change and the public will have to be more engaged than ever with climate solutions if the world is to cut its fossil fuel habit. The letters of DearTomorrow will provide a snapshot for historians not just in 2050, but beyond, of the cultural mood in one of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/antarctica-co2-400-ppm-million-years-20451\">biggest periods of change in human history\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Archivists think in centuries and preservation,” Shrum said. “This is a special moment in history and we want to preserve that conversation at a transition point and what it was like to live when there was this massive change from this economy driven by fossil fuels to this one driven by clean energy.”\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>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Climate Central\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1046215/will-writing-letters-to-our-kids-spur-us-to-act-on-climate-change",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1046215"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_1046219",
"label": "source_science_1046215"
},
"science_1046091": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1046091",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1046091",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1475528144000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1475528144,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Bees Added to U.S. Endangered Species List for First Time",
"headTitle": "Bees Added to U.S. Endangered Species List for First Time | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Finally — some good news for the bees of Hawaii.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has given endangered status to seven species of yellow-faced bees native to the islands. These are “the first bees in the country to be protected under the Endangered Species Act,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.xerces.org/blog/seven-bees-in-hawaii-added-to-us-endangered-species-list/\">according to the Xerces Society\u003c/a>, which advocated for the new designation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rule designating protections for the bees, published Friday \u003ca href=\"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-09-30/pdf/2016-23112.pdf\">in the Federal Register\u003c/a>, states that yellow-faced bees are known “for their yellow-to-white facial markings.” They look like small wasps, according to the rule, except for their “plumose [branched] hairs on the body that are longest on the sides of the thorax, which readily distinguish them from wasps.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The yellow-faced bee is the only bee native to Hawaii, meaning that it was able to reach the Hawaiian islands on its own, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/uhmg/news/V9-Magnacca-NativeBee.pdf\">according to a fact sheet\u003c/a> provided by the University of Hawai’i’s Master Gardner Program. “From that one original colonist they evolved into 63 known endemic species, about 10% of the world’s yellow-faced bees and more than are found in this genus in all of North America.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the populations of these seven species are getting smaller and smaller, according to Fish and Wildlife. For example, the \u003cem>Hylaeus anthracinus\u003c/em> was once found in dozens of locations around Hawaii but is now in only 15 — while \u003cem>Hylaeus hilaris\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hylaeus kuakea\u003c/em> are each found only in one location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The seven endangered species are impacted by a wide variety of threats, including habitat destruction because of urbanization or nonnative animals, the introduction of nonnative plant species, wildfires, nonnative predators and natural events such as hurricanes, tsunamis and drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The protected status “will allow authorities to implement recovery programs, access funding and limit their harm from outside sources,” as Gregory Koob of the Fish and Wildlife Service told The Associated Press. He added that “all federal agencies must consult with the Fish and Wildlife service when interacting with endangered species.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Xerces Society called the new rule “excellent news” but added that “there is much work that needs to be done to ensure that Hawaii’s bees thrive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These bees are often found in small patches of habitat hemmed in by agricultural land or developments,” the group said. “Unfortunately, the [Fish and Wildlife Service] has not designated any ‘critical habitat’ areas of land of particular importance for the endangered bees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/26/468241649/report-more-pollinators-species-in-jeopardy-threatening-world-food-supply\">As we’ve reported\u003c/a>, pollinators are under threat around the world. A U.N.-sponsored report released in February found that “about 40 percent of invertebrate pollinator species (such as bees and butterflies) are facing extinction.” This could have major implications for world food supply, because “about 75 percent of the world’s food crops … depend at least partly on pollination.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the threats, the University of Hawaii says these bees “have managed to persist with amazing tenacity.” While this group of species is now endangered, new species of the genus are discovered regularly – “11 new native species have been found in the past 15 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule, which goes into effect at the end of the month, also gives the endangered designation to 39 plant species found on the islands and to three other animals native to Hawaii – the band-rumped storm-petrel, the orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly, and the anchialine pool shrimp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The anchialine pool shrimp is known for its unusual longevity — \u003ca href=\"http://hawaiinaturejournal.weebly.com/hawaii-plants-and-animals-in-the-backyard-and-beyond/slipping-through-the-cracks-opae-ula-hawaiian-red-shrimp\">according to the Hawaii Nature Journal\u003c/a>, they can live for 10 to 15 years in the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Bees+Added+To+U.S.+Endangered+Species+List+For+1st+Time&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 638,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 15
},
"modified": 1704929560,
"excerpt": "Seven species of the yellow-faced bee, which is the only bee native to Hawaii, have been designated as endangered. They're known for their yellow-to-white facial markings.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Seven species of the yellow-faced bee, which is the only bee native to Hawaii, have been designated as endangered. They're known for their yellow-to-white facial markings.",
"title": "Bees Added to U.S. Endangered Species List for First Time | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Bees Added to U.S. Endangered Species List for First Time",
"datePublished": "2016-10-03T13:55:44-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:40-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "bees-added-to-u-s-endangered-species-list-for-first-time",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=496402620&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprStoryDate": "Mon, 03 Oct 2016 13:58:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Mon, 03 Oct 2016 14:01:29 -0400",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/03/496402620/bee-species-added-to-u-s-endangered-species-list-for-1st-time?ft=nprml&f=496402620",
"nprImageAgency": "AP",
"source": "NPR",
"nprStoryId": "496402620",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.npr.org/",
"nprByline": "Merrit Kennedy\u003c/br>NPR",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "John Kaia",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Mon, 03 Oct 2016 13:59:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/1046091/bees-added-to-u-s-endangered-species-list-for-first-time",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Finally — some good news for the bees of Hawaii.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has given endangered status to seven species of yellow-faced bees native to the islands. These are “the first bees in the country to be protected under the Endangered Species Act,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.xerces.org/blog/seven-bees-in-hawaii-added-to-us-endangered-species-list/\">according to the Xerces Society\u003c/a>, which advocated for the new designation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rule designating protections for the bees, published Friday \u003ca href=\"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-09-30/pdf/2016-23112.pdf\">in the Federal Register\u003c/a>, states that yellow-faced bees are known “for their yellow-to-white facial markings.” They look like small wasps, according to the rule, except for their “plumose [branched] hairs on the body that are longest on the sides of the thorax, which readily distinguish them from wasps.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The yellow-faced bee is the only bee native to Hawaii, meaning that it was able to reach the Hawaiian islands on its own, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/uhmg/news/V9-Magnacca-NativeBee.pdf\">according to a fact sheet\u003c/a> provided by the University of Hawai’i’s Master Gardner Program. “From that one original colonist they evolved into 63 known endemic species, about 10% of the world’s yellow-faced bees and more than are found in this genus in all of North America.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the populations of these seven species are getting smaller and smaller, according to Fish and Wildlife. For example, the \u003cem>Hylaeus anthracinus\u003c/em> was once found in dozens of locations around Hawaii but is now in only 15 — while \u003cem>Hylaeus hilaris\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hylaeus kuakea\u003c/em> are each found only in one location.\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 seven endangered species are impacted by a wide variety of threats, including habitat destruction because of urbanization or nonnative animals, the introduction of nonnative plant species, wildfires, nonnative predators and natural events such as hurricanes, tsunamis and drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The protected status “will allow authorities to implement recovery programs, access funding and limit their harm from outside sources,” as Gregory Koob of the Fish and Wildlife Service told The Associated Press. He added that “all federal agencies must consult with the Fish and Wildlife service when interacting with endangered species.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Xerces Society called the new rule “excellent news” but added that “there is much work that needs to be done to ensure that Hawaii’s bees thrive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These bees are often found in small patches of habitat hemmed in by agricultural land or developments,” the group said. “Unfortunately, the [Fish and Wildlife Service] has not designated any ‘critical habitat’ areas of land of particular importance for the endangered bees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/26/468241649/report-more-pollinators-species-in-jeopardy-threatening-world-food-supply\">As we’ve reported\u003c/a>, pollinators are under threat around the world. A U.N.-sponsored report released in February found that “about 40 percent of invertebrate pollinator species (such as bees and butterflies) are facing extinction.” This could have major implications for world food supply, because “about 75 percent of the world’s food crops … depend at least partly on pollination.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the threats, the University of Hawaii says these bees “have managed to persist with amazing tenacity.” While this group of species is now endangered, new species of the genus are discovered regularly – “11 new native species have been found in the past 15 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule, which goes into effect at the end of the month, also gives the endangered designation to 39 plant species found on the islands and to three other animals native to Hawaii – the band-rumped storm-petrel, the orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly, and the anchialine pool shrimp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The anchialine pool shrimp is known for its unusual longevity — \u003ca href=\"http://hawaiinaturejournal.weebly.com/hawaii-plants-and-animals-in-the-backyard-and-beyond/slipping-through-the-cracks-opae-ula-hawaiian-red-shrimp\">according to the Hawaii Nature Journal\u003c/a>, they can live for 10 to 15 years in the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Bees+Added+To+U.S.+Endangered+Species+List+For+1st+Time&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1046091/bees-added-to-u-s-endangered-species-list-for-first-time",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1046091"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_2873"
],
"featImg": "science_1046097",
"label": "source_science_1046091"
},
"science_1035195": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1035195",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1035195",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1475503201000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1475503201,
"format": "audio",
"title": "How Safe Is Safe Enough for a Self-Driving Car?",
"headTitle": "How Safe Is Safe Enough for a Self-Driving Car? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Don’t look now, but self-driving cars are accelerating rapidly toward an on-ramp near you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To explain why, federal officials point to two facts: (1) some 35,000 people died in crashes on U.S. roads last year, and (2) human error was to blame more than 90 percent of the time. \u003ca href=\"http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2016/09/19/Barack-Obama-Self-driving-yes-but-also-safe/stories/201609200027\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">They say\u003c/a> one remedy might be to let computers take the wheel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prospect of automating your commute has attracted companies like Uber — whose \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/technology/our-reporter-goes-for-a-spin-in-a-self-driving-uber-car.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">experimental cars\u003c/a> in Pittsburgh still feature human backup drivers — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/2016/08/driveai-autonomous-self-driving-cars/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“stealth” tech\u003c/a> startups, along with heavyweights like Volkswagen, Nissan and Mercedes Benz. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vehindustry/ol/auton_veh_tester\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fifteen\u003c/a> companies already have permits to test self-driving cars on California’s roads. You might \u003ca href=\"http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/18/11701282/chevy-bolt-self-driving-car-photos-leak-gm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spot one\u003c/a> in the wild today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1038446\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1279px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1038446\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited.jpg\" alt=\"The Mercedes Benz F 015 self-driving car at the top of Conzelman Road on the morning of March 3, 2015.\" width=\"1279\" height=\"709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited.jpg 1279w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-400x222.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-800x443.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-768x426.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-1180x654.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-960x532.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-672x372.jpg 672w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-1038x576.jpg 1038w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mercedes Benz F 015 self-driving car at the top of Conzelman Road on the morning of March 3, 2015. \u003ccite>(Kelvin Yap)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s now clear that the next decade is going to be defined by the automation of the automobile,” Ford CEO Mark Fields declared at a recent press conference in Palo Alto. Fields was announcing the iconic carmaker’s plan to mass-produce a fully driverless car – one with no steering wheel and no pedals. He claims such machines will be on the road in the next five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”ijcRJ2xGTqbVNsnN7xmsfAmIVSJ7nHzR”]”Ready or not, they’re coming,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said this summer. “And the choice we have in government is to either act, or react.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September, federal regulators released some much-anticipated guidelines for carmakers, governing crucial questions like car safety, cyber-security and ethics. Government officials want to head off an emerging state-by-state patchwork of laws that could hamper new technology in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘The Elephant in the Room’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not that auto-automation isn’t here already. Higher-end cars you can buy today boast features like “lane-keeping,” to keep your car centered in its lane on the highway, and adaptive cruise control, which adjusts to the speed of traffic around you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People are already abusing these, too — an \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLmxS71FIJc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online video\u003c/a> shows a car steering itself down the highway as its driver climbs into the backseat. One entitled ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhUX8qWFGc4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Invisible Driver Prank In A Tesla!\u003c/a>’ catches the reactions of passing motorists, dumbfounded as the seemingly empty car drives itself along an interstate highway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tesla’s autopilot feature attained some infamy after a fatal incident on a Florida highway in May. \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/02/business/joshua-brown-technology-enthusiast-tested-the-limits-of-his-tesla.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joshua Brown\u003c/a>, a 40-year-old man from Ohio, died when neither he nor his Model S braked before driving under an 18-wheeler. (Tesla has since released a software update that company co-founder Elon Musk says \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/12/business/elon-musk-says-pending-tesla-updates-could-have-prevented-fatal-crash.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">likely would’ve prevented\u003c/a> the crash.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to a hotel ballroom full of engineers and policy experts in San Francisco this summer, Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, referred to the incident as “the elephant in the room.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘If we wait for perfect, we’ll be waiting for a very, very long time.’\u003ccite>Mark Rosekind, Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin.\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Rosekind wouldn’t reveal details of an investigation, but said, “No one incident will derail the Department of Transportation and NHTSA from its mission to improve safety on the roads by pursuing new, life-saving technologies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He went on to argue that “perfect” should not be the enemy of the good when it comes to roadway safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be desperate for new tools that will helps us save lives,” Rosekind told his audience. “If we wait for perfect, we’ll be waiting for a very, very long time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, a precise definition of what “safe enough” will mean for self-driving cars is elusive. A teenager can qualify for a driver’s license by passing a quick road test, but machines will be held to a higher standard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"sharedaddy show-for-medium-up\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1038212\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1334px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1038212\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1.jpg\" alt=\"CREDIT:\" width=\"1334\" height=\"1075\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-400x322.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-800x645.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-768x619.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-1180x951.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-960x774.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CREDIT: \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"show-for-small-only\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1038213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1038213\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_MOBILE_1.jpg\" alt=\"CREDIT:\" width=\"750\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_MOBILE_1.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_MOBILE_1-400x711.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CREDIT: \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘Driving Better Than I Would’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We saw how hard it is to keep people engaged in the driving task,” says Sarah Hunter, head of policy at X, formerly Google X.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They get switched off,” she says. “They find it very hard to focus on something they’re not actually meant to be doing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Google already has more than 50 experimental self-driving cars on the road . Some are \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">two-seat prototypes\u003c/a> that look like something a cartoon mouse might roll up in, whereas the one I rode in was a white Lexus outfitted with sensors; they suggest a car that’s wearing Google Glass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These vehicles feature cameras that can see what color a traffic light is, and measure the distance to objects using radar and lidar (light detection and ranging). All this data from lasers and sensors is integrated with highly precise maps, to give the car a detailed sense of what’s going on around it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result, seen on a laptop screen inside, resembles a vibrant, highly distracting update of Frogger, the arcade game in which success is achieved by crossing traffic without dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such cars also feature a cartoonishly large, red button in the console. A quick way to shut off self-driving mode is required in California for companies testing such vehicles, along with $5 million in insurance coverage, though restrictions are already starting to loosen up. Governor Jerry Brown \u003ca href=\"http://fortune.com/2016/09/29/california-law-test-autonomous-shuttle/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">just signed\u003c/a> a bill permitting test vehicles to roll without steering wheels or pedals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My adventure in Google’s car comprised a quick jaunt around the block in Mountain View. In the driver’s seat, Karen Isgrigg kept her hands inches from the steering wheel in case she needed to take over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says occasionally the car will act strangely — say by lightly braking at unexpected moments — but then it turns out the computer is sensing something Isgrigg doesn’t see, like someone running a red light, and is responding prudently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1035887\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 3264px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1035887\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235.jpg\" alt=\"Google has more than fifty experimental self-driving cars on the road. About half are like this one – a modified Lexus RH450H – while the rest are small prototype test vehicles that don’t have steering wheels.\" width=\"3264\" height=\"2448\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235.jpg 3264w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3264px) 100vw, 3264px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Google has more than fifty experimental self-driving cars on the road. About half are like this one – a modified Lexus RH450H – while the rest are small prototype test vehicles that don’t have steering wheels. \u003ccite>(Daniel Potter)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The car is driving better than I would as a human being,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This, in a nutshell, is Google’s objective, though it may come about gradually, like preparing a human student driver.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You start them out in familiar, calmer environments first,” says Hunter, “slowly introducing them to more complex places like a local mall before allowing them onto the freeway or into the city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could happen in perhaps three years, she told me. But it may be 30 years before self-driving cars can go anywhere in the world, mastering more sophisticated driving challenges, such as icy roads or interpreting hand motions from crossing guards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Moral Judgments\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In late September, \u003ca href=\"https://www.transportation.gov/av\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">federal regulators\u003c/a> released 116 pages of guidelines on self-driving cars. While these will eventually become rules, for now they hinge on industry cooperation. They’re intended to be updated annually, though even that pace may seem glacial, next to technology that can change with the download of a new software patch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The guidelines ask carmakers to \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/as-driverless-cars-grow-closer-a-delicate-balance-between-rules-and-guidelines/2016/07/28/135c86a6-5431-11e6-b7de-dfe509430c39_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make their case\u003c/a> with a fifteen-point safety assessment, including how self-driving cars will sense and respond to surrounding vehicles, where they’re intended to operate, how they’re being tested, and how they’ll protect data and safeguard against hackers.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">Self-driving cars will be expected to act morally, just like the rest of us.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>There’s also a section on ethics, because self-driving cars will be expected\u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/2014/08/heres-a-terrible-idea-robot-cars-with-adjustable-ethics-settings/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> to act morally\u003c/a>, just like the rest of us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s say you’re cruising down the street when a kid runs out from behind a tree. You have only a second to react, swerving into a parked truck. Within that second, you’ve made a moral judgment, choosing the lesser of two “evils.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or, say you’d like to give a cyclist some breathing room as you pass on the left, but doing so means illegally crossing a double-yellow line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In scenarios like these, self-driving cars will do as their programmers have instructed — and their actions may carry moral and legal consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The advent of self-driving cars could have ripple effects throughout society, according to Ryan Jenkins, a philosophy professor who explores the ethics of emerging technologies at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One is that there’s no guarantee they’ll reduce congestion. Say you’re working late and decide to send your self-driving car to pick up your kid before it doubles back by the office for you, for instance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1035893\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1035893\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01.jpg\" alt=\"A Chevy Volt with self-driving car technology in front of KQED. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Chevy Volt with self-driving car technology in front of KQED. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s not obvious that it’s going to reduce the total number of trips that are taken,” says Jenkins, “and some people think it might not reduce the total number of cars on the road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also noted that thousands of people await transplants of vital organs each year — of which fatal car crashes are a leading source.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we reduce by ten thousand or twenty thousand the number of people who are killed in car crashes, we’re going to reduce the number of donor organs. This might mean that more people die waiting for organ donations,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are other concerns. If your self-driving car causes a wreck, you might \u003ca href=\"http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/09/29/tesla-rear-ends-bus-in-germany-driver-blames-autopilot/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blame\u003c/a> the people who programmed it. This shift in liability stands to shake up the insurance industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also conceivable that trusting technology to the point that our own driving skills deteriorate could make us humans even less reliable in the driver’s seat. Jenkins calls this effect “skill-rot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those are the kinds of second- and third- and fourth-order effects that I think society should be thinking about and trying to prepare for,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can We Get There From Here?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many are \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@johnzimmer/the-third-transportation-revolution-27860f05fa91#.vcbul9aa3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bullish\u003c/a> on self-driving cars becoming widespread over the next few years, not everyone concedes that such a future is just over the horizon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take Ford’s projection that it will be mass-producing cars with no steering wheel by 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think statements like that raise expectations beyond what the reality is likely to be,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-self-driving-cars-will-really-look-like/\">says Steve Shladover\u003c/a>, a research engineer at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I expect that they will have something out on the road by 2021,” he speculates, “but it will probably be something that provides very limited functionality in very limited geographical space, within a very limited speed range.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One reason Shladover cites for skepticism is the car industry’s decades-long \u003ca href=\"http://fortune.com/self-driving-cars-silicon-valley-detroit/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">history\u003c/a> of overpromising such technologies. Another is this: It’s really hard to prove that driverless cars can navigate the road as safely as humans can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Human drivers today are way better than we give them credit for,” Shladover says. “They’re not perfect, but they’re pretty damn close to perfect, when you think of how long they drive, on average, between serious crashes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is another option for saving lives on the road. We could just try spending less time in the cars we have right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The traffic safety statistics showed big improvement during the recession,” Shladover says, “because people were driving less.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music in this story from \u003ca href=\"http://freemusicarchive.org/music/LowLiFi/Interplanetary_Materials/csr020_1-11_lowlifi_-_launch-patterns-for-the-space-age-girl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Launch Patterns for the Space Age Girl\u003c/a> by LowLiFi.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 2036,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 55
},
"modified": 1704929566,
"excerpt": "Self-driving cars are close enough to reality that federal regulators are sketching out policies for them, in areas from cyber-security to ethics. But how we'll know they're truly ready -- how safe is safe enough -- remains anyone's guess.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Self-driving cars are close enough to reality that federal regulators are sketching out policies for them, in areas from cyber-security to ethics. But how we'll know they're truly ready -- how safe is safe enough -- remains anyone's guess.",
"title": "How Safe Is Safe Enough for a Self-Driving Car? | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How Safe Is Safe Enough for a Self-Driving Car?",
"datePublished": "2016-10-03T07:00:01-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:32:46-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-safe-is-safe-enough-for-a-self-driving-car",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2016/09/WEBSelfDrivingCarsPotter161003.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/1035195/how-safe-is-safe-enough-for-a-self-driving-car",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Don’t look now, but self-driving cars are accelerating rapidly toward an on-ramp near you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To explain why, federal officials point to two facts: (1) some 35,000 people died in crashes on U.S. roads last year, and (2) human error was to blame more than 90 percent of the time. \u003ca href=\"http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2016/09/19/Barack-Obama-Self-driving-yes-but-also-safe/stories/201609200027\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">They say\u003c/a> one remedy might be to let computers take the wheel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prospect of automating your commute has attracted companies like Uber — whose \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/technology/our-reporter-goes-for-a-spin-in-a-self-driving-uber-car.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">experimental cars\u003c/a> in Pittsburgh still feature human backup drivers — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/2016/08/driveai-autonomous-self-driving-cars/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“stealth” tech\u003c/a> startups, along with heavyweights like Volkswagen, Nissan and Mercedes Benz. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vehindustry/ol/auton_veh_tester\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fifteen\u003c/a> companies already have permits to test self-driving cars on California’s roads. You might \u003ca href=\"http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/18/11701282/chevy-bolt-self-driving-car-photos-leak-gm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spot one\u003c/a> in the wild today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1038446\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1279px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1038446\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited.jpg\" alt=\"The Mercedes Benz F 015 self-driving car at the top of Conzelman Road on the morning of March 3, 2015.\" width=\"1279\" height=\"709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited.jpg 1279w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-400x222.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-800x443.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-768x426.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-1180x654.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-960x532.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-672x372.jpg 672w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/10/Mercedes-car_edited-1038x576.jpg 1038w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mercedes Benz F 015 self-driving car at the top of Conzelman Road on the morning of March 3, 2015. \u003ccite>(Kelvin Yap)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s now clear that the next decade is going to be defined by the automation of the automobile,” Ford CEO Mark Fields declared at a recent press conference in Palo Alto. Fields was announcing the iconic carmaker’s plan to mass-produce a fully driverless car – one with no steering wheel and no pedals. He claims such machines will be on the road in the next five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>”Ready or not, they’re coming,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said this summer. “And the choice we have in government is to either act, or react.”\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>In September, federal regulators released some much-anticipated guidelines for carmakers, governing crucial questions like car safety, cyber-security and ethics. Government officials want to head off an emerging state-by-state patchwork of laws that could hamper new technology in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘The Elephant in the Room’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not that auto-automation isn’t here already. Higher-end cars you can buy today boast features like “lane-keeping,” to keep your car centered in its lane on the highway, and adaptive cruise control, which adjusts to the speed of traffic around you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People are already abusing these, too — an \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLmxS71FIJc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online video\u003c/a> shows a car steering itself down the highway as its driver climbs into the backseat. One entitled ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhUX8qWFGc4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Invisible Driver Prank In A Tesla!\u003c/a>’ catches the reactions of passing motorists, dumbfounded as the seemingly empty car drives itself along an interstate highway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tesla’s autopilot feature attained some infamy after a fatal incident on a Florida highway in May. \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/02/business/joshua-brown-technology-enthusiast-tested-the-limits-of-his-tesla.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joshua Brown\u003c/a>, a 40-year-old man from Ohio, died when neither he nor his Model S braked before driving under an 18-wheeler. (Tesla has since released a software update that company co-founder Elon Musk says \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/12/business/elon-musk-says-pending-tesla-updates-could-have-prevented-fatal-crash.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">likely would’ve prevented\u003c/a> the crash.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to a hotel ballroom full of engineers and policy experts in San Francisco this summer, Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, referred to the incident as “the elephant in the room.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘If we wait for perfect, we’ll be waiting for a very, very long time.’\u003ccite>Mark Rosekind, Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin.\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Rosekind wouldn’t reveal details of an investigation, but said, “No one incident will derail the Department of Transportation and NHTSA from its mission to improve safety on the roads by pursuing new, life-saving technologies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He went on to argue that “perfect” should not be the enemy of the good when it comes to roadway safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be desperate for new tools that will helps us save lives,” Rosekind told his audience. “If we wait for perfect, we’ll be waiting for a very, very long time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, a precise definition of what “safe enough” will mean for self-driving cars is elusive. A teenager can qualify for a driver’s license by passing a quick road test, but machines will be held to a higher standard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"sharedaddy show-for-medium-up\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1038212\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1334px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1038212\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1.jpg\" alt=\"CREDIT:\" width=\"1334\" height=\"1075\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-400x322.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-800x645.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-768x619.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-1180x951.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_DESKTOP_1-960x774.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CREDIT: \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"show-for-small-only\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1038213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1038213\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_MOBILE_1.jpg\" alt=\"CREDIT:\" width=\"750\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_MOBILE_1.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/AUTO_MOBILE_1-400x711.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CREDIT: \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘Driving Better Than I Would’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We saw how hard it is to keep people engaged in the driving task,” says Sarah Hunter, head of policy at X, formerly Google X.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They get switched off,” she says. “They find it very hard to focus on something they’re not actually meant to be doing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Google already has more than 50 experimental self-driving cars on the road . Some are \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">two-seat prototypes\u003c/a> that look like something a cartoon mouse might roll up in, whereas the one I rode in was a white Lexus outfitted with sensors; they suggest a car that’s wearing Google Glass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These vehicles feature cameras that can see what color a traffic light is, and measure the distance to objects using radar and lidar (light detection and ranging). All this data from lasers and sensors is integrated with highly precise maps, to give the car a detailed sense of what’s going on around it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result, seen on a laptop screen inside, resembles a vibrant, highly distracting update of Frogger, the arcade game in which success is achieved by crossing traffic without dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such cars also feature a cartoonishly large, red button in the console. A quick way to shut off self-driving mode is required in California for companies testing such vehicles, along with $5 million in insurance coverage, though restrictions are already starting to loosen up. Governor Jerry Brown \u003ca href=\"http://fortune.com/2016/09/29/california-law-test-autonomous-shuttle/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">just signed\u003c/a> a bill permitting test vehicles to roll without steering wheels or pedals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My adventure in Google’s car comprised a quick jaunt around the block in Mountain View. In the driver’s seat, Karen Isgrigg kept her hands inches from the steering wheel in case she needed to take over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says occasionally the car will act strangely — say by lightly braking at unexpected moments — but then it turns out the computer is sensing something Isgrigg doesn’t see, like someone running a red light, and is responding prudently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1035887\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 3264px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1035887\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235.jpg\" alt=\"Google has more than fifty experimental self-driving cars on the road. About half are like this one – a modified Lexus RH450H – while the rest are small prototype test vehicles that don’t have steering wheels.\" width=\"3264\" height=\"2448\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235.jpg 3264w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/IMG_0235-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3264px) 100vw, 3264px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Google has more than fifty experimental self-driving cars on the road. About half are like this one – a modified Lexus RH450H – while the rest are small prototype test vehicles that don’t have steering wheels. \u003ccite>(Daniel Potter)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The car is driving better than I would as a human being,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This, in a nutshell, is Google’s objective, though it may come about gradually, like preparing a human student driver.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You start them out in familiar, calmer environments first,” says Hunter, “slowly introducing them to more complex places like a local mall before allowing them onto the freeway or into the city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could happen in perhaps three years, she told me. But it may be 30 years before self-driving cars can go anywhere in the world, mastering more sophisticated driving challenges, such as icy roads or interpreting hand motions from crossing guards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Moral Judgments\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In late September, \u003ca href=\"https://www.transportation.gov/av\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">federal regulators\u003c/a> released 116 pages of guidelines on self-driving cars. While these will eventually become rules, for now they hinge on industry cooperation. They’re intended to be updated annually, though even that pace may seem glacial, next to technology that can change with the download of a new software patch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The guidelines ask carmakers to \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/as-driverless-cars-grow-closer-a-delicate-balance-between-rules-and-guidelines/2016/07/28/135c86a6-5431-11e6-b7de-dfe509430c39_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make their case\u003c/a> with a fifteen-point safety assessment, including how self-driving cars will sense and respond to surrounding vehicles, where they’re intended to operate, how they’re being tested, and how they’ll protect data and safeguard against hackers.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">Self-driving cars will be expected to act morally, just like the rest of us.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>There’s also a section on ethics, because self-driving cars will be expected\u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/2014/08/heres-a-terrible-idea-robot-cars-with-adjustable-ethics-settings/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> to act morally\u003c/a>, just like the rest of us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s say you’re cruising down the street when a kid runs out from behind a tree. You have only a second to react, swerving into a parked truck. Within that second, you’ve made a moral judgment, choosing the lesser of two “evils.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or, say you’d like to give a cyclist some breathing room as you pass on the left, but doing so means illegally crossing a double-yellow line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In scenarios like these, self-driving cars will do as their programmers have instructed — and their actions may carry moral and legal consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The advent of self-driving cars could have ripple effects throughout society, according to Ryan Jenkins, a philosophy professor who explores the ethics of emerging technologies at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One is that there’s no guarantee they’ll reduce congestion. Say you’re working late and decide to send your self-driving car to pick up your kid before it doubles back by the office for you, for instance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1035893\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1035893\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01.jpg\" alt=\"A Chevy Volt with self-driving car technology in front of KQED. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/09/Auto_FI_01-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Chevy Volt with self-driving car technology in front of KQED. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s not obvious that it’s going to reduce the total number of trips that are taken,” says Jenkins, “and some people think it might not reduce the total number of cars on the road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also noted that thousands of people await transplants of vital organs each year — of which fatal car crashes are a leading source.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we reduce by ten thousand or twenty thousand the number of people who are killed in car crashes, we’re going to reduce the number of donor organs. This might mean that more people die waiting for organ donations,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are other concerns. If your self-driving car causes a wreck, you might \u003ca href=\"http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/09/29/tesla-rear-ends-bus-in-germany-driver-blames-autopilot/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blame\u003c/a> the people who programmed it. This shift in liability stands to shake up the insurance industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also conceivable that trusting technology to the point that our own driving skills deteriorate could make us humans even less reliable in the driver’s seat. Jenkins calls this effect “skill-rot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those are the kinds of second- and third- and fourth-order effects that I think society should be thinking about and trying to prepare for,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can We Get There From Here?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many are \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@johnzimmer/the-third-transportation-revolution-27860f05fa91#.vcbul9aa3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bullish\u003c/a> on self-driving cars becoming widespread over the next few years, not everyone concedes that such a future is just over the horizon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take Ford’s projection that it will be mass-producing cars with no steering wheel by 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think statements like that raise expectations beyond what the reality is likely to be,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-self-driving-cars-will-really-look-like/\">says Steve Shladover\u003c/a>, a research engineer at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I expect that they will have something out on the road by 2021,” he speculates, “but it will probably be something that provides very limited functionality in very limited geographical space, within a very limited speed range.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One reason Shladover cites for skepticism is the car industry’s decades-long \u003ca href=\"http://fortune.com/self-driving-cars-silicon-valley-detroit/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">history\u003c/a> of overpromising such technologies. Another is this: It’s really hard to prove that driverless cars can navigate the road as safely as humans can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Human drivers today are way better than we give them credit for,” Shladover says. “They’re not perfect, but they’re pretty damn close to perfect, when you think of how long they drive, on average, between serious crashes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is another option for saving lives on the road. We could just try spending less time in the cars we have right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The traffic safety statistics showed big improvement during the recession,” Shladover says, “because people were driving less.”\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>\u003cem>Music in this story from \u003ca href=\"http://freemusicarchive.org/music/LowLiFi/Interplanetary_Materials/csr020_1-11_lowlifi_-_launch-patterns-for-the-space-age-girl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Launch Patterns for the Space Age Girl\u003c/a> by LowLiFi.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1035195/how-safe-is-safe-enough-for-a-self-driving-car",
"authors": [
"6609"
],
"categories": [
"science_89",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_1038211",
"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=news": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 2532,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 3366,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"science_1087341",
"science_1065215",
"science_1084020",
"science_1069638",
"science_1065453",
"science_1054235",
"science_1053884",
"science_1027372",
"science_1046457",
"science_1046215",
"science_1046091",
"science_1035195"
],
"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_news": {
"isLoading": true
},
"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"
},
"source_science_1087341": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1087341",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"link": "http://www.npr.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1084020": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1084020",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"link": "http://www.npr.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1065453": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1065453",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Climate Central",
"link": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1054235": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1054235",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "CALmatters",
"link": "https://calmatters.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1046457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1046457",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Associated Press",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1046215": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1046215",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Climate Central",
"link": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1046091": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1046091",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"link": "http://www.npr.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"science_2874": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2874",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2874",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Animals",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Animals Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2874,
"slug": "animals",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/animals"
},
"science_1935": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1935",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1935",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Deep Look",
"description": "[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpAc7SyETD4?rel=0&w=640&h=360]\r\n\r\n\u003cbr/>\r\n\r\n\u003ch2>About Deep Look\u003c/h2>\r\n\r\n[dl_subscribe]\r\n\r\n\u003cp>See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small with Deep Look, a new ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios.\u003c/p>\r\n\r\n\u003cp>Don't miss an episode! \u003ca href=\"http://goo.gl/8NwXqt\">SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look on YouTube.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\r\n",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpAc7SyETD4?rel=0&w=640&h=360] About Deep Look [dl_subscribe] See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small with Deep Look, a new ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. Don't miss an episode! SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look on YouTube.",
"title": "Deep Look Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1946,
"slug": "deep-look",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/series/deep-look"
},
"science_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_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_2824": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2824",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2824",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "pesticide",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "pesticide Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2824,
"slug": "pesticide",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/pesticide"
},
"science_28": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_28",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "28",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Astronomy",
"description": "Explore the universe with KQED Science! Dive into the latest astronomy news, discover celestial events, and unravel the mysteries of outer space.",
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Explore the universe with KQED Science! Dive into the latest astronomy news, discover celestial events, and unravel the mysteries of outer space.",
"title": "Astronomy Articles | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 30,
"slug": "astronomy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/astronomy"
},
"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_36": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_36",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "36",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Food Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 38,
"slug": "food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/food"
},
"science_31": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_31",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "31",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Climate",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Climate Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33,
"slug": "climate",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/climate"
},
"science_3028": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3028",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3028",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "electric car",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "electric car Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3028,
"slug": "electric-car",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/electric-car"
},
"science_101": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_101",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "101",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Jerry Brown",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Jerry Brown Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 105,
"slug": "jerry-brown",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/jerry-brown"
},
"science_98": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_98",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "98",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Water",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Water Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 102,
"slug": "water",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/water"
},
"science_3180": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3180",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3180",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California water supply",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California water supply Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3180,
"slug": "california-water-supply",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/california-water-supply"
},
"science_2581": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2581",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2581",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wastewater",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wastewater Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2593,
"slug": "wastewater",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/wastewater"
},
"science_5197": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5197",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5197",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "arts Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5197,
"slug": "arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/arts"
},
"science_1665": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1665",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1665",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Berkeley",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Berkeley Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1674,
"slug": "berkeley",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/berkeley"
},
"science_309": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_309",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "309",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 314,
"slug": "science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/science"
},
"science_2873": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2873",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2873",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oceans",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oceans Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2873,
"slug": "oceans",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/oceans"
},
"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"
}
},
"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
}
}
