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"content": "\u003cp>As California and the Bay Area braces for what could be another severe fire season, we spoke to several scientists and engineers about how to keep our indoor air clean, both at home and in shared spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>How to Handle All This Smoke\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What can we do to clean the air we breath inside our apartments and houses? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we have wildfire smoke and the coronavirus, it’s best to keep our windows and doors closed and focus on cleaning the air inside our homes. You can do that with an air purifier that uses what’s called a HEPA filter; it’s a filter that actually cleans the air of both smoke and the particles that carry the coronavirus. These \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/lists/get-better-indoor-air-quality/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">portable air purifiers\u003c/a> are good at cleaning the air in smaller spaces or individual rooms, and while these purifiers won’t remove all hazardous particles from the air, they do \u003ca href=\"https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20170005166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a very good job\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portable HEPA air purifiers can be purchased online and in stores. They range in price, and while many are very costly, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">you don’t have to spring for top price\u003c/a> to get top quality. Alternatively, some people are building \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968863/helping-kids-protect-themselves-from-dirty-air-one-diy-filter-at-a-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their own air purifiers\u003c/a> out of a box fan, a MERV filter and heavy-duty tape, for a price of roughly $50. University of Colorado Boulder chemistry professor \u003ca href=\"https://cires.colorado.edu/council-fellows/jose-luis-jimenez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jose-Luis Jimenez\u003c/a> says they really do work. It’s important not to leave these DIY air purifiers unattended, as it could be a fire hazard if the fan gets too hot, Jimenez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also important to reduce the amount of indoor air pollution we create, says \u003ca href=\"https://wcec.ucdavis.edu/about/directory/theresa-pistochini/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Theresa Pistochini\u003c/a>, engineering manager at the UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute and Western Cooling Efficiency Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Avoid generating other pollutants indoors: temporarily avoid cooking on a gas stove, candles, incense, etc.,” she says. “Shut off kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans to reduce air exchange with outdoors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>My school has a good filter, but we bring in outdoor air to make it safer for students, in the pandemic. We can’t do that when there is wildfire smoke. What then? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smoke particles range in size hugely, and they can be ultra fine, smaller than the particles that carry the coronavirus. That means buildings with a MERV 13 filter will do a good job of capturing particles that carry the virus, but will only capture some wildfire smoke, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.pdx.edu/engineering/dean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Richard Corsi\u003c/a>, dean of engineering and computer science at Portland State University. Some buildings have systems that can accommodate a stronger filter, like a MERV 14, 15, 16 or even a HEPA filter, but this is not the case for all buildings. A stronger filter would be more effective at cleaning the air of both hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If buildings can’t accommodate stronger filters and therefore cannot increase ventilation due to wildfire smoke, Corsi advises significantly bringing down the number of people using the building, or closing the building for the time being.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pistochini agrees. “We are stuck in an impossible situation,” she says. “The pandemic dictates we go outside, the wildfire dictates we go inside.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only widely available technology I’m aware of that tackles both these things at once is filters,” she said. Considering we’re in a pandemic, Pistochini still recommends building operators draw in some air from the outside, especially if a building has at least a MERV13 filter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, both Pistochini and Corsi agree, portable air filters will help with smoke and the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Turning to the Coronavirus Pandemic\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As we return to schools and offices, what practices should we be asking our schools and employers to adopt in these shared indoor environments? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Wear masks\u003c/strong> — even with physical distancing, says Corsi. To make this an easier pill to swallow, Corsi says give people breaks during the day during which they can go outside, physically distance, and take off their mask: a “mask break.” That is, assuming the air outside isn’t smoke-filled.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Distance.\u003c/strong> “We’ve done the design of every classroom assuming that people are wearing an inner tube with a three foot radius, so that you’ll always be 6 feet away from anybody,” Corsi says, referring to the setup of spaces at Portland State University.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Hold certain activities outside.\u003c/strong> Choir, playing wind instruments and group aerobic activities can cause more circulation of the virus because people are exhaling and inhaling at greater rates than they would be otherwise. Corsi suggests empty, above-ground parking structures.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Schedule creatively.\u003c/strong> Corsi encourages people to stagger their schedules at the office to limit the number of people in an enclosed space. For schools, he says to operate at a lower capacity for each space, and leave ample time between classes to avoid congestion in hallways.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Follow coronavirus etiquette.\u003c/strong> For shared spaces like elevators, Corsi says he practices “the new elevator etiquette”: mask on, just a few people in the elevator at a time, face away from one another, and no one talks.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How about the actual air we are breathing indoors?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When tackling potential coronavirus transmission indoors, atmospheric chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, \u003ca href=\"https://kprather.scrippsprofiles.ucsd.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kim Prather\u003c/a>, says, “I’m advising people to make sure that the room they’re in is well ventilated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means opening windows and doors when possible. When that is not possible, consider what kind of HVAC system the buildings have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pistochini says we all think of an HVAC system as providing heating and cooling, but, she says, “It should do two other things: it should filter the air and it should provide ventilation.” Ventilation means bringing outdoor air inside and exhausting indoor air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In terms of the coronavirus, filtration can pull particles out of the air that may contain the virus. Ventilation will dilute the concentration of particles in the indoor air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pistochini says it’s hard to visualize this with the actual virus. so she suggests imagining “your kid went and dropped a gallon full of glitter in your swimming pool.” To remove the glitter (i.e. the virus), “you could pump it through a filter. Or you could change the water. Those two things are basically what HVAC systems do for air,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But you need three things in place for the HVAC system to work, she says: a fan that is actually on and running, a decent filter changed regularly, and for the outdoor air intake to be open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air filters used in HVAC systems have ratings. For the coronavirus, scientists recommend a MERV 13 filter or greater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prather says one way people can tell whether there is enough ventilation in their indoor spaces is to actually measure the carbon dioxide in the air with a monitor. Prather says a well ventilated room will have a carbon dioxide level of 800 or less. A room that is not well ventilated will have higher levels of carbon dioxide, which builds as humans exhale. She says she would like to see these monitors, which cost roughly $100, installed in classrooms so teachers have an understanding of their indoor air quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These details are very technical, so it may take a few tries to get the answers to what HVAC system and other safety measures your office or school has. It may be best to ask the facilities department, a building manager, or human resources.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Avoid generating other pollutants indoors: temporarily avoid cooking on a gas stove, candles, incense, etc.,” she says. “Shut off kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans to reduce air exchange with outdoors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>My school has a good filter, but we bring in outdoor air to make it safer for students, in the pandemic. We can’t do that when there is wildfire smoke. What then? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smoke particles range in size hugely, and they can be ultra fine, smaller than the particles that carry the coronavirus. That means buildings with a MERV 13 filter will do a good job of capturing particles that carry the virus, but will only capture some wildfire smoke, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.pdx.edu/engineering/dean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Richard Corsi\u003c/a>, dean of engineering and computer science at Portland State University. Some buildings have systems that can accommodate a stronger filter, like a MERV 14, 15, 16 or even a HEPA filter, but this is not the case for all buildings. A stronger filter would be more effective at cleaning the air of both hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If buildings can’t accommodate stronger filters and therefore cannot increase ventilation due to wildfire smoke, Corsi advises significantly bringing down the number of people using the building, or closing the building for the time being.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pistochini agrees. “We are stuck in an impossible situation,” she says. “The pandemic dictates we go outside, the wildfire dictates we go inside.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only widely available technology I’m aware of that tackles both these things at once is filters,” she said. Considering we’re in a pandemic, Pistochini still recommends building operators draw in some air from the outside, especially if a building has at least a MERV13 filter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, both Pistochini and Corsi agree, portable air filters will help with smoke and the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Turning to the Coronavirus Pandemic\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As we return to schools and offices, what practices should we be asking our schools and employers to adopt in these shared indoor environments? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Wear masks\u003c/strong> — even with physical distancing, says Corsi. To make this an easier pill to swallow, Corsi says give people breaks during the day during which they can go outside, physically distance, and take off their mask: a “mask break.” That is, assuming the air outside isn’t smoke-filled.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Distance.\u003c/strong> “We’ve done the design of every classroom assuming that people are wearing an inner tube with a three foot radius, so that you’ll always be 6 feet away from anybody,” Corsi says, referring to the setup of spaces at Portland State University.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Hold certain activities outside.\u003c/strong> Choir, playing wind instruments and group aerobic activities can cause more circulation of the virus because people are exhaling and inhaling at greater rates than they would be otherwise. Corsi suggests empty, above-ground parking structures.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Schedule creatively.\u003c/strong> Corsi encourages people to stagger their schedules at the office to limit the number of people in an enclosed space. For schools, he says to operate at a lower capacity for each space, and leave ample time between classes to avoid congestion in hallways.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Follow coronavirus etiquette.\u003c/strong> For shared spaces like elevators, Corsi says he practices “the new elevator etiquette”: mask on, just a few people in the elevator at a time, face away from one another, and no one talks.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How about the actual air we are breathing indoors?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When tackling potential coronavirus transmission indoors, atmospheric chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, \u003ca href=\"https://kprather.scrippsprofiles.ucsd.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kim Prather\u003c/a>, says, “I’m advising people to make sure that the room they’re in is well ventilated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means opening windows and doors when possible. When that is not possible, consider what kind of HVAC system the buildings have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pistochini says we all think of an HVAC system as providing heating and cooling, but, she says, “It should do two other things: it should filter the air and it should provide ventilation.” Ventilation means bringing outdoor air inside and exhausting indoor air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In terms of the coronavirus, filtration can pull particles out of the air that may contain the virus. Ventilation will dilute the concentration of particles in the indoor air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pistochini says it’s hard to visualize this with the actual virus. so she suggests imagining “your kid went and dropped a gallon full of glitter in your swimming pool.” To remove the glitter (i.e. the virus), “you could pump it through a filter. Or you could change the water. Those two things are basically what HVAC systems do for air,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But you need three things in place for the HVAC system to work, she says: a fan that is actually on and running, a decent filter changed regularly, and for the outdoor air intake to be open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The air filters used in HVAC systems have ratings. For the coronavirus, scientists recommend a MERV 13 filter or greater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prather says one way people can tell whether there is enough ventilation in their indoor spaces is to actually measure the carbon dioxide in the air with a monitor. Prather says a well ventilated room will have a carbon dioxide level of 800 or less. A room that is not well ventilated will have higher levels of carbon dioxide, which builds as humans exhale. She says she would like to see these monitors, which cost roughly $100, installed in classrooms so teachers have an understanding of their indoor air quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These details are very technical, so it may take a few tries to get the answers to what HVAC system and other safety measures your office or school has. It may be best to ask the facilities department, a building manager, or human resources.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The West Can't Firefight Its Way Out of Yearly Mega-Fires",
"headTitle": "The West Can’t Firefight Its Way Out of Yearly Mega-Fires | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>It’s become a near-annual occurrence. A massive wildfire forces thousands of people to flee their homes. Exhausted firefighters warn of its speed and intensity. Smoke smothers cities and states hundreds of miles away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/24/905480961/record-setting-blazes-continue-to-rip-through-northern-california\">The yearly eruption of hundreds\u003c/a> of wildfires across the West is no longer surprising. What’s surprising is “our society’s ability to continue to tolerate” lives lost and billions of dollars in damages and firefighting costs, year after year, says Tom Harbour, the former director of fire and aviation at the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Especially, he says, when we know of ways to reduce the risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wave of fires that erupted this week on the West Coast, like previous record-breaking blazes, are further validation of something forest ecologists and fire veterans have been saying for years: that no amount of firefighting resources will avert the next big wildfire. Nine of the top 10 largest wildfires in California history have occurred in the last decade despite \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article239166108.html\">massive investments\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/california-spends-nearly-300-million-on-helicopters-that-can-drop-water-on/\">new technology\u003c/a> and equipment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t ‘one more engine, one more hand crew’ our way out of this,” Harbour said. “We’ve got ourselves into a big problem, and it’s taken some time. It’s going to take some time, energy and effort to get our way out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nation needs to rethink its relationship with wildfire, ecologists and firefighters say. Instead of treating it as a threat to be swiftly extinguished, communities need to learn to live with fire, as people \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/24/899422710/to-manage-wildfire-california-looks-to-what-tribes-have-known-all-along\">have before\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Increasingly, communities and homeowners are realizing that on their own. Flammable roofs are being replaced with more fire-resistant ones. Homeowners are clearing vegetation around their property to create buffers from flames. Prescribed fire is becoming \u003ca href=\"http://calag.ucanr.edu/archive/?article=ca.2018a0044\">more common\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire experts warn that billions of dollars in federal, state and local investments will be needed to reduce the risk of wildfire substantially in the West. But the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_documents/SuppCosts.pdf\">soaring costs\u003c/a> of fire suppression, means that money is in short supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nationally, we’re faced with: What can we do to scale this up so that communities don’t have to struggle with it on their own?” said Jennifer Balch, fire scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Because every homeowner expects firefighters to show up when there’s a fire that threatens their home, but they’re maxed out. There’s just no way they’re going to be able to fight every fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Wake-up Call\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truce between people and fire is being negotiated under challenging conditions. A century of suppression has left Western forests overgrown. Hotter temperatures stoked by climate change are drying out the vegetation and priming it to burn. And millions of people continue to move to forested areas, upping the stakes and putting more strain on already-stressed landscapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when a fire sweeps into a community, it can be a wake-up call to reduce future risks. In 2003, the Old Fire burned more than 90,000 acres in Big Bear, a heavily forested town in the Southern California mountains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were [300] or 400 houses that were lost,” said Jeff Willis, fire chief with the Big Bear Fire Department. “It was also during that fire that we evacuated the entire community for about a week period. So that was a big moment of recognition is what I would say.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Afterward, the fire department took stock of the region’s vulnerabilities. The surrounding forests were dense and overgrown, potentially providing fuel for bigger fires. Many homes, built decades ago, had wood roofs that could ignite from embers blown far ahead of a fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fire department passed a sweeping “\u003ca href=\"https://bigbearfire.com/community-wildfire-protection-plan-cwpp\">community wildfire protection plan\u003c/a>.” It inspected properties and enforced requirements to trim dry brush and trees around homes. It installed evacuation signs around town to guide residents in an emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over almost a decade, more than 1,000 wood roofs were replaced with fire-resistant materials, thanks to a grant program that offset the cost for homeowners. The fire department thinned out forests adjacent to residential areas, working alongside the U.S. Forest Service, which manages national forest land in the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was a heck of an effort,” Willis said. “Gradually over time, though it was initially controversial, I think we made tremendous strides.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big Bear was one of the first California communities to launch such a comprehensive effort. While it doesn’t guarantee homes and buildings will survive an extreme fire, it boosts their chances. The problem has been maintaining and expanding the safeguards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vegetation requires annual inspections and trimming. But Willis says the budget hasn’t kept up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The community risk reduction and fire prevention, all of that takes a second seat to the main mission, which is responding to emergency incidents,” he said. “What I would need, and I know I’m not alone from a fire chief’s perspective, we would need to double our budget.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Big Bear Fire Department has largely relied on state and federal grants, totaling more than $5 million since its prevention plan began. But with more communities vying for those dollars, they’re harder to get. This year, the department \u003ca href=\"https://www.bigbearfire.org/homepage/press-releases/215-curbside-chipping-program-suspended\">was turned down\u003c/a> for three out of four grants for a curbside vegetation chipping program, which helps homeowners break down the brush on their property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community also voted down a local tax measure in March that would have provided new funding. Now, the fire department is looking at cutting staff. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot more that we should do,” Willis says. “We are and were and still remain a community at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reducing Risk\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Funding has long been a problem for efforts to reduce wildfire risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2015, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2015-Fire-Budget-Report.pdf\">a report\u003c/a> published by the Forest Service warned: “As more and more of the agency’s resources are spent each year to provide the firefighters, aircraft, and other assets necessary to protect lives, property, and natural resources from catastrophic wildfires, fewer and fewer funds and resources are available to support other agency work — including the very programs and restoration projects that reduce the fire threat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congress took a step to address that in 2018, passing a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2018/03/23/secretary-perdue-applauds-fire-funding-fix-omnibus\">fire funding fix\u003c/a>” that allows the Forest Service to tap federal emergency disaster funds when suppression costs exceeded its budget. The “fix” goes into effect this year, but fire veterans and ecologists are skeptical that it alone will address the underlying problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of the agency’s $5.14 billion budget is still earmarked for fire suppression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely not enough economic support,” said Crystal Kolden, a fire scientist at UC Merced. “How we have always addressed natural hazards as a nation is that we have invested in reducing risk with federal tax dollars because natural hazard reduction is a social good.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., proposed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.daines.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FINAL%20Section%20by%20Section%20the%20Emergency%20Wildfire%20and%20Public%20Safety%20Act%20of%202020%20(002).pdf\">bipartisan bill\u003c/a> to clear roadblocks for vegetation removal projects. Critics say it would undermine existing environmental protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, California announced\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/08/13/california-u-s-forest-service-establish-shared-long-term-strategy-to-manage-forests-and-rangelands/\"> a new state-federal effort\u003c/a> to reduce wildfire risks. The goal is to treat 1 million acres of forest and wildland annually with prescribed fires and forest thinning projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both initiatives address overgrown forests. But fire ecologists say it’s going to take a wider range of solutions to protect communities. What works in one place might not in another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What people tend to look for is a single bullet solution,” Kolden says. “And the reality is that fire is complex. All natural hazards are complex. And there is no single silver bullet solution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California lawmakers have made several unsuccessful attempts to set aside funding for some other solutions. Earlier this year, $1 billion was canceled for a house retrofit fund due to the state’s pandemic-related budget shortfall. State lawmakers tried last month to pass $3 billion for both emergency fire response and community preparedness, but the legislative session ended.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without action, the drivers of extreme fire are only going to increase with time. People continue to move into forested areas. The climate continues to warm. And, even with adequate funding, community-based solutions will take decades to implement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As bad as it is, it’s going to get worse,” Harbour says. “And it’s going to get worse for another decade or two, even with us adopting some of these mitigations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Why+Firefighting+Alone+Won%27t+Stop+Western+Mega-Fires&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s become a near-annual occurrence. A massive wildfire forces thousands of people to flee their homes. Exhausted firefighters warn of its speed and intensity. Smoke smothers cities and states hundreds of miles away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/24/905480961/record-setting-blazes-continue-to-rip-through-northern-california\">The yearly eruption of hundreds\u003c/a> of wildfires across the West is no longer surprising. What’s surprising is “our society’s ability to continue to tolerate” lives lost and billions of dollars in damages and firefighting costs, year after year, says Tom Harbour, the former director of fire and aviation at the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Especially, he says, when we know of ways to reduce the risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wave of fires that erupted this week on the West Coast, like previous record-breaking blazes, are further validation of something forest ecologists and fire veterans have been saying for years: that no amount of firefighting resources will avert the next big wildfire. Nine of the top 10 largest wildfires in California history have occurred in the last decade despite \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article239166108.html\">massive investments\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/california-spends-nearly-300-million-on-helicopters-that-can-drop-water-on/\">new technology\u003c/a> and equipment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t ‘one more engine, one more hand crew’ our way out of this,” Harbour said. “We’ve got ourselves into a big problem, and it’s taken some time. It’s going to take some time, energy and effort to get our way out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nation needs to rethink its relationship with wildfire, ecologists and firefighters say. Instead of treating it as a threat to be swiftly extinguished, communities need to learn to live with fire, as people \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/24/899422710/to-manage-wildfire-california-looks-to-what-tribes-have-known-all-along\">have before\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Increasingly, communities and homeowners are realizing that on their own. Flammable roofs are being replaced with more fire-resistant ones. Homeowners are clearing vegetation around their property to create buffers from flames. Prescribed fire is becoming \u003ca href=\"http://calag.ucanr.edu/archive/?article=ca.2018a0044\">more common\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire experts warn that billions of dollars in federal, state and local investments will be needed to reduce the risk of wildfire substantially in the West. But the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_documents/SuppCosts.pdf\">soaring costs\u003c/a> of fire suppression, means that money is in short supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nationally, we’re faced with: What can we do to scale this up so that communities don’t have to struggle with it on their own?” said Jennifer Balch, fire scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Because every homeowner expects firefighters to show up when there’s a fire that threatens their home, but they’re maxed out. There’s just no way they’re going to be able to fight every fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Wake-up Call\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truce between people and fire is being negotiated under challenging conditions. A century of suppression has left Western forests overgrown. Hotter temperatures stoked by climate change are drying out the vegetation and priming it to burn. And millions of people continue to move to forested areas, upping the stakes and putting more strain on already-stressed landscapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when a fire sweeps into a community, it can be a wake-up call to reduce future risks. In 2003, the Old Fire burned more than 90,000 acres in Big Bear, a heavily forested town in the Southern California mountains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were [300] or 400 houses that were lost,” said Jeff Willis, fire chief with the Big Bear Fire Department. “It was also during that fire that we evacuated the entire community for about a week period. So that was a big moment of recognition is what I would say.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Afterward, the fire department took stock of the region’s vulnerabilities. The surrounding forests were dense and overgrown, potentially providing fuel for bigger fires. Many homes, built decades ago, had wood roofs that could ignite from embers blown far ahead of a fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fire department passed a sweeping “\u003ca href=\"https://bigbearfire.com/community-wildfire-protection-plan-cwpp\">community wildfire protection plan\u003c/a>.” It inspected properties and enforced requirements to trim dry brush and trees around homes. It installed evacuation signs around town to guide residents in an emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over almost a decade, more than 1,000 wood roofs were replaced with fire-resistant materials, thanks to a grant program that offset the cost for homeowners. The fire department thinned out forests adjacent to residential areas, working alongside the U.S. Forest Service, which manages national forest land in the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was a heck of an effort,” Willis said. “Gradually over time, though it was initially controversial, I think we made tremendous strides.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big Bear was one of the first California communities to launch such a comprehensive effort. While it doesn’t guarantee homes and buildings will survive an extreme fire, it boosts their chances. The problem has been maintaining and expanding the safeguards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vegetation requires annual inspections and trimming. But Willis says the budget hasn’t kept up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The community risk reduction and fire prevention, all of that takes a second seat to the main mission, which is responding to emergency incidents,” he said. “What I would need, and I know I’m not alone from a fire chief’s perspective, we would need to double our budget.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Big Bear Fire Department has largely relied on state and federal grants, totaling more than $5 million since its prevention plan began. But with more communities vying for those dollars, they’re harder to get. This year, the department \u003ca href=\"https://www.bigbearfire.org/homepage/press-releases/215-curbside-chipping-program-suspended\">was turned down\u003c/a> for three out of four grants for a curbside vegetation chipping program, which helps homeowners break down the brush on their property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community also voted down a local tax measure in March that would have provided new funding. Now, the fire department is looking at cutting staff. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot more that we should do,” Willis says. “We are and were and still remain a community at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reducing Risk\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Funding has long been a problem for efforts to reduce wildfire risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2015, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2015-Fire-Budget-Report.pdf\">a report\u003c/a> published by the Forest Service warned: “As more and more of the agency’s resources are spent each year to provide the firefighters, aircraft, and other assets necessary to protect lives, property, and natural resources from catastrophic wildfires, fewer and fewer funds and resources are available to support other agency work — including the very programs and restoration projects that reduce the fire threat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congress took a step to address that in 2018, passing a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2018/03/23/secretary-perdue-applauds-fire-funding-fix-omnibus\">fire funding fix\u003c/a>” that allows the Forest Service to tap federal emergency disaster funds when suppression costs exceeded its budget. The “fix” goes into effect this year, but fire veterans and ecologists are skeptical that it alone will address the underlying problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of the agency’s $5.14 billion budget is still earmarked for fire suppression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely not enough economic support,” said Crystal Kolden, a fire scientist at UC Merced. “How we have always addressed natural hazards as a nation is that we have invested in reducing risk with federal tax dollars because natural hazard reduction is a social good.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., proposed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.daines.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FINAL%20Section%20by%20Section%20the%20Emergency%20Wildfire%20and%20Public%20Safety%20Act%20of%202020%20(002).pdf\">bipartisan bill\u003c/a> to clear roadblocks for vegetation removal projects. Critics say it would undermine existing environmental protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, California announced\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/08/13/california-u-s-forest-service-establish-shared-long-term-strategy-to-manage-forests-and-rangelands/\"> a new state-federal effort\u003c/a> to reduce wildfire risks. The goal is to treat 1 million acres of forest and wildland annually with prescribed fires and forest thinning projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both initiatives address overgrown forests. But fire ecologists say it’s going to take a wider range of solutions to protect communities. What works in one place might not in another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What people tend to look for is a single bullet solution,” Kolden says. “And the reality is that fire is complex. All natural hazards are complex. And there is no single silver bullet solution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California lawmakers have made several unsuccessful attempts to set aside funding for some other solutions. Earlier this year, $1 billion was canceled for a house retrofit fund due to the state’s pandemic-related budget shortfall. State lawmakers tried last month to pass $3 billion for both emergency fire response and community preparedness, but the legislative session ended.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without action, the drivers of extreme fire are only going to increase with time. People continue to move into forested areas. The climate continues to warm. And, even with adequate funding, community-based solutions will take decades to implement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As bad as it is, it’s going to get worse,” Harbour says. “And it’s going to get worse for another decade or two, even with us adopting some of these mitigations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Why+Firefighting+Alone+Won%27t+Stop+Western+Mega-Fires&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How Often Do Space Objects Hit Earth? A Primer",
"headTitle": "How Often Do Space Objects Hit Earth? A Primer | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The year 2020 is clearly out to make its mark in a big way: a global pandemic, massive wildfires across the Western United States, huge demonstrations for social justice around the globe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s another one: a record observed near-miss of Earth by a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/about/basics.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">rock from space\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969152\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969152 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory, home of the Zwicky Transient Facility sky-scanning camera that captured the post-flyby image of asteroid 2020 QG on Aug. 15, 2020. \u003ccite>(Palomar Observatory/Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Aug. 15, at 9:08 p.m. PDT, the robotic sky-scanning survey telescope at the NSF/NASA-funded \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ztf.caltech.edu/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Zwicky Transient Facility\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at Palomar Observatory in California captured an image of a previously unknown asteroid, 10-20 feet in diameter, whizzing by Earth at a speed of 8 miles per second. The image was taken only six hours after the rock’s closest approach, 1,830 miles from Earth’s surface over the southern Indian Ocean, closer than any previously known near-Earth asteroid, or NEA.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/ztf-finds-closest-known-asteroid-fly-earth\">student in India, examining images\u003c/a> captured by the ZTF telescope in California, first spotted and reported the object.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Too Close for Comfort, Too Small to Notice?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The asteroid, named \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">2020 QG, \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7728\">set a record\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the nearest miss of the Earth ever observed — just 1,830 miles or about a quarter of Earth’s diameter — yet it wasn’t spotted until after it passed!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969147\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969147 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-1020x730.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-1020x730.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-800x573.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-160x115.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-768x550.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image of asteroid 2020 QG captured six hours after its 1,830-mile close approach to Earth on Aug. 15, 2020. The image was captured by the Zwicky Transient Facility camera on the 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory. \u003ccite>(Zwicky Transient Facility/Palomar Observatory/Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is normal for encounters with near-Earth asteroids of this size. Too small to be discovered until getting breathtakingly close to the Earth, these car-sized chunks of rock, often fragments from collisions between larger asteroids much farther away that took place long ago, lurk invisibly throughout the solar system. Estimates place their population in the hundreds of millions, though most of them pass no closer to Earth than the distance to the moon.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asteroid 2020 QG may be small enough to sneak up on us unnoticed, but it would also do little damage, if any, if it did hit Earth. It would mostly burn up and disintegrate during its high-speed dash through our atmosphere, with possibly some small fragments reaching the ground. Since three-quarters of Earth’s surface is covered by ocean, such remnants often fall into water.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/space/meteor-asteroid-chelyabinsk-russia-feb-15-2013\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chelyabinsk meteor\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that exploded and mostly disintegrated in the sky over Russia in 2013 was at least three times the size of 2020 QG. It caused a powerful shock wave that broke windows, tumbled brick walls, and injured almost 1,500 people. Luckily, there were no fatalities. Despite these effects, only a few small fragments survived to reach the ground.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969149\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969149 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic.jpg 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The smoke trail left behind by the Chelyabinsk meteor, which lit up the skies and produced a powerful shock wave when it exploded high in the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013. The Chelyabinsk meteor was an approximately 66-foot wide object that struck Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of about 40,000 miles per hour, producing a 400-500 kiloton aerial blast that injured almost 1,500 people and caused structural damage to a number of buildings. \u003ccite>(Alex Alishevskikh)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Chelyabinsk meteor, by the way, was not detected until it entered our atmosphere and announced itself in an aerial blast with an estimated explosive power between 400-500 kilotons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Space Stuff Hitting Earth: How Concerned Should We Be?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It might surprise you to learn that space rocks and other debris fly close to and even \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/fireballs/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">impact the Earth all the time\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every day about a 100 tons of space rock filters down to Earth’s surface, most of it in the form of dust grains that vaporize in the atmosphere and rain down as microscopic specks. You can see the larger particles flash through the night sky as meteors if you’re patient enough, but most of this space debris showers down on us unseen and unfelt.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Larger chunks of rock and metal that reach the ground before burning up completely are called meteorites, and are prized finds by collectors who can distinguish them from Earth rocks. Some meteorites can fetch \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://geology.com/meteorites/value-of-meteorites.shtml\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a good price\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the right buyer.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u003c/a> say\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that about every 10,000 years, on average, an asteroid in the 100-meter (328 foot) class strikes the Earth, causing big problems in the region it hits: a huge impact blast and shock wave, or a tsunami, if the object hits the ocean. The famous “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://meteorcrater.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meteor Crater\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” in northern Arizona, east of Flagstaff, is a near mile-wide, 600-foot-deep impact hole. It was formed 50,000 years ago when an asteroid measuring about 160 feet across hit the ground. Though this asteroid would have wreaked havoc across the local Pleistocene landscape, there were likely no global effects from the blast.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969148\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969148 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Dur%C3%A1n-Ortiz-CC4.0int-800x216.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"216\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-800x216.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-1020x275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-160x43.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-768x207.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-1536x415.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-2048x553.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-1920x518.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The nearly mile-wide, 600-foot deep Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona. This impact crater was formed 50,000 years ago when a 160-foot nickel-iron meteorite collided with Earth. Originally called the “Canyon Diablo,” the feature is also referred to as Barringer Crater, after mining engineer Daniel Barringer who, in 1903, suggested it may have been formed by an iron meteorite. \u003ccite>(Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every few hundred thousand years a larger object, half a mile or more across, collides with the Earth. Objects of this size produce global complications, throwing dust and other debris into the atmosphere around the planet, which can block off sunlight, cause acid rain, and ignite firestorms with the heat of reentering debris. These larger collisions also cause devastating shock waves and tsunamis. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The global effects of these major impacts have caused mass extinctions of plant and animal species. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/dinosaur-extinction/\">Take it from the \u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">dinosaurs, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the poster-children of global collision catastrophe, who \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/kring/Chicxulub/regional-effects/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">were wiped out by the impact\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and aftermath of a six-mile-or-more wide object that struck the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula about 65 million years ago, forming the Chicxulub impact crater, now mostly buried under sediment.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s to Be Done?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With all that space rock flying around out there, are we doing anything to protect us from it?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In short, yes. Since at least 1994, NASA has worked to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/content/nasas-search-for-asteroids-to-help-protect-earth-and-understand-our-history/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">discover and characterize asteroids and comets\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that have the potential to collide with Earth and inflict significant damage.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2005 the U.S. Congress handed NASA the goal of finding 90% of all potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids, ones larger than 460 feet across, by the end of 2020. NASA’s NEO (Near-Earth Object) Observations Program is still working toward this target, using evolving technologies. Fortunately, asteroids of this size are much easier to detect than small ones like 2020 QG, and they can be discovered and tracked years before coming close to Earth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This gives us time to predict future collisions, and possibly do something to prevent them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the ground, advance warning of the location and magnitude of a projected impact by an incoming asteroid could help us prepare, by evacuating the threatened region, for instance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scientists are also thinking how we might \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://b612foundation.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">alter the course of a threatening asteroid\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, turning a predicted collision into a near-miss scenario. With enough advance notice of a likely major impact — and we’re talking years — even a relatively small “nudge” to an asteroid’s trajectory could ultimately make the difference between hit and miss here on Earth. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969226\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969226 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation-800x514.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation-800x514.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation-768x493.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation.jpg 950w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The conceptual “Gravity Tractor” is a massage robotic spacecraft that would fly near an Earth-endangering asteroid to gradually “tug” it onto a safe course using low-powered engine thrust and mutual gravitational attraction. \u003ccite>(Dan Durda/FIAAA/B612 Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This may sound like something out of science fiction, but one concept being explored is the “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/content/asteroid-grand-challenge/mitigate/gravity-tractor\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">gravity tractor\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” a massive robotic spacecraft placed near an asteroid, which gives it a small but constant pull via its gravitational attraction. Flying \u003c/span>alongside \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">an asteroid, the spacecraft would use low-powered engine thrust to gradually “tug” the rock with mutual gravitational attraction, slowly steering the asteroid away from its Earth-bound path — kind of like a tiny tugboat guiding a huge ship onto a safe course. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Sleep Well Tonight\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small asteroids like 2020 QG will continue to buzz and even hit the Earth multiple times each year. They will also often fly by or disintegrate in our atmosphere unnoticed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But, NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ongoing observation of near-Earth objects\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a powerful tool for predicting when an asteroid or comet might impact the Earth. The good news is that no major impacts are foreseen anytime soon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coming up in November: \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/22/us/asteroid-earth-november-2020-scn-trnd/index.html\">Election Day Near-Earth Asteroid\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Asteroid 2020 QG became the closest observed near-miss of Earth by a space rock on August 15: 1,830 miles!",
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"description": "Asteroid 2020 QG became the closest observed near-miss of Earth by a space rock on August 15: 1,830 miles!",
"title": "How Often Do Space Objects Hit Earth? A Primer | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The year 2020 is clearly out to make its mark in a big way: a global pandemic, massive wildfires across the Western United States, huge demonstrations for social justice around the globe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s another one: a record observed near-miss of Earth by a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/about/basics.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">rock from space\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969152\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969152 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/SamuelOschinTelescope-48inch-PalomarObservatory-Caltech.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory, home of the Zwicky Transient Facility sky-scanning camera that captured the post-flyby image of asteroid 2020 QG on Aug. 15, 2020. \u003ccite>(Palomar Observatory/Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Aug. 15, at 9:08 p.m. PDT, the robotic sky-scanning survey telescope at the NSF/NASA-funded \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ztf.caltech.edu/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Zwicky Transient Facility\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at Palomar Observatory in California captured an image of a previously unknown asteroid, 10-20 feet in diameter, whizzing by Earth at a speed of 8 miles per second. The image was taken only six hours after the rock’s closest approach, 1,830 miles from Earth’s surface over the southern Indian Ocean, closer than any previously known near-Earth asteroid, or NEA.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/ztf-finds-closest-known-asteroid-fly-earth\">student in India, examining images\u003c/a> captured by the ZTF telescope in California, first spotted and reported the object.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Too Close for Comfort, Too Small to Notice?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The asteroid, named \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">2020 QG, \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7728\">set a record\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the nearest miss of the Earth ever observed — just 1,830 miles or about a quarter of Earth’s diameter — yet it wasn’t spotted until after it passed!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969147\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969147 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-1020x730.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-1020x730.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-800x573.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-160x115.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories-768x550.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/800px-PIA24038-Asteroid2020QG-20200816-ZTF-Caltech-Optical-Observatories.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image of asteroid 2020 QG captured six hours after its 1,830-mile close approach to Earth on Aug. 15, 2020. The image was captured by the Zwicky Transient Facility camera on the 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory. \u003ccite>(Zwicky Transient Facility/Palomar Observatory/Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is normal for encounters with near-Earth asteroids of this size. Too small to be discovered until getting breathtakingly close to the Earth, these car-sized chunks of rock, often fragments from collisions between larger asteroids much farther away that took place long ago, lurk invisibly throughout the solar system. Estimates place their population in the hundreds of millions, though most of them pass no closer to Earth than the distance to the moon.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asteroid 2020 QG may be small enough to sneak up on us unnoticed, but it would also do little damage, if any, if it did hit Earth. It would mostly burn up and disintegrate during its high-speed dash through our atmosphere, with possibly some small fragments reaching the ground. Since three-quarters of Earth’s surface is covered by ocean, such remnants often fall into water.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/space/meteor-asteroid-chelyabinsk-russia-feb-15-2013\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chelyabinsk meteor\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that exploded and mostly disintegrated in the sky over Russia in 2013 was at least three times the size of 2020 QG. It caused a powerful shock wave that broke windows, tumbled brick walls, and injured almost 1,500 people. Luckily, there were no fatalities. Despite these effects, only a few small fragments survived to reach the ground.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969149\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969149 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Chelyabinsk-meteor-trail-from-120miles-Alex-Alishevskikh-CC2.0generic.jpg 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The smoke trail left behind by the Chelyabinsk meteor, which lit up the skies and produced a powerful shock wave when it exploded high in the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013. The Chelyabinsk meteor was an approximately 66-foot wide object that struck Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of about 40,000 miles per hour, producing a 400-500 kiloton aerial blast that injured almost 1,500 people and caused structural damage to a number of buildings. \u003ccite>(Alex Alishevskikh)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Chelyabinsk meteor, by the way, was not detected until it entered our atmosphere and announced itself in an aerial blast with an estimated explosive power between 400-500 kilotons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Space Stuff Hitting Earth: How Concerned Should We Be?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It might surprise you to learn that space rocks and other debris fly close to and even \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/fireballs/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">impact the Earth all the time\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every day about a 100 tons of space rock filters down to Earth’s surface, most of it in the form of dust grains that vaporize in the atmosphere and rain down as microscopic specks. You can see the larger particles flash through the night sky as meteors if you’re patient enough, but most of this space debris showers down on us unseen and unfelt.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Larger chunks of rock and metal that reach the ground before burning up completely are called meteorites, and are prized finds by collectors who can distinguish them from Earth rocks. Some meteorites can fetch \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://geology.com/meteorites/value-of-meteorites.shtml\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a good price\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the right buyer.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u003c/a> say\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that about every 10,000 years, on average, an asteroid in the 100-meter (328 foot) class strikes the Earth, causing big problems in the region it hits: a huge impact blast and shock wave, or a tsunami, if the object hits the ocean. The famous “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://meteorcrater.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meteor Crater\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” in northern Arizona, east of Flagstaff, is a near mile-wide, 600-foot-deep impact hole. It was formed 50,000 years ago when an asteroid measuring about 160 feet across hit the ground. Though this asteroid would have wreaked havoc across the local Pleistocene landscape, there were likely no global effects from the blast.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969148\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969148 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Dur%C3%A1n-Ortiz-CC4.0int-800x216.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"216\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-800x216.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-1020x275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-160x43.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-768x207.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-1536x415.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-2048x553.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/Arizona_Meteor_Crater_09_2017_5859-Mario-Roberto-Durán-Ortiz-CC4.0int-1920x518.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The nearly mile-wide, 600-foot deep Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona. This impact crater was formed 50,000 years ago when a 160-foot nickel-iron meteorite collided with Earth. Originally called the “Canyon Diablo,” the feature is also referred to as Barringer Crater, after mining engineer Daniel Barringer who, in 1903, suggested it may have been formed by an iron meteorite. \u003ccite>(Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every few hundred thousand years a larger object, half a mile or more across, collides with the Earth. Objects of this size produce global complications, throwing dust and other debris into the atmosphere around the planet, which can block off sunlight, cause acid rain, and ignite firestorms with the heat of reentering debris. These larger collisions also cause devastating shock waves and tsunamis. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The global effects of these major impacts have caused mass extinctions of plant and animal species. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/dinosaur-extinction/\">Take it from the \u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">dinosaurs, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the poster-children of global collision catastrophe, who \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/kring/Chicxulub/regional-effects/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">were wiped out by the impact\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and aftermath of a six-mile-or-more wide object that struck the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula about 65 million years ago, forming the Chicxulub impact crater, now mostly buried under sediment.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s to Be Done?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With all that space rock flying around out there, are we doing anything to protect us from it?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In short, yes. Since at least 1994, NASA has worked to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/content/nasas-search-for-asteroids-to-help-protect-earth-and-understand-our-history/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">discover and characterize asteroids and comets\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that have the potential to collide with Earth and inflict significant damage.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2005 the U.S. Congress handed NASA the goal of finding 90% of all potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids, ones larger than 460 feet across, by the end of 2020. NASA’s NEO (Near-Earth Object) Observations Program is still working toward this target, using evolving technologies. Fortunately, asteroids of this size are much easier to detect than small ones like 2020 QG, and they can be discovered and tracked years before coming close to Earth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This gives us time to predict future collisions, and possibly do something to prevent them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the ground, advance warning of the location and magnitude of a projected impact by an incoming asteroid could help us prepare, by evacuating the threatened region, for instance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scientists are also thinking how we might \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://b612foundation.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">alter the course of a threatening asteroid\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, turning a predicted collision into a near-miss scenario. With enough advance notice of a likely major impact — and we’re talking years — even a relatively small “nudge” to an asteroid’s trajectory could ultimately make the difference between hit and miss here on Earth. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969226\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969226 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation-800x514.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation-800x514.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation-768x493.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/gravtug_durdaDan-Durda-FIAAA-B612-Foundation.jpg 950w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The conceptual “Gravity Tractor” is a massage robotic spacecraft that would fly near an Earth-endangering asteroid to gradually “tug” it onto a safe course using low-powered engine thrust and mutual gravitational attraction. \u003ccite>(Dan Durda/FIAAA/B612 Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This may sound like something out of science fiction, but one concept being explored is the “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/content/asteroid-grand-challenge/mitigate/gravity-tractor\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">gravity tractor\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” a massive robotic spacecraft placed near an asteroid, which gives it a small but constant pull via its gravitational attraction. Flying \u003c/span>alongside \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">an asteroid, the spacecraft would use low-powered engine thrust to gradually “tug” the rock with mutual gravitational attraction, slowly steering the asteroid away from its Earth-bound path — kind of like a tiny tugboat guiding a huge ship onto a safe course. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Sleep Well Tonight\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small asteroids like 2020 QG will continue to buzz and even hit the Earth multiple times each year. They will also often fly by or disintegrate in our atmosphere unnoticed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But, NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ongoing observation of near-Earth objects\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a powerful tool for predicting when an asteroid or comet might impact the Earth. The good news is that no major impacts are foreseen anytime soon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coming up in November: \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/22/us/asteroid-earth-november-2020-scn-trnd/index.html\">Election Day Near-Earth Asteroid\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "No, You Didn’t Wake Up to the Apocalypse. Wildfire Smoke Turns Bay Area Sky Orange and Dark",
"headTitle": "No, You Didn’t Wake Up to the Apocalypse. Wildfire Smoke Turns Bay Area Sky Orange and Dark | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11837194/no-no-se-desperto-en-medio-del-apocalipsis-el-humo-de-los-incendios-forestales-oscurece-el-cielo-del-area-de-la-bahia-y-lo-vuelve-anaranjado\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In days of yore, when people looked to the heavens for omens of doom, waking up in the morning to an orange-tinged sky with only a hint of light filtering through may have been enough to signal the end of the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, it takes that plus massive wildfires, extreme heat, power shutoffs, filthy air and worldwide contagion to \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=apocalypse%20san%20francisco&src=typed_query\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">do the trick\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of midmorning, it still looked, quite eerily, like dawn’s early light in the region. But if you’re thinking sign-of-apocalypse, that’s not the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[emailsignup newslettername='science' align='right'] Dense smoke plumes from several large wildfires burning in parts of Northern California and even Oregon are blocking out the sun, shrouding the Bay Area in an orange glow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have multiple layers of clouds down near our regular marine layer,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services. “Up above, we have three or four different layers of smoke coming from a variety of fires as far away as Oregon; some fires to the east of Chico.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those layers, which cover most of the western two-thirds of California and are filtering out the sun, are made up of different densities of smoke. “In some cases, some of those plumes are 20 or 30,000 feet where they’re being risen up by the heat from these fires,” Null said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/ggweather/status/1303705734656348160?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smoke particles scatter blue light, so only yellow, orange and red light reach through, which is what’s causing the sky’s peculiar tinge right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Null says the conditions could last for another couple of days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not really looking at a good sea breeze that’s going to help clear out the lower levels,” he said. “Until some of these bigger fires are contained — or we see a significant wind shift aloft — we’re going to wake up to these yellow mornings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Weather Service says there’s an unprecedented amount of smoke in the atmosphere as a record number of acres burn across California and the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea/status/1303720348605538305?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The smoke is high up in the air, and — right now — the air quality is not as bad.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This morning, we’re seeing mostly moderate air quality,” said Kristine Roselius, a spokesperson for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. “But as the day goes on, that will deteriorate.” She said the North and East Bay especially could be affected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The North Complex Fire is one of the main contributors of the smoke; that wildfire erupted near Lake Oroville in the Sierra Nevada on Tuesday and spread at a rate of 1,000 acres every 30 minutes, according to Jake Cagle, the fire’s operations section chief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve had extreme fire behavior and extreme fire growth,” Cagle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FUSFSPlumas%2Fvideos%2F2783637955295346%2F&show_text=0&width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jon Brooks contributed to this post.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Dense smoke plumes from several large wildfires are shrouding the Bay Area in eerie orange light. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11837194/no-no-se-desperto-en-medio-del-apocalipsis-el-humo-de-los-incendios-forestales-oscurece-el-cielo-del-area-de-la-bahia-y-lo-vuelve-anaranjado\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In days of yore, when people looked to the heavens for omens of doom, waking up in the morning to an orange-tinged sky with only a hint of light filtering through may have been enough to signal the end of the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, it takes that plus massive wildfires, extreme heat, power shutoffs, filthy air and worldwide contagion to \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=apocalypse%20san%20francisco&src=typed_query\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">do the trick\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of midmorning, it still looked, quite eerily, like dawn’s early light in the region. But if you’re thinking sign-of-apocalypse, that’s not the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Dense smoke plumes from several large wildfires burning in parts of Northern California and even Oregon are blocking out the sun, shrouding the Bay Area in an orange glow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have multiple layers of clouds down near our regular marine layer,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services. “Up above, we have three or four different layers of smoke coming from a variety of fires as far away as Oregon; some fires to the east of Chico.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those layers, which cover most of the western two-thirds of California and are filtering out the sun, are made up of different densities of smoke. “In some cases, some of those plumes are 20 or 30,000 feet where they’re being risen up by the heat from these fires,” Null said.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Smoke particles scatter blue light, so only yellow, orange and red light reach through, which is what’s causing the sky’s peculiar tinge right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Null says the conditions could last for another couple of days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not really looking at a good sea breeze that’s going to help clear out the lower levels,” he said. “Until some of these bigger fires are contained — or we see a significant wind shift aloft — we’re going to wake up to these yellow mornings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Weather Service says there’s an unprecedented amount of smoke in the atmosphere as a record number of acres burn across California and the West.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The smoke is high up in the air, and — right now — the air quality is not as bad.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This morning, we’re seeing mostly moderate air quality,” said Kristine Roselius, a spokesperson for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. “But as the day goes on, that will deteriorate.” She said the North and East Bay especially could be affected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The North Complex Fire is one of the main contributors of the smoke; that wildfire erupted near Lake Oroville in the Sierra Nevada on Tuesday and spread at a rate of 1,000 acres every 30 minutes, according to Jake Cagle, the fire’s operations section chief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve had extreme fire behavior and extreme fire growth,” Cagle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FUSFSPlumas%2Fvideos%2F2783637955295346%2F&show_text=0&width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jon Brooks contributed to this post.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "this-is-not-a-dandelion",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]Gardeners cursing as they yank out yellow blooms from the ground might be misplacing their anger. Not everything that looks like a dandelion is one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969312\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969312\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is not a dandelion. To tell this catsear from its better-known relative you need to look under its petals. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dandelions have many doppelgangers, among them the most successful plant you’ve never heard of: catsears. Their claim to fame is that they were recently \u003ca href=\"https://nytimesanswers.com/dandelion-look-alike-crossword-clue-2/\">a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle\u003c/a> (“Dandelion look-alike”), but the plant is so prolific — it has spread from its native Morocco all around the world — that it doesn’t really need any press.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chances are you’ll run across both dandelions and catsears in your backyard or at the park this fall, especially if they’re getting watered. Catsears also proliferate in pastures, where cows keep the grasses that compete with them at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969310\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Lesser_goldfinch_eats_catsear_seeds.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969310 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Lesser_goldfinch_eats_catsear_seeds.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lesser goldfinch munches on catsear seeds in Berkeley.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bees and butterflies love the nectar and pollen provided by dandelions and catsears, and little songbirds like lesser goldfinches feed on their seeds. But it’s hard to convince some gardeners of their virtues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most people who have a nice turf want only grasses,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/people/joseph-ditomaso\">Joe DiTomaso\u003c/a>, a weed researcher who retired from UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969317\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1921px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969317\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1921\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg 1921w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1921px) 100vw, 1921px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsears in bloom in a backyard in Berkeley in June. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Frustratingly for lawn lovers, efforts to keep the turf looking good sometimes help dandelions and catsears. Their leaves grow close to the ground, so when the lawnmower chops down any blades of grass towering over them, they can more easily soak up the rays they need to grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you’re a friend or a foe, telling dandelions and catsears apart could be useful — if only to know thine enemy — and a fun way to ponder what makes these yellow blooms so successful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re looking down at them, you’ll miss their differences. You need to get on your knees and take a close look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below their petals you’ll see green structures that hold the bloom. They’re called phyllaries. In catsears, they all point up. In dandelions, some phyllaries curl down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969316\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969316\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsear or dandelion? The green structures called phyllaries that hug the bloom all point up in catsears. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969318\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969318\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dandelions’ curly phyllaries are one way to tell them apart from catsears. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dandelion and catsear leaves have a similar shape, with toothed edges that give dandelions their name — an adaptation from the French dent-de-lion, or lion’s tooth. The leaves of the common catsear are more lobed than pointy and they’re furry, while dandelions’ are smooth. Both leaves are edible, prepared in salads or sauteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969315\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969315\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsears’ leaves are furry (left); dandelions’ are smooth. Both are edible. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“If you eat an old dandelion leaf, it’s going to be extremely bitter,” said \u003ca href=\"https://eggert.biology.missouri.edu/visiting-scholars/austin-lynn/\">Austin Lynn\u003c/a>, who studied the plants for his recently completed doctoral studies at the University of Missouri. “But if you eat a younger one, it’s much more pleasant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a taste test he carried out, Lynn said dandelion leaves were described as similar to romaine lettuce or arugula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both dandelion and catsear blooms transform into fluffy globes called “clocks,” full of seeds. The dandelion’s clock is like a head of wispy gray hairs that just came from the salon, while the catsear’s featherlike globe looks like a dandelion that let its mane dry in the wind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969313\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Both catsears and dandelions create globes full of seeds, called “clocks.” Catsears’ clocks (left) look like a messier version of dandelions’. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969321\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969321\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsear (left) and dandelion dried, ribbed fruits waiting to be carried away by the wind. A tiny seed is hiding inside each fruit. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One other way to tell them apart is that each stem of catsears branches into multiple blooms, while dandelions have only one bloom per stem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for all their differences, dandelions and catsears are closely related and pollinator favorites. That’s because of a tiny secret up in their petals: What we think of as a dandelion or a catsear flower is actually a cluster of dozens of tiny flowers called ray florets. Each floret makes its own pollen and nectar, which attract a host of different bees, butterflies and other insects. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catsears serve all customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have generalists as their pollinators,” said DiTomaso. “There are not specific insects that are required to pollinate them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Umber_skipper_butterfly_on_catsear.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969311\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Umber_skipper_butterfly_on_catsear.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An umber skipper butterfly sips nectar from a catsear in Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The dandelions in your backyard, called common dandelions and hailing from Europe, don’t even need pollinators to reproduce — they just clone themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If one dandelion makes it to a new habitat, it can colonize that new habitat with just one individual,” said Lynn. “These dandelions don’t need to have a mate; that’s one of the big advantages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappi_fly_off_wide-shot.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappi_fly_off_wide-shot.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Make a wish! Dandelion pappi fly away. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wind disperses both dandelions’ and catsears’ seeds, another reason for their success. Each floret produces a fruit with a tiny seed inside, and each fruit floats away hanging from an umbrella-shaped structure called a pappus. These tiny pappi (PAP-eye) are what children blow on after making a wish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re very good at catching wind to detach,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.nakayama\">Naomi Nakayama\u003c/a>, a researcher at Imperial College London who has studied dandelion flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappus_flies_off.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969309\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappus_flies_off.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dandelion pappus catches the wind and carries away a dry, ribbed fruit. A tiny seed is nestled inside the fruit. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pappus acts very much like an open umbrella that lifts easily on the wind, even though it’s mainly empty space. Because of its small size, a trick of physics makes it so that the air in between the bristles of the pappi behaves like a solid — sort of like a viscous honey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have an invisible wall they create,” said Nakayama. This helps pappi lift off when the wind hits them. The wall effect also helps the pappus stay adrift. Some air sifts through the bristles and a lot of air swirls around and above the pappus, forming a whirlwind that sucks the pappus up and keeps it afloat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of pappi don’t carry their seed very far — just enough for it to germinate in your backyard. How far they can travel is an open question, Nakayama said, since attaching a GPS onto them would impede their flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969324\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Pappi_fly_off_dandelion.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969324\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Pappi_fly_off_dandelion.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most dandelion fruit will likely fall to the ground nearby. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people feel comfortable saying they can travel a couple of miles,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if most pappi end up landing right in your backyard, at least you might be able to get a good salad or some bee-watching out of the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Not every yellow bloom — or fluffy white globe — taking over your backyard is a dandelion. Some of them are the most prolific plant you've never heard of: catsears.",
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"title": "This is NOT a Dandelion. | KQED",
"description": "Not every yellow bloom — or fluffy white globe — taking over your backyard is a dandelion. Some of them are the most prolific plant you've never heard of: catsears.",
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"headline": "This is NOT a Dandelion.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Gardeners cursing as they yank out yellow blooms from the ground might be misplacing their anger. Not everything that looks like a dandelion is one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969312\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969312\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is not a dandelion. To tell this catsear from its better-known relative you need to look under its petals. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dandelions have many doppelgangers, among them the most successful plant you’ve never heard of: catsears. Their claim to fame is that they were recently \u003ca href=\"https://nytimesanswers.com/dandelion-look-alike-crossword-clue-2/\">a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle\u003c/a> (“Dandelion look-alike”), but the plant is so prolific — it has spread from its native Morocco all around the world — that it doesn’t really need any press.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chances are you’ll run across both dandelions and catsears in your backyard or at the park this fall, especially if they’re getting watered. Catsears also proliferate in pastures, where cows keep the grasses that compete with them at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969310\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Lesser_goldfinch_eats_catsear_seeds.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969310 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Lesser_goldfinch_eats_catsear_seeds.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lesser goldfinch munches on catsear seeds in Berkeley.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bees and butterflies love the nectar and pollen provided by dandelions and catsears, and little songbirds like lesser goldfinches feed on their seeds. But it’s hard to convince some gardeners of their virtues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most people who have a nice turf want only grasses,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/people/joseph-ditomaso\">Joe DiTomaso\u003c/a>, a weed researcher who retired from UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969317\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1921px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969317\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1921\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg 1921w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1921px) 100vw, 1921px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsears in bloom in a backyard in Berkeley in June. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Frustratingly for lawn lovers, efforts to keep the turf looking good sometimes help dandelions and catsears. Their leaves grow close to the ground, so when the lawnmower chops down any blades of grass towering over them, they can more easily soak up the rays they need to grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you’re a friend or a foe, telling dandelions and catsears apart could be useful — if only to know thine enemy — and a fun way to ponder what makes these yellow blooms so successful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re looking down at them, you’ll miss their differences. You need to get on your knees and take a close look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below their petals you’ll see green structures that hold the bloom. They’re called phyllaries. In catsears, they all point up. In dandelions, some phyllaries curl down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969316\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969316\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsear or dandelion? The green structures called phyllaries that hug the bloom all point up in catsears. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969318\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969318\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dandelions’ curly phyllaries are one way to tell them apart from catsears. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dandelion and catsear leaves have a similar shape, with toothed edges that give dandelions their name — an adaptation from the French dent-de-lion, or lion’s tooth. The leaves of the common catsear are more lobed than pointy and they’re furry, while dandelions’ are smooth. Both leaves are edible, prepared in salads or sauteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969315\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969315\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsears’ leaves are furry (left); dandelions’ are smooth. Both are edible. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“If you eat an old dandelion leaf, it’s going to be extremely bitter,” said \u003ca href=\"https://eggert.biology.missouri.edu/visiting-scholars/austin-lynn/\">Austin Lynn\u003c/a>, who studied the plants for his recently completed doctoral studies at the University of Missouri. “But if you eat a younger one, it’s much more pleasant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a taste test he carried out, Lynn said dandelion leaves were described as similar to romaine lettuce or arugula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both dandelion and catsear blooms transform into fluffy globes called “clocks,” full of seeds. The dandelion’s clock is like a head of wispy gray hairs that just came from the salon, while the catsear’s featherlike globe looks like a dandelion that let its mane dry in the wind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969313\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Both catsears and dandelions create globes full of seeds, called “clocks.” Catsears’ clocks (left) look like a messier version of dandelions’. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969321\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969321\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsear (left) and dandelion dried, ribbed fruits waiting to be carried away by the wind. A tiny seed is hiding inside each fruit. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One other way to tell them apart is that each stem of catsears branches into multiple blooms, while dandelions have only one bloom per stem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for all their differences, dandelions and catsears are closely related and pollinator favorites. That’s because of a tiny secret up in their petals: What we think of as a dandelion or a catsear flower is actually a cluster of dozens of tiny flowers called ray florets. Each floret makes its own pollen and nectar, which attract a host of different bees, butterflies and other insects. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catsears serve all customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have generalists as their pollinators,” said DiTomaso. “There are not specific insects that are required to pollinate them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Umber_skipper_butterfly_on_catsear.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969311\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Umber_skipper_butterfly_on_catsear.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An umber skipper butterfly sips nectar from a catsear in Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The dandelions in your backyard, called common dandelions and hailing from Europe, don’t even need pollinators to reproduce — they just clone themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If one dandelion makes it to a new habitat, it can colonize that new habitat with just one individual,” said Lynn. “These dandelions don’t need to have a mate; that’s one of the big advantages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappi_fly_off_wide-shot.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappi_fly_off_wide-shot.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Make a wish! Dandelion pappi fly away. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wind disperses both dandelions’ and catsears’ seeds, another reason for their success. Each floret produces a fruit with a tiny seed inside, and each fruit floats away hanging from an umbrella-shaped structure called a pappus. These tiny pappi (PAP-eye) are what children blow on after making a wish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re very good at catching wind to detach,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.nakayama\">Naomi Nakayama\u003c/a>, a researcher at Imperial College London who has studied dandelion flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappus_flies_off.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969309\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappus_flies_off.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dandelion pappus catches the wind and carries away a dry, ribbed fruit. A tiny seed is nestled inside the fruit. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pappus acts very much like an open umbrella that lifts easily on the wind, even though it’s mainly empty space. Because of its small size, a trick of physics makes it so that the air in between the bristles of the pappi behaves like a solid — sort of like a viscous honey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have an invisible wall they create,” said Nakayama. This helps pappi lift off when the wind hits them. The wall effect also helps the pappus stay adrift. Some air sifts through the bristles and a lot of air swirls around and above the pappus, forming a whirlwind that sucks the pappus up and keeps it afloat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of pappi don’t carry their seed very far — just enough for it to germinate in your backyard. How far they can travel is an open question, Nakayama said, since attaching a GPS onto them would impede their flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969324\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Pappi_fly_off_dandelion.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969324\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Pappi_fly_off_dandelion.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most dandelion fruit will likely fall to the ground nearby. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people feel comfortable saying they can travel a couple of miles,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if most pappi end up landing right in your backyard, at least you might be able to get a good salad or some bee-watching out of the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "we-all-want-the-covid-vaccine-to-fix-everything-but",
"title": "Yes, We All Want a COVID Vaccine to Fix Everything. But That's Unlikely",
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"headTitle": "Yes, We All Want a COVID Vaccine to Fix Everything. But That’s Unlikely | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p2\">With a mounting death toll, declining mental health, mandatory Zoom classrooms, fried parents and mass unemployment, the nation’s hopes have crystallized around the one thing that will make it all go away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">A vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">Perhaps you’re imagining schools once again teeming with kids, stores full of shoppers, people ripping off their masks …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">But that’s likely more of a Hollywood ending than what actually lies ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">Experts cite potential hurdles in manufacturing and distribution, \u003cspan class=\"s1\">public distrust\u003c/span>, and the sheer scale required of any successful inoculation program as reasons the vaccine will not be a panacea for the current crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“I don’t think we’re going to get a magic bullet,” said Dr. Arthur L. Caplan, professor of bioethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">While President Donald Trump \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump-vaccine/trump-says-coronavirus-vaccine-possible-before-nov-3-idUSKCN25221Q\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">said\u003c/span>\u003c/a> last month a vaccine could be available before the election in November, more conservative estimates peg a possible early launch at the beginning of next year. If a drug company manages to successfully manufacture an effective immunization by then, it would be the fastest vaccine rollout in history. The speediest development to date occurred for the mumps vaccine — about four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">Shortening that timeline is theoretically possible only because the entire scientific establishment, including more than 100 pharmaceutical and biotech companies, are on a quest to prevent the same disease. Yet, even a proven vaccine may only be the beginning of getting back to something approaching normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">“Even FDA approval is not the green light to say, ‘We’ve got a vaccine and everything’s over,'” said Caplan. “It would be very, very surprising if we got a very highly effective vaccine, first one out of the box for this particular virus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cb>Not All Vaccines Are Alike\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Even for those first in line for a shot, protection from the virus won’t be immediate — it takes weeks for the immune system to marshal its biological forces in the form of disease-fighting antibodies. And a vaccine that creates immunity for some people may not protect others. When a vaccine is approved for the general public, it will be the first time it’s administered on higher-risk groups, which are not typically enrolled in safety trials due to the difficulty of determining the cause of adverse reactions in those populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“People tend to look for what’s called a clean baseline in a study sample,” Caplan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">(After a vaccine is released, the Food and Drug Administration closely monitors any negative effects to determine if higher-risk groups are responding poorly.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">In addition, evidence exists that vaccines do not work in some sub-populations. For example, people over 60 do not build much of an immune response to the flu shot. The immune system of people with cancer often prevents a vaccine from working, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4547886/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">limited data\u003c/span>\u003c/a> suggests obesity reduces the effectiveness of immunizations.\u003cspan class=\"s2\"> These groups are also the most susceptible to the worst consequences of contracting the coronavirus.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">T\u003c/span>he efficacy of vaccines has a wide range. The annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">flu shot\u003c/span>\u003c/a> is at one end of the spectrum, working 40% to 60% of the time. At the other end, the measles \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/measles/index.html#:~:text=Two%20doses%20of%20MMR%20vaccine%20are%20about%2097%25%20effective%20at,through%2012%20years%20of%20age.\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">vaccine\u003c/span>\u003c/a> is about 93% effective with a single shot and 97% with two doses. The National Institutes of Health is aiming for 50% effectiveness for a COVID-19 immunization, though scientists do not know how long that immunity will last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Vaccinologists say there’s a good chance a coronavirus shot will not give you lifetime immunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cb>Logistical Obstacles\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Even once a vaccine exists, a drug company will need to manufacture billions of doses to treat populations around the world. That’s if it’s just one shot. Many vaccines require more than one, spaced at least a month apart to be effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“In the history of vaccines, anything like cholera, cervical cancer, anything that’s been a two‐shot vaccine has turned out to be a pain in the neck,” said Caplan. “People don’t comply.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">It’s difficult to make billions of anything safe and reliable. Plants go offline. Parts malfunction. Shortages will likely crop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p5\">Making sure there is adequate access to syringes, vials, stoppers, gloves and even alcohol swabs is “going to be a challenge,” said Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">More bottlenecks can unfold in distribution. Shipping, trucking or flying vaccines around the globe often requires deep refrigeration, at temperatures 112 degrees below zero. Successful transport will require technical expertise and thorough planning, both of which will be a challenge in poorer nations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The troubled \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11806695/coronavirus-report-why-did-it-take-so-long-to-get-rapid-test-kits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">rollout\u003c/span>\u003c/a> of coronavirus tests at the beginning of the pandemic shows just how difficult carrying out a mass vaccination program could be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Remember that we are going to be vaccinating everyone in the world, so that means, just like testing, there’s going to be supply chain issues that we’ve got to work through early in the process,” Benjamin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cb>Vaccine Hesitancy\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Once a truck delivers the vaccine to doctors’ offices, there’s still no guarantee people will get it. A recent NBC News \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/poll-less-half-americans-say-they-ll-get-coronavirus-vaccine-n1236971\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">poll\u003c/span>\u003c/a> found less than half of people in the U.S. would get a government-approved vaccine, with 22% saying they wouldn’t and 32% unsure. In 2019, the World Health Organization called vaccine hesitancy a \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/vietnam/news/feature-stories/detail/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">threat\u003c/a> to global health, and the \u003cspan class=\"s1\">antivaccine movement\u003c/span> has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01423-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spreading disinformation\u003c/a> since the beginning of the outbreak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Some people believe doctors push immunizations because they receive extra government subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“Most [people] do not seem to understand that vaccines in most practices is at best a break-even proposition,” said Dr. Margot Savoy, professor of family and community medicine at Temple University. “For some practices it is actually a money-losing proposition. People are doing it because of the health of the public, not because they’re making a lot of money on it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Savoy says many of her low-income patients worry the vaccine will be pushed on poor\u003ci> \u003c/i>people to test it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“Your ongoing experiences with systemic racism that continues to exist in the medical system means that you’re not necessarily going to trust the new vaccine that just came out,” Savoy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">If some communities are hesitant or if supplies run short, then case counts will rise even after scientists and officials celebrate success — which could give the false impression it doesn’t work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Early branding of the federal vaccine initiative may not have helped matters. The government called the effort \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/06/16/fact-sheet-explaining-operation-warp-speed.html#:~:text=Operation%20Warp%20Speed%20(OWS)%20aims,(collectively%20known%20as%20countermeasures).\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Operation Warp Speed\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“I think it has given people an impression that corners will be cut,” said Dr. Walter A. Orenstein, professor of medicine at Emory University. “It has raised concerns that these vaccines are going to get by with a far lower standard than other vaccines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The problem is the terminology, he says, not fewer formal safety protocols.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cb>In It Together\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Even a slight reduction in vaccination rates can impede a successful immunization program. Vaccines only work if nearly everyone is on board. A measles outbreak in northeastern New York last year is a case in point: The virus took hold in a highly unvaccinated community of Orthodox Jews, leading to the longest documented \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6819a4.htm\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">outbreak\u003c/span>\u003c/a> in the U.S. since 2000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Doctors estimate about 60% to 70% of the human population will have to become inoculated to stop the coronavirus, which will require sophisticated planning, governmental cohesion, and extensive public health education. When exactly all that will come together is unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">“I’d like to firmly come down on, ‘Beats me,’” said Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “I am no longer making guesses about this virus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">While a lot can go wrong, he hopes a lot will go right, because a vaccine is our best option to develop community immunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“If you look at smallpox, polio, measles, you can see the dramatic impact we’ve had in terms of reduction of disease,” said Dr. Julie Morita, executive vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We have had major successes with vaccines, and that’s why there is so much great hope for this COVID vaccine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">In the meantime, the pandemic drudgery of masking up, social distancing and quarantining will have to continue if we are to prevent the deadly coronavirus from spiraling out of control … again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Since the beginning of the pandemic, hopes have hinged on the development of a vaccine. But the reality is the complexities of vaccine manufacturing, distribution and human response and behavior make it unlikely it will be a magic bullet.",
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"title": "Yes, We All Want a COVID Vaccine to Fix Everything. But That's Unlikely | KQED",
"description": "Since the beginning of the pandemic, hopes have hinged on the development of a vaccine. But the reality is the complexities of vaccine manufacturing, distribution and human response and behavior make it unlikely it will be a magic bullet.",
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"headline": "Yes, We All Want a COVID Vaccine to Fix Everything. But That's Unlikely",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p2\">With a mounting death toll, declining mental health, mandatory Zoom classrooms, fried parents and mass unemployment, the nation’s hopes have crystallized around the one thing that will make it all go away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">A vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">Perhaps you’re imagining schools once again teeming with kids, stores full of shoppers, people ripping off their masks …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">But that’s likely more of a Hollywood ending than what actually lies ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">Experts cite potential hurdles in manufacturing and distribution, \u003cspan class=\"s1\">public distrust\u003c/span>, and the sheer scale required of any successful inoculation program as reasons the vaccine will not be a panacea for the current crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“I don’t think we’re going to get a magic bullet,” said Dr. Arthur L. Caplan, professor of bioethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">While President Donald Trump \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump-vaccine/trump-says-coronavirus-vaccine-possible-before-nov-3-idUSKCN25221Q\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">said\u003c/span>\u003c/a> last month a vaccine could be available before the election in November, more conservative estimates peg a possible early launch at the beginning of next year. If a drug company manages to successfully manufacture an effective immunization by then, it would be the fastest vaccine rollout in history. The speediest development to date occurred for the mumps vaccine — about four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">Shortening that timeline is theoretically possible only because the entire scientific establishment, including more than 100 pharmaceutical and biotech companies, are on a quest to prevent the same disease. Yet, even a proven vaccine may only be the beginning of getting back to something approaching normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">“Even FDA approval is not the green light to say, ‘We’ve got a vaccine and everything’s over,'” said Caplan. “It would be very, very surprising if we got a very highly effective vaccine, first one out of the box for this particular virus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cb>Not All Vaccines Are Alike\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Even for those first in line for a shot, protection from the virus won’t be immediate — it takes weeks for the immune system to marshal its biological forces in the form of disease-fighting antibodies. And a vaccine that creates immunity for some people may not protect others. When a vaccine is approved for the general public, it will be the first time it’s administered on higher-risk groups, which are not typically enrolled in safety trials due to the difficulty of determining the cause of adverse reactions in those populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“People tend to look for what’s called a clean baseline in a study sample,” Caplan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">(After a vaccine is released, the Food and Drug Administration closely monitors any negative effects to determine if higher-risk groups are responding poorly.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">In addition, evidence exists that vaccines do not work in some sub-populations. For example, people over 60 do not build much of an immune response to the flu shot. The immune system of people with cancer often prevents a vaccine from working, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4547886/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">limited data\u003c/span>\u003c/a> suggests obesity reduces the effectiveness of immunizations.\u003cspan class=\"s2\"> These groups are also the most susceptible to the worst consequences of contracting the coronavirus.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">T\u003c/span>he efficacy of vaccines has a wide range. The annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">flu shot\u003c/span>\u003c/a> is at one end of the spectrum, working 40% to 60% of the time. At the other end, the measles \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/measles/index.html#:~:text=Two%20doses%20of%20MMR%20vaccine%20are%20about%2097%25%20effective%20at,through%2012%20years%20of%20age.\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">vaccine\u003c/span>\u003c/a> is about 93% effective with a single shot and 97% with two doses. The National Institutes of Health is aiming for 50% effectiveness for a COVID-19 immunization, though scientists do not know how long that immunity will last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Vaccinologists say there’s a good chance a coronavirus shot will not give you lifetime immunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cb>Logistical Obstacles\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Even once a vaccine exists, a drug company will need to manufacture billions of doses to treat populations around the world. That’s if it’s just one shot. Many vaccines require more than one, spaced at least a month apart to be effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“In the history of vaccines, anything like cholera, cervical cancer, anything that’s been a two‐shot vaccine has turned out to be a pain in the neck,” said Caplan. “People don’t comply.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">It’s difficult to make billions of anything safe and reliable. Plants go offline. Parts malfunction. Shortages will likely crop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p5\">Making sure there is adequate access to syringes, vials, stoppers, gloves and even alcohol swabs is “going to be a challenge,” said Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">More bottlenecks can unfold in distribution. Shipping, trucking or flying vaccines around the globe often requires deep refrigeration, at temperatures 112 degrees below zero. Successful transport will require technical expertise and thorough planning, both of which will be a challenge in poorer nations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The troubled \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11806695/coronavirus-report-why-did-it-take-so-long-to-get-rapid-test-kits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">rollout\u003c/span>\u003c/a> of coronavirus tests at the beginning of the pandemic shows just how difficult carrying out a mass vaccination program could be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Remember that we are going to be vaccinating everyone in the world, so that means, just like testing, there’s going to be supply chain issues that we’ve got to work through early in the process,” Benjamin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cb>Vaccine Hesitancy\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Once a truck delivers the vaccine to doctors’ offices, there’s still no guarantee people will get it. A recent NBC News \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/poll-less-half-americans-say-they-ll-get-coronavirus-vaccine-n1236971\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">poll\u003c/span>\u003c/a> found less than half of people in the U.S. would get a government-approved vaccine, with 22% saying they wouldn’t and 32% unsure. In 2019, the World Health Organization called vaccine hesitancy a \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/vietnam/news/feature-stories/detail/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">threat\u003c/a> to global health, and the \u003cspan class=\"s1\">antivaccine movement\u003c/span> has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01423-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spreading disinformation\u003c/a> since the beginning of the outbreak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Some people believe doctors push immunizations because they receive extra government subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“Most [people] do not seem to understand that vaccines in most practices is at best a break-even proposition,” said Dr. Margot Savoy, professor of family and community medicine at Temple University. “For some practices it is actually a money-losing proposition. People are doing it because of the health of the public, not because they’re making a lot of money on it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Savoy says many of her low-income patients worry the vaccine will be pushed on poor\u003ci> \u003c/i>people to test it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“Your ongoing experiences with systemic racism that continues to exist in the medical system means that you’re not necessarily going to trust the new vaccine that just came out,” Savoy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">If some communities are hesitant or if supplies run short, then case counts will rise even after scientists and officials celebrate success — which could give the false impression it doesn’t work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Early branding of the federal vaccine initiative may not have helped matters. The government called the effort \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/06/16/fact-sheet-explaining-operation-warp-speed.html#:~:text=Operation%20Warp%20Speed%20(OWS)%20aims,(collectively%20known%20as%20countermeasures).\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Operation Warp Speed\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“I think it has given people an impression that corners will be cut,” said Dr. Walter A. Orenstein, professor of medicine at Emory University. “It has raised concerns that these vaccines are going to get by with a far lower standard than other vaccines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The problem is the terminology, he says, not fewer formal safety protocols.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">\u003cb>In It Together\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Even a slight reduction in vaccination rates can impede a successful immunization program. Vaccines only work if nearly everyone is on board. A measles outbreak in northeastern New York last year is a case in point: The virus took hold in a highly unvaccinated community of Orthodox Jews, leading to the longest documented \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6819a4.htm\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">outbreak\u003c/span>\u003c/a> in the U.S. since 2000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Doctors estimate about 60% to 70% of the human population will have to become inoculated to stop the coronavirus, which will require sophisticated planning, governmental cohesion, and extensive public health education. When exactly all that will come together is unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p2\">“I’d like to firmly come down on, ‘Beats me,’” said Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “I am no longer making guesses about this virus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">While a lot can go wrong, he hopes a lot will go right, because a vaccine is our best option to develop community immunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“If you look at smallpox, polio, measles, you can see the dramatic impact we’ve had in terms of reduction of disease,” said Dr. Julie Morita, executive vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We have had major successes with vaccines, and that’s why there is so much great hope for this COVID vaccine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">In the meantime, the pandemic drudgery of masking up, social distancing and quarantining will have to continue if we are to prevent the deadly coronavirus from spiraling out of control … again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Three new studies strongly support using inexpensive and widely available drugs to treat people who are seriously ill with COVID-19. The drugs are steroids, and the research published Wednesday confirms they are proving to be the most effective treatment found to date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, the use of these drugs in COVID-19 was controversial. Some doctors have long used steroids to treat conditions related to COVID-19, namely \u003ca href=\"https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/sepsis.aspx\">sepsis\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/ards\">acute respiratory distress syndrome\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steroids help tamp down the immune system’s potentially deadly overreaction to an infection. But some doctors worried that steroids could also prevent the body from fighting off the coronavirus effectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Giving steroids to COVID-19 could have been quite scary,” \u003ca href=\"https://mirm-pitt.net/our-people/faculty-staff-bios/derek-c-angus-md-mph-frcp-fccm-fccp/\">says Dr. Derek Angus\u003c/a>, a critical care specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/06/16/878069587/early-results-show-benefit-of-steroid-for-very-sick-covid-19-patients\">a major study from the U.K\u003c/a>. found that the steroid dexamethasone was a big help. It reduced deaths significantly among the most serious cases of COVID-19 — notably people who needed ventilators or supplemental oxygen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That advance was great news, but those findings created a conundrum for Angus and other researchers who were running their own studies of steroids in COVID-19 patients. It no longer felt appropriate to be giving some people steroids and others a placebo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Essentially overnight, because these findings were so striking, there was this sense among clinicians participating in other clinical trials [that] … we have to stop our trials.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So those studies all ended prematurely. Researchers from three research groups have now published the findings they had gathered in the journal \u003cem>JAMA\u003c/em>. One group is \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770276\">from France\u003c/a>, one is \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770277\">from Brazil\u003c/a>, and the third is \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770278\">an international team\u003c/a> that includes the University of Pittsburgh’s Angus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken together, the publication of these studies “represents an important step forward in the treatment of patients with COVID-19,” Drs. Hallie Prescott and Todd Rice \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770275\">wrote in a \u003cem>JAMA\u003c/em> editorial\u003c/a>. The results not only provide further support for the use of dexamethasone, they also back the use of another widely used steroid, hydrocortisone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s good news to have a strong, clear signal on what is a widely available, inexpensive class of therapies,” Angus said. He also contrasts these studies with a lot of other research on COVID-19. Many other studies, such as those involving much-hyped anti-malaria drugs, did not randomize their participants or include a comparison group. Such measures — \u003ca href=\"https://himmelfarb.gwu.edu/tutorials/studydesign101/rcts.cfm\">randomized controlled trials\u003c/a> — are the gold standard for medical research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is reassuring that we can get randomized trials executed successfully and rapidly in the face of a pandemic,” Angus said, “and it definitely puts us on a surer footing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on these new results and related analysis, the World Health Organization on Wednesday \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Corticosteroids-2020.1\">updated its guidelines\u003c/a> for steroids. It now recommends them for severely or critically ill COVID-19 patients, such as those on a ventilator, but not for patients with milder disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>You can contact NPR science correspondent Richard Harris at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:rharris@npr.org\">\u003cem>rharris@npr.org.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Inexpensive+Steroids+Can+Save+Lives+Of+Seriously+Ill+COVID-19+Patients&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Multiple studies now confirm earlier research: Dexamethasone and hydrocortisone, drugs that reduce an immune system's overreaction, can help reduce deaths of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Three new studies strongly support using inexpensive and widely available drugs to treat people who are seriously ill with COVID-19. The drugs are steroids, and the research published Wednesday confirms they are proving to be the most effective treatment found to date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, the use of these drugs in COVID-19 was controversial. Some doctors have long used steroids to treat conditions related to COVID-19, namely \u003ca href=\"https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/sepsis.aspx\">sepsis\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/ards\">acute respiratory distress syndrome\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steroids help tamp down the immune system’s potentially deadly overreaction to an infection. But some doctors worried that steroids could also prevent the body from fighting off the coronavirus effectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Giving steroids to COVID-19 could have been quite scary,” \u003ca href=\"https://mirm-pitt.net/our-people/faculty-staff-bios/derek-c-angus-md-mph-frcp-fccm-fccp/\">says Dr. Derek Angus\u003c/a>, a critical care specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/06/16/878069587/early-results-show-benefit-of-steroid-for-very-sick-covid-19-patients\">a major study from the U.K\u003c/a>. found that the steroid dexamethasone was a big help. It reduced deaths significantly among the most serious cases of COVID-19 — notably people who needed ventilators or supplemental oxygen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That advance was great news, but those findings created a conundrum for Angus and other researchers who were running their own studies of steroids in COVID-19 patients. It no longer felt appropriate to be giving some people steroids and others a placebo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Essentially overnight, because these findings were so striking, there was this sense among clinicians participating in other clinical trials [that] … we have to stop our trials.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So those studies all ended prematurely. Researchers from three research groups have now published the findings they had gathered in the journal \u003cem>JAMA\u003c/em>. One group is \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770276\">from France\u003c/a>, one is \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770277\">from Brazil\u003c/a>, and the third is \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770278\">an international team\u003c/a> that includes the University of Pittsburgh’s Angus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken together, the publication of these studies “represents an important step forward in the treatment of patients with COVID-19,” Drs. Hallie Prescott and Todd Rice \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770275\">wrote in a \u003cem>JAMA\u003c/em> editorial\u003c/a>. The results not only provide further support for the use of dexamethasone, they also back the use of another widely used steroid, hydrocortisone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s good news to have a strong, clear signal on what is a widely available, inexpensive class of therapies,” Angus said. He also contrasts these studies with a lot of other research on COVID-19. Many other studies, such as those involving much-hyped anti-malaria drugs, did not randomize their participants or include a comparison group. Such measures — \u003ca href=\"https://himmelfarb.gwu.edu/tutorials/studydesign101/rcts.cfm\">randomized controlled trials\u003c/a> — are the gold standard for medical research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is reassuring that we can get randomized trials executed successfully and rapidly in the face of a pandemic,” Angus said, “and it definitely puts us on a surer footing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on these new results and related analysis, the World Health Organization on Wednesday \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Corticosteroids-2020.1\">updated its guidelines\u003c/a> for steroids. It now recommends them for severely or critically ill COVID-19 patients, such as those on a ventilator, but not for patients with milder disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>You can contact NPR science correspondent Richard Harris at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:rharris@npr.org\">\u003cem>rharris@npr.org.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Inexpensive+Steroids+Can+Save+Lives+Of+Seriously+Ill+COVID-19+Patients&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Not This Year, Either: Landmark California Plastic Recycling Bill Fails Again",
"headTitle": "Not This Year, Either: Landmark California Plastic Recycling Bill Fails Again | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>For the second year in a row, the California Legislature failed to pass a bill aimed at cutting the growing amount of plastic waste in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure would have set a state goal of a 75% reduction in waste from single-use plastic packaging and products by 2032. It also would have put in place a subsequent requirement that single-use \u003cspan class=\"s2\">plastic utensils be recyclable or compostable.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">At the end of a legislative session truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers and environmental groups pushed hard for the landmark overhaul of California’s plastic recycling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Environmentalists had high hopes the state would once again lead the way in addressing a major environmental issue with passage of a first-in-the-nation plan to require plastic manufacturers take responsibility for the fate of their single-use products — many of which end up in landfills and oceans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">But despite blistering speeches on the Assembly floor Monday evening exhorting lawmakers to pass the measure, which had been wheeled and dealed over two years into a lengthy document supporters hoped would push it over the finish line, it failed to garner the required 41 votes during multiple attempts. The bill had already passed the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969132\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1084px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969132 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1084\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM.jpg 1084w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM-800x463.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM-1020x591.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM-160x93.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM-768x445.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1084px) 100vw, 1084px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, wearing a Wonder Woman mask, speaks in support of the plastics legislation: “We set out a timeline to do something, and it will never be enough for the lobbyists who believe we shouldn’t do anything.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been whipsawed on amendments from the day we introduced this,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, one of the bill’s co-authors, in an emotional speech prior to a vote. “I am tired of making the case. You either believe that plastics is a problem or you don’t. We set out a timeline to do something, and it will never be enough for the lobbyists who believe we shouldn’t do anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that this is a problem. And it’s not a white coastal problem, don’t come to me with that,” she said. “I have a brown community that is dirty as crap with your plastics. It’s dirty because there is nowhere to put them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 37-18 final tally came at midnight, the official end of the legislative session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Lawmakers had hoped to carry\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> the measure, through the \u003c/span>companion bills \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1080\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">AB 1080\u003c/span>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB54\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">SB 54\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, onto Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk at a time when much of the state remains focused on the pandemic and wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[emailsignup newslettername='science' align='right']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">A spokesperson for one of the bill’s co-sponsors, Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, said in an email that he was “extraordinarily disappointed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doug Cress, vice president of conservation at the Ocean Conservancy, said in a statement that California “missed an important opportunity to become a leader on one of the most pressing challenges facing the ocean today: plastic pollution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Last year, when the bill fell apart despite heavy grassroots support, advocates \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1948001/how-the-landmark-plastics-recycling-bill-fell-apart\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">blamed\u003c/span>\u003c/a> opposition from the industry and infighting among supporters over late amendments added by the Newsom administration. After the bill failed, the administration expressed its support for coming back with another attempt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers narrowed the legislation to apply to single-use plastic products as opposed to those made of all materials. Expressing optimism that the bill would pass, Geoff Shester, campaign director for the environmental nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://oceana.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Oceana\u003c/span>\u003c/a>,\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> \u003c/span>said during the final weeks of the session that supporters were engaging “in a full court press.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A coalition of industry groups opposed the plan, stating in an Aug. 14 letter to lawmakers that the legislation didn’t do enough to enhance the infrastructure required to meet the new mandates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the letter, the Plastics Industry Association, American Chemistry Council, California Chamber of Commerce and over two dozen other groups said recent amendments were “complicated and open to significant interpretation by CalRecycle thereby creating uncertainty for the regulated community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cb>Lockdown Slows Plan for Ballot Initiative\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the bill failed last year, advocates raised the prospect of a more aggressive strategy: banning single-use plastics altogether through an initiative on the November 2020 ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“The opponents of the legislation will regret rejecting the deal that was offered this year,” Shester said after the measure’s failure in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Recology, a San Francisco-based waste management company, put $1 million behind the ballot effort.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">But those plans were thrown into disarray by the state’s coronavirus lockdown, according to \u003cspan class=\"s2\">Eric Potashner, director of strategic affairs for Recology.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Newsom issued a statewide shelter-in-place order last March, signature-gathering ground to a halt, still 150,000 names short of the roughly 620,000 needed to qualify for the November election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We slowly ramped it back up, but we missed the deadline for this year,” Potashner said. “We submitted this month, and we feel very confident that we have more than enough to qualify for the November 2022 election.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblywoman Gonzalez warned members before the vote that passage of the bill was their chance to “have a hand in what this looks like” instead of allowing “other people to do it for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to remind folks that we can act or we can wait for a proposition to be put on the ballot and pass, because it will pass,” she said.\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Recycled Bottle Bill Passes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists could at least take heart in the passage of another recycling bill, which is on its way to the governor after lawmakers approved it on Sunday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The legislation, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB793\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">AB 793\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, requires manufacturers in California to incorporate recycled plastic into new bottles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A similar version of that bill passed both state houses last year by wide margins but was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11779913/california-governor-vetoes-recycled-plastic-bottle-bill-citing-burdensome-amendments\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">vetoed\u003c/span>\u003c/a> by Newsom, who opposed one of the amendments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“The time has come for shared responsibility,” said co-sponsor Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, in a statement. “Our environment suffers when companies keep making new plastic every time they need a drink container. They need to reuse what they’ve already made. If we don’t make this shift, we will have more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If signed by Newsom, California will mandate plastic beverage bottles used for soda, water and juice contain at least 50% recycled material by the year 2030, a goal that Ting’s office says would be the most ambitious in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Lot of Plastic\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legislative activity around plastic pollution comes amid a growing awareness of the scope of the problem, which is exacerbated by the material’s extreme durability. A plastic coffee lid used by\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> a \u003c/span>consumer for only the half hour it takes to drink a latte can end up in the ocean, where it will break down into little bits of microplastic, taking hundreds of even thousands of years to decompose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Less than 15% of California’s single-use plastic is recycled, according to the bill’s authors. Until recently, California shipped its recyclables oversees, but the market for the state’s soiled plastic has disappeared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Researchers last year found that Monterey Bay is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1943007/the-new-pollution-monterey-bay-is-swimming-in-microplastic\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">full\u003c/span>\u003c/a> of these confetti-sized-or-smaller plastic scraps, and Lake Tahoe has a similar problem. The average person in the U.S. ingests between 74,000 and 121,000 particles of plastic in food and beverages each year, according to one \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1943187/there-may-be-way-more-plastic-in-your-diet-than-you-thought\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">study. \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, plastic containers and packaging accounted for 14 million tons of waste in 2017, more than any other municipal waste category.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Plastic waste in oceans kills a million seabirds and 100,000 dolphins every year, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/ioc-oceans/focus-areas/rio-20-ocean/blueprint-for-the-future-we-want/marine-pollution/facts-and-figures-on-marine-pollution/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">United Nations\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem will probably only get worse: A UC Santa Barbara \u003ca href=\"https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782.full\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">study\u003c/span>\u003c/a> conducted in 2017 found that half of all the plastic ever produced was manufactured in the previous 13 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The measure would have set a state goal of reducing waste from single-use plastic packaging and products by 75% by 2032, as well as put in place a requirement that single-use plastic utensils be recyclable or compostable.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For the second year in a row, the California Legislature failed to pass a bill aimed at cutting the growing amount of plastic waste in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure would have set a state goal of a 75% reduction in waste from single-use plastic packaging and products by 2032. It also would have put in place a subsequent requirement that single-use \u003cspan class=\"s2\">plastic utensils be recyclable or compostable.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">At the end of a legislative session truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers and environmental groups pushed hard for the landmark overhaul of California’s plastic recycling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Environmentalists had high hopes the state would once again lead the way in addressing a major environmental issue with passage of a first-in-the-nation plan to require plastic manufacturers take responsibility for the fate of their single-use products — many of which end up in landfills and oceans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">But despite blistering speeches on the Assembly floor Monday evening exhorting lawmakers to pass the measure, which had been wheeled and dealed over two years into a lengthy document supporters hoped would push it over the finish line, it failed to garner the required 41 votes during multiple attempts. The bill had already passed the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969132\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1084px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969132 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1084\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM.jpg 1084w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM-800x463.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM-1020x591.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM-160x93.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Image-8-31-20-at-5.26-PM-768x445.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1084px) 100vw, 1084px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, wearing a Wonder Woman mask, speaks in support of the plastics legislation: “We set out a timeline to do something, and it will never be enough for the lobbyists who believe we shouldn’t do anything.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been whipsawed on amendments from the day we introduced this,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, one of the bill’s co-authors, in an emotional speech prior to a vote. “I am tired of making the case. You either believe that plastics is a problem or you don’t. We set out a timeline to do something, and it will never be enough for the lobbyists who believe we shouldn’t do anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that this is a problem. And it’s not a white coastal problem, don’t come to me with that,” she said. “I have a brown community that is dirty as crap with your plastics. It’s dirty because there is nowhere to put them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 37-18 final tally came at midnight, the official end of the legislative session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Lawmakers had hoped to carry\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> the measure, through the \u003c/span>companion bills \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1080\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">AB 1080\u003c/span>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB54\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">SB 54\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, onto Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk at a time when much of the state remains focused on the pandemic and wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">A spokesperson for one of the bill’s co-sponsors, Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, said in an email that he was “extraordinarily disappointed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doug Cress, vice president of conservation at the Ocean Conservancy, said in a statement that California “missed an important opportunity to become a leader on one of the most pressing challenges facing the ocean today: plastic pollution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Last year, when the bill fell apart despite heavy grassroots support, advocates \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1948001/how-the-landmark-plastics-recycling-bill-fell-apart\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">blamed\u003c/span>\u003c/a> opposition from the industry and infighting among supporters over late amendments added by the Newsom administration. After the bill failed, the administration expressed its support for coming back with another attempt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers narrowed the legislation to apply to single-use plastic products as opposed to those made of all materials. Expressing optimism that the bill would pass, Geoff Shester, campaign director for the environmental nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://oceana.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Oceana\u003c/span>\u003c/a>,\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> \u003c/span>said during the final weeks of the session that supporters were engaging “in a full court press.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A coalition of industry groups opposed the plan, stating in an Aug. 14 letter to lawmakers that the legislation didn’t do enough to enhance the infrastructure required to meet the new mandates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the letter, the Plastics Industry Association, American Chemistry Council, California Chamber of Commerce and over two dozen other groups said recent amendments were “complicated and open to significant interpretation by CalRecycle thereby creating uncertainty for the regulated community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cb>Lockdown Slows Plan for Ballot Initiative\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the bill failed last year, advocates raised the prospect of a more aggressive strategy: banning single-use plastics altogether through an initiative on the November 2020 ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“The opponents of the legislation will regret rejecting the deal that was offered this year,” Shester said after the measure’s failure in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Recology, a San Francisco-based waste management company, put $1 million behind the ballot effort.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">But those plans were thrown into disarray by the state’s coronavirus lockdown, according to \u003cspan class=\"s2\">Eric Potashner, director of strategic affairs for Recology.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Newsom issued a statewide shelter-in-place order last March, signature-gathering ground to a halt, still 150,000 names short of the roughly 620,000 needed to qualify for the November election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We slowly ramped it back up, but we missed the deadline for this year,” Potashner said. “We submitted this month, and we feel very confident that we have more than enough to qualify for the November 2022 election.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblywoman Gonzalez warned members before the vote that passage of the bill was their chance to “have a hand in what this looks like” instead of allowing “other people to do it for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to remind folks that we can act or we can wait for a proposition to be put on the ballot and pass, because it will pass,” she said.\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Recycled Bottle Bill Passes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists could at least take heart in the passage of another recycling bill, which is on its way to the governor after lawmakers approved it on Sunday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The legislation, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB793\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">AB 793\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, requires manufacturers in California to incorporate recycled plastic into new bottles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A similar version of that bill passed both state houses last year by wide margins but was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11779913/california-governor-vetoes-recycled-plastic-bottle-bill-citing-burdensome-amendments\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">vetoed\u003c/span>\u003c/a> by Newsom, who opposed one of the amendments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“The time has come for shared responsibility,” said co-sponsor Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, in a statement. “Our environment suffers when companies keep making new plastic every time they need a drink container. They need to reuse what they’ve already made. If we don’t make this shift, we will have more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If signed by Newsom, California will mandate plastic beverage bottles used for soda, water and juice contain at least 50% recycled material by the year 2030, a goal that Ting’s office says would be the most ambitious in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Lot of Plastic\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legislative activity around plastic pollution comes amid a growing awareness of the scope of the problem, which is exacerbated by the material’s extreme durability. A plastic coffee lid used by\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> a \u003c/span>consumer for only the half hour it takes to drink a latte can end up in the ocean, where it will break down into little bits of microplastic, taking hundreds of even thousands of years to decompose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Less than 15% of California’s single-use plastic is recycled, according to the bill’s authors. Until recently, California shipped its recyclables oversees, but the market for the state’s soiled plastic has disappeared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Researchers last year found that Monterey Bay is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1943007/the-new-pollution-monterey-bay-is-swimming-in-microplastic\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">full\u003c/span>\u003c/a> of these confetti-sized-or-smaller plastic scraps, and Lake Tahoe has a similar problem. The average person in the U.S. ingests between 74,000 and 121,000 particles of plastic in food and beverages each year, according to one \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1943187/there-may-be-way-more-plastic-in-your-diet-than-you-thought\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">study. \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, plastic containers and packaging accounted for 14 million tons of waste in 2017, more than any other municipal waste category.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Plastic waste in oceans kills a million seabirds and 100,000 dolphins every year, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/ioc-oceans/focus-areas/rio-20-ocean/blueprint-for-the-future-we-want/marine-pollution/facts-and-figures-on-marine-pollution/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">United Nations\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem will probably only get worse: A UC Santa Barbara \u003ca href=\"https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782.full\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">study\u003c/span>\u003c/a> conducted in 2017 found that half of all the plastic ever produced was manufactured in the previous 13 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Scientists Look to Convalescent Plasma, Antibody Cloning as Possible COVID Cures",
"headTitle": "Scientists Look to Convalescent Plasma, Antibody Cloning as Possible COVID Cures | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">Since early in the pandemic, scientists have said antibodies that the immune system makes to fight the coronavirus could be crucial in finding a cure for COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969056\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1969056\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-1020x1360.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">UCSF expects results from a placebo-controlled trial using COVID-19 convalescent plasma by the end of 2020. \u003ccite>(Dr. Ashok Nambiar/UCSF)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The FDA recently authorized one of these treatments — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968824/qa-is-convalescent-plasma-therapy-safe-and-effective-as-a-covid-19-treatment\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">convalescent plasma,\u003c/span>\u003c/a> in which the antibody-rich portion of blood donated by recovered COVID-19 patients is given to people hospitalized with the disease. But the \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/23/plasma-treatment-coronavirus-fda-trump-400390\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">approval\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, which came soon after President Donald Trump \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/19/trump-coronavirus-plasma-therapy-398801\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">accused\u003c/span>\u003c/a> the agency of moving too slowly on the treatment for political reasons, has prompted pushback from some in the scientific community, who say more research is needed to determine if and how plasma can be effective against COVID-19. Meanwhile, research on another therapy, involving antibodies cloned in the lab, is just getting underway in human subjects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cb>‘Liquid Gold’\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Plasma, sometimes called “liquid gold” by doctors for its yellow hue and potential therapeutic value, is made by spinning blood to separate antibodies and other proteins from red blood cells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The use of convalescent plasma in medicine dates back \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4781783/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">more than a hundred years\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“We’ve used it in infectious diseases from polio to influenza, ebola, etc.,” said UCSF professor of medicine Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Chin-Hong, whose team is running a COVID-19 convalescent plasma trial, says that while the treatment is considered relatively low-risk, the FDA’s authorization is too hasty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“The main reason why it’s the wrong time is that we just don’t have enough data yet to say if it works,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Early results from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.29.20162917v2\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Mayo Clinic study\u003c/span>\u003c/a> suggest convalescent plasma may reduce COVID-19 mortality rates. But the study, which is available as a non-peer-reviewed preprint, wasn’t placebo-controlled, and Chin-Hong says results from rigorous clinical trials with COVID-19 convalescent plasma have yet to be published.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p4\">\u003ci>“\u003c/i>I think plasma is a great potential intervention,” he said. “I just don’t know where it works best.\u003ci>”\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-issues-emergency-use-authorization-convalescent-plasma-potential-promising-covid-19-treatment\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">FDA’s authorization\u003c/span>\u003c/a> limits plasma treatment to hospitalized patients, and much of the early application for research purposes has focused on the most severe cases. But Chin-Hong says convelescent plasma may work better early on, before the disease has a chance to progress and patients get seriously ill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Dr. James Zehnder, director of clinical pathology at Stanford, agrees that the jury is still out on whether plasma can treat the sickest COVID-19 patients. In looking at the natural patterns of how infected patients make antibodies, he says, researchers have seen the most robust antibody response from those who have severe, potentially life-threatening inflammation. In contrast, those who have milder illness tend to have a weaker antibody response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p4\">\u003ci>“\u003c/i>So one question is that if the really sick patients are already making really high levels of antibodies,” Zehnder said, “how does infusing more antibodies help?\u003ci>”\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p4\">Results from placebo-controlled trials, Zehnder says, are the gold standard for clinical research, and they will be key in answering questions surrounding COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Dr. Stuart Cohen, chief of infectious diseases at UC Davis,\u003ci> \u003c/i>worries that a broad rollout of the treatment in the wake of the FDA authorization could jeopardize that research by stifling enrollment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“If I tell you, you can be on this clinical trial where you could get a placebo and then they say, ‘Well, I saw that this is available already, why don’t you just give it to me?’” Cohen said, “that sort of finishes off any real ability to determine whether this really works or not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">While he acknowledges doctors are desperate for more tools to try to fight COVID-19, Cohen cautions that the supply of convalescent plasma, which has mostly kept up with the demand for research studies, could be depleted as a result of the FDA authorization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">If doctors all of sudden begin prescribing the drug liberally, Chin-Hong adds, “it may mean that the patients who need it the most may not get it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cb>Cloning Antibodies in the Lab\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Convalescent plasma isn’t the only way researchers are using antibodies from the blood of recovered patients to develop COVID-19 treatments. Scientists are also working to manufacture antibodies in the lab.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“What you can do is you can go into that person who’s a survivor and find the most potent antibody in that person, clone it and then give it to millions of people,” said Dr. Phil Pang, chief medical officer at San Francisco-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.vir.bio/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Vir Biotechnology\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">These “\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284445/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">monoclonal antibodies\u003c/span>\u003c/a>,” Pang says, are made by cloning the powerful, neutralizing antibodies that prevent the coronavirus from invading healthy cells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The FDA first approved this type of treatment in the 1980s. Doctors have used them mainly to help treat cancer patients and people with autoimmune conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Unlike convalescent plasma, Pang says, the supply of monoclonal antibodies isn’t dependent on blood donations and can be scaled up to potentially reach more people. The proteins are typically replicated in the lab using cell lines from hamsters or mice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“The antibody manufacturing process is now a very well-defined process,” Pang said. “I would say it’s akin to the way in which we can go about manufacturing cars.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Pang says one of the antibodies Vir has cloned has been shown to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in a lab. The finding was supported by an \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2349-y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">article\u003c/a> \u003cspan class=\"s1\">published in \u003ci>Nature\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003ci> \u003c/i>in May.\u003cb> \u003c/b>The company recently launched a randomized trial to see if giving a single injection to newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients can help stop the illness from progressing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The treatment may eventually be able to prevent infection in front-line workers and other at-risk populations exposed to the coronavirus, acting like a short-term vaccine, Pang says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“A\u003ci> \u003c/i>vaccine works by giving a person to, say, a fragment of a viral protein and hoping that their immune system creates antibodies,” Pang said. “In this case, what we’re saying is let’s just give them the immune response we know or believe will be protective\u003ci>.\u003c/i>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/clinical-trials-monoclonal-antibodies-prevent-covid-19-now-enrolling\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">NIH\u003c/span>\u003c/a> and a host of drug companies, including Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly, are testing their own COVID-19 monoclonal antibody candidates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Preliminary results from both Vir’s monoclonal antibody study and UCSF’s convalescent plasma research are expected by the end of 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">Since early in the pandemic, scientists have said antibodies that the immune system makes to fight the coronavirus could be crucial in finding a cure for COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969056\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1969056\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-1020x1360.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/COVID-Plasma2-scaled-e1598660843288.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">UCSF expects results from a placebo-controlled trial using COVID-19 convalescent plasma by the end of 2020. \u003ccite>(Dr. Ashok Nambiar/UCSF)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The FDA recently authorized one of these treatments — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968824/qa-is-convalescent-plasma-therapy-safe-and-effective-as-a-covid-19-treatment\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">convalescent plasma,\u003c/span>\u003c/a> in which the antibody-rich portion of blood donated by recovered COVID-19 patients is given to people hospitalized with the disease. But the \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/23/plasma-treatment-coronavirus-fda-trump-400390\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">approval\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, which came soon after President Donald Trump \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/19/trump-coronavirus-plasma-therapy-398801\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">accused\u003c/span>\u003c/a> the agency of moving too slowly on the treatment for political reasons, has prompted pushback from some in the scientific community, who say more research is needed to determine if and how plasma can be effective against COVID-19. Meanwhile, research on another therapy, involving antibodies cloned in the lab, is just getting underway in human subjects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cb>‘Liquid Gold’\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Plasma, sometimes called “liquid gold” by doctors for its yellow hue and potential therapeutic value, is made by spinning blood to separate antibodies and other proteins from red blood cells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The use of convalescent plasma in medicine dates back \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4781783/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">more than a hundred years\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“We’ve used it in infectious diseases from polio to influenza, ebola, etc.,” said UCSF professor of medicine Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Chin-Hong, whose team is running a COVID-19 convalescent plasma trial, says that while the treatment is considered relatively low-risk, the FDA’s authorization is too hasty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“The main reason why it’s the wrong time is that we just don’t have enough data yet to say if it works,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Early results from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.29.20162917v2\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Mayo Clinic study\u003c/span>\u003c/a> suggest convalescent plasma may reduce COVID-19 mortality rates. But the study, which is available as a non-peer-reviewed preprint, wasn’t placebo-controlled, and Chin-Hong says results from rigorous clinical trials with COVID-19 convalescent plasma have yet to be published.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p4\">\u003ci>“\u003c/i>I think plasma is a great potential intervention,” he said. “I just don’t know where it works best.\u003ci>”\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-issues-emergency-use-authorization-convalescent-plasma-potential-promising-covid-19-treatment\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">FDA’s authorization\u003c/span>\u003c/a> limits plasma treatment to hospitalized patients, and much of the early application for research purposes has focused on the most severe cases. But Chin-Hong says convelescent plasma may work better early on, before the disease has a chance to progress and patients get seriously ill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Dr. James Zehnder, director of clinical pathology at Stanford, agrees that the jury is still out on whether plasma can treat the sickest COVID-19 patients. In looking at the natural patterns of how infected patients make antibodies, he says, researchers have seen the most robust antibody response from those who have severe, potentially life-threatening inflammation. In contrast, those who have milder illness tend to have a weaker antibody response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p4\">\u003ci>“\u003c/i>So one question is that if the really sick patients are already making really high levels of antibodies,” Zehnder said, “how does infusing more antibodies help?\u003ci>”\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p4\">Results from placebo-controlled trials, Zehnder says, are the gold standard for clinical research, and they will be key in answering questions surrounding COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Dr. Stuart Cohen, chief of infectious diseases at UC Davis,\u003ci> \u003c/i>worries that a broad rollout of the treatment in the wake of the FDA authorization could jeopardize that research by stifling enrollment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“If I tell you, you can be on this clinical trial where you could get a placebo and then they say, ‘Well, I saw that this is available already, why don’t you just give it to me?’” Cohen said, “that sort of finishes off any real ability to determine whether this really works or not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">While he acknowledges doctors are desperate for more tools to try to fight COVID-19, Cohen cautions that the supply of convalescent plasma, which has mostly kept up with the demand for research studies, could be depleted as a result of the FDA authorization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">If doctors all of sudden begin prescribing the drug liberally, Chin-Hong adds, “it may mean that the patients who need it the most may not get it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cb>Cloning Antibodies in the Lab\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Convalescent plasma isn’t the only way researchers are using antibodies from the blood of recovered patients to develop COVID-19 treatments. Scientists are also working to manufacture antibodies in the lab.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“What you can do is you can go into that person who’s a survivor and find the most potent antibody in that person, clone it and then give it to millions of people,” said Dr. Phil Pang, chief medical officer at San Francisco-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.vir.bio/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Vir Biotechnology\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">These “\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284445/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">monoclonal antibodies\u003c/span>\u003c/a>,” Pang says, are made by cloning the powerful, neutralizing antibodies that prevent the coronavirus from invading healthy cells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The FDA first approved this type of treatment in the 1980s. Doctors have used them mainly to help treat cancer patients and people with autoimmune conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Unlike convalescent plasma, Pang says, the supply of monoclonal antibodies isn’t dependent on blood donations and can be scaled up to potentially reach more people. The proteins are typically replicated in the lab using cell lines from hamsters or mice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“The antibody manufacturing process is now a very well-defined process,” Pang said. “I would say it’s akin to the way in which we can go about manufacturing cars.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Pang says one of the antibodies Vir has cloned has been shown to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in a lab. The finding was supported by an \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2349-y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">article\u003c/a> \u003cspan class=\"s1\">published in \u003ci>Nature\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003ci> \u003c/i>in May.\u003cb> \u003c/b>The company recently launched a randomized trial to see if giving a single injection to newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients can help stop the illness from progressing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The treatment may eventually be able to prevent infection in front-line workers and other at-risk populations exposed to the coronavirus, acting like a short-term vaccine, Pang says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">“A\u003ci> \u003c/i>vaccine works by giving a person to, say, a fragment of a viral protein and hoping that their immune system creates antibodies,” Pang said. “In this case, what we’re saying is let’s just give them the immune response we know or believe will be protective\u003ci>.\u003c/i>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/clinical-trials-monoclonal-antibodies-prevent-covid-19-now-enrolling\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">NIH\u003c/span>\u003c/a> and a host of drug companies, including Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly, are testing their own COVID-19 monoclonal antibody candidates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p3\">Preliminary results from both Vir’s monoclonal antibody study and UCSF’s convalescent plasma research are expected by the end of 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Don't Worry About the Redwoods. They're Hella Tough",
"headTitle": "Don’t Worry About the Redwoods. They’re Hella Tough | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>While Californians have been coping with massive wildfires, filthy air, extreme heat and a deadly pandemic, fire damage incurred by old-growth trees in Big Basin Redwoods State Park has hit a particular nerve, especially with \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/us/california-fires-big-basin-redwoods.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">those\u003c/a> who have once stood gazing skyward at these majestic icons of California’s natural splendor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But don’t mourn too hard. Most of the ancient trees, some of them 2,000 years old, have survived, in \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/efa48694b12c74a9700b03dbe3ffde30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Big Basin\u003c/a> as well as in \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Firefighters-save-1-400-year-old-redwood-at-15515268.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve\u003c/a>. And redwoods, well, they are \u003cem>tough\u003c/em>. KQED recently spoke with \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://fwr.humboldt.edu/people/jeffrey-kane\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeffrey Kane\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>, associate professor of Fire Ecology and Fuels Management at Humboldt State University, about the species’ resilience after a wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How does fire actually affect redwoods?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Jeffrey Kane\u003c/em>:\u003c/strong> I’m struggling to think of a species as resistant and resilient as redwood. I always tell students, redwoods have belts and suspenders: They can deal with a lot of fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]‘It is really hard to kill a redwood with fire. It can be done. But it’s pretty remarkable.’[/pullquote]They have one of the thickest barks of any tree species. For conifers, they have this unique ability to resprout both from the base and from the entire bowl and crown of the tree. So it is really hard to kill a redwood with fire. It can be done, but it’s pretty remarkable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fires provide a lot of benefits, too. They clean the understory. [The trees and plants that grow beneath a forest canopy.] They can help maintain the ecosystem composition. I went to look at the site of a fire in a redwood forest in Oregon; we saw lots of dead Douglas fir and also large redwoods resprouting. In the absence of fire, you get other species that come in, which start to become more common and compete with redwoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What would it take to kill a large redwood?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ve probably seen those big basal hollows, where fire gets inside the base of the tree and burns on up. I’ve actually been inside redwoods where you can see all the way up to a pinpoint of light at the top. And yet that tree is still alive. So they’re even pretty tolerant of that. Most of that wood in there is nonfunctioning, more structural. But if enough of that burns out, it can reduce the structural integrity of the tree, and then it may fall over because it doesn’t have enough strength to support its weight, or it may blow over in a windstorm. That happens in the absence of fire as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969023\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Burnt-Redwoods-California-Fire-scaled-e1598563219379.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969023 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Burnt-Redwoods-California-Fire-scaled-e1598563219379.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Children’s Forest grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, photographed in 2018, shows its recovery from the 2003 Canoe Fire. \u003ccite>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/132993563@N08/\">John Harvey\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Historically, how many fires have burned through old growth redwoods?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have lots of good data on this from tree-ring scars throughout the redwood range. It can be as frequent as every two years, but on average, most redwood forests have burned once every nine to 25 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the life of a tree, that can be hundreds of fires. Since redwoods occur in the coastal fog belt for the most part, the belief among researchers is that there must have been a large contribution of Native American burning to promote that frequent of a fire regime. But as we’ve seen, lightning can spark fires, and that’s also part of the story. It could also have been that fires started in the drier interior before moving west into some redwood forests, especially during big wind events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Might the forests be looking green and healthy again soon?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, definitely by next spring. I’ve seen them start to sprout just months after a fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unless a large redwood topples, it’s going to sprout even from the base. I mean, it’s unlikely that a fire would be intense enough to kill all the growing tissues that are in the soil and the root ball. So you’re going to have very rapid regeneration from asexual reproduction, which is the resprouts. And that’s assuming that the aboveground tree dies, which again is kind of rare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other thing is if you go to a redwood forest and try to find a little seedling, you would be hard-pressed to find one, because they need bare mineral soil in order to germinate from seed [which are conditions created by fire]. So after a fire, you will get prolific regeneration from seed, where you probably wouldn’t otherwise see it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11835202/the-tallest-survivors\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1969043\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-1020x2119.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"997\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-1020x2119.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-800x1662.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-160x332.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-768x1596.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-739x1536.png 739w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-986x2048.png 986w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "While Californians have been coping with massive wildfires, filthy air and a pandemic, fire damage incurred by old-growth redwood trees has hit a particular nerve. But don't stress -- redwoods are able to absorb the blow to sprout another day. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>While Californians have been coping with massive wildfires, filthy air, extreme heat and a deadly pandemic, fire damage incurred by old-growth trees in Big Basin Redwoods State Park has hit a particular nerve, especially with \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/us/california-fires-big-basin-redwoods.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">those\u003c/a> who have once stood gazing skyward at these majestic icons of California’s natural splendor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But don’t mourn too hard. Most of the ancient trees, some of them 2,000 years old, have survived, in \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/efa48694b12c74a9700b03dbe3ffde30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Big Basin\u003c/a> as well as in \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Firefighters-save-1-400-year-old-redwood-at-15515268.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve\u003c/a>. And redwoods, well, they are \u003cem>tough\u003c/em>. KQED recently spoke with \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://fwr.humboldt.edu/people/jeffrey-kane\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeffrey Kane\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>, associate professor of Fire Ecology and Fuels Management at Humboldt State University, about the species’ resilience after a wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How does fire actually affect redwoods?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Jeffrey Kane\u003c/em>:\u003c/strong> I’m struggling to think of a species as resistant and resilient as redwood. I always tell students, redwoods have belts and suspenders: They can deal with a lot of fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>They have one of the thickest barks of any tree species. For conifers, they have this unique ability to resprout both from the base and from the entire bowl and crown of the tree. So it is really hard to kill a redwood with fire. It can be done, but it’s pretty remarkable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fires provide a lot of benefits, too. They clean the understory. [The trees and plants that grow beneath a forest canopy.] They can help maintain the ecosystem composition. I went to look at the site of a fire in a redwood forest in Oregon; we saw lots of dead Douglas fir and also large redwoods resprouting. In the absence of fire, you get other species that come in, which start to become more common and compete with redwoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What would it take to kill a large redwood?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ve probably seen those big basal hollows, where fire gets inside the base of the tree and burns on up. I’ve actually been inside redwoods where you can see all the way up to a pinpoint of light at the top. And yet that tree is still alive. So they’re even pretty tolerant of that. Most of that wood in there is nonfunctioning, more structural. But if enough of that burns out, it can reduce the structural integrity of the tree, and then it may fall over because it doesn’t have enough strength to support its weight, or it may blow over in a windstorm. That happens in the absence of fire as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969023\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Burnt-Redwoods-California-Fire-scaled-e1598563219379.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969023 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/Burnt-Redwoods-California-Fire-scaled-e1598563219379.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Children’s Forest grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, photographed in 2018, shows its recovery from the 2003 Canoe Fire. \u003ccite>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/132993563@N08/\">John Harvey\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Historically, how many fires have burned through old growth redwoods?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have lots of good data on this from tree-ring scars throughout the redwood range. It can be as frequent as every two years, but on average, most redwood forests have burned once every nine to 25 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the life of a tree, that can be hundreds of fires. Since redwoods occur in the coastal fog belt for the most part, the belief among researchers is that there must have been a large contribution of Native American burning to promote that frequent of a fire regime. But as we’ve seen, lightning can spark fires, and that’s also part of the story. It could also have been that fires started in the drier interior before moving west into some redwood forests, especially during big wind events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Might the forests be looking green and healthy again soon?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, definitely by next spring. I’ve seen them start to sprout just months after a fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unless a large redwood topples, it’s going to sprout even from the base. I mean, it’s unlikely that a fire would be intense enough to kill all the growing tissues that are in the soil and the root ball. So you’re going to have very rapid regeneration from asexual reproduction, which is the resprouts. And that’s assuming that the aboveground tree dies, which again is kind of rare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other thing is if you go to a redwood forest and try to find a little seedling, you would be hard-pressed to find one, because they need bare mineral soil in order to germinate from seed [which are conditions created by fire]. So after a fire, you will get prolific regeneration from seed, where you probably wouldn’t otherwise see it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11835202/the-tallest-survivors\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1969043\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-1020x2119.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"997\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-1020x2119.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-800x1662.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-160x332.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-768x1596.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-739x1536.png 739w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore-986x2048.png 986w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2029/08/bigbasin-redwood-trees-fiore.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>When the smoke clouds from the 2017 Northern California fires engulfed the Bay Area, Lil Milagro Henriquez found herself wrestling with one question:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What can we teach young people about how to prepare for both our current reality, which is forest fires, as well as the escalating level of climate-related disasters that are guaranteed to come?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN AIR PURIFIER\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Materials:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>A new, 20″ box fan (the cord should come out of the bottom, not the center)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A 20″ x 20″ MERV 12 or 13 furnace/HVAC filter\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Heavy-duty tape (clear plastic or duct tape)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Steps:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Place the MERV filter on the back of the fan (the filter can be put on the front too, but it could stress the motor, experts say).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Make sure the filter is facing the correct direction for air to flow through.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Tape around the edges, making a seal between the box fan and the filter.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Cost: roughly $50[/pullquote]Her answer: founding the educational nonprofit\u003ca href=\"https://www.myceliumyouthnetwork.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Mycelium Youth Network\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The organization’s goal is to prepare Bay Area youth for the challenges they face on a warming planet, providing them with the tools they need to cope with climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Mycelium works with all youth, Henriquez says, it prioritizes serving young people on the front lines. “Largely youth of color that are coming from low-income communities that are already under-resourced, already going through difficult environmental issues like water pollution or air pollution,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent sputtering economy have thrown deep societal inequities into stark relief, it’s clear that a disparity exists around resources to mitigate the effects of climate change and air pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As smoke once again blankets the Bay Area due to wildfires, those with wealth and connections may be able to flee to vacation homes, shelter with relatives, or outfit their homes with multiple air purifiers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henriquez’s work targets people without those options. Mycelium Youth Network educators work in a handful of Oakland and San Francisco schools, teaching classes on confronting the climate crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the courses is “Clean Air is a Right,” in which students receive instruction on how to make their own air purifiers out of a new box fan, a furnace/HVAC filter and tape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These materials cost around $50; that’s less than you’d pay for commercial air purifiers, which can cost up to hundreds of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But are these homemade purifiers effective?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It works,” said \u003ca href=\"https://cires.colorado.edu/council-fellows/jose-luis-jimenez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jose-Luis Jimenez\u003c/a>, a professor of chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder. He said the makeshift devices are “not rocket science,” and he’s been looking into how \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-diy-an-air-purifier/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Do-It-Yourself purifiers\u003c/a> can help filter air from both COVID-19 and wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He points to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132317305498?via%3Dihub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">peer-reviewed study\u003c/a> out of Singapore, which found similar DIY air filters removing around 75% of particulate matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The purifiers in that study pulled air from outside, something doctors and scientists recommend avoiding when thick wildfire smoke infiltrates indoors. Instead, they say, it’s better to keep the windows closed and to focus on cleaning the air that’s already in your home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also more effective to clean the air in a limited area, says \u003ca href=\"https://wcec.ucdavis.edu/about/directory/theresa-pistochini/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Theresa Pistochini\u003c/a>, engineering manager at the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Institute and Western Cooling Efficiency Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You want a smaller, enclosed space,” she said. “Like a bedroom that you’re trying to drop the smoke levels in. I mean, when it was really bad, a couple of us were sleeping in one room that we could manage to filter better,” she said, referring to her experience during the 2018 Camp Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jimenez and Pistochini both said that if you do make and use a DIY air purifier, there are a few things to keep in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Use a MERV 12 or 13 filter.\u003c/strong> “It matters what filters you use,” Jimenez said. While HEPA filters are the strongest, their thickness may cause the box fan to overheat or fail. On the other hand, you don’t want anything too flimsy, Jimenez says. “The MERV 13 is like a sweet spot in between. That’s a pretty good filter. But it doesn’t make that fan work so hard.” Placing the filter on the back of the fan reduces the filtration a little, but experts who have tested it say placing the filter on the front of the fan can tax the motor more.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Don’t leave the DIY purifier unattended.\u003c/strong> Jimenez and Pistochini both warn it could be a fire hazard if the fan gets too hot. Holmes, a make of box fans, says “Any other use not recommended by the manufacturer may cause fire, electric shock, or injury to persons.”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Place the DIY purifier in the middle of the room.\u003c/strong> You’ll want to keep it at a height midway between the floor and the ceiling, according to Jimenez.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Don’t expect the DIY purifier to last too long: \u003c/strong> They’re meant as a short-term solution, for a few months or so. “You can use the filter until it’s visibly obstructed with smoke/dirt and then replace [it],” Pistochini said.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Consult a doctor\u003c/strong> if you have lung or breathing challenges that may require more protection than what the DIY air purifier can provide.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Does having to create makeshift air purifiers sound a little bleak? Maybe. But Lil Milagro Henriquez of Mycelium Youth Network has a different perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more that we can do now, knowing what is coming, the better young people could actually be prepared,” she said. “They can then take that information and that knowledge and do what young people do best, which is be creative, be visionary, be innovative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968882\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1968882 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/IMG_5296.jpg\" alt=\"An image publicizing Mycelium Youth Network's free online tutorial in how to make your own air purifier.\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/IMG_5296.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/IMG_5296-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image publicizing Mycelium Youth Network’s free online tutorial in how to make your own air purifier. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Lil Milagro Henriquez/Mycelium Youth Network)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN AIR PURIFIER\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Materials:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>A new, 20″ box fan (the cord should come out of the bottom, not the center)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A 20″ x 20″ MERV 12 or 13 furnace/HVAC filter\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Heavy-duty tape (clear plastic or duct tape)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Steps:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Place the MERV filter on the back of the fan (the filter can be put on the front too, but it could stress the motor, experts say).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Make sure the filter is facing the correct direction for air to flow through.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Tape around the edges, making a seal between the box fan and the filter.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Cost: roughly $50",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Her answer: founding the educational nonprofit\u003ca href=\"https://www.myceliumyouthnetwork.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Mycelium Youth Network\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The organization’s goal is to prepare Bay Area youth for the challenges they face on a warming planet, providing them with the tools they need to cope with climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Mycelium works with all youth, Henriquez says, it prioritizes serving young people on the front lines. “Largely youth of color that are coming from low-income communities that are already under-resourced, already going through difficult environmental issues like water pollution or air pollution,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent sputtering economy have thrown deep societal inequities into stark relief, it’s clear that a disparity exists around resources to mitigate the effects of climate change and air pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As smoke once again blankets the Bay Area due to wildfires, those with wealth and connections may be able to flee to vacation homes, shelter with relatives, or outfit their homes with multiple air purifiers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henriquez’s work targets people without those options. Mycelium Youth Network educators work in a handful of Oakland and San Francisco schools, teaching classes on confronting the climate crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the courses is “Clean Air is a Right,” in which students receive instruction on how to make their own air purifiers out of a new box fan, a furnace/HVAC filter and tape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These materials cost around $50; that’s less than you’d pay for commercial air purifiers, which can cost up to hundreds of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But are these homemade purifiers effective?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It works,” said \u003ca href=\"https://cires.colorado.edu/council-fellows/jose-luis-jimenez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jose-Luis Jimenez\u003c/a>, a professor of chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder. He said the makeshift devices are “not rocket science,” and he’s been looking into how \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-diy-an-air-purifier/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Do-It-Yourself purifiers\u003c/a> can help filter air from both COVID-19 and wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He points to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132317305498?via%3Dihub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">peer-reviewed study\u003c/a> out of Singapore, which found similar DIY air filters removing around 75% of particulate matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The purifiers in that study pulled air from outside, something doctors and scientists recommend avoiding when thick wildfire smoke infiltrates indoors. Instead, they say, it’s better to keep the windows closed and to focus on cleaning the air that’s already in your home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also more effective to clean the air in a limited area, says \u003ca href=\"https://wcec.ucdavis.edu/about/directory/theresa-pistochini/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Theresa Pistochini\u003c/a>, engineering manager at the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Institute and Western Cooling Efficiency Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You want a smaller, enclosed space,” she said. “Like a bedroom that you’re trying to drop the smoke levels in. I mean, when it was really bad, a couple of us were sleeping in one room that we could manage to filter better,” she said, referring to her experience during the 2018 Camp Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jimenez and Pistochini both said that if you do make and use a DIY air purifier, there are a few things to keep in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Use a MERV 12 or 13 filter.\u003c/strong> “It matters what filters you use,” Jimenez said. While HEPA filters are the strongest, their thickness may cause the box fan to overheat or fail. On the other hand, you don’t want anything too flimsy, Jimenez says. “The MERV 13 is like a sweet spot in between. That’s a pretty good filter. But it doesn’t make that fan work so hard.” Placing the filter on the back of the fan reduces the filtration a little, but experts who have tested it say placing the filter on the front of the fan can tax the motor more.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Don’t leave the DIY purifier unattended.\u003c/strong> Jimenez and Pistochini both warn it could be a fire hazard if the fan gets too hot. Holmes, a make of box fans, says “Any other use not recommended by the manufacturer may cause fire, electric shock, or injury to persons.”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Place the DIY purifier in the middle of the room.\u003c/strong> You’ll want to keep it at a height midway between the floor and the ceiling, according to Jimenez.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Don’t expect the DIY purifier to last too long: \u003c/strong> They’re meant as a short-term solution, for a few months or so. “You can use the filter until it’s visibly obstructed with smoke/dirt and then replace [it],” Pistochini said.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Consult a doctor\u003c/strong> if you have lung or breathing challenges that may require more protection than what the DIY air purifier can provide.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Does having to create makeshift air purifiers sound a little bleak? Maybe. But Lil Milagro Henriquez of Mycelium Youth Network has a different perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more that we can do now, knowing what is coming, the better young people could actually be prepared,” she said. “They can then take that information and that knowledge and do what young people do best, which is be creative, be visionary, be innovative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968882\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1968882 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/IMG_5296.jpg\" alt=\"An image publicizing Mycelium Youth Network's free online tutorial in how to make your own air purifier.\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/IMG_5296.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/IMG_5296-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image publicizing Mycelium Youth Network’s free online tutorial in how to make your own air purifier. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Lil Milagro Henriquez/Mycelium Youth Network)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp style=\"text-align: left\">Since Aug. 15, hundreds of lightning-sparked fires across California have scorched an area about the size of Delaware. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES-West satellite captured this image loop on Aug. 19, showing wildfire smoke plumes billowing over the Western U.S., as a cyclone spins over the Gulf of Alaska to the north and Hurricane Genevieve, later downgraded to a tropical storm, whirls toward Baja California. \u003cem>\u003cstrong>Click on the image to open up a larger version\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ctable class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n\u003ctbody>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd class=\"aligncenter\" width=\"600\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/noaa-satellites-monitoring-massive-wildfires-and-two-cyclones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/00_NOAA_600_380.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"380\">\u003c/a>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\n\u003ctable class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n\u003ctbody>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003c/tbody>\n\u003c/table>\n\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003c/tbody>\n\u003c/table>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left\">The satellite images below show, from left to right, wildfire smoke from the CZU Lightning Complex fire near Santa Cruz; the LNU Lightning Complex near Lake Berryessa; and the SCU Lightning Complex near Heny W. Coe State Park, southeast of San Jose. The CZU and SCU images were captured on Aug. 20; the LNU image was taken on Aug. 19. The images come courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.planet.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Planet Labs Inc.\u003c/a> \u003cem>\u003cstrong>Click on each image to open up a larger version\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ctable class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n\u003ctbody>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\n\u003ctable class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n\u003ctbody>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd width=\"200\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/01_CZU_750_1335_200820-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/01_CZU_200_333_200820.jpg\" alt=\"CZU Lightning Complex\" width=\"200\" height=\"333\">\u003c/a>\u003c/td>\n\u003ctd width=\"200\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/02_LNU_750_1335_200819.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/02_LNU_200_333_200819.jpg\" alt=\"LNU Lightning Complex\" width=\"200\" height=\"333\">\u003c/a>\u003c/td>\n\u003ctd width=\"200\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/03_SCU_750_1335_200820.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/03_SCU_200_333_200820.jpg\" alt=\"SCU Lightning Complex\" width=\"200\" height=\"333\">\u003c/a>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003c/tbody>\n\u003c/table>\n\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003c/tbody>\n\u003c/table>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Images from NOAA's GOES-West satellite and Planet Labs show wildfire smoke billowing over the Western U.S.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp style=\"text-align: left\">Since Aug. 15, hundreds of lightning-sparked fires across California have scorched an area about the size of Delaware. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES-West satellite captured this image loop on Aug. 19, showing wildfire smoke plumes billowing over the Western U.S., as a cyclone spins over the Gulf of Alaska to the north and Hurricane Genevieve, later downgraded to a tropical storm, whirls toward Baja California. \u003cem>\u003cstrong>Click on the image to open up a larger version\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ctable class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n\u003ctbody>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd class=\"aligncenter\" width=\"600\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/noaa-satellites-monitoring-massive-wildfires-and-two-cyclones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/00_NOAA_600_380.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"380\">\u003c/a>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\n\u003ctable class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n\u003ctbody>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003c/tbody>\n\u003c/table>\n\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003c/tbody>\n\u003c/table>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left\">The satellite images below show, from left to right, wildfire smoke from the CZU Lightning Complex fire near Santa Cruz; the LNU Lightning Complex near Lake Berryessa; and the SCU Lightning Complex near Heny W. Coe State Park, southeast of San Jose. The CZU and SCU images were captured on Aug. 20; the LNU image was taken on Aug. 19. The images come courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.planet.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Planet Labs Inc.\u003c/a> \u003cem>\u003cstrong>Click on each image to open up a larger version\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ctable class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n\u003ctbody>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\n\u003ctable class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"0\" width=\"600\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n\u003ctbody>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd width=\"200\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/01_CZU_750_1335_200820-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/01_CZU_200_333_200820.jpg\" alt=\"CZU Lightning Complex\" width=\"200\" height=\"333\">\u003c/a>\u003c/td>\n\u003ctd width=\"200\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/02_LNU_750_1335_200819.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/02_LNU_200_333_200819.jpg\" alt=\"LNU Lightning Complex\" width=\"200\" height=\"333\">\u003c/a>\u003c/td>\n\u003ctd width=\"200\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/03_SCU_750_1335_200820.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/03_SCU_200_333_200820.jpg\" alt=\"SCU Lightning Complex\" width=\"200\" height=\"333\">\u003c/a>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003ctr>\n\u003ctd>\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003c/tbody>\n\u003c/table>\n\u003c/td>\n\u003c/tr>\n\u003c/tbody>\n\u003c/table>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"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.",
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"mindshift": {
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"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>",
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"order": 12
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"onourwatch": {
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"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?",
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"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.",
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"possible": {
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"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.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
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"pri-the-world": {
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"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.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"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.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
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