Predatory Plant: Lure of the Cobra Lily
The cobra lily (Darlingtonia californica) uses deception and patience to trick unsuspecting insect prey into its highly specialized pitcher traps.
Mar 03, 2014•6 min
Science on the SPOT HD Video Podcast
The Science on the SPOT original web video series from KQED Science goes behind the scenes at local Bay Area labs, follows breaking discoveries, and gets you special access to obscure science locations & collections, plus much more.
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Episodes
Science of Beer: Tapping the Power of Brewer's Yeast
Whether it’s a lager or ale, sour or bitter, dark or light, most beer has one thing in common: yeast. KQED Science visits a commercial yeast laboratory and a local brewery to reveal how this key ingredient is a major player in both science history and beer production.
Feb 11, 2014•7 min
200 Geeks, 24 Hours: Science Hack Day in San Francisco
What happens when you fill up a giant space with over 200 eager science fans from around the Bay Area for a weekend? You get Science Hack Day San Francisco, a two-day event where a diverse group of "hackers" -- from developers and designers to scientists and students -- works side-by-side to see what they can quickly create within 24 consecutive hours.
Dec 03, 2013•7 min
ZomBees: Flight of the Living Dead
Something strange and unsettling is happening to Bay Area honeybees. Entomologists at San Francisco State University have identified the culprit: a tiny parasitic fly is causing the bees to exhibit bizarre nocturnal behaviors before suffering a gruesome demise.
Oct 31, 2013•6 min
Chasing Pumas: Science on the SPOT
Join a research team from University of California, Santa Cruz as they track, tranquilize and collar a wild puma. The special GPS collars collect data on the puma’s location and behavior, and they reveal how the big cats survive in their shrinking habitat in the Bay Area.
Sep 13, 2013•6 min
The Glowing Millipedes of Alcatraz: Science on the SPOT
More than a million visitors visit Alcatraz every year, but a recent discovery has revealed another attraction that lives within the shadows of this historic prison.
Mar 19, 2013•6 min
Preserving the Forest of the Sea: Science on the SPOT
The University Herbarium at the University of California - Berkeley boasts one of the largest and oldest collections of seaweed in the United States, dating back to the time of the U.S. Civil War. Kathy Ann Miller, a curator at the herbarium, is leading a massive project to digitize nearly 80,000 specimens of seaweed collected from the west coast of North America.
Feb 05, 2013•8 min
Shadows and Spiders-- A Secret Cave in California: Science on the SPOT
The rural foothills along the Santa Cruz County Coast hold an ancient secret. Deep below the redwoods, White Moon Cave extends for nearly a mile -- making it one of the longest caves in California. But few people have ever been in it. Join the KQED Science team as we squeeze through the narrow clandestine entrance, and meet the uncanny cave inhabitants to bring new light to this hidden realm.
Nov 20, 2012•8 min
Up all Night with SOFIA, NASA's Flying Observatory: Science on the SPOT
SOFIA is more than a telescope tucked into a re-purposed commercial airliner. It's a complete flying astronomical observation platform which carries a dozen or more astronomers, observers and crew far above the clouds to observe objects and phenomena too cold to be seen in visible light.
Jun 27, 2012•8 min
New Hope for Heart Repair: Science on the SPOT
Scientists in San Francisco have coaxed mouse hearts to repair themselves from within. The breakthrough could lead to treatments for the 5 million people in the United States living with a damaged heart.
Apr 18, 2012•6 min
Monarch Meetup: Science on the SPOT
Monarch Butterflies migrate from all over the western United States to overwinter along the California coast. Conservation Biologist Stu Weiss uses specialized photographic equipment to study what makes good Monarch overwintering habitat.
Apr 05, 2012•6 min
National Wildlife Health Center Investigates: Science on the SPOT
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center investigates animal die-offs and threats to endangered species through on-site investigation and necropsies--animal autopsy--at its headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.
Nov 23, 2011•7 min
Resurrecting the Dead: Science on the SPOT
QUEST travels to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to meet Dr. Spurlock, an anatomist and forensic reconstruction artist who uses clay to re-construct the faces of ancient humans in order to show what they looked like when alive. She also sketches more recently deceased individuals using only their remains in order to help law enforcement solve crimes.
Nov 09, 2011•7 min
The Science of Salt Glaze Pottery: Science on the SPOT
The art and science of salt glaze pottery requires skills and techniques acquired over generations of trial and error. Ben Owen III combines his family’s experiential knowledge of ceramics and additional scientific knowledge to create and improve his unique works of art.
Oct 27, 2011•6 min
Dark Matter- Inside the Compost Cycle: Science on the SPOT
How does San Francisco’s 600 tons of compostable waste become a nutrient-rich material that improves the quality of our local wines? Agronomist Bob Shaffer, Northern California's "compost guy," takes QUEST into the composting process.
Sep 06, 2011•6 min
Salt Creek Tiger Beetles: Science on the SPOT
The Salt Creek tiger beetle is one of the most endangered species in the United States, with only 200 to 500 beetles left. They're found only in a small saline wetland area just north of Lincoln, Nebraska. QUEST Nebraska reports.
Aug 26, 2011•7 min
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake Tracker: Science on the SPOT
Katie Colbert, a naturalist at the Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness, shares with us how she tracked dozens of Nothern Pacific Rattlesnakes and what she learned about their movements and behaviors.
Aug 17, 2011•6 min
Rendezvous With Horseshoe Crabs: Science on the SPOT
Watch as thousands of prehistoric horseshoe crabs take over a beach in Delaware.
Aug 10, 2011•5 min
Bats Beneath Us: Science on the SPOT
Every summer, 250,000 bats take up residence under a freeway bridge in California's Central Valley. And each night, they exit the bridge in a stunning ribbon-like formation.
Aug 03, 2011•8 min
Green Eggs By The Gram - Sustainable Caviar: Science on the SPOT
Once an exotic product associated with royalty and overfishing, caviar is now being farmed sustainably right here in California.
Jul 27, 2011•7 min
Sound Waves - Listening to Orcas: Science on the SPOT
They are an icon of the Pacific Northwest, stirring a mix of fascination, awe and affection. Thousands of people come to the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound just to catch a glimpse of the Southern Resident orcas that call these waters home.
Jul 20, 2011•6 min
Journey of the San Francisco Bay Trail: Science on the SPOT
A dedicated group of outdoor lovers and trail planners is working to build a 500-mile trail around San Francisco Bay. Come along as QUEST hikes and bikes the newest section.
Jul 12, 2011•7 min
Lupe the Mammoth Comes to Life: Science on the SPOT
In 2005, a partial skeleton of a juvenile mammoth was discovered along the Guadalupe River near downtown San Jose. Those bones and a full-scale replica will be featured in The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose's mammoth exhibit, set to open June 11th. Learn more about these majestic creatures that roamed the Bay Area during the Ice Age with UC Museum of Paleontology's Kaitlin Maguire.
Jun 01, 2011•6 min
Banana Slugs Unpeeled: Science on the SPOT
One of the most beloved and iconic native species within the old growth redwood forests is the Pacific Banana Slug. QUEST goes on a hunt to find and introduce Ariolomax dolichophallus, a bright yellow slug with a big personality.
Apr 13, 2011•6 min
Secrets of Sourdough: Science on the SPOT
Since the Gold Rush days when prospectors baked loaves in their encampments, sourdough bread has been a beloved favorite of the Bay Area. But what is true sourdough bread? It's more than just the tangy flavor. Science on the SPOT visits with Maria Marco of UC Davis and baker Eduardo Morrell to learn more about the secret science of sourdough.
Mar 24, 2011•8 min
Fungus Fair: Science on the SPOT
One day each December, Bay Area mushroom lovers fan out and collect fungi of all shapes and colors. They then display their finds at the Mycological Society of San Francisco’s annual Fungus Fair. QUEST tags along with fair organizer J.R. Blair and his San Francisco State University students as they collect mushrooms in San Francisco’s McLaren Park. Then we tour the fair in Berkeley to explore the Bay Area’s tasty, dangerous and weirdly wonderful fungi.
Mar 09, 2011•6 min
Revisiting Albino Redwoods, Cracking the Code: Science on the SPOT
Stanford geneticists Ghia Euskirchen and Barry Starr trek into the Santa Cruz Mountains to uncover the genetic mystery of the rare albino redwood trees. QUEST follows along as they seek to discover the root of the mutation. Taking both albino redwood and normal - or "wild type" - samples back to their lab, they will put them through the genetic ringer and for the first time sequence the complicated redwood genome.
Feb 23, 2011•6 min
Revisiting Albino Redwoods, Biological Mystery: Science on the SPOT
UC Santa Cruz plant biologist Jarmila Pitterman and her students are studying rare albino redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains to better understand the inner workings of these unusual plants. By learning how albino redwoods survive, they may unlock some of the mysteries of how redwood trees live and how they will weather things such as disease, drought or climate change.
Feb 23, 2011•6 min
Peregrine Falcons Up Close: Science on the SPOT
QUEST meets the San Francisco Zoo’s resident Peregrine Falcon, "Bella." Not long ago Peregrine Falcons were perched at the edge of extinction. But through the work of conservationists, they have rebounded and have been taken off the endangered species list. "This is a conservation success story." says Noelle Bidegainberry of the SF Zoo, "Our hope is that when people meet Bella they are inspired to take conservation into their own hands."
Feb 09, 2011•6 min
Open Source Creativity - Hackerspaces: Science on the SPOT
Inspired in part by the open source movement, public spaces are emerging where people congregate to share ideas, make cool projects, teach, and brainstorm with collaborators on everything from coding to cooking. With no leaders, they have one rule: "Be excellent to each other." Take a tour of the hackerspace Noisebridge, located in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District, with co-founder Mitch Altman.
Jan 26, 2011•5 min
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