KQED Science Video Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Great White Shark: Meet the Man in the Gray Suit Apr 06, 2010

Show notes

The Farallon Islands off the coast of California are prime habitat for the great white shark. QUEST ventures to these shark infested waters and discovers that the creature of our imaginations may not be the monster we think it is. See why scientists are tracking the movements of these magnificent animals in hopes of protecting them.

The New Bay Bridge: Earthquake Makeover Apr 06, 2010

Show notes

The new self-anchored suspension bridge being built to replace the vulnerable eastern span of the Bay Bridge is scheduled to open in 2013 and will be seismically and aesthetically revolutionary in its design. QUEST explores the engineering features that will give the new bridge the strength and flexibility to withstand the next "big one."

The Farallon Islands - "California's Galapagos" Oct 13, 2009

Show notes

Lying 28 miles off the coast of San Francisco, the Farallon Islands sit amid one of the most productive marine food webs on the planet and hosts the largest seabird breeding colony in the continental United States. QUEST ventures out for a rare visit to learn what life is like on the islands and meet the scientists who call this incredibly wild place home.

Maya Skies Oct 13, 2009

Show notes

Armed with laser technology, Bay Area engineers are helping create detailed virtual records of the world's great monuments. Their realistic recreation of the Mexican ruins of Chichén Itzá is the basis for "Tales of Maya Skies," a new half-hour film about Maya astronomy designed especially for a planetarium.

Your Photos on QUEST: Doug Nomura Oct 13, 2009

Show notes

San José photographer Doug Nomura has learned just how to track his subjects to create arresting photos of birds in flight. He focuses his work on the Bay Trail, a 300-mile trail around the Bay. QUEST joins Nomura on the bayfront in Sunnyvale as he works to photograph the many bird species that call the South Bay's mudflats home, or stop here as part of their migration.

Why I Do Science: Drew Endy Oct 06, 2009

Show notes

Stanford University's Drew Endy is a synthetic biologist, or as he puts it, someone who makes biology easier to engineer. He's one of the leading lights of this relatively new scientific field which builds on disciplines like computer science, electrical engineering and genetics. Find out why Endy is passionate about the cutting edge of biology.

Mercury in San Francisco Bay Oct 06, 2009

Show notes

There's a hidden danger in San Francisco Bay: mercury. A potent neurotoxin that can cause serious illness, mercury has been flowing into the Bay since the mining days of the Gold Rush Era. It has settled in the Bay's mud and made its way up the food chain, endangering wildlife and making many fish unsafe to eat. Now a multi-billion-dollar plan aims to clean it up. But will it work?

QUEST - National Parks Special: Bringing the Parks to the People Sep 29, 2009

Show notes

QUEST examines how these national parks came to be preserved, the rise of non-profit land trusts in protecting and restoring Northern California's open spaces, and how these vital places are used and maintained by the communities served by them.

Illuminating Depression Sep 22, 2009

Show notes

Nearly 15 million Americans suffer from depression. Learn why depression is more than just "feeling blue," the difficulties of treating it with traditional medications and how new tools and research are shedding light on brain structures that may play an integral role in treating it.

Youth Speaks Green: Simone Crew Sep 22, 2009

Show notes

Simone Crew of Youth Speaks, a San Francisco literary arts organization, recites an excerpt from "Yasmeena," one of her "green inspired" poems.