From Lawrence Berkeley National Labs to Silicon Valley, researchers are manipulating particles at the atomic level, ushering in potential cures for cancer, clothes that don't stain, and solar panels as thick as a sheet of paper.
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An explosion in green building is underway, with cleverly engineered libraries, office buildings, even public housing projects popping up across the Bay Area, and championed as much by landlords trying to cut energy and water costs as by environmental groups.
A mysterious sea creature up to 7 feet long, with 10 arms, a sharp beak and a ravenous appetite, has invaded ocean waters off Northern California. Packs of fierce Humboldt Squid attack nearly everything they see, from fish to scuba divers. Marine biologists are working to discover why they've headed north from their traditional homes off South America.
Tired of toxic embalming fluid, rainforest wood caskets and other ecologically unfriendly practices, a new generation of undertakers is attempting to green up the funeral industry with burials that go easy on the land.
Check, Please! Bay Area's third season episode 1 (#301) profiles and reviews these three Bay Area restaurants: Alfred's Steakhouse, Bacco, El Tonayense Taco Truck
State transportation planners have nearly finished designing a high-tech bullet train system that would take passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in two hours at 220 mph -- faster than a Ferrari. But will California voters pay for it?
Check, Please! Bay Area's third season episode 4 (#304) profiles and reviews these three Bay Area restaurants: Cyrus, The Yellow Submarine, The Slanted Door
It looks like frozen smoke. And it's the lightest solid material on the planet. Aerogel insulates space suits, makes tennis rackets stronger and could be used one day to clean up oil spills. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Alex Gash shows us some remarkable properties of this truly unique substance.
In dry years, fires in California cost billions of dollars and often result in lost lives. QUEST goes inside the fire season, looking at how the history of forest management could be feeding today's flames.
It's the largest laser beam in the world and it's being built in the Bay Area. The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will shoot tremendous bursts of energy at an area the size of a pencil eraser. The goal? To recreate fusion -- which powers the sun and some nuclear bombs -- perhaps harnessing a new source of clean energy for the 21st century.
At UC Berkeley, a team of undergrads is experimenting with velocity, force, and aerodynamics. But you won't find them in a lab -- they work on a baseball diamond, throwing fast balls, sliders and curve balls. QUEST discovers how the principles of physics can make the difference between a strike and a home run.
Can someone who's quadriplegic or hearing impaired play a video game? QUEST takes you to the international Game Developers Conference celebrated recently in San Francisco, where a group of gamers used colorful tactics to convince mainstream developers to make video games that are accessible for everyone.
Is your face giving you away? Meet renowned psychologist Paul Ekman, who has spent his life studying how our facial muscles involuntarily reveal emotions like sadness and anger. His comprehensive catalog of human facial expressions has become an important tool for everyone from law enforcement agents to animators.
Check, Please! Bay Area's third season episode 6 (#306) profiles and reviews these three Bay Area restaurants: Stella Alpina Osteria, Bette's Oceanview Diner, Chou Chou
Sea otters, the fuzzy mascots of California's coast, have fought back for 75 years from near-extinction, but now their population has mysteriously stalled. Scientists say pollution from land - perhaps even a parasite in cat litter - may be the culprit.
Check, Please! Bay Area's third season episode 7 (#307) profiles and reviews these three Bay Area restaurants: Casa Orinda, Nick's Crispy Tacos, Cote Sud
Minute Recipe: Cherries in Eau de Vie.
Light, lean and big on flavor! This menu features Small Crocks of Shrimp in Hot Vegetable Broth and lean pork tenderloin in Pork Medallions with Grapes and Pomegranate Sauce accompanied by a mélange of Spinach, Macadamia Nuts and Raisins. For dessert, it's Butter Pecan Ice Cream paired with Apple Maple Topping making a feast worthy of any company!
With California's ambitious renewable energy goal, the state needs wind power. But California's largest wind farm cluster at Altamont Pass unintentionally kills golden eagles, burrowing owls and other threatened birds. Now, wind companies, scientists and environmentalists are working to bird-proof these massive wind farms.
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![What\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/Wcy-i_IJH9Y/2.jpg "What\")
