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...
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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 scienc...
Episodes
20 of 44 episodesScience 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...
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 Da...
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 cul...
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 co...
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...
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 Unite...
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...
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...
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 m...
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 Wei...
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 ne...
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...
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...
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? Agronom...
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 onl...
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 a...
Rendezvous With Horseshoe Crabs: Science on the SPOT
Watch as thousands of prehistoric horseshoe crabs take over a beach in Delaware.
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...
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.