KPBS News: Science

Roundtable: Cancer in Jail; Sea Wall Lawsuits; Frogs With Fungus; Mice With Alzheimer's; Undocumented Millions

Pat Finn, Mark Sauer — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:25:30 -0700

A woman dying in Las Colinas jail would be released if she were in prison. Homeowners atop the Solana Beach bluffs may sue the city. The decision to import African Clawed Frogs decades ago having dire consequences now. The landscape of undocumented immigrants in California and the nation is complex.

Fungus-Spreading Frogs Could 'Wipe Out' California Amphibians

David Wagner — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:38:42 -0700

The San Diego Zoo's resident frog disease expert worries that a fungus carried by invasive frogs could make most of California's amphibians simply disappear.

Qualcomm's Matt Grob Talks Wireless Technology And Healthcare On White House Series

Tarryn Mento — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:15:23 -0700

Better wireless technology helps us play more games and stream more movies on our smartphones, but Qualcomm's executive vice president, Matt Grob points to another area for its use.

NASA's Planet-Hunting Kepler Telescope Shut Down Because Of Technical Difficulties

David Wagner — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:23:19 -0700

For the last four years, the Kepler space telescope has been searching for distant relatives of the Earth. Today, NASA announced that their planet-hunting spacecraft is no longer able to keep up that search.

Salk Researchers Halt The Progression Of Alzheimer's In Very Old Mice

David Wagner — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:19:59 -0700

Researchers at the Salk Institute are making progress on a compound that they believe could potentially stop Alzheimer's disease in its tracks. To show just how promising their drug candidate is, they put it through unusually hard experiments.

Adapting To The New Reality Of Increased Wildfire Danger

Megan Burke, Maureen Cavanaugh — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:17:28 -0700

Governor Jerry Brown is warning Californians that climate change will make wildfires more frequent and dangerous. We'll assess what the governor means about adapting to this new reality.

Online Searches Show Recession's Effect On Mental Health

David Wagner — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:04:55 -0700

The economy may be getting its groove back, but the nation's collective mental health remains in a funk. By studying online searches, a local researcher finds that the public's anxieties haven't receded, even though the worst of the recession has.

New Test Unveiled In San Diego Could Change Prostate Cancer Treatment

David Wagner — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:31:04 -0700

By telling doctors how aggressive a patient's prostate cancer is, a new test could help more men decide to forgo aggressive — and sometimes unnecessary — treatments.

Scripps Researchers Help Addicted Rats Stay Clean With Heroin Vaccine

David Wagner — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:12:46 -0700

Vaccines usually protect us from invaders. But scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have been making progress on a different kind of vaccine — one that would inoculate people against substances they willingly put into their own bodies.

Palomar Observatory Will Assist In Worldwide Search For Gravitational Waves

David Wagner — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:49:40 -0700

Astronomers around the world are beginning to use new tools, some of them right here in San Diego County, to track down the ripples in space-time predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.

Junior Seau's Death Keeps Spotlight On Brain Injuries

Marissa Cabrera, Maureen Cavanaugh, Amita Sharma — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:58:12 -0700

The death of Junior Seau, a year ago, put a spotlight on brain injury and added momentum to a lawsuit against the NFL.

High-Skilled Immigrants Aren't Optimistic About Reforms

David Wagner — Wed, 01 May 2013 06:00:00 -0700

Tech companies have been calling for immigration reforms to bring in more high-skilled workers from overseas. But the immigrants who've actually gone through the system have very different ideas about how to fix it.

SDSU Students to Build Mobile Health Tools of the Future

David Wagner — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:33:29 -0700

Dozens of San Diego State University students and faculty members will be spending the next year trying to change the way we monitor our health. If they're successful, they could be $10 million richer.

Bill To Label GMO Food — Dr. Bronner And Biologist Weigh In

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:30:00 -0700

Legislators in Washington will consider a bill requiring labeling for GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms. It mirrors California's Proposition 37, which voters rejected last year. David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap and a UC San Diego biologist weigh in.

How A Rat-Tickling Neuroscientist Influenced a Local Composer's Music

David Wagner — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:51:49 -0700

San Diego composer Joseph Waters tends to invite a mixed group of musicians to his annual music festival. But this year, one of the people he's bringing isn't a musician at all.

Privacy Rights vs. Employee Tracking

Maureen Cavanaugh, Patty Lane, Peggy Pico — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:30:00 -0700

From video cameras to GPS to reading emails and social media accounts — how much tracking is too much by your employer? When does monitoring employees for productivity cross over an employees right to privacy?

Greenhouse Gas Levels Approach 'Worrisome' Milestone

Susan Murphy — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0700

Greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) is increasing at a steep rate in the Earth's atmosphere and approaching a troubling new milestone: The heat-trapping gas could reach sustained levels of 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide by next month.

San Diego Company Prints Functional 3-D Liver Tissue

David Wagner — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:50:39 -0700

The day when organs can be printed as easily as newspapers remains far in the future. But with technology that can assemble small chunks of life-like liver tissue, a San Diego company has taken one more step toward making it a reality.

SDSU Professors Help NASA Find Two Most Earth-Like Planets Yet

David Wagner — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:02:43 -0700

Two planets found by NASA's Kepler mission are now the most likely places we know of for harboring life beyond our own solar system. Two San Diego State University professors were instrumental in tracking them down.

Sea Lions Struggle On San Diego Coast

Erik Anderson — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0700

Undersized Sea lion pups are swamping rescue centers along the Southern California Coast and scientists do not know why.