KQED Science

Western Monarch Butterfly ‘Migration Is Collapsing,’ Scientists Say. You Can Help | KQED This winter’s annual Western Monarch Count was the third lowest on record. Scientists say habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use are driving the long-term decline.

This winter’s annual Western Monarch Count was the third lowest on record. Scientists say habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use are driving the long-term decline.

Earthquake Swarm in San Ramon Is Felt Around Bay Area, With Over 20 Small Quakes | KQED A flurry of earthquakes shook the East Bay early Monday, with the largest registered at a magnitude 4.2 just after 7 a.m. Such clusters are common for the Calaveras Fault.

A flurry of earthquakes shook the East Bay early Monday, with the largest registered at a magnitude 4.2 just after 7 a.m. Such clusters are common for the Calaveras Fault.

California’s Snowpack Is Shrinking, but Winter Isn’t Over Yet | KQED A strong start to winter has given way to weather extremes, with California’s snowpack shrinking as January remained dry.

As state water officials surveyed the Sierra Nevada snowpack Friday, California seems to be repeating last winter’s topsy-turvy weather whiplash between super wet and dry conditions, raising worries about diminishing snow reservoirs.

California’s Gubernatorial Candidates Focus on Affordability at Climate-Focused Forum | KQED The candidates promised action as climate disasters mount across California, but were short on big ideas.

CA's Gubernatorial Candidates Focus on Affordability at Climate Forum

“If you’re not going to be bold in an EnviroVoters convo, where are you gonna be bold? It’s not enough to be singing in the shower, get out on stage.”

@kqednews.kqed.org @kqedscience.bsky.social
www.kqed.org/science/1999...

California’s Gubernatorial Candidates Focus on Affordability at Climate-Focused Forum | KQED The candidates promised action as climate disasters mount across California, but were short on big ideas.

The candidates promised action as climate disasters mount across California, but were short on big ideas.

Living With Fire: Inside Northern California’s First ‘Wildfire-Prepared Neighborhood’ | KQED The new Stone Canyon development in El Dorado County was built with wildfire in mind. It could offer a blueprint for building — and insuring — homes in an era of megafires.

The new Stone Canyon development in El Dorado County was built with wildfire in mind. It could offer a blueprint for building — and insuring — homes in an era of megafires.

Stanford Scientists Reveal Oldest Map of the Night Sky, Previously Lost to Time | KQED SLAC researchers used X-ray beams and the particle accelerator to recover the work of an ancient astronomer, who made the earliest known attempt to log the stars.

SLAC researchers used X-ray beams and the particle accelerator to recover the work of an ancient astronomer, who made the earliest known attempt to log the stars.

Winter Night Out Idea: See Classic Sci-Fi Films in a Planetarium | KQED Oakland’s Chabot Space & Science Center is screening three cult classics in its immersive planetarium — including an unconventional idea for a Valentine’s Day date night.

Sci-Fi Nights, Chabot’s 18+ film series, will present cult classics Blade Runner (Jan. 23), The Fifth Element (Feb. 14) and Alien (March 19) alongside themed cocktails and a nightly raffle.

From the Galápagos to the Deep Sea, Cal Academy Scientists Describe 72 New Species | KQED Academy researchers identified 72 species new to science in 2025, including the newly recognized Galápagos lava heron, a shy deep-sea fish, and a rare sunflower relative found in a U.S. national park.

In 2025, scientists at the California Academy of Sciences officially named 72 new species — beetles, sea slugs, fish, flowering plants, and a bird that has been hiding in plain sight in one of the most famous biological laboratories on Earth.

After King Tides Swamp Marin, San Rafael Weighs Billion-Dollar Defenses Against the Bay | KQED The severity of recent floods caught San Rafael by surprise, and scientists say the city must address sea level rise or it will be underwater in the coming decades.

The severity of recent floods caught San Rafael by surprise, and scientists say the city must address sea level rise or it will be underwater in the coming decades.

California Combats Largest Mushroom Poisoning Outbreak in the Country | KQED State health officials again warned against foraging as illness and deaths from eating the wild mushrooms known as death caps rise to new highs.

State health officials on Wednesday issued their second warning this season to avoid mushroom foraging as illness and deaths from eating wild mushrooms known as death caps rise to unprecedented highs.

New California Insurance Laws on the Books in 2026 | KQED The new laws promote wildfire safety and consumer protections, with steps that increase transparency.

The legislation focuses on promoting wildfire safety and consumer protections, with steps that increase transparency or customer convenience.

Maidu Tribes Reignite Ancestral Fire Stewardship in the Sierra Foothills | KQED Amongst the ponderosa pines in California’s Butte County, Maidu women light fires not to destroy but to heal — restoring an ancient garden, and themselves.

Amongst the ponderosa pines in California’s Butte County, Maidu women light fires not to destroy but to heal — restoring an ancient garden, and themselves.

Bay Area Climate Stories We’re Watching This Year | KQED While action on climate change has faced an assault at the federal level, Bay Area leaders fight for progress, from managing rising tides to limiting wildfire risk.

As 2026 unfolds, KQED’s climate team will be watching and documenting the progress on — and consequences of — the warming planet here in our corner of the world. Here’s what we’ll be looking out for, and sharing with you.

Marin County Looked Like ‘a Lagoon’ After King Tides, Heavy Rain | KQED Flooding in Marin County this weekend foreshadows a far wetter future due to human-caused climate change.

The intensity of this weekend’s storm, coupled with a king tide, caught Marin County cities like Corte Madera, Sausalito and San Rafael off guard. Floodwaters spilled over levees, covered bike trails, and surrounded homes and businesses.

Stories That Stuck With Us This Year, Handpicked by the KQED Science Team | KQED Our science reporters recount stories they found especially memorable, thought-provoking or that changed how they thought about something.

Our science reporters recount stories they found especially memorable, thought-provoking or that changed how they thought about something.

California Lowers Climate Pollution by 3%, Report Finds | KQED A report finds that California’s planet-warming emissions fell significantly in 2023, the third largest drop after the pandemic-induced economic slump and the 2008 recession.

California’s planet-warming pollution shrank by 3% in 2023, one of the largest year-over-year reductions the state has seen, according to a report by nonprofit Next 10.

Scientists Say San Ramon’s Latest Earthquake Swarm Is Normal, but Residents Are on Edge | KQED A swarm of small earthquakes jolted San Ramon over the last month. Scientists said the earthquakes are normal and aren’t indicative of the big one.

A swarm of small earthquakes jolted San Ramon over the last month. Scientists said the earthquakes are normal and aren’t indicative of the big one.

Pine Trees, Reindeers and Snowflakes: 5 Winter Wild Videos From Deep Look | KQED How do snowflakes form? Do pine cones have seeds? What are those antlers on elk for? Dive into this and more in Deep Look’s Winter playlist.

In the quiet winter months, the natural world buzzes with activity. Insect migration patterns shift, animal survival tactics kick in, and tiny engineering feats unfold as snowflakes form in the sky.

Monarch Butterflies Now Wear Tiny Tags — for Scientists to Track Them in Real Time | KQED Plus, where you can see the beauty of monarch butterflies for yourself in the Bay Area.

Thanks to tiny new ultralight radio tags small enough for a fragile butterfly to carry, scientists are getting a rare, real-time look at how western monarchs move through their winter habitat.

Navy Apologizes for 11-Month Delay in Reporting Radioactive Material at Hunters Point | KQED The U.S. Navy apologized to city leaders Monday for waiting almost a year before disclosing that the agency found radioactive plutonium at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco.

Navy Apologizes for 11-Month Delay in Reporting Radioactive Material at Hunters Point

“I do appreciate you for owning up to the mistake, but apologies and admissions do not protect our community,” Shamman Walton

@kqednews.kqed.org @kqedscience.bsky.social
www.kqed.org/science/1999...

Scientists Say San Ramon’s Latest Earthquake Swarm Is Normal, but Residents Are on Edge | KQED A swarm of small earthquakes jolted San Ramon over the last month. Scientists said the earthquakes are normal and aren’t indicative of the big one.

I am now also on the earthquake beat for @kqednews.kqed.org/ @kqedscience.bsky.social. Always looking for pitches, generally about the Bay Area/CA!

Here is my first story: Scientists Say San Ramon’s Latest Earthquake Swarm Is Normal, but Residents Are on Edge

www.kqed.org/science/1999...

A Maze of Clinics: Navigating Ketamine’s Rapid Rise | KQED California clinics' doors are flying open, patients are lining up and ketamine is being prescribed off-label for everything from depression to chronic pain. What’s missing are clear rules to guide its...

California clinics' doors are flying open, patients are lining up and ketamine is being prescribed off-label for everything from depression to chronic pain. What’s missing are clear rules to guide its use.

Stanford Study Offers Clue to Rare Myocarditis After COVID Vaccination | KQED Researchers identified two immune signals that may help explain why a small percentage of young males develop chest pain or shortness of breath after mRNA COVID-19 shots.

Researchers identified two immune signals that may help explain why a small percentage of young males develop chest pain or shortness of breath after mRNA COVID shots.

Will AI Replace Your Therapist? Kaiser Won’t Say No | KQED A union battle between mental health workers and Kaiser exposes the current reality and future potential of AI’s role in therapy sessions.

A union battle between mental health workers and Kaiser exposes the current reality and future potential of AI’s role in therapy sessions.

Can Virtual Reality Bring Climate Change Closer to Home? Bay Area Researchers Think So | KQED A Stanford lab shows that when people use virtual reality to explore an unfamiliar place, it deepens their emotional connection to, and concern about, climate change impacts far from home.

A Stanford lab shows that when people use virtual reality to explore an unfamiliar place, it deepens their emotional connection to, and concern about, climate change impacts far from home.

Where Do Coyotes Live in Silicon Valley? These Teens Are Mapping Their Movements | KQED Meet the two high schoolers turning their love of wildlife photography into a Bay Area coyote research project.

Meet the two high schoolers turning their love of wildlife photography into a Bay Area coyote research project.

Scientists Trace Heavy Metals Spread by January’s Huge Battery Fire Near Monterey | KQED A new study from San José State University shows that last winter’s massive battery plant fire in Moss Landing spread a layer of toxic metals across the region.

A new study from San José State University shows that last winter’s massive battery plant fire in Moss Landing spread a layer of toxic metals across the region.

False Earthquake Alert Likely Triggered by ‘Something Out in the Field,’ USGS Says | KQED The USGS, which said at least four seismic stations detected ground motion that signaled a quake, quickly canceled the warning that startled the Bay Area.

The errant earthquake warning that lit up phones across Northern California with a notice of a quake in Nevada on Thursday morning was not a result of a problem with the early warning delivery system or MyShake phone application, officials said.

Bay Area Claude Fans Share Their Fondest Memories of the Rare Albino Alligator | KQED What were yours? Share them with KQED here.

The ghost-white alligator Claude died this week at the age of 30. An initial necropsy found that the alligator had liver cancer. The outpouring of public memories online was immediate and deeply personal: