Heterosigma akashiwo can photosynthesize like a plant and wiggle like an animal, and it’s here to stay — but it’s still something of an enigma.
Mukta Patil
Mukta Patil is a freelance science writer based in the Bay Area. She loves the California poppy, Muir Woods, and Pacifica.
Find Bay Area Swimming Spots Free of Harmful Algal Blooms
August 16, 2022 •
Harmful algal blooms are increasing in incidence, duration, and toxicity statewide and so are their health impacts on humans, domestic animals, and wildlife.
Modeling the uncertain future of Northern California’s bull kelp forests
August 2, 2022 •
For two years, scientists at UC Davis have been modeling a “Field of Dreams” hypothesis about bull kelp to understand what approaches could best help the recovery of the kelp forest ecosystem in Northern California.
A New Satellite Monitors Lightning Strikes and Fog to Map Weather Risks Faster
July 6, 2022 •
Nine of the 20 largest wildfires in California in the last 110 years were started by lightning strikes, including the devastating Lightning Complex fires in August 2020 that burned more than 750,000 acres in and around the Bay Area. Between … Read more
Home Away From Home: Meeting the Red-Whiskered Bulbul in San Francisco
June 15, 2022 •
What place does a bird away from home hold in San Francisco?
How Many Birds Can Be Found in the Bay Area in One Day?
June 15, 2022 •
Behind the scenes of a frenetic, 13-hour birding challenge.
Bay Planners Highlight Another Missing Element in California Environmental Law: It Doesn’t Account Well for the Future
May 18, 2022 •
As the California Supreme Court wrote, “CEQA does not require an agency to consider the impact of existing conditions on future project users.”
Meet An Ancient, Amazing Fish in Need of an Image Makeover
April 20, 2022 •
Cape Horn is a concrete and earth-filled dam on the upper Eel River in Mendocino County. About 140 miles north of San Francisco, the dam was built in 1907 and blocks the waters of the Eel to form the Van … Read more
A Pervasive Invasive: the Argentine Ant
April 3, 2022 •
The Argentine ant is likely the most successful invasive species in California. But a 30-year dataset from Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve suggests they’re not invincible.
This Tropical Weather Phenomenon Can Have a Big Influence on California Rain and Snow, But Key Connections Remain a Mystery
March 21, 2022 •
In a famous experiment in the early 1960s, the mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz was running computer simulations of weather patterns, trying to see how they changed when he changed variables like wind or temperature at the start. One day, … Read more