How a ‘Sturgeon Surgeon’ Tracks the Bay’s Giant, Stealthy Living Fossils
Researchers are investigating the secrets of our two resident sturgeon species, which have razor-sharp armor and shlorp up clams with their vacuum-shaped mouths.
The Bay
That Foam on the Beach Is (Probably) Fine
Storms on the California coast whip up sea foam, especially in winter and spring. Here's a frothy dollop of the science behind how this stuff forms (it's kind of a planktonic meringue).
A Nasty Salmon-Killing Tire Chemical Is in Bay Waterways. Can It Be Cleaned Up?
6PPD-quinone comes from a long-used chemical that will be hard to replace in tires. But green infrastructure like "living levees" may help trap it.
Something Fishy Is Happening Inside the Ears of Delta Smelt
Abnormalities in the ear bones of hatchery-reared delta smelt could challenge efforts to save the endangered fish.
Meet the Protists, Marvelous Misfits in the Tree of Life
There are “plant-like,” “animal-like,” and “fungus-like” protists. But it’s surprisingly hard to say exactly what a protist is—these organisms are defined more by what they’re not.
King Tides Offer a Glimpse into the Future of Sea-Level Rise
King tides over 7 feet are coming to the Bay Area Jan. 21-22, 2023—and lucky for us, they’re happening at a reasonable time to go out and see them. Here’s a short cosmic backgrounder on why king tides happen.
After 2022’s Fatal Algal Bloom, Scientists Fear the Bay’s Sturgeon Could Go Extinct
At Point Pinole, 21 sturgeon carcasses––some more than seven feet long––lay strewn along a mile-long stretch of beach in late August 2022, baking in the relentless heat. It was the peak of the largest harmful algal bloom on record in … Read more
How a ‘Sturgeon Surgeon’ Tracks the Bay’s Giant, Stealthy Living Fossils
Researchers are investigating the secrets of our two resident sturgeon species, which have razor-sharp armor and shlorp up clams with their vacuum-shaped mouths.
The Nearly Unkillable Eucalyptus Meets Its Match
Eucalyptus trees on Albany Hill are wasting away from blight. Some people may cheer—but these trees are also home to endangered monarchs.
Can We Have More Whales and Fewer Whale Strikes?
Anchovies sparkled and seawater sprayed from the crusty maws of gray whales as they burst through the surface, again and again, off the coast near Pacifica, fifteen miles south of San Francisco. Groups of up to six gray whales devoured … Read more
