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.
Wildlife
Something Fishy Is Happening Inside the Ears of Delta Smelt
February 16, 2023 •
Abnormalities in the ear bones of hatchery-reared delta smelt could challenge efforts to save the
endangered fish.
The Bald Eagles Have Landed in Alameda, and They’re Building a Nest
January 11, 2023 •
Longtime birder and Alameda local Rick Lewis found the nest, and he’s been discreetly visiting it almost daily since. No sign of eggs yet, but the birds seem good so far—preening each other, and adding sticks to their nest.
The Latest Bird Flu Pandemic Is Terrible—And Strange
January 3, 2023 •
“The landscape is riddled with risk out there right now, but we don’t want to vilify the carriers,” says one expert. “They’re just doing their thing. They’re being ducks.” So, where did this virus come from?
Winter 2023 Almanac: Fireballs and Butter
January 3, 2023 •
Keep your eye out for these winter wonders.
Naturalist’s Notebook: Thrush Henge
January 3, 2023 •
You can use thrushes as a sort of seasonal calendar, as they fly in and out of the Bay Area.
After 2022’s Fatal Algal Bloom, Scientists Fear the Bay’s Sturgeon Could Go Extinct
December 21, 2022 •
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
December 8, 2022 •
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.
Cheeky Bobcat Kitten, Owl on the Hunt: How a Young Wildlife Photographer Gets the Goods
December 1, 2022 •
You don’t have to go far. But it helps to spend all your spare time in the woods. That’s what Vishal Subramanyan, 20, does.
The Sea Otter That Stole a Surfboard in Santa Cruz Remains Free … For Now
November 3, 2022 •
She was born in captivity, it turns out. And she’ll only get to stay free and wild if she behaves—so humans should definitely not feed her, take selfies with her, or try to be her friend.