Best Science Books of 2019 and a Best of Best of List
A list of our favorite books published in 2019 along with a list of other best of lists from esteemed science outlets.
California Science Weekly
Saving the White Abalone is Part of a Much Bigger Story
The current effort to bring back the white abalone is one of numerous projects underway in California to revive the state’s once-thriving marine environment. If you grew up in Southern California in the 1970s, there were a few things that defined California: surfing, skateboarding, the Eagles (preferably on the radio while driving down the Pacific …
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The genius of Luther Burbank, father of the most famous potato in the world
Luther Burbank created some of the most successful fruits and vegetables in the world, all from his California farm.
The little-known California scientist who may have saved millions of lives.
At Caltech, Clair Patterson’s relentless determination to understand the health impacts of atmospheric lead changed the world for the better.
Why bringing back California’s kelp is so important
Two centuries ago, the waters off the California coast were home to a vibrant ecosystem of plants and animals. Vast forests of kelp provided habitat for thousands of species of fish and invertebrates. Some of these kelp forests were so dense that light hardly penetrated to the seafloor. But now, along much of the coastline, …
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This is how we’re going to solve climate change
Yesterday, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena made a major announcement: philanthropists and entrepreneurs Stewart and Lynda Resnick gave the school $750 million to develop technologies to tackle climate change. The news of the announcement was somewhat lost in the craziness of the news cycle following the whistle-blower revelations of the Trump administration, …
California sea life could be imperiled by new ocean “blob”
The “blob” is back. Or so says a group of researchers from the NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California. The blob was a massive marine heatwave that caused record warming of ocean waters (up to nearly 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal) off the West Coast five years ago. It led to …
Read moreCalifornia sea life could be imperiled by new ocean “blob”
How Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 trip to California gave birth to modern conservation
Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 trip to California gave birth to modern conservation.
White shark sightings are up in California, but don’t panic
They’re baaaack! Here we are in late summer and the great white shark stories keep coming. On August 22, a drone captured a white shark swimming beneath some surfers, who remained oblivious. Two days ago, a pair of kayakers off Cambria filmed a great white swimming beneath their boats. The shark circled the kayaks for a few minutes …
Read moreWhite shark sightings are up in California, but don’t panic
Parkfield, California: earthquake capital
Parkfield, California is a quiet, dusty farming town nestled among rolling hills about midway between Fresno and Monterey. It’s known as the earthquake capital of the world. This is not because there are so many earthquakes there, although there are, but because it has one of the highest densities of seismic technology anywhere. Parkfield has shaken with 6.0-magnitude quakes …