Science

The technology used to measure and monitor earthquakes has remained largely unchanged over the past century, but a breakthrough from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory utilizing telecommunication lines as earthquake sensors has given researchers a magnified window into the Earth’s crust. The instrument that makes it possible, known as an interrogator, enables seismic researchers to effectively hijack fiber optic cables for use as thousands of seismometers, providing a reading of quakes that is 1,000 times more detailed than current seismometers in place across the Bay Area — and which may help prepare for future earthquakes and identify hidden faultlines. Related Articles Several ocean earthquakes jostle Northern California coastline The next big earthquake: When is the Bay Area due? Who is watching for earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis? Trump is cutting the guardians at the gate Watch: During earthquake, elephants form ‘alert circle’ at San Diego Safari Park Magnitu...

Continuing a growing trend, three new wolf packs have been confirmed in Northern California, increasing the population of the charismatic and controversial predator to 78 now — up from 44 animals in 2023 and only 7 in 2020. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has named the new packs the Ishi pack in eastern Tehama County, the Tunnison pack in central Lassen County, and the Ashpan pack in eastern Shasta County. The new discovery, confirmed Tuesday , brings the number of known wolf packs statewide to 10. Environmental groups reacted to the news favorably. “How wonderful to witness another year of continued growth in California’s recovering wolf population,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s inspiring to watch this renaissance and we should do everything we can to ensure California’s wolves have every chance to thrive.” Cattle ranchers, however, said the state needs to take more steps to protect their livestock from wolf...

By MIKE CATALINI, Associated Press ELIZABETH, N.J. — After rebounding in recent decades due to conservation efforts, the number of once-imperiled peregrine falcons in the U.S. has been dropping again in some places due to the bird flu that has decimated other avian populations in recent years. Although falcons in coastal parts of the country have been hit hard, researchers say others that set up camp in some of the country’s biggest cities appear to be thriving, showing the world’s fastest bird has acclimated to living among people. They’re also amassing fans, as legions of devotees follow along on webcams each spring as the falcons progress from hatching to leaving the nest. RELATED:  San Jose City Hall falcon brings rat back to nest, raising poisoning fears for chicks “Wildlife can really adapt to these harsh urban environments,” said Christopher Nadareski, research scientist with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection “That’s the key here, is that despite ...

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER, Associated Press Autumn Welch dons a fur coat, leather gloves and a bear mask for work these days, then enters an enclosure to feed and fawn over a 12-pound (5.4 kg) black bear cub who she hopes will consider her family. The orphaned cub was about two months old when he was found April 12 in Southern California’s Los Padres National Forest — weak, underweight and alone. Since then, the baby bear has been cared for by Welch’s team with the San Diego Humane Society in sessions that mimic familial behaviors. The hope is to eventually return the cub to the wild. In this photo provided by San Diego Humane Society, a bear cub, which was found alone in Los Padres National Forest, sleeps at the San Diego Human Society Ramona Wildlife Center on Monday, April 14, 2025, in Ramona, Calif. (San Diego Humane Society via AP) In this photo provided by San Diego Humane Society, an employee wears a costume while interacting with a bear cub, which was found alone in...

Nine thousand years ago, humans began domesticating cats. Nine hundred years ago, before the advent of intentional cat breeding, a genetic mutation gave rise to the first orange cat. Days ago, Stanford Medicine researchers revealed exactly which gene created the fuzzy fodders for Garfield, Puss In Boots and Toulouse from The Aristocats, to name just a few. Unlike any other “ginger” mammals, orange cats’ coloration owes to a sex-linked gene, which is why 80% of orange felines are fellas. The unique sex-linked orange genetic mutation remained enigmatic for years while scientists tried to figure out what induced cats’ pigment cells to produce yellow, orange or red coloration instead of the usual brown and black. Researchers from Brown University, the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and Auburn University also contributed to the study. A team at Kyushu University in Japan published similar findings by studying the DNA of cats in Asia, furthering the understanding th...

When Cindy Zbin learned she couldn’t donate part of her liver to her ailing husband, Dave, she was heartbroken. Luckily, he received a transplant from a deceased donor, saving his life. Just weeks after that, she made a bold decision — to donate 60% of her liver to a stranger. Related Articles Letters: With so many apartments empty, the ‘housing crisis’ is a sham Diaper bank expands in Alameda County for those in need Biotech company Regeneron buying 23andMe for $256 million Glioblastoma brain cancer research: Study provides glimmer of hope Trump admin. has axed $85.6M in grants to Santa Clara County – all of it related to public health “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” said Zbin, a 62-year-old retired nonprofit manager from San Jose. “I couldn’t help my husband, but I could help someone else.” Zbin’s experience illustrates a growing trend in organ transplantation — living donation, where people give kidneys or portions of their liver while they’re still alive. It’s a p...

Remember umbrellas and windshield wipers? Bay Area residents woke Monday morning to something they hadn’t seen in six weeks: Rain. A fast-moving cold front from the Gulf of Alaska brought several hours of showers across Northern California on Monday, providing countless free car washes, clearing the air and wetting down vegetation after a hot dry weekend. It was the first significant rain in the Bay Area since April 1. How rare is rain in May? Not unheard of, experts said Monday. “We don’t get a lot. But we usually do get some,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Half Moon Bay. More precisely, 84% of the Bay Area’s annual average rainfall — 19.28 inches out of a yearly total of 22.89 inches, measured by the gauge in downtown San Francisco —  falls in five months: November, December, January, February and March, a feature of the state’s Mediterranean climate. And 59% falls in just three months, December, January, and February. May? Normally sun...

Bees and flowers go together like, well, bee stings and pain. While bee stings always hurt, they can affect people differently. For some, it can be life-threatening. Dr. Rosalind Hudson and Dr. Keith Denkler authored a case report on a treatment for bee stings. (Courtesy of Dr. Keith Denkler)  “About 10% of patients with a bee — or wasp — sting sustain a ‘large local reaction’ where the swelling can enlarge to around 3 inches or more in diameter,” said Dr. Keith Denkler, a clinical professor of plastic surgery at UCSF and a plastic surgeon with a private practice in Marin. The current treatment for noncomplicated bee sting large local reactions, he said, includes the removal of the stinger by the physician and discharging the patient with instructions to use ice packs, take oral anti-inflammatories and Benadryl, and fill a prescription for a “burst course” of Prednisone. It takes three to five days or more for the reaction to resolve, according to Denkler. Denkler, though, ha...

By Paula Span, KFF Health News It happened more than a decade ago, but the moment remains with her. Related Articles Opinion: Play might be what we need to fix democracy — a lesson from our kids South Bay hospital accused of ignoring manager’s alleged San Jose steakhouse sex attack on nurse US infant mortality dropped in 2024. Experts partly credit RSV shots ‘Landmark study’ led by UNLV shows new path to treat, prevent autism Trump ditches original pick, taps wellness influencer Casey Means for surgeon general Sara Stewart was talking at the dining room table with her mother, Barbara Cole, 86 at the time, in Bar Harbor, Maine. Stewart, then 59, a lawyer, was making one of her extended visits from out of state. Two or three years earlier, Cole had begun showing troubling signs of dementia, probably from a series of small strokes. “I didn’t want to yank her out of her home,” Stewart said. So with a squadron of helpers — a housekeeper, regular family visitors, a watchful nei...

By ALEXA ST. JOHN, Associated Press The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is retiring its public database meant to keep track of the cost of losses from climate change-fueled weather disasters including floods, heat waves, wildfires and more. It is the latest example of changes to the agency and the Trump administration limiting federal government resources on climate change. NOAA falls under the U.S. Department of Commerce and is tasked with daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring. It is also parent to the National Weather Service. The agency said its National Centers for Environmental Information would no longer update the billion-dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database beyond 2024, and that its data — going as far back as 1980 — would be archived. Related Articles Cliff-jumper still missing after rescue operation near Santa Cruz coast California bill would give homeowners cash to fireproof their properties You can learn now ...

(Bloomberg/Jessica Nix and Ashleigh Furlong) — The Gates Foundation will double its spending and sunset operations in 2045, Chair Bill Gates said in a statement. The foundation is going to spend more than $200 billion over the next 20 years, he said. “I have decided to give my money back to society much faster than I had originally planned,” he wrote. “I will give away virtually all my wealth through the Gates Foundation over the next 20 years to the cause of saving and improving lives around the world. And on December 31, 2045, the foundation will close its doors permanently.” The quick acceleration follows a change to the Gates Foundation’s charter that said the organization would close 20 years after Gates’ death. The Gates Foundation has given away more than $100 billion during its first 25 years. The announcement comes as nations are backsliding from funding global health. The Trump administration abruptly withdrew from funding for key initiatives like the World Health Organiz...