Deep Look posts
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Q & A: Kia Simon
Deep Look has been fortunate to have editor and motion graphics artist Kia Simon for all eight seasons of our series! She took a break from her busy schedule putting the final touches on our latest episodes to answer some of your questions. We hope you enjoy learning more about her!Where did you learn editing?I was a journalism major in college at the University of California, Santa Cruz, when I had my first taste of media making. I took a documentary course and fell in love with the editing process. After that, I got an internship at a media p...
Field Notes: Bumblebee-mimic Digger Bees
In May, bumblebee-mimic digger bees are busy digging their nests into the cliffs overlooking beaches up and down the Northern California and Oregon coasts. Our Deep Look cinematographer Josh Cassidy filmed these native bees at work on a California beach, where they dug their nests in a cliff made of sand, clay and gravel. He filmed with a long probe lens, which allowed him to get close-up video of the bees while keeping his distance to avoid disturbing them. In any case, these bees don’t sting, so Josh and the bees were able to do their thing...
Flashback Friday: Protect Yourself From Mosquitoes
Summer's here, and we can look forward to picnics, hiking, camping –– but there's also the mosquito bites that come with spending time outdoors. Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world to us humans. The diseases they transmit –– which include malaria, dengue, yellow fever, West Nile and Zika –– kill hundreds of thousands of people each year.You can learn more about mosquitoes and how to keep yourself and your home safe from these persistent pests with these two videos from our archives. Our most popular Deep Look e...
Got Questions for Kia Simon?
Deep Look has been fortunate to have editor and motion graphics artist Kia Simon for all eight seasons on our series! (That’s her reflection in the special plaque we received commemorating our 1 million subscribers milestone on YouTube!)Love all of those cool titles and zoomy transitions you see in our episodes? That’s all thanks to Kia. The producers bring her their rough cuts, and she helps them communicate their ideas by finding the best shots, suggesting ways to put them together, adding in those aforementioned neat graphics and transit...
Flashback Friday: Back to the Beach
Planning a trip to the beach this summer? There’s lots of wonderful things to explore while you’re there –– both above ground and underwater!Did you know there's a story in every grain of sand? If you scooped up a handful of sand from every beach, you'd have a history of the world sifting through your fingers. Our episode, “The Amazing Life of Sand,” delves into the geology of this sparkling substance.Or perhaps you’ll see some sand dollars while you walk along the shore. Most people who pick them up don’t realize that t...
🦈 It’s Shark Awareness Day! 🦈
Did you know that when it comes to spotting prey, sharks and rays have a secret sense beyond sight and smell? Tiny goo-filled organs called Ampullae of Lorenzini detect the invisible electric fields produced by all living creatures.Learn more in our previous episode "How Do Sharks and Rays Use Electricity to Find Hidden Prey?"
Sneak Peek: The Axolotl Salamander Doesn’t Wanna Grow Up
Native to the lakes of Mexico City, the axolotl stays in the water its whole life, swimming with a tail fin and breathing through frilly external gills. It’s nearly extinct in the wild, but survives in research labs the world over, studied for its amazing regenerative abilities. With our help, can these beloved creatures thrive once again in their ancestral home?We hope you enjoy this first look at our newest episode. You can start sharing it with other science fans on Tuesday, July 13 from YouTube. Thanks!
Field Notes: Axolotls
Coming up on Deep Look: axolotls! Native to the lakes of Mexico City, these frilly salamanders are nearly extinct in the wild. But they are surviving in research labs all over the world, studied for their amazing regenerative abilities. Producer Mike Seely and cinematographer Josh Cassidy traveled down to Santa Cruz to film these remarkable creatures.With the help of Ph.D. student Regina Spranger, they set up an aquarium for the axolotls in a tent outside of the University of California, Santa Cruz Coastal Biology Building.Spranger is working i...
Meet a Scientist: Peter Oboyski
Hey Deep Peeps,It takes a lot of time and effort to produce each episode of Deep Look, and we couldn’t do it without the help of scientists and other valuable collaborators who have closely worked with us over the years. We’re introducing several of these wonderful partners to you in a series of short profiles so you can get a deeper look at their expertise.Meet Peter Oboyski: He’s the Executive Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology at the University of California at Berkeley. “As manager of a natural history museum, I support othe...
It's Cephalopod Week!
The award-winning Science Friday public media program says, "It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Cephalopod Week is back and better than ever — and for our 8th annual cephalo-bration, we’re blowing things out of the water for all those who are marine invertebrates at heart (or one of their three hearts, like an octopus)."The festivities begin today, and they've got a whole lineup of special stories and events –– including a trivia night, movie night and a live Zoom call-in with aquarists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium....
Sneak Preview: Watch These Hermit Crabs Shop for the Perfect Shell
Hermit crabs are *obsessed* with snail shells. These crafty little crabs, found in California's rocky intertidal zone, are more than happy to let the snails build them a perfect home. When the crabs find a snail shell they like, they hop right into their new abode.We hope you enjoy this first look at our newest episode. You can start sharing it with other science fans on Tuesday, June 15 from YouTube. Thanks!
Meet Marissa Sandoval, Deep Look Intern
It would be a lot more challenging to produce Deep Look without our interns. (Our lead producer and cinematographer, Josh Cassidy, actually began his career at KQED as an intern with the science unit!)We’ve been fortunate to work with many talented individuals over the years who have helped research and develop story ideas, assist on shoots, and occasionally write articles that accompany our episodes for our producers. Our interns have come from various backgrounds with a wide range of experience and skills in science and journalism, but we d...
Field Notes: Hermit Crabs
Our lead producer and cinematographer Josh Cassidy returned to his filmmaking roots for this upcoming Deep Look episode about hermit crabs. His career began in the beautiful environs of Northern California tide pools, where he taught himself how to film tiny creatures for his first film, “Life By The Tide.” It was a nostalgic trip back to his humble beginnings; this time, however, he was equipped with updated 4K camera gear and nearly two decades of experience under his belt.(Josh Cassidy/KQED)Josh filmed the hermit crabs using a newly acqu...
We Won Three Emmy Awards!
What's better that being nominated for three Emmy Awards? Winning three awards! Our team swept the Northern California Area "Health/Science/Environment-Feature or Short Form Content" category. Hurray!Watch the winning entries below or in our YouTube playlist:“A Flea's Fantastic Jump Takes More Than Muscle,” KQED Gabriela V. Quiros, Coordinating Producer; Craig Rosa, Series Producer; Joshua Cassidy, Producer/ Cinematographer/Writer/Editor; Laura Klivans, Narrator/Writer; Mike Seely, Post-Production Coordinator; Teodros Hailye...
It's National Ocean Month!
🌊Today marks the first day of National Ocean Month! 🌊 Learn more about the ocean through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — or take a deep dive into our special Deep Look playlist to explore the lives of animals that call it home.
Meet a Scientist: Dr. Shannon Bennett
Hey Deep Peeps,It takes a lot of time and effort to produce each episode of Deep Look, but we couldn’t do it without the help of scientists and other valuable collaborators who have worked closely with us over the years. We’re introducing several of these wonderful partners to you in a series of short profiles so you can get a deeper look at their expertise.Meet Dr. Shannon Bennett: She’s the chief and dean of Science and Research Collections and Associate Curator of Microbiology at the California Academy of Sciences.“I oversee the scie...
It’s World Otter Day!
Happy World Otter Day! They’re not just cute –– they're a vivid example of life on the edge. Unlike whales and other ocean mammals, sea otters have no blubber. Yet they're still able to keep warm in the frigid Pacific waters. The secret to their survival? A fur coat like no other. Learn more about their fantastic fur with our Deep Look episode here.And did you know that otters help eelgrass sea hares, too? Find out how in our episode, "Sea Slugs Scrub Seagrass by the Seashore".
It's World Turtle Day!
Happy World Turtle Day! We’d like to share a wonderful update about the Western pond turtles that we featured in our previous Deep Look episode, “These Crazy Cute Baby Turtles Want Their Lake Back.”In 2015, Presidio Trust wildlife ecologists (including Jonathan Young, who’s worked with our series on several episodes) reintroduced native Western pond turtles to the Presidio’s Mountain Lake in San Francisco after an extensive effort to clean up the area. They recently found a baby turtle: it’s the first confirmation that the reintrodu...
It's World Bee Day!
What’s all the buzz about bees? They’re extremely important to our ecosystems.According to the United Nations, “Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity.”Celebrate and learn more about bees and other pollinators with these Deep Look episodes; we've collected them ...
Sneak Preview: The Pipevine Caterpillar Thrives in a Toxic Love Triangle
The devilish caterpillars of the pipevine swallowtail butterfly *devour* the California pipevine, never mind that the plant is trying to poison them. Their butterfly moms don’t pollinate the pipevine in return, though. So, the vine traps unlucky gnats in itslabyrinthineflowersto do the job.We hope you enjoy this first look at our newest episode. You can start sharing it with other science fans on Tuesday, May 18 from YouTube. Thanks!
Meet a Naturalist: Trent Pearce
Hey Deep Peeps,It takes a lot of time and effort to produce each episode of Deep Look, but we couldn’t do it without the help of scientists and other valuable collaborators who have worked closely with us over the years. We’re introducing several of these wonderful partners to you in a series of short profiles so you can get a deeper look at their expertise.Meet Trent Pearce: He’s a naturalist with the East Bay Regional Park District as well as a freelance author and photographer.“I’m an old‐school naturalist. I seek an understandin...
Field Notes: California Pipevine
Our upcoming episode features a “love triangle” between the California pipevine plant, its resident butterflies and the fungus gnats that pollinate it. In late March and early April, producer Gabriela Quirós and cinematographer Josh Cassidy traveled to Pinole, California, to film California pipevine flowers and fungus gnats in the backyard of husband-and-wife entomologists Cheryl Barr and Bill Shepard. They’re both affiliated with the Essig Museum of Entomology, at UC Berkeley, and collect aquatic insects together all around the world.Wh...
Deep Look Has Been Nominated For Four Emmy Awards!
We were thrilled to learn today that three of our episodes have been nominated for Northern California Emmy Awards in the "Health/Science/Environment-Feature/Segment" category! We also earned a nomination in the "Health/Medical-News or Short Form Content" category.“A Flea's Fantastic Jump Takes More Than Muscle,” KQED Gabriela V. Quiros, Coordinating Producer; Craig Rosa, Series Producer; Joshua Cassidy, Producer/ Cinematographer/Writer/Editor; Laura Klivans, Narrator/Writer; Mike Seely, Post-Production Coordinator; Teod...
Sneak Peek: Scorpions Are Predators With a Sensitive Side
Look past their grasping claws and lightning-fast stingers, and you’ll see scorpions have a delicate pair of comb-like organs on their belly called pectines. These sensory body parts help them navigate, and figure out who’s a menace, a meal or a mate.We hope you enjoy this first look at our newest episode. You can start sharing it with other science fans on Tuesday, May 4 from YouTube. Thanks!
Meet a Scientist: Katharyn Boyer
Hey Deep Peeps,It takes a lot of time and effort to produce each episode of Deep Look, but we couldn’t do it without the help of scientists and other valuable collaborators who have worked closely with us over the years. We’re introducing several of these wonderful partners to you in a series of short profiles so you can get a deeper look at their expertise.Meet Katharyn Boyer, a professor of biology at San Francisco State University’s Estuary & Ocean Science Center. Boyer teaches undergraduate and graduate students in basic and applied e...
Field Notes: Scorpions
For our next episode of Deep Look, we’re putting the spotlight on scorpions: an ultraviolet spotlight! If you shine a UV flashlight on them in the dark, they’ll fluoresce –– creating that eerie, glowing appearance. Researchers are still unsure of why this is, but it was a lot easier for our team to find them at night, when scorpions are most active.Producer Mike Seely worked with Dr. Lauren Esposito, assistant curator and Schlinger Chair of Arachnology at the California Academy of Sciences, to film this video. She’s carefully pinching...
Sneak Peek: The Undying Hydra: A Freshwater Mini-Monster That Defies Aging
Could this tiny creature, named after a mythical multiheaded monster, hold the secret to eternal youth? Related to jellyfish and anemones, the hydra has an almost otherworldly ability to heal itself and stave off aging.We hope you enjoy this first look at our newest episode. You can start sharing it with other science fans on Tuesday, April 20 from YouTube. Thanks!
Meet a Scientist: Steven Ruizin
Hey Deep Peeps,It takes a lot of time and effort to produce each episode of Deep Look, but we couldn’t do it without the help of scientists and other valuable collaborators who have worked closely with us over the years. We’re introducing several of these wonderful partners to you in a series of short profiles so you can get a deeper look at their expertise.Meet Steven Ruizin: He’s the director of the Biological Imaging Facility, UC Berkeley. Ruizin teaches students light microscopy techniques and supervises other educational and research...
Field Notes: Hydras
Coming up next week on Deep Look: hydras! Named after a ferocious multiheaded monster from Greek mythology, the real hydra is a tiny animal related to jellyfish and sea anemones. These freshwater predators have an almost otherworldly ability to heal themselves and keep from aging. Maybe they can teach us how to stay young, too.They’re so small that lead producer and cinematographer Josh Cassidy filmed the hydras in little homemade glass aquariums made out of microscope slides that he glued together.To get the extra close-up shots of the hydra...
Sneak Peek: Leaf Miner Fly Babies Scribble All Over Your Salad
This fly’s larvae tunnel inside bitter-tasting greens like arugula and kale, leaving squiggly marks behind. The plants fight back with toxic chemicals. So before laying her eggs, the fly mom digs into a leaf and slurps its sap – a taste test to find the least toxic spot for her offspring.We hope you enjoy this first look at our newest episode. You can start sharing it with other science fans on Tuesday, April 6 from YouTube. Thanks!
