Science & Tech
Valley amateur astronomers help track a near-Earth asteroid
Observations from a backyard observatory in Kestrel Hill refined the orbit of a 140-metre object. There is no risk of impact, astronomers stress.
Priya Castellanos
Science & Technology Reporter
Priya Castellanos writes about research at the valley's universities, energy, climate and the technology that shapes daily life. She holds a master's degree in environmental engineering and still keeps her old field notebooks.
Science & Tech
Heat pump rebate demand overwhelms the county program
Applications hit 4,800 in six weeks, four times the forecast. The waitlist now stretches into next summer.
Science & Tech
Smart streetlights save energy, but residents ask what else they record
A 1,200-light pilot cut electricity use by 61 percent. Privacy advocates want a written policy before the city buys 18,000 more.
Science & Tech
River is warming faster than expected, a 20-year study finds
Average summer water temperature in the lower Brindle rose 1.8°C since 2005. Biologists worry about the autumn salmon run.
Science & Tech
University team says its iron-air battery could halve grid storage costs
Researchers at Valley Polytechnic report a prototype that stores energy for 100 hours. Scaling it up is the hard part.