Science

High-school students celebrated for work in the biotech industry

Ever want to learn about the cellulolysis processes or why karyokinesis and cytokinesis happen in the fourth phase of cell division? Just ask one of the 22 students at Oakland Technical High School and Berkeley High School, who are finishing up their summer internships at biotech companies in the East Bay.

Space fans gather at Chabot Space and Science Center to watch last shuttle launch

The patch on John Tulloch’s black hat has the insignia from the final mission of the Discovery space shuttle—a stitched picture of a shuttle blasting off into the stars, with a tail of red flames following, against a dark blue half-globe in the background. He’s wearing a black polo shirt like the ones worn by NASA mission control operators in Houston, the pin on his collar is for the current mission, and the blue astronaut suit his three-year old son…

Local IKEA builds an enormous solar array on its roof

Furniture retail giant IKEA is putting solar panels on its store roofs all over the globe, including the one on the Oakland-Emeryville border. If you drive across the highway overpasses nearby, you can see the array coming into shape.

Program offers homeowners cash rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades

Bay Area residents may soon begin to see ads for a new program that allows homeowners to better insulate their houses while getting a considerable of rebate for doing the upgrade. After an 11-month pilot program, the full version of Energy Upgrade California—a statewide effort to promote energy efficiency—is now going full throttle. Homeowners who hire participating contractors to retrofit their houses as part of the Energy Upgrade California program are eligible for a reimbursement of up to $4,000. The…