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Park rangers in the Santa Cruz Mountains are protecting a decades-old secret: albino redwood trees. Pale and fragile, these so-called “ghost trees” are deliberately off the beaten track, as Amy Standen found out.

As soldiers continue to return from Iraq and Afghanistan, doctors who treat them find themselves at the forefront of scientific research. That's the case at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto, where scientists have made a surprising discovery. Amy Standen reports.

Air pollution may seem like an urban problem, but it’s becoming an increasing concern in California’s national parks. Pollution from cars and trucks blows into the Sierra Nevada mountains, where it can have a dramatic impact on the ecosystem. In Yosemite National Park, researchers are trying to gauge that impact and they’re using an unexpected tool: a fungus called lichen.

QUEST radio looks at a controversial casino project in Richmond that, if approved, would allow a $1.2 billion resort with 4,000 slot machines to be built. Supporters of Measure U say it will bring jobs and tax revenue to a neglected former industrial site. Opponents say a Vegas-style operation would destroy habitat along the Richmond shore. Also on November's ballot are a number of local measures on urban growth boundaries. QUEST has two reports, from Amy Standen and Lauren Sommer.

Can brain performance be improved? The $300 million-a-year "brain-fitness" industry is betting that the answer to that question is yes. Some companies say that an 80-year old brain can perform just as well as a 25-year old brain after some specialized video game training. What about crossword puzzles and regular old exercise? QUEST takes a look at the growing brain fitness industry and the science behind it.

Detroit has been at the center of the country’s auto industry ever since Henry Ford rolled his first Model T off the assembly line in 1908. But as hard times have fallen on America’s Rust Belt, there's a new region hoping to give Detroit a run for its money. Amidst start-up companies like Google, eBay and Facebook, clean tech entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are plugging into an emerging electric car industry. Andrea Kissack tells us more.

Every year buzzwords enter the American lexicon. Like "octo-mom" or "crowdsourcing." Next year "range anxiety" may top the list. It’s the fear of being stranded in an electric car because the battery has run out. Andrea Kissack continues to explore the brave new world of electric cars. Today, she goes in search of a charge.

The first mass-produced electric vehicles ever sold in the United States will begin to hit auto show rooms by the end of this year. The Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt already have tens of thousands of pre-orders. Until now, electric cars had been the domain of small groups of tech hobbyists and hard core environmentalists. But how feasible are they for everyday drivers? That's what Andrea Kissack wanted to find out.

It’s the time of year when backyard gardeners are gathering the last few tomatoes and squash of the summer harvest. But there’s one thing most gardeners don’t harvest: seeds. Seed saving is a technique that has fallen by the wayside in modern agriculture. The idea is to develop plants that are suited for the Bay Area's microclimates and to preserve crop biodiversity. As Lauren Sommer reports, a handful of people are starting their own seed-saving efforts.

A judge's ruling last month that blocks the federal government from funding embryonic stem cell research puts California back in the lead in the field. Scientists say funding from a 2004 state ballot measure has become a lifeline for pioneering work on diseases like Parkinson's and congenital heart disease. Still, the ruling, which may be overturned on appeal, will create challenges in California.