A green alternative to rare-metal batteries may lie in a simple organic compound—ammonia.

As California -- and the world at large – looks for alternatives to fossil fuels, one local innovator is focusing on a biochemical process that he believes holds great promise.

There's more on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Many California cities and water agencies are not happy with a proposal to extend mandatory water conservation rules.

The State Water Resources Control Board will soon vote on changes that it says relax – at least somewhat - the 25-percent statewide conservation mandate. But as Capital Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports, many urban water suppliers say the regulations don’t provide enough relief.

There's more on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Strange ocean conditions have led to the appearance and disappearance of many animals off of Coastal California. What’s behind these strange trends?

As California gets pummeled with storm after storm, we take a moment to think about the condition of the ocean during and leading up to this El Nino year.

Tomorrow, KRCB visits Sausalito's Marine Mammal Center to hear more about how Northern California's seal populations are faring. Learn more on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Much of the bay area’s wetlands have been drained or filled for other uses. But we’re going to need them back again in the future.

Human actions around San Francisco Bay have resulted in the loss of two-thirds of the wetlands that once existed there. Restoring some of those areas can help offset the impacts of sea level rise, but it’s a big, complex and expensive job.

Hear more about this project and see a map of the restorable wetlands around San Francisco Bay on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Though the visual appearance of a film gets the most attention, its sounds can have almost as much impact.

Awards season kicked off last night with the Golden Globes. Come Oscar night, the award for a recently added technical category of "Sound Design," has roots at Skywalker Ranch in northern Marin County. Reporter Katie McMurran talked with an expert there to take us inside the sound design process.

Find more northern California news anytime on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Plans to reunify Santa Rosa’s Old Courthouse Square are on a fast track now. And that concerns some local tree lovers.

Plans for an updated and reunified Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa will mean the removal of some trees--perhaps several dozen—including some of the towering redwoods. That may be a point of contention as the project moves forward.

The community meeting to review the new design concepts will be held tomorrow morning from 10 to noon at 19 Old Courthouse Square. Find out more on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Local researchers continue to make strides in treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Is it possible for Alzheimer’s disease to be reversed? That's the tantalizing suggestion of current scientific studies being done at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato.

Find out more on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Alzheimer’s disease is the major cause of cognitive decline as we age. Local researchers are making strides in preventing and treating this disease affecting more than 5 million Americans.

This is the first part of a 2-part series highlighting Alzheimer’s research done at the Buck Institute in Novato.

Find out more on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Cars and trucks are the biggest source of the green-house gases driving climate change. So the push for more electric vehicles will intensify in the coming year.

A combination of public policy and private initiative is expected to boost the further adoption of electric vehicles in California and the North Bay in the coming year.

Find out more on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

In Sonoma County, at least, 2015 was a break-out year for electric vehicles.

If you think you’ve been seeing more electric cars on local roads in the past year, you’re right. Bruce Robinson examines the factors behind this trend.

Find out more on the North Bay Report webpage at krcb.org/news. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.