By AMANDA MARTINEZ, MAGGIE FAZELI FARD & ANNA BLOOM UC Berkeley undergraduates are leading the emerging field of Synthetic Biology. We followed them to the International Machine Technology competition — better known as iGEM — for a closer look.

By MAGGIE FAZELI FARD They have ice blue blood, three hearts, eight arms … and they are taking over our waters. In the last decade, the population of giant squid has exploded. They can now be found swimming — and feasting — anywhere from South America up to Pacific Northwest and at times, Alaska.

By ANNA BLOOM Ken Ott and his wife, Lulu Lin-Ott, are part of a generation of young Oaklanders who are trying to change one of the Bay Area’s most troubled and dangerous cities on their own terms. Lulu wants to sell organic ice cream; Ken wants to drive electric pedicabs. Ken’s dream of a more [...]

By AMANDA MARTINEZ US cotton Subsidies which began in 2001 have had a huge impact on world prices for cotton in Africa, particularly Mali. This has led to a decline in cotton farming for a country that is dependent on cotton production for growing subsistence crops (food) and social services like schools and housing. “White [...]

By MAGGIE FAZELI FARD & CLARE MAJOR “Biodynamic” agriculture looks a lot like organic — it disdains synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and incorporates cover cropping and compost. It looks similar, that is, until a farmer buries manure-filled cow horns to harness cosmic rays. In biodynamics, that’s field preparation #500. There are eight others, involving combinations [...]

By MAGGIE FAZELI FARD & SHALEECE HAAS “Not a Normal Age” explores the pathology of aging today as people live longer, and sicker, than ever before. Suicide rates are highest among adults 60 and older than any other age group, with nearly one elderly suicide every 100 minutes. This video also reveals how the trauma extends [...]

By ANNA BLOOM This video, which first appeared on msnbc.com on Feb. 10, 2010,  tells the story of Lindsey Van, 25, and her fight to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Though ski jumping has been a part of the Games since 1924, it has always been restricted to men. As of the International [...]

By ANNA BLOOM (For the full video, which first appeared Feb. 10, 2010, please visit msnbc.com) This short is a snapshot of what I’ve been up to lately: Reporting, filming and producing a story about Lindsey Van, the first female world champion in ski jumping, and her fight to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics [...]