QUEST Montage

Highlighting three QUEST episodes: Illuminating Depression, Plastic in the Pacific and Homegrown Accelerators.

lluminating Depression uncovers the difficulty in diagnosing and treating this widespread disease. Optogenetics; manipulation of brain activity with light; may one-day provide the successful answer to curing depression.

The plastic we use in our daily lives will one-day end up in an area of the Pacific dubbed the Pacific Gyre comprising four ocean currents. Plastic in the Pacific examines the massive garbage vortex trapped by these currents.

Homegrown Particle Accelerators features the discoveries prominent bay area physicists encountered with the very first atom smashers. A journey that led to the inner-workings of atoms from the nucleus, to quarks and beyond.

Plastic in the Pacific was recently awarded a 2011 Northern California Emmy.