I wrote about “deep tremors” (also nicknamed “slow earthquakes”) last January, both in this blog and for KPLU. You didn’t feel it, no matter where you live, but the quake happened under western Washington during April and May. That was a couple months earlier than scientists expected. So, they didn’t get their instruments in the ground in time to record it. No matter — the deep tremors come back approximately every 15 months.
There’s a nice write-up by Sandy Doughton in The Seattle Times today. She went on the scene, in Sequim, as the researchers lay down their seismometers in the Olympic forest (great photos, too), and she gives a lengthier explanation of the science behind (or beneath) these episodic tremors.
Science and Wonder 
Keith, I was listening to kplu tuesday morning between six thirty and seven thirty, 6-30-09, and a story about a new malaria vaccine that showed a 100% succes rate in animals was being touted. I’ve gone through your web site for the day, tuesday, and can’t find any mention of the story. I know that this is an odd way to get in touch with you, but believe that you will answer this space. What is the name of the company and where are they located? Thanks for your reply, and keep up the good work. Scott
Hi Scott,
I’m happy to do an aside on malaria. The story you heard was an Associated Press re-write of a story in The Seattle Times. Here’s a link to the source. I also should mention that I wrote a story about this research for KPLU two years ago, which you can listen to here. The researcher, Stefan Kappe, says his vaccine approach has to be 100% effective, because if any of the parasites escape, they are prolific reproducers. He’s optimistic, but it still hasn’t passed any human clinical trials.
– Keith