hello, and welcome to kqed newsroom. i'm scott shafer. later, the choir, drones, and effort to fight the zika virus. but first, super bowl fever. the bay area is at the center of the sporting world this week. the kickoff at levi stadium for super bowl 50 is at 3:30 sunday afternoon. and the region has been gearing up for the big game. football hasn't been the only big sports story around here. the red-hot golden state warriors earned a trip to the white house this week, where president obama honored last year's nba champs. and joining us now is longtime bay area sports host rick title.

great to have you with us. good time to be a sport guy. >> or girl, yes. a great time right now. >> the carolina panthers versus the denver broncos. not what the bay area had in mind when they were making the bid for the super bowl. they were hoping it would be the 49ers, or at least your oakland ra raiders. what's the story line with this game? >> the story line is the quarterback position and the quarterbacks around this league. you have the young brash guy in cam newton. you also have peyton manning, who's been around the block, the face of the nfl. most likely, this will be his last game ever. you have the fantastic denver defense against the fantastic carolina offense. but you switch that around a little bit, denver's offense, which is not the greatest, and carolina's defense is pretty darn good. they've been a little bit understated. they're very, very good, though. >> we're kind of in our own little bubble here. how is this playing nationally? how much excitement is there outside the bay area? of this match-up. >> it used to be maybe that you

needed a new york or l.a. team. i think we've transcended that now. it's like a national holiday. i was wondering when we got the super bowl here in the city how much people would really care. and they do. and i just got off radio row, i did a whole week of shows there. and it's just nonstop player and celebrity coming through. >> do you think it matters that the team is in santa clara, that's where the game is being played? would it be a different feeling if they were playing at candlestick? >> i don't think so. i look back to '85 when they had it at stanford. that was a limit bit wonky. but now no one ever brings up that the stadium is actually an hour and a half away in traffic. no one really thinks about that. everything is going on downtown. >> you mentioned cam newton, the up and coming star of the carolina panthers. similar style to our own colin kaepernick. he's a run and gun kind of quarterback. very brash. and yet their careers have gone in very different directions. what do you take away from that? >> well, you can sort of look at them physically and say that they're kind of similar. but cam newton, after going to

florida, sitting behind tebow, he got in trouble, had to go to junior college. but he came back to auburn, won a national championship, and meanwhile, you had colin up at reno running the pistol program. a second-round pick, he moved up after the combine. but cam number one overall pick. and cam is just a beast in the way that he's got a fantastic arm. he's got almost like a tight end's body, but he runs like a wide receiver. also he can read defenses about 100% better than colin kaepernick can. >> differences in the way they've been coached and their character as people? >> i don't say so much -- i don't think it's coaching. i think that cam newton is just vastly more talented than kaepernick. we did see kaepernick's mood change. he went from the awe shucks guy to the more ornery guy. maybe chip kelly will put him back in. >> there was another quarterback in the news this week. sadly, ken stabler, who died

last year. autopsy revealed that he had traumatic brain disease, as many quarterbacks and nfl players have. blows to the head repeat lid. what's your takeaway and the fact that this is coming out now? >> the cte thing, of course, we have the movie with will smith, "concussion." i think they tried to make the nfl look a little evil. to me, it's like suing the tobacco company once you get a disease. i think we all know what we're getting sb here. -- into here. i probably have cte to some extent playing in college. nfl players have it more than anyone. ken stabler was my guy. he was my favorite player of all time. so i'm not surprised. i think at some level, we all have it. >> well, there was some other sports news this week. thursday, to be exact. golden state warriors got some love at the white house. president obama welcomed last year's nba champs to the white house. >> uh-huh. >> steph's a pretty good shooter. [ laughter ]

for those of you who watched the game against the wizards last night, he was -- to use slang, he was conning. [ laughter ] he was all jumping up and down. this is a great basketball team, but it's a great organization, it's a great culture. and these are outstanding young men. >> and rick tittle, this is a president that has some street cred within the nba. a big basketball player himself. plays golf with steph curry. >> i don't think william howard taft would have the same kind of street cred that president obama has. look, i mean, he actually understands the sport. and we remember when he first took office, he would do a little march madness pool as well. it's nice when they get to go. and as a warrior fan, went 40

years without no titles and about 35 of those years were miserable years as well, so that's really neat to see. >> before i let you go, prediction for sunday? >> i think the carolina panthers win by three. i think it will be a very tight game. i'm going to go 24-21. i don't think cam will choke, and i don't think manning will play poorly. i think 24-21 carolina. >> we'll have you on next week to go through that prediction. >> looking forward it to. >> thanks so much for coming in. >> any time. god is never too far from the gridiron, and i don't mean the hail mary pass. it's not unusual to hear prayers in the locker room or professional athletes thanking god when they win. well, on the eve of the big game, some current and former nfl players will raise their voices in praise in a super bowl gospel celebration. they're part of the nfl players choir. here with us now are choir director and grammy award-winner myron butler, former linebacker bryan scott, who played with several teams, including the atlanta falcons and the buffalo

bills. and oreck johnson, former line back we are the patriots, vikings, and new york jets. myron, a lot of people, when i told them i'd be talking to you guys, they say i didn't know the nfl had a choir. how did it come about? >> 2008, it was a design to bring guys together that sing, that love to sing, and just to really foster a community with a choir so that guys can express their gifts and their talents in the choir. >> how did you know they'd like to sing? >> that was a good thing. unbeknownst to a lot of people, there are guys in the nfl that really have a desire for music. whether they play, sing, or write music. so it's just the camaraderie of the guys. this guy plays and this guy sings. and they kind of come together like that. >> why do you sing in a choir? >> well -- >> go right ahead. >> well, for me, i've always been passionate about music.

but what the choir delivers, what it is for me is a time to come together as a unified front, and you hear so many negative reports always in the media about players doing wrong things. but there is a group of guys, a huge group of guys actually that's out there, we don't live perfectly, but we try to do the right thing. and it gives us that platform to be transparent and vulnerable and just fellowship, all while partaking in one of our passions, which is music. >> and for me, it was that wild moment. i say that wild moment. i was one of those guys that myron was talking about. my passion was first always music and theatre. >> even when you were playing football? >> oh, yeah. it was music, theatre, and then football. although you don't take it for granted, whatever opportunity god allows you to have, you go full force at it. but i knew what i wanted to do when the game was over. and i wanted to do it while i was playing the game, too, but i always felt like the odd ball.

you know, always a chaplain on every team, and every off day we get a chance to -- whoever wants to, you do prayer with him. it was like me and maybe one other guy on almost every team i played for. so that was an opportunity to be around guys with fellowship. >> you said it allows you to be vulnerable. in football, you're not really allowed to be vulnerable. >> no, you're not. you always have to be on. the camera is always on you. but we're human and we go through things. and it allows us that platform to talk about what's going on in our lives without having to worry about what is society or the outside world going to think. because we're looked at as modern day gladiators, but we hurt and feel just like everybody else does. so we can kind of let down our guard and share what's going on in our world away from the game. >> myron, what's the toughest part of recruiting guys to play, to sing with you guys? >> well, it is helping those guys that have fear of going to

that other place. they may have the ability, but can i do it? can i sing that song? can i, you know, really execute this music? helping them to overcome that. so a lot of times when i'm in rehearsal, i'm cheering them on, i'm saying hey, you can do it. you know, it's tough love. it's tough to jennifer coovercor of can i do this. >> you ever have to cut anybody? [ laughter ] >> well, you know what, maybe from a solo. not from the choir. >> okay. >> it's encouraging, though. >> if he was going to cut you, it's really on the low. nobody knows. >> would you sing a little bit for us right now? >> sure. ♪ wherever i go whatever i do ♪ ♪ you're in love with me i'm in love with you ♪ ♪ i'm a worshipper

i'm a worshipper ♪ ♪ i'm a worshipper wherever i go ♪ ♪ whatever i do you're in love with me i'm in love with you ♪ ♪ i'm a worshipper i'm a worshipper ♪ ♪ i'm a worshipper 'cause they don't know that i'm a worshipper ♪ ♪ they don't know that we're in love with you ♪ ♪ they don't know that we're all worshippers ♪ ♪ and they don't know that we're in love with you ♪ >> all right, awesome. you guys are both linebackers. or you were. are there some positions that make better singers?

[ laughter ] >> wouldn't be linebackers. >> you know, surprisingly, i will say i think it's offensive linemen. o line and d linemen. >> why? >> i don't know what it is. >> i don't either. >> but a lot of linemen -- >> maybe they don't get a lot of attention or something. >> especially the offensive linemen. it's a hard game for them. the only time they get recognized usually is when they make a mistake, something goes wrong. >> so they're a very tight knit group. maybe that's why. >> maybe that's what it is. >> in terms of the difficulty getting these guys to perform, how much of it is sort of a stage fright kind of thing versus like an image? like it doesn't go with the image of being an nfl player. >> i think once the guys, you know, have the desire and say hey, this is something, you know, that i can do, that i'd

like to do. i don't know if it's necessarily about the image. i think it's about, you know, the ability to execute, the ability to remember the song, the ability to do it well. because like we're talking about, they're so used to performing at a high level on the football field, so you take that same expectation level and it's placed on the music. they don't want to just do it haphaza haphazard. it's got to be great. can i execute this and it be great? >> what about you guys? how is it different from performing on a football field? >> this is -- i think it's more difficult. because i felt like i was a football player before i was a singer. and so it was just a little more natural to play football. but i still enjoy it. you get nerves. i always say before we go on the show, we get together, we huddle up just like in the locker room. we say a prayer. we give our little chant. then we run out on to the stage. and it's almost like running out of the tunnel. and the adrenaline is going. and then you don't even think about it. you just have fun.

>> well, guys, thanks so much for coming in. thank you all very much. good luck to you guys. >> thank you. >> we appreciate you. >> awesome. the stadium is a no-drone zone. >> for the big game, the faa has banned the use of drones anywhere near levi stadium in santa clara. but drones are being used for more than just cool aerial videos. in fact, several silicon valley entrepreneurs are finding new uses for these flying robots. our producer and reporter visit a few start-ups to see what they're developing. >> when you think about high-tech workplaces, rock quarries don't typically come to mind. a robotic drone here in san rafael is taking off. as a five-pound unmanned

aircraft flies along a pre-programmed route, it takes a photo every few seconds. it's part of a service offered by san francisco start-up sky catch, with a professional pilot and an engineer to track the drone's progress. so it is following the path that you programmed for it. >> that's exactly right. there's an autopilot onboard that drone that's following the path that i planned on my tablet here. >> how does the drone know where it is? >> we've got a very high accuracy gps that's on that drone. similar to what might be in your cell phone. >> david chen is director of engineering at sky catch. >> the drone took about 700 photos in the morning. it took about two to three hours to process. what we end up with is high resolution 3-d model of the entire site. it's accurate to the centimeter. and the clients can use this to measure volumes of stockpiles, changes on the terrain that they normally would take lots of time, like weeks for humans to

manually measure. this is technology that didn't exist two, three years ago. >> changing how manual jobs are done is what drives sky catch ceo christian sans. >> we revolutionize how we do this. it's going to be a lot more jobs. most of the jobs are very dull, very dangerous. they're going to be done by drones, by robots. i don't think we understand even 10% of the potential for drone applications in the united states or around the world. >> jesse coleman heads business development at air ware, a san francisco start-up that makes technology to automate drones for collecting aerial data. >> a huge technical challenge for the industry today is automation. automation is really what drives the ease of use, making sure that anybody can use this, whether it's a cell tower climber, claims adjuster, oil and gas workers. >> most drones sold in the u.s. are flown for fun by consumers who want to shoot aerial video or experience the thrill of flying.

but for commercial use, an operator must get approval from the federal aviation administration. the rules are strict, and limit the drone today time flight below 500 feet and within view of the operator. but keeping a drone always within flight during missions can be limiting. >> when you go beyond line of sight with one aircraft, you're able to cover a much wider area in space and able to collect much more data in the same flight. >> drones are banned from flying over busy streets or national parks, and privacy and safety regulations are still being worked out. meanwhile, companies like wal-mart and amazon plan to use drones to track inventory and make deliveries. >> think about a scenario where amazon wants to deliver their packages, where verizon wants to go and inspect their cell towers, where fire rescue needs to go in. how do all these different entities really manage who gets access to what air space?

who can fly what, when, where, how? >> to tackle this challenge, companies are working with scientists at the nasa research center in mountainview. >> the main characteristics of drone traffic management are first of all drones don't hit each other. second, drones don't get in the way of manned aviation. third, the drone operator has complete awareness of all the constraints, such as geofenced areas. >> like airports or city streets are no-fly zones for drones. this system is being dissolved for commercial operations. flight plans must be filed and only one drone at a time can fly within the same air space. >> i specify a couple of parameters. my flight number, what vehicle i'm actually going to fly. the start and end time. so this goes off to nasa. and says hey, is anyone else flying here? can i reserve this time? and we got an approval. and it's ready to go.

>> while nasa and its partners keep developing the system, a silicon valley start-up matter net is already making deliveries by drone. >> and now we will power up. and it will take about 90 seconds to show up on our cloud system. and then i can connect it through our mobile phone app here. >> for this demo, the drone has to stay within view, as required by the faa. >> it knows exactly the obstacles. it knows the air space. and also knows the operation. >> but it's not the u.s. where matter net's drones are really taking off. >> we really believe in providing the capabilities to transport vaccines, medicines to the developing world. >> around the world, one in seven people lack access to reliable roads.

>> we saw in drones the fundamental invention that will allow us to create a new mode of transportation. >> a user can launch the drone to send up to two pounds of payload, such as medicine, to a clinic two miles away. >> there is the need for diagnostic samples for hiv/aids, for children. and transporting those samples, it's almost 11 days. with a system like this, you can do it well within a day. >> mapping software guides the drone to its destination. all without a human pilot. >> seven to ten years time, there's going to be networks where we'll be transporting lightweight items in places in the developing world. >> the faa is expected to release final rules for commercial drone operations by mid 2016. meanwhile, entrepreneurs are hoping to put many more of these flying machines to work.

>> i think in four to five years, it's going to be the thing that is delivering your pizza, or the thing that's inspecting your cell tower. the thing that's saving people's lives after a tornado. it's just going to be a part of everyday life. >> this week, the world health organization declared the zika virus an international public health emergency. the virus is carried by mosquitos and has been linked to birth defects. the centers for disease control and prevention issued travel alerts for nearly 30 countries in latin america and the caribbean, where the outbreaks of the virus have been reported. here in the bay area, scientists are working on new technology that may help to quickly detect infections from the zika virus. joining me now is dr. charles choo, a specialist in infectious diseases at uc san francisco. dr. choo, welcome. >> thank you. >> first of all, tell us what is the zika virus and why are we so concerned about it? >> well, the zika virus is spread by mosquitos. it's a mosquito-born virus. it was actually detected in

1947. it was first identified in africa. however, it's only been in the past year that we've seen an explosive increase in the number of infections, especially in the western hemisphere. >> what changed? >> so, it's unknown really exactly what changed. it has been introduced in the western hemisphere because the zika virus follows the mosquito. it's spread by the bite of a mosquito. and so as the mosquito's geographic range increases, as the mosquito starts to penetrate south america, central america, the caribbean, then the virus will follow it. >> so the fact that it's spread by mosquitos is one way. does that make it harder or easier to contain than, say, ebola? >> in some ways, it makes it much more difficult to contain. because whereas with ebola, primarily the method of transmission was human-to-human. an infected person would get infected by someone else. we could institute public health

measures and isolate patients and sort of keep them away, sick patients from those who are healthy. with zika, it's going to be a bigger challenge because we have to eradicate mosquito reservoirs, and unfortunately, many of the areas -- many of the countries that are affected, these are tropical regions. and it's very difficult to eradicate the breeding grounds for mosquitos. >> and other than mosquitos, how else is it spread? >> well, there have been just recently reported some documented cases of -- actually one case of sexual transmission of the virus. and that's thought to be because the virus in some instances -- and we don't really know the details. but can reside in genital secretions such as semen. there was a documented case where an infected person infected his partner. >> and so many of the cases are in the southern part of the hemisphere, in south america, central america, the caribbean, as we said. and the summer olympics are going to be in rio this summer. how big a concern is that?

>> this is a very big concern. and it's a really big concern from both a public health perspective as well as from kind of a clinical perspective. and the worry -- there are actually two issues to worry about. one is that zika virus has been linked to this very devastating complication, which is fetal microcephaly. this is where pregnant women who get infected, they bear children who have abnormally small heads. and these children essentially are dependent for their entire life and typically their life is shortened as a result of this fetal abnormality. it has been linked to zika virus infection. so currently, the recommendations by public health agencies, such as the centers for disease control is that pregnant women do not travel. so certainly, with the olympics coming, the recommendation is that pregnant women should not go to the olympics. >> i know you're working on some techniques of rapidly detecting not only the zika virus, but other viruses. tell us about that.

>> my interest -- the area of my -- my laboratory is interested in doing research in developing new tests for not only zika virus, but other viruses that are also spread by the mosquito. so dengue virus, west nile virus, these are other viruss that are spread by the same mosquito vector that spreads zika virus. so our goal is to develop rapid tests that we can get a blood sample from a patient and be able to diagnose what kind of infection they may have. >> and just to be clear, have there been any diagnosed cases here in california? >> there have been no cases here in california. in fact, there have been no cases that have been locally transmitted in the united states. all of the cases that have been described in the united states were from returning travelers who had gone to these affected countries, such as brazil, and had come back sick and had been documented as having zika virus infections. >> so there's a high priority on containing it? >> absolutely. it's important to realize the mosquito vector that carries

zika virus is actually in california. actually in the united states. in fact, one strain of that mosquito is actually as far north as new york. so in principle, there is a possibility that the mosquito can carry the virus, although we have not been able to document the virus anywhere in the united states. >> obviously keeping a close eye on it. thanks very much for coming in. >> thank you. and that is it for now. thanks for watching. i'm scott shafer. please go to kqednews.org. but before we go, we'd like to mark the passing of two bay area musicians. last week, paul cantoener of jefferson airplane died. and last week we learned sydney anderson also died on the very same day. anderson was the band's original female vocalist and was later replaced by grace slick. jefferson airplane will be honored with a lifetime achievement grammy award next month. ♪

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