Humanities (Video)

During embryogenesis, the three germ layers (endoderm, ectoderm, mesoderm) differentiate into epithelial and non-epithelial cells, which eventually form differentiated tissues and organs. Abundant data now indicates that we humans are very closely related to other hominids including chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans, the so-called "great apes". UC San Diego School of Medicine professor Nissi Varki discusses the incidence of carcinomas, including the rarity of occurrence of common human carcinomas in captive chimpanzees. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37382]

Diet has played a major role in the evolution of human and non-human primate digestive systems. Phytanic acid is a potentially toxic branched chain fatty acid that can be acquired in humans by ingesting plant and/or animal products. Although it was established that humans cannot derive phytanic acid from chlorophyll and instead normally obtain it only from meat, dairy, and fish products, less was known about the capacity of non-human primates with proportionally larger hindguts to obtain phytanic acid from plant materials. University of Southern California professor Joseph Hacia discusses studies profiling phytanic acid levels in red blood cells obtained from humans and captive non-human primates all on low phytanic acid diets. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37379]

ABO Blood groups represent the first described human molecular polymorphism. The ABO gene encodes variants of a protein (a glycosyltransferase) that produces the short sugar chains on glycoproteins and glycolipids that define the A, B, or O antigens. These antigens are found on red blood cells, plasma glycoproteins, and other cell types in various tissues. Individual humans can have one of four blood types based on the two alleles inherited from both parents at the ABO locus: blood type A, B, AB, or O. UC San Diego professor Pascal Gagneux discusses how recent comparative genome studies have revealed that this polymorphic system is ancient and shared between humans and non-human primates, this despite the fact that none of the great ape species carries all four ABO blood types. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37378]

Humans are unusual in that we depend on shared foods, especially among families and friends and between potential mates. Food sharing occurs between healthy individuals and those that are infirm or elderly. We also differ from other great apes in our early ages at weaning, late ages at maturity, short birth intervals and survivorship decades past menopause. The emergence of these patterns was crucial to early human development. In light of observations among modern East African hunter-gatherers, University of Utah professor James O’Connell evaluates two alternatives. He discusses one hypothesis that focuses on males acquiring big game meat and marrow to provide for mates and offspring. The other hypothesis surrounds how certain kinds of savanna plant food set up the forager interdependence which propelled all aspects of life history change. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37384]

As Wendell Bass explains, when you see children as brilliant, the possibilities are endless. Bass has spent a lifetime in education working towards an equitable future for all of his students. In this wide ranging interview, he shares what he has learned while emphasizing love, compassion, and connection during all parts of the school day. Series: "Education Channel" [Humanities] [Education] [Show ID: 37250]

Ilan Stavans of Amherst College, discusses The Seventh Heaven: Travels through Jewish Latin America (2020). In this travelogue, Stavans talks to families of the desaparecidos in Buenos Aires, to “Indian Jews,” and to people affiliated with neo-Nazi groups in Patagonia. He also visits Spain to understand the long-term effects of the Inquisition, the American Southwest habitat of “secret Jews,” and Israel, where immigrants from Latin America have reshaped the Jewish state. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 37322]

This short film showcases two community-engaged graduate student research projects related to California Indian baskets. Learning about basket traditions from local Yokuts basket weavers connects to an exploration of how 3D digitization of baskets can assist with cultural revitalization. These projects were funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. Series: "Critically Human" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 37331]

Despite the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in health research, too many investigators face challenges in recruiting diverse study participants. Using current examples, Jesse Nodora, DrPh highlights some of those challenges and the implications for interpreting and applying results. He also explores how community-engaged research can address these deficits and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in health research. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 36638]

Filmmaker and author Cheryl Foggo joins moderator Stephanie Batiste for a virtual discussion of Foggo’s new documentary, John Ware Reclaimed. The film follows Foggo’s quest to recover the story of John Ware, a Black cowboy and rancher who settled in Alberta, Canada prior to the turn of the twentieth century. In conversation with Batiste, Foggo addresses how Ware’s story illuminates histories of Black settlement and anti-Black racism in the Canadian west, touching on questions of national myth-making, intergenerational kinship, and identity across borders. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 37195]

Who was Josef Mengele? After the end of the Holocaust, the German physician has been increasingly viewed as the personification of supreme evil both in the minds of survivors and the public at large. In this lecture based on his highly acclaimed book “Mengele,” David Marwell untangles history and myth surrounding the man known variously as the Angel of Death and the good uncle, suggesting that Mengele was not so much a uniquely monstrous perpetrator, but more a willing part of a monstrous machine of destruction.

Marwell has had a distinguished career as chief of investigative research at the US Department of Justice, associate museum director at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and director and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. Series: "Library Channel" [Humanities] [Show ID: 36713]