Joan Donovan, a leading disinformation researcher specializing in media manipulation, explains how social media platforms have become the new battleground for public persuasion. Co-author of “Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America,” Donovan uncovers the ways memes and social media enable fringe groups to lure in new recruits and spread their ideologies. In this episode, Donovan provides expert guidance on technical and policy strategies necessary to mitigate the weaponization of social media. Series: "Public Policy and Society" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 39286]

Toshihiro Kobayashi, Ph.D., presents his research on the mechanisms driving cell fate choices in early mammalian embryos. He also discusses the potential application of these principles in future regenerative medicine. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 38328]

Explore UC Davis discoveries that have improved modern life in unexpected ways. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Science] [Show ID: 39211]

TecHype is a groundbreaking series that cuts through the hype around emerging technologies. Each episode debunks misunderstandings around emerging tech, provides insight into benefits and risks, and identifies technical and policy strategies to harness the benefits while mitigating the risks.

This episode of TecHype features Prof. Stuart Russell from UC Berkeley, a world-renowned expert in artificial intelligence and co-author (with Peter Norvig) of the standard text in the field. We debunk misunderstandings around what “AI” actually is and break down the benefits and risks of this transformative technology. Prof. Russell provides an expert perspective on the real impacts AI will have in our world, including its potential to provide greater efficiency and effectiveness in a variety of domains and the serious safety, security, and discrimination risks it poses. Series: "Public Policy and Society" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 39284]

Joseph C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D., shares his pioneering research on cardiovascular disease mechanisms using patient-specific stem cells. Learn about accelerated drug discovery, "clinical trials in a dish," and precision medicine's impact on treatment. Explore genomics, stem cells, imaging, and more. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 38327]

Researchers deployed a fleet of 100 semi-autonomous vehicles to test whether a new AI-powered cruise control system can help smooth the flow of traffic and improve fuel economy.

In a massive traffic experiment, scientists tested whether introducing just a few AI-equipped vehicles to the road can help ease “phantom” jams caused by human behavior and reduce fuel consumption for everyone.

(Video: Roxanne Makasdjian, Alan Toth, and CIRCLES Consortium

Music: Dyalla - Organic Guitar House)

Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 39225]

TecHype is a groundbreaking series that cuts through the hype around emerging technologies to get to what matters. Each episode debunks misunderstandings around emerging tech, provides insight into benefits and risks, and identifies technical and policy strategies to harness the benefits while mitigating the risks of emerging technologies. This episode of TecHype features Prof. Hany Farid from UC Berkeley, a world-renowned expert in the analysis of digitally manipulated images. We take a deep dive into determining what a 'deepfake’ is and explore how these AI-generated images, videos, and audio can be used for both amusing and alarming purposes.

Farid highlights the increasing prevalence of deepfakes and their impact on society. From revolutionizing the entertainment industry, bolstering creativity, and championing advocacy campaigns to their use in impersonating public figures in ways that manipulate elections or personal contacts to commit fraud. The episode concludes with a discussion of targeted strategies that can be pursued to keep you safe from harmful deepfakes, such as digital watermarking and detection tools. Series: "Public Policy and Society" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 39244]

UC Berkeley drills a 400-foot borehole to explore geothermal heating on campus.

UC Berkeley plans to decommission its 40-year-old cogeneration plant and replace its current steam heating system with a new system that uses water pipes to heat and cool buildings on campus. While the cogeneration plant burns natural gas to produce electricity and steam heat for the campus, the new system will use electricity for both power and thermal needs. By using clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, to produce this electricity, the campus’s future power, heating and cooling needs would be entirely carbon-free.

(Video: Roxanne Makasdjian, Alan Toth, Adam Lau) Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 39224]

The human penchant for storytelling is universal, early-developing, and profoundly culture-shaping. Stories (folk tales, narratives and myths) influence the costs of social transactions and organize societies at every scale of human interaction. Story as a mode of communication is also unprecedented in the animal kingdom: although we are compelled to tell stories about other animals, they are not likewise compelled to tell stories about us (or anything else, for that matter). Even our ability to manage urgent human problems such as global health and climate change are affected by the stories and myths humans choose to tell. This symposium explores several stories about how the evolution of story-telling shaped, and continues to shape, the human epoch. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39006]

Animals and tricksters are highly prominent beings in the mythology of the San Bushmen of southern Africa, as well as of hunter-gatherers in other regions of the world. Their actions and interactions provide the plot lines for most of the stories people tell about myth time. Why are these two beings so preeminent in San mythology and storytelling? Is there a connection between the two beings? Mathias Guenther discusses these two questions and the answer reveals a deep – and deep-rooted –mystical connection also between animals and humans. The hunting-gathering people that provide the cultural context for my talk are the San Bushmen of southern Africa, amongst whom I have done ethnographic field work. I will also consider hunter-gatherers from other parts of the world, both from present or recent times and from prehistory. These considerations may shed some light on certain aspects of prehistoric cave paintings. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39004]