Science (Video)

Scientifically gifted, agile and charmingly quirky, Freja Ekman knows firsthand how it feels to win the genetic lottery. But UC Berkeley's top graduating senior is also painfully aware of how a single gene mutation can drastically alter the trajectory of ones life. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Show ID: 34021]

The Scripps Oceanographic Collections are world-renowned repositories supporting scientific research and education. They provide the basis for understanding the ocean's biodiversity, the evolutionary history of life on Earth, and the rates and characteristics of climate change. Get an insider’s view into fascinating creatures in these irreplaceable scientific collections. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Show ID: 33732]

How do you model a disease process that stretches out over 20 years in a way that helps you intervene in that process? In the inaugural Shiley Endowed Lecture, Bradley Hyman, MD, PhD shares his research on the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Series: "The Brain Channel" [Show ID: 33992]

Drought, climate change, an aging infrastructure and growing population threaten the water Californias San Joaquin Valley uses to supply most of the nations produce and a large proportion of its livestock and dairy. "Adequate water for food for the nation is a water security issue, and its also a national security issue," says UC Merced CITRIS researcher Roger Bales in a new documentary examining water problems and solutions across the United States and globally. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Show ID: 33730]

Can geoengineering save the planet? Injecting particles into the atmosphere to counter the warming effects of climate change would do nothing to offset the crop damage from rising global temperatures, according to a new analysis by UC Berkeley researchers. Shading the planet keeps things cooler, which helps crops grow better. But plants also need sunlight to grow, so blocking sunlight can affect growth. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Show ID: 33999]

How it is possible for imagination to have practical social effects? The great potential size of human societies, in contrast to those of other primates, is due to a kind of shared imagination of which kinship and religion are important examples, says Maurice Bloch, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics. Bloch says that the shared imaginary emerges in normal life at certain moments yet is still governed by the potential of imagination. The lecture is illustrated by Bloch’s experience of an isolated village in Madagascar. [Show ID: 33941]

In October of 2018, a UC Berkeley team headed down to the Arizona desert with their newest prototype water harvester. In the backyard of a tract home it sucked water out of the air without any power other than sunlight. The successful field proved what the team had predicted; the water harvester can extract drinkable water every day/night cycle at very low humidity and at low cost, making it ideal for people living in arid, water-starved areas of the world. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Show ID: 33996]

As climate change cuts into biodiversity, humans will be among the species at risk. We know this because we can already see the pattern. Berkeley ecologist and wildlife biologist Justin Brashares studies how economic and political systems affect the environment and how the changing environment in turn impacts culture. Series: "Cal Future Forum: Our Changing World" [Show ID: 33082]

Do you know where your water comes from? The iconic spring-fed trout waters of Mt. Shasta and High Sierra meadows are the key to California’s water future. They are a major Source of the state’s water supply, vital to its economy, its people and its fish. Yet, despite its significance, many Californians are unaware of where their water comes from and the need to protect and restore these important sources. They face a myriad of threats. From water bottling plants to hydroelectric and geothermal energy facilities in the springs to degraded meadows in the Sierra. And now – climate change. Learn more about these vital Source waters, and, how we can ensure they are productive and healthy for generations to come. Series: "Sustainable California" [Show ID: 33882]

It’s hard to comprehend large-scale change over time, says Berkeley paleontologist Charles Marshall. The rapid increase in greenhouse gas emission, soaring population growth, and resource extraction have largely occurred within one lifetime. Today, of course, human-driven change is undeniable, global and threatening. See what UC Berkeley is doing to make a difference in our future – in our climate, environment, biodiversity and energy use. Series: "Cal Future Forum: Our Changing World" [Show ID: 33076]