University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)

Thorold Theunissen, Ph.D., of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shares his work using naive stem cells to model trophoblast development. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 37674]

One of the world’s leading scholars in the field of education economics, Caroline Hoxby’s lectures draw upon economics, neuroscience, and education. She shows that early adolescence is the point at which most people either join the path towards advanced cognitive skills or not. Hoxby argues that it is imperative to invest in early education. Series: "Tanner Lectures on Human Values" [Public Affairs] [Education] [Show ID: 38061]

Humans now annually add more biologically available nitrogen to the Earth’s land surfaces than do all natural processes. For 3 billion years, available nitrogen had been the major limiting currency for life on Earth. The recent human disruption of the global nitrogen cycle is causing major environmental harm, including water and air pollution, marine dead zones, 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and species extinctions. Three major ways to solve this nitrogen problem are: (1) much more efficient global use of nitrogen fertilizers; (2) shifts to lower-meat and healthier diets; and (3) halting the conversion of food crops into biofuels, such as US corn ethanol used for transport. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37910]

What are essential tremors? In this program, Dr. Doris Wang explains that essential tremors are rhythmic, involuntary movements of the head, voice or extremities. Common neurological diseases associated with tremors are cerebellar degeneration, Parkinson's disease, and thalamic hemorrhage. Yang discusses how tremors are diagnosed and treated. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37859]

The Kumeyaay are native inhabitants of San Diego and Imperial counties and Baja California, Mexico. For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay people farmed the land and ocean, managed forest fires, manufactured pottery and basketry and engaged in commerce and trade. Stan Rodriguez, Ed.D., executive director of the Kumeyaay Community College, talks about the deep physical and spiritual connection the Kumeyaay people have to the Earth. Despite brutal religious, economic, political and social hardships under European rule, Kumeyaay culture and traditions continue in the region to this day. Series: "Triton Talks" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38071]

One of the world’s leading scholars in the field of education economics, Caroline Hoxby’s lectures draw upon economics, neuroscience, and education. She shows that early adolescence is the point at which most people either join the path towards advanced cognitive skills or not. Hoxby argues that, in a highly industrialized economy like that of the United States, it is not unreasonable for people on the non-advanced-cognitive-skills path to exhibit “economic fatalism” — despair at their long-term economic prospects. This may explain patterns in persons’ susceptibility to populism and political movements that promise to insulate them from the world economy. Series: "Tanner Lectures on Human Values" [Public Affairs] [Education] [Show ID: 37731]

Plastic is everywhere. There are 17 trillion tons of the stuff on the planet. While plastic is convenient and cheap, it can take hundreds of years to decompose. Michael Burkart, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC San Diego, works on inventing new types of renewable, biodegradable plastic made from algae, including the world's first algae surfboard as well as flip flops and sneakers. Burkart is a founder and has an equity position in Algenesis Materials. Series: "Triton Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 38075]

Amazing new technologies in developmental biology and genetics research are allowing scientists to begin to answer long standing questions such as – how does a single fertilized egg cell transform into a complex animal? Why does the embryo of a marine organism like a sea slug develop differently from that of a sea urchin? Join Scripps Developmental Biologist Deirdre Lyons as she describes how she and her colleagues are pushing the limits of our knowledge to understand these intriguing questions and the long history and diversity of life on our planet. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 37915]

UC San Diego’s Last Gift study aims to identify where HIV hides in the body of individuals who are terminally ill from a disease other than HIV, like cancer, ALS, or heart disease. Karine Dubé, DrPH, MPhil, Sarah Gianella Weibel, MD, Andy Kaytes, and Susanna Concha-Garcia discuss the ethical implications of the study, the experiences of the participants, the study components, and what can be learned. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37319]

This episode features Isabel Dees, who was the associate vice chancellor for the Equity and Equal Protection Office at UC Santa Cruz. She recently was hired to serve as deputy Title IX director at UC Office of the President. Originally from the Los Angeles area, Dees has lived and worked in Santa Cruz since 1998. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first in her family to attend university. She completed her B.A. in Politics at UC Santa Cruz and then received her law degree from Monterey College of Law. She is an educational rights advocate with over 10 years’ experience working on compliance in higher education. Series: "The Art of Change" [Humanities] [Show ID: 37985]