University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)

Humans have adapted to meet their water needs across disparate environments over time using behavioral adaptations. Yet, as temperatures rise and freshwater sources become depleted, it is critical to understand 1) how populations modify their environments to meet their water needs, and 2) the consequences of these anthropogenic - or human caused changes - on the environment and further on human health. This talk will provide an overview of different global water challenges and focus on a couple of case studies to highlight how development projects in remote areas that provide easier access to water, which may be high in salt or other contaminants, can unintentionally worsen health outcomes and hasten water depletion. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37908]

In this program, Sat Bir Khalsa, Ph.D., talks about the practice of yoga in healthcare, how to elevate life purpose and meaning through its use, and the basic elements of yoga - physical postures and exercises, breathing exercises, deep relaxation, and mediation. Khalsa also explains some of the growing body of research on the benefits of yoga, including fitness, emotional resilience, awareness and cognition, and spirituality. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37852]

Labor leader and activist Dolores Huerta, visual effects supervisor at Pixar Animation Studios Danielle Feinberg, and NASA aerospace engineer Aprille Ericsson join journalist Lynn Sherr to talk about what it means to be a woman and a leader in our challenging times. Sharing stories of childhood dreams, career challenges, social justice and more, the panel gives insight into their own journeys, providing inspiration for women and girls everywhere. Series: "Women in Science" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 37979]

Human-made chemicals with the unexpected ability to interfere with our body’s endocrine system have become prominent contaminants in daily life. Because the hormones produced by our endocrine system create complex signaling networks that control our growth, maturation, fertility, immunity, behavior, and sleep, these endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, can exert powerful biological effects. Declines in human fertility evidenced by falling sperm counts and increases in the incidence of infertility raise concern that daily exposure to EDC contaminants already is impacting human fertility. By design, all species are responsive to their environment. In humans, this responsiveness means that changes in our environment can affect the production of eggs and sperm, the growth and development of the fetus, and adult susceptibility to disease. Thus, in a 21st century world characterized by environmental crises, EDCs represent a planetary health problem with the potential to affect future generations. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37912]

The world is facing a health crisis due to increasing rates of obesity and diabetes, and the consequences of this pandemic will accumulate over the coming decades. Simultaneously, climate change is accelerating and is already having devastating effects that will undermine our ability to feed the world’s growing population. In turn, our food systems contribute importantly to greenhouse gas emissions, water and land use, and multiple forms of pollution. Thus, a solution to feeding what will be about 10 billion people by 2050 diets that are both healthy and environmentally sustainable presents an opportunity to mitigate many global challenges.

The EAT-Lancet commission addressed this challenge by defining healthy diets quantitatively, determining whether these can be produced within planetary boundaries for greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental factors, and identifying strategies to achieve these goals. Any solution must assume that we rapidly shift from fossil fuels to green energy. The commission found that global adoption of a flexitarian dietary pattern that could include up to about two servings per day of animal sourced foods, together with improvements in agricultural practices and reductions in food waste, would have major benefits for human health and allow us to stay within planetary boundaries. Achieving this will require the engagement of governments at all levels, civil society, and individuals. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37911]

In the U.S., there are close to 17 million cancer survivors. What does it mean to be a survivor? An individual is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the balance of his or her life. There are many types of survivors, including those living with cancer and those free of cancer. In this program, Dr. Ana Velázquez Mañana talks about what happens after a cancer diagnosis and aims to support and improve the outcomes of patients with cancer. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37846]

Growing up in Los Angeles in a close knit family with a strong bond to her Cuban roots, Natalie Rodriguez, MD, knew she wanted to be doctor from an early age. She shares the story of how she found her way to UC San Diego to study medicine. Rodriguez also discusses her work with UC San Diego’s Student-Run Free Clinic Project and the importance of rooting medicine in community. Series: "Education Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Show ID: 37860]

Moderator Stephanie Malia Hom joined Professor Joan Roman Resina to discuss Death in Venice and the work of filmmaker Luchino Visconti. Resina contextualized the film within the larger context of Visconti’s German trilogy and his long, storied career. He also discussed the film’s adaptation from the Thomas Mann novella. Resina examined the idea of decadence in the film and the aristocratic Venetian milieus, as well as the film’s larger commentary on art and beauty across the mediums of literature, music, and cinema. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38038]

Dilek Colak, PhD, shares the results of recent work identifying aberrant Ca2+ signaling in ASD astrocytes as a mechanism that contributes to specific behavioral and neuronal deficits. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 37673]

In this inaugural episode of The Art of Change, filmmaker, film scholar and Dean of Arts at UC Santa Cruz, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, talks about her personal history as well as her vision for the Arts Division at UCSC. She is well known for her work on race, sexuality and representations, and is the first Asian American female arts dean in the UC system. The daughter of political refugees from the Philippines who immigrated to the U.S. when she was a teenager, Dean Celine (as she likes to be called) earned her B.A. from UC Berkeley, her MFA from UCLA, and her Ph.D. from Stanford University. Series: "The Art of Change" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 37990]