University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)

Language is a human cognitive specialization, and as such, is expected to be supported by human neurological specializations. The arcuate fasciculus is a white matter fiber tract that connects Wernicke’s and Broca’s language areas in the human brain, and also connects the homologues of Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas in non-human primate brains. Emory University professor James Rilling discusses the difference of arcuate fasciculus between human and non-human primate brains and how the specialization of speech has helped humans evolve. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37381]

How can students and their parents make sure they are on the right path to apply to college? High school counselor Isela Medina shares how to access resources, the support systems available, and more. Learn about how your GPA can affect your applications, what you need to know about A-G requirements, and how to set yourself up for success starting as early as 9th grade. Series: "Education Channel" [Education] [Show ID: 36467]

There are so many unknowns when sending your child off to college. How much will college cost? What is dorm life really like? How will our family stay connected? Elizabeth Zamudio from the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) shares answers to these questions and more to help parents navigate the first years of college. Series: "Education Channel" [Education] [Show ID: 36722]

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]

This session discusses how psychedelic-assisted therapy can relieve suffering in depression and PTSD based on new clinical trials, how they may work with insights from brain imaging studies, how they can be culturally adapted and help reduce racial trauma, and includes further exploration of psychedelics and mental health. Panelists: Robin Carhart Harris, PhD, Professor and researcher, UCSF and Imperial College London; Charles L. Raison, MD, Professor and the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sara Reed, MS, LMFT, CEO and founder, Mind's iHealth Solutions. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37480]

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]

Parenting and educating young people as they transition back to in-person learning and jobs this year is both joyful and challenging. A panel of experts discusses approaches that parents, caregivers, and educators can take to support youth, including strategies to promote resilience, resourcefulness, and creating environments that facilitate a sense of belonging and agency—especially for youth of color. Panelists: Joyce Dorado, PhD, Health Sciences Clinical Professor, UCSF Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director, UCSF Health Environments and Response to Trauma in Schools (HEARTS); Julie Lythcott-Haims, JD, MFA, New York Times best-selling author; Suniya Luthar, PhD, Professor Emerita, Columbia University; co-founder, Authentic Connections. Moderator: Dan Siegel, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine; founder, Mindsight Institute. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37478]

Elly Tanaka of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter shares her work defining what it means to have successful regeneration and studying examples of lack of regeneration and what that means at the cellular and molecular levels. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 37019]

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]

From a very young age, Amanda Corona's parents began instilling a deep appreciation for the the power of education. She always knew she would go to college and chose to attend UC San Diego. She shares what it was like to change majors, how she found a Latina community through a sorority, and her advice to young scholars. Series: "Education Channel" [Education] [Show ID: 36938]