University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)

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]

Dr. Sandro Galea Dean of Boston University School of Public Health, discusses how a leading academic medical center like UCSF can harness scholarship, education, and clinical care to tackle society’s thorniest problems -- problems that prevent us from achieving levels of health and well-being that we know are possible for all. Examples of UCSF’s current efforts in population health and health equity are discussed along with opportunities for expanded impact. Panelists: Dr. Robert Hiatt, Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo and Dr. Daniel Lowenstein. Series: "Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies" [Show ID: 33990]

California State Assembly Member David Chiu, representing the 17th Assembly District, discusses the future of health policy in California. Moderated by Dr. Andrew Bindman UCSF Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Professor of Health Policy at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF. Presented by the UCSF Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP). Series: "Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies" [Show ID: 33991]

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: "Climate Change Playlist" [Show ID: 33999]

UC Berkeley researchers are using an exceptional stash of 1,500 fossils found during the construction of a new San Francisco East Bay dam to piece together a picture of what the Bay Area may have looked like some 15-20 million years ago. Water covered much of the region, ancient whales sifted food over what is now Berkeley and Oakland, while now-extinct megalodon sharks might have hunted dolphins over San Jose. Hippo-like creatures waded along the coast, which was dotted with palm and pine trees. Seals, larger than today, frolicked in the water. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Show ID: 34000]

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]

UC Berkeley Associate Professor of Architecture Ronald Rael’s “Cabin of Curiosities” is a livable, water-tight structure in Oakland that was unveiled in May 2018. With succulents growing off the exterior walls and a translucent interior, the cabin catches the eye and inspires wonder. What makes the structure unique, however, is not its beauty, but the fact that nearly every element of the cabin was constructed out of 3D-printed materials. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Show ID: 33997]

Drs. Kaitlin Willham and Heather Nye explain the idea of pre-habilitation:enhancing functional capacity before surgery to improve a person’s ability to withstand the upcoming stressor of surgery. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Show ID: 33745]

Gwyneth Paltrow, Oscar-, Golden Globe-, and Emmy-winning actress, appeared in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001. After a recent screening at UC Santa Barbara, she discussed the film and more. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Show ID: 33950]