University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)

Oil and gas are the most traded commodities on the planet; they are also the chief causes of the most grievous harm our species has yet faced, the burgeoning climate crisis. Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and a founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 to work on climate and racial justice. He examines how the export of hydrocarbons, in particular, has become an enormous threat to efforts to rein in greenhouse gasses. It explores the role that America – the world’s biggest exporter of gas – plays in this ongoing catastrophe. And it looks at the role that non-tradeable commodities – sunshine and wind – play in easing this crisis. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Science] [Show ID: 40220]

Through the UniversityLink Medical Science Program (ULMSP), college students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds who aspire to become future health science professionals develop essential academic and professional skills, benefit from long-term mentoring, and build lasting social and professional networks. Dr. Ramón A. Hernandez highlights how the program fosters family support, instills a culture of academic excellence, and emphasizes the importance of community service, showing how ULMSP helps pave the way for these students' success in the health sciences. Series: "Education Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Show ID: 37921]

What's the secret to supporting a sharp mind at any age? In this program, Dr. Nancy Isenberg discusses the latest science-based practices to promote brain health and resiliency as we age. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40073]

Humans construct their physical worlds in part by designing and constructing new tools, habitations, and in due course diverse buildings and, in some cases, towns and cities and construct their symbolic worlds by putting words together to tell stories, articulate plans, tell lies, seek truth, and much more. This talk offers hypotheses that address a key question for anthropogeny: How did biological evolution yield humans with the “construction-ready brains” and bodies that made us capable of the cultural evolution that created the diversity of our mental and physical constructs that we know today? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 40161]

Pragmatism is a “philosophy” in two senses of the term. It is a general outlook on life and an academic theory of the universe and our place in it. In this program, Aaron Zimmerman, professor and chair of the Philosophy Department at UC, Santa Barbara, discusses the nature of America's pragmatism. The axiom of pragmatism is Alexander Bain’s (1865) theory of belief, which was subsequently developed by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James. Despite its Scottish origins, pragmatism is distinctively American, as philosophers, like Dewey and Rawls (in his later work), adapted American’s founding creed to the changes wrought by the Darwinian revolution in biology, offering a pragmatic rationale for natural rights originally grounded in creationist biology. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40130]

Earl Thomas was born into a musical family in rural Tennessee and grew up in a house brimming with music. His father was a bluesman and his mother was a gospel singer, so music is in his veins. He stumbled into the music industry by accident, which led to a vibrant 30-year career that is steeped in African American tradition and culture. His music is a potent mix of the traditional and contemporary gospel, expressed in an impressive music catalogue. As a singer songwriter, his music – deeply rooted in the blues and gospel – is infused with contemporary sensibilities of rock, soul, and rhythm & blues. Thomas’ latest production, after a three-year hiatus, is all vintage gospel or what the singer says is “the music I was meant to do.” His mother always said that he was a gospel singer and now he is finally performing songs that have been, for decades, the soundtrack of African American culture and history and the backbone of the blues. Series: "Arts Channel " [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40053]

Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D., examines the relationship between telomeres, cellular aging, and metabolic health, highlighting how telomere regulation differs between insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant individuals. She discusses the effects of environmental factors—like glucose levels, stress hormones, and drugs—on telomere maintenance, which can disrupt cellular coordination and contribute to age-related diseases. Blackburn also shares insights from studies on hibernating lemurs, indicating that while their telomere health remains stable during metabolic slowdowns, it declines upon reactivation. Ultimately, she suggests that telomere maintenance could serve as a valuable biomarker for early signs of metabolic dysfunction, informing strategies for long-term health and resilience. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 39944]

Artist Jeff Koons is renowned for his provocative and often kitschy sculptures that blend pop culture, consumerism, and art history. His works often feature oversized and glossy renditions of everyday objects, from balloon animals to household items, challenging the boundaries between high and low art while eliciting questions about mass production and cultural value. Koons talks with Kathryn Kanjo, director & CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, about his evolution as an artist, from simple inflatable rabbits to large-scale metal sculptures. [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 39155]

This talk provides a deep time perspective for assessing the behavioural implications of the creation of the earliest known structure and the technologies used in its making. Evidence for the earliest structure appears relatively late, about 500,000 years ago in Zambia, and before the evolution of Homo sapiens. The next oldest structures were made by Neanderthals in Europe, 176,000 years ago. The site in Zambia preserves rare evidence for the shaping and fitting together of two tree trunks to make a stable framework. The process of combining parts to make a whole reflects a conceptually new approach to technology, one which remains central to everything we make as humans, including structures. Did the invention of combinatorial technology require the use of language to discuss and evaluate diverse ways to form new constructs and constructions? This question arises from the extended planning and expertise needed in the making of combinatorial tools.    Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 40160]

Dennis O. Clegg, Ph.D., discusses treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that causes vision loss. Clegg explains that while patients often report improved vision after receiving implants, objective tests don't always confirm this. He explores the potential differences in patients' responses based on genetics and disease progression. There is also an ongoing challenge in finding the best ways to reduce immune rejection of these treatments. New trials are underway to test implants in earlier stages of the disease, and researchers are looking at different strategies like localized immunosuppression. Additionally, some studies suggest that secretions from retinal cells may help preserve vision. Overall, there are many open questions, but advances in the field offer hope for better AMD treatments. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 39459]