University of California Video Podcasts (Video)

Brain aging and neurological disease are hard to study because living human brain tissue is difficult to access. Alysson Muotri, Ph.D., UC San Diego, explains how brain organoids sent to space can model accelerated aging, reveal changes in neural networks, and help test potential treatments for brain disorders. Muotri examines space-induced senescence, fragmented network activity linked to dementia and Alzheimer’s patterns, and Rett syndrome findings showing inflammation tied to endogenous retroviruses and response to antiretroviral drugs in preclinical models. He also explores using brain organoids in space to screen neuroprotective compounds, including candidates identified from Amazon plants. This work helps explain how space biology can speed research on autism, Rett syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological conditions, and points toward new ways to test therapies on Earth. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 41475]

Shun-ichi Amari received the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology, specifically in the field of Information Technology, for his work on neural network dynamics and learning theory. His studies also elucidate our understanding of brain activity in perceptual systems such as vision. Amari established a new academic field that he named “information geometry,” which considers statistical models and probability distribution, laying the foundation for the development of practical algorithms. His research plays an essential role in the evolution of artificial intelligence. Series: "Kyoto Prize Symposium" [Science] [Show ID: 41116]

Menopause can affect sexual health in ways that are common, frustrating, and often overlooked. Kathryn Macaulay, M.D., Director, UC San Diego Menopause Health Program, explains how hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause contribute to vaginal dryness, pain with intercourse, and low libido. Macaulay also outlines why these symptoms can have more than one cause, including physical changes, life stressors, relationship factors, and other health conditions. This discussion helps clarify that sexual symptoms during menopause are common and treatable, and it points toward more informed conversations with a health care provider. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41523]

Menopause symptoms can affect sleep, mood, and everyday quality of life in ways that are easy to dismiss but hard to ignore. Kathryn Macaulay, M.D., Director, UC San Diego Menopause Health Program, explains what menopause is, when hormone therapy is considered, and why treatment decisions depend on symptoms, health history, and individual risk. Macaulay also addresses hot flashes, night sweats, osteoporosis prevention, and the factors that shape whether hormone therapy is a good option. She helps clarify why menopause care is not one size fits all and points toward more informed conversations about symptom relief and long-term health. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41521]

Academic medicine affects patient care in important ways. Julia Cormano, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., Assistant Dean for Clinical Curriculum, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences, UC San Diego, explains how medical students, resident physicians, and fellows contribute to care in a supervised teaching hospital environment. Cormano defines the role of each learner, outlines how they participate in hospitals and clinics, and shows how team-based care can bring more attention, more listening, and up-to-date medical knowledge to each patient’s case. She also explains that attending physicians oversee every decision, combining experienced judgment with the energy and perspective of learners. This work helps clarify how academic medicine supports both patient care and physician training and points toward a broader understanding of why teaching hospitals play an important role in healthcare. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41180]

Perimenopause can bring physical and emotional changes that leave many women feeling unsettled. Kathryn Macaulay, M.D., Director, UC San Diego Menopause Health Program, explains how hormonal shifts and changing menstrual cycles shape this stage of life. Macaulay examines symptoms such as irregular periods, hot flashes, and mood changes, along with broader concerns including weight, overall health, and contraception. This discussion helps clarify why symptoms vary widely, why care should be individualized, and why women do not need to panic as they move through this transition. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41362]

Airline entrepreneurship affects how travelers access low-cost leisure travel and how companies create value in a changing industry. Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr., chair of Allegiant Travel Company and a UC Davis alumnus, explains how deregulation, innovation, and calculated risk shape growth in commercial aviation. Gallagher examines airline deregulation in the late 1970s, the rise of ticketless travel, and Allegiant’s leisure-focused, low-cost model, helping clarify how an airline can succeed by serving a distinct niche. He explains why resilience and adaptability matter in a turbulent industry and points toward entrepreneurship as a way to rethink air travel.

Series: "UC Davis Graduate School of Management's Executive Speakers and Special Events" [Business] [Show ID: 41411]

Organs renew and repair themselves through stem cell systems that respond to injury, microbes, and local signals. Ophir Klein, M.D., Ph.D., of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center explains how the intestine shifts into regenerative states after injury, how long-term changes in the stem cell niche may shape later responses, and how different regions of the colon take on distinct identities. Klein also examines how bacteria help control regional gene expression in the colon, why the lining of the mouth heals faster than skin, and how oral wound healing depends on signaling between epithelial and mesenchymal cells. The program also looks at bioengineering approaches designed to control developmental signals more precisely. Together, these examples show how tissues adapt, heal, and organize themselves, pointing toward better ways to understand regeneration and improve tissue repair. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40849]

Humans live in a world of ideas—born in the brain, shared through language, accumulated in culture across generations, and made reality. From the first flaked stone tools to the building of shelters, from figurative and symbolic art to abstract thought, our brains are engines of imagination—an “idea organ” that has transformed both our species and the planet itself.

The distinct biology of the human brain, scaffolded by language and culture, allows ideas to be formed, named, shared, and accumulated across generations. This process of cumulative culture, knowledge built upon knowledge, has propelled humans far beyond the cognitive landscapes of other large-brained animals, including our closest living and extinct relatives.

This symposium explores how the human brain develops, functions, and maintains its role as the seat of ideas. We trace its story from molecules, cells, neuronal migration and circuitry, to the maternal, parental, and social influences that shape its growth, including the countless ways that brain function can be compromised at any stage of life. We examine how the uniquely human interplay of biology and culture gave rise to a brain capable of perceiving and remaking the world around us. By examining the evolutionary roots of our “idea organ,” we aim to illuminate how this singular capacity emerged—and how it continues to drive human innovation. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 41359]

New York Times bestselling author George Saunders is an American writer who won the Booker Prize for his novel Lincoln in the Bardo. Saunders is known for his sharp wit, moral insight, and inventive storytelling. A longtime contributor to The New Yorker and a creative writing professor at Syracuse University, Saunders is admired for exploring kindness, consumerism, and the human condition with humor and humanity. Saunders joins host Dean Nelson for a lively conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41205]