University of California Video Podcasts (Video)

Organist Brian Hoffman performs Bach’s Canonic Variations (BWV 769), Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her (“From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”), in this masterful recording. To accompany the music, we revisit stunning Earth photography drawn from 50 Earth Serenade films featuring views of the Caribbean, the Sahara, the Aurora, the Pacific, and breathtaking sunsets. Together, the music and images celebrate both heavenly inspiration and earthly beauty. Series: "Earth Serenade" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40989]

AI and genetic medicine are converging to transform how we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. Gene Yeo, Ph.D., unites RNA biology with artificial intelligence to speed the path from genome sequencing to personalized RNA therapeutics. Advances in sequencing have reduced costs dramatically, making interpretation and translation into treatments the real challenge. Using deep learning and large datasets of RNA-binding proteins, Yeo predicts disease vulnerabilities and identifies therapeutic targets, including in neurodegeneration and muscular diseases. Alexis Komor, Ph.D., focuses on DNA, explaining human genetic variation—particularly single-nucleotide variants—and how genome editing technologies like CRISPR can target them. She highlights strategies to correct harmful mutations and explores precise, programmable interventions. Together, their research drives discovery and enables more effective, personalized therapies. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40459]

As part of the 2025 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Dr. Raul Gutierrez,

Associate Professor of Pediatrics at San Francisco General Hospital, talks about supporting immigrant children. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40619]

Rebecca Rakow Penner, M.D., Ph.D., is a body and breast imaging radiologist and MRI physicist advancing how pelvic pain and gynecologic cancers are diagnosed through imaging. She highlights how MRI is improving the detection of endometriosis, pelvic adhesions, venous disorders, and pelvic floor dysfunction with enhanced resolution and motion-sensitive techniques. Rakow Penner also works on new MRI-based protocols that may reduce the need for contrast agents in evaluating breast and ovarian cancer. Through innovative modeling techniques like restriction spectrum imaging, she explores how to differentiate cancerous tissue from post-treatment effects, aiming to improve treatment assessment for cervical and ovarian cancer. Her collaborations span clinical, engineering, and pathology teams.

Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40673]

Radiation oncologist Dr. Julian Hong explains how radiation therapy works and its central role in treating prostate cancer, both when the disease is localized and when it has spread to limited areas. He outlines major radiation options, including external beam radiation, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and brachytherapy, and describes how treatment plans are carefully tailored using imaging, planning scans, and computer modeling to maximize precision and minimize side effects. Hong highlights advances in targeting and beam modulation, which allow for safer, more effective treatment. He also discusses typical timelines for treatment, short- and long-term side effects, and the importance of ongoing follow-up to manage late effects of therapy. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40803]

Film curators Michelle Baroody and Maggie Hennefeld join moderator Patrice Petro for a discussion of their program “Archives of Anonymous Labor: From Farce to Liberation.” The program juxtaposes five films that about anonymity and labor, from silent films that show the invisible labor of housemaids and film editors to films that highlight the erased labor of decolonial struggle. This program is part of the Carsey-Wolf Center annual conference Anonymous Labor in Film and Media. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40920]

Dr. Robert Baron explores current strategies for treating obesity, emphasizing evidence-based approaches to diagnosis, lifestyle change, medication, and long-term weight maintenance. He explains the limitations of body mass index (BMI) as a diagnostic tool and highlights the importance of assessing both excess fat and its health consequences. He reviews dietary principles, including calorie reduction, avoiding added sugars, and the importance of sustainable habits over specific diet types. He also discusses the role of physical activity—particularly strength training—for preserving muscle and improving long-term outcomes. Baron evaluates weight loss medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, noting their benefits, side effects, and the need for continued use to maintain weight loss. [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40757]

We travel abroad the ISS at with these images of Europe to the Red Sea at night. The music is the wonferfully joyous Sinfonia from Bach’s Cantata 29, performed by organist David von Behren at First Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. Series: "Earth Serenade" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40988]

As part of the 2025 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Allen Friedland,

Terri Hancharick and Jack Jadach talk about a collaborative approach to enhancing health in fitness centers. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40613]

Carol Stabile (Clark Honors College, University of Oregon) joins moderator Patrice Petro for a discussion of “CBS and the 1950s Blacklist,” a program that included an episode of the television sitcom The Goldbergs and William N. Robson’s radio broadcast titled “Open Letter on Race Hatred.” They discuss the history of anti-communist activism in the U.S. and how CBS capitulated to the FBI and its blacklisting campaign. Stabile also outlines how the FBI targeted public intellectuals and artists. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40918]