University of California Video Podcasts (Video)

Since Lucy's 1974 discovery, African heritage management and paleoscientific research have evolved significantly. Partnerships with international organizations have supported these efforts, leading to flourishing research and collaborations. However, foreign researchers' access restrictions have hindered efficiency, innovation, collaboration, and diversity. Balancing access restrictions with scientific openness and responsible stewardship is crucial. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39826]

Director Kemp Powers joins moderator Mireille Miller-Young (Feminist Studies, UCSB) for a discussion of his film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. They discuss the development of the film, the origins of characters like Spider-Punk, and various artistic influences. Powers also shares his experiences working with a large, diverse animation team and thoughtfully addressing issues of representation and authenticity. They also discuss the storytelling and expressive possibilities of animation. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39976]

How did Ronald Reagan’s vision of the American Dream lead to Donald Trump’s success? Looking back to 1983, Diane Winston, professor of journalism and communication at the University of Southern California, discusses how evangelical religion, the news media, and social turmoil culminated in MAGA’s Second Coming. Winston shows that many journalists uncritically adopted Reagan’s religious rhetoric and broadcast his otherwise unpopular evangelical ideas about limited government and individual responsibility. Winston’s lecture is based on her recent book, Righting the American Dream: How the Media Mainstreamed Reagan’s Evangelical Vision. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 40173]

Michael Lane, Ph.D., shares his work investigating the effects of cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) on breathing and upper extremity function, focusing on the potential for spontaneous functional recovery, or "plasticity." Lane also discusses efforts to develop and test strategies to promote beneficial plasticity and recovery following cervical SCI, with a particular emphasis on improving respiratory function and activity in respiratory muscles. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 39457]

The modern world is not disenchanted. On the contrary, it is full of gods and heroes and myths and magic. In this talk, Philip Gorski sketches out a new narrative of Western modernity that can account for this state of affairs: the fragmentation of the sacred. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39810]

What can you do today to improve or maintain your brain health? Join Sarah Banks, Ph.D., a leading expert in healthy aging, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease, as she discusses the latest research on the effects of exercise on brain health. Stay informed and proactive about maintaining cognitive function as you age with insights from cutting-edge research. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40062]

Take an exquisite ride in space from the International Space Station. Steve Thomas composed these ethereal guitarscapes as a commission for use on the ISS during Richard Garriott’s pioneering flight as a private astronaut. Garriott's photos comprise a collection of 20 flight paths around Earth. The timeless music is emotionally aligned with views of Earth, from the Sahara and Himalayas to the moody aurora borealis. The Earth Serenade series is from the Association of Space Explorers, the professional association of flown astronauts. Series: "Arts Channel " [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 39839]

Humans are a spectacular outlier among the millions of species of life on planet earth, with incredibly unique biological success. Slowly, scientists have begun to understand the traits that interacted to make us unique, such as cumulative culture, unique scales of cooperation, cognitive abilities, language, and a unique life history and mating system. However, the sequence of evolutionary events that led to our unique species was very much a mystery until the discovery of early bipedal hominins like the australopithecine, Lucy. Here, Kim Hill explains how we have learned so much about this improbable sequence and evolutionary pathway by discovering that early hominins were fully bipedal but still had small brains and little evidence for human mating and life history patterns or cumulative cultural evolution. Lucy helped us understand why the evolution of bipedality was a critical first step that led to an amazing evolutionary sequence that resulted in our spectacular outlier species. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39825]

Director Nicole Newnham joins moderator Kyna McClenaghan (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a discussion of her film The Disappearance of Shere Hite. They discuss the origin of the film and her interest in Shere Hite, as well as the archival research undertaken in making the documentary. Together, they also detail the work of Shere Hite in the context of the feminist movement of the time, the sexist backlash she received, and the enduring impact of The Hite Report and other studies. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39973]

Human activities can increase levels of harmful microorganisms and pollutants in our water systems that have the potential to make us sick or threaten our food supply. Join microbial ecologist Dr. Sarah Allard as she presents emerging research from Scripps Oceanography that sheds light on seafood-related food borne illnesses. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40082]