University of California Video Podcasts (Video)

New research at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain is taking a leap forward in understanding how the brain — down to the individual neuron — navigates us through the world to find what we need.

Jack Lin, the study’s principal investigator, is a professor and neurologist who directs the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Program. Lin works with patients like Travis Rouse. He has epilepsy, and a RNS system implanted into his brain senses when a seizure is coming and sends electrical signals to head it off.

The RNS system collects detailed data on brain activity. Complemented with GPS location data and eye tracking, the research team can record unprecedented information on how Travis navigates the Center for Mind and Brain halls.

When the team analyze the data, they’ll be able to see which individual neurons activated as Travis thought through where he wanted to go and also how his brain got him there. Series: "UC Davis News" [Science] [Show ID: 41731]

Chancellor May stops by the UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab to meet the researchers behind brain-computer interface technology. The technology helped a man with ALS communicate again with his family and used AI to mimic the sound of his own voice. Watch as Chancellor May tries out the technology himself in a lab simulation. Series: "UC Davis News" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 41741]

Utilitarianism affects law, public policy, and social justice in important ways. Professor Peter Bolland explains how Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill’s focus on the greatest good for the greatest number shaped modern ethical decision-making. Bolland examines women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and animal welfare, helping clarify how Utilitarian ideas influence debates about justice and equality. This work helps explain the philosophy’s lasting impact and points toward a clearer understanding of the moral choices that shape everyday life. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41699]

Menopause care is changing as more patients seek evidence-based guidance for symptoms, prevention, and long-term health. Kathryn Macaulay, M.D., M.S.C.P., F.A.C.O.G., UC San Diego Health, and Rajita Patil, M.D., M.S.C.P., F.A.C.O.G., UCLA Health, explain why many people still struggle to find trained care, even as menopause affects sleep, mood, work, genitourinary health, and cardiometabolic risk. They connect hormone therapy history with today’s demand for reliable, individualized options, including non-hormonal approaches, and outline the UC Menopause Collaborative’s work to expand training, standardize work flows, support flexible care models, and build research-ready data across UC health centers. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41634]

Jim Wallace's family-run farm and business have relied on UC Davis research on bean varieties for more than 60 years. UC Davis researchers have developed drought and pest-resistant bean varieties that Wallace counts on to stay competitive in an international market. Series: "UC Davis News" [Public Affairs] [Agriculture] [Show ID: 41735]

U.S.-China relations affect global stability in important ways. Graham Allison, Professor of Government at Harvard Kennedy School, explains how the Thucydides’ Trap shapes the challenge of managing competition between the two countries. Allison examines strategic stability, the Xi-Trump summit, and the promise and limits of a new paradigm for major-country relations, helping clarify whether the U.S. and China can avoid conflict. Allison is joined by Molly Roberts, UC San Diego Director of the 21st Century China Center, to further explore this relationship. This conversation helps explain the stakes of their rivalry and points toward the possibilities and limits of constructive strategic stability. Series: "Global Policy and Strategy" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 41703]

Climate change is fundamentally altering marine environments worldwide. But what does this mean for the creatures that call the ocean home? Join Martin Tresguerres, Ph.D., as he delves into the work of the Allen Discovery Center for Neurobiology in Changing Environments (ADC-NiCE), where researchers are working towards answering this question. Through a combination of neurobiology, physiology and environmental science, ADC-NiCE investigates how climate change affects the nervous systems and behavior of marine animals — ultimately guiding policy, conservation strategies and restoration efforts. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 41697]

Cardiovascular disease is a major threat to maternal health during pregnancy and the peripartum period, particularly for women with preexisting heart conditions. A UC San Diego cardiologist describes the development of a multidisciplinary cardio-obstetrics initiative designed to coordinate care for patients with congenital heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias and coronary artery disease. The program brings cardiology and maternal-fetal medicine together with other specialties to establish consistent protocols, improve maternal and fetal outcomes, advance research and train future clinicians. As more people born with congenital heart disease survive into adulthood and consider pregnancy, the need for this specialized care continues to grow. Longitudinal surveillance is also helping researchers study outcomes and identify opportunities for better monitoring. Coordinated cardio-obstetrics care can help manage complex cardiovascular risks throughout pregnancy and delivery.

Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41641]

AI-powered cell imaging may help researchers identify biological differences that are difficult or impossible to see by eye. Yu-Hwa Lo, Ph.D., and Louise Laurent, M.D., Ph.D., describe a system that combines high-speed imaging, cell sorting, microfluidics, and artificial intelligence. The technology creates label-free images of cells, uses AI to classify them, and can isolate selected cells for deeper molecular analysis.

Laurent explains how the team is applying the system to human trophoblast stem cells, which give rise to specialized placental cells involved in nutrient transport, hormone production, blood vessel remodeling, and immune regulation. Lo describes how AI can distinguish cell populations and identify features that may not be apparent to human observers.

The researchers ultimately hope to connect imaging features with gene expression, proteins, and metabolism, allowing cell characteristics and behavior to be predicted from images alone. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41637]

Continuous glucose monitoring and wearable data are changing how researchers study pregnancy and women’s health. Gladys (Sandy) Ramos, M.D., explains why glucose control is difficult during pregnancy and how CGM can reveal patterns that finger-stick testing may miss. She also describes research on CGM use in type 2 and gestational diabetes, labor, and behavior change. Ben Smarr, Ph.D., shows how wearable data can track changes in temperature, heart rate, activity, respiration, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and aging. Together, the speakers discuss personalized care, participant engagement, patient-driven innovation, and access to these tools. The goal is to learn from continuous data while recognizing limits in evidence, interpretation, and equity. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41636]