Science (Audio)

The Arctic is changing rapidly in response to changes in global climate and economic activity and yet much of it remains unexplored with modern scientific techniques. Jeff Bowman describes his group's work in the Arctic as they seek to understand the ecological implications of changing sea ice conditions, and prepare to participate in the MOSAiC expedition; an unprecedented multi-national effort to study the high Arctic across a complete seasonal cycle. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 34635]

Brain organoids, or cortical organoids, hold much promise in finding interventions for neurological conditions, and have already proven useful in understanding the effects of Zika and rare neurological syndromes such as AGS. But how are they made? UC San Diego Stem Cell program project scientist Cleber Trujillo provides a brief overview of how the Muotri lab nurtures pluripotent stem cells into becoming brain organoids. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 34645]

Bioengineer Shaochen Chen has developed a method of 3D printing live human tissue that could one day be used to heal damaged spinal cords, hearts, and other vital organs. And, because his technology uses stem cells, the transplant tissue can be patient specific. Now, he's using his technique to help researchers Alysson Muotri and Karl Wahlin understand brain and eye development. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 34336]

This CARTA symposium focuses on the contributions of scientists and scholars of anthropogeny who live and work in Africa. Himla Soodyall discusses links between the historical and genetic narrative of populations in southern Africa. Berhane Asfaw assesses the claims for the "earliest" homo sapians. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 34979]

Tony Wynshaw-Boris, MD, PhD describes his lab's efforts to use mouse and IPSC models to find commonalities that give insight into the complex disorder of autism. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 34977]

Scientists at Calibr, the drug discovery division of Scripps Research, are advancing new medicines to treat cancer, degenerative diseases and chronic illnesses that affect children and the aging population. Three lead Calibr scientists will talk about some of the most promising drug candidates in the pipeline for treating unmet medical needs. [Science] [Show ID: 34807]

Computer science students are getting involved in high-level research projects in the beginning of their college careers thanks to an innovative program at UC San Diego. The Early Research Scholars Program teams students up with professors who have ongoing research projects. Students get guidance from a centralized mentoring team, which helps them with the basic skills needed to conduct research, so their professors can focus on the details of each project. Students conduct research on everything from autonomous cars, to the microbiome, to software verification. The program has been such a success, it is expanding to multiple universities, with plans to keep it growing. Series: "Computer Science Channel" [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 34691]

Cancer becomes highly dangerous when it spreads from its original site to a different vital organ. These secondary tumors called metastases are what kill most patients. Despite hundreds of years of research, it is not understood why, where, and how cancer spreads to organs like the brain. Lawrence Livermore Lab scientist describes how they bring together cancer biology, 3D printing and material science, to understand and hopefully prevent metastases in the future. Series: "Lawrence Livermore National Lab Science on Saturday" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 34466]

High school student Christopher Caligiuri teams up with renowned stem cell researcher Alysson Muotri to build a robot that interprets signals from lab-grown mini-brains. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Science] [Show ID: 34270]

From the viewpoint of a community leader who made the journey from Compton to a University of California professorship, Dr. Gentry Patrick considers the difference between an open door and true access. Series: "Career Channel" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Education] [Show ID: 34908]

Top scientists are growing miniature brains and retinas from stem cells in their labs, and connecting them with 3D printed tissue. The team is hoping to gain new insight into the earliest stages of brain and eye development, in order to cure a whole host of diseases. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 34916]

The search for human-specific genome changes underlying the unique neocortex expansion found only in the human brain. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32971]

Collapsing ice shelves and calving of large icebergs in Greenland and Antarctica have recently become major drivers of sea level rise. The rapidity of these changes has come as a surprise, revealing major gaps in our understanding of how ice sheets respond to a changing climate. To a large extent, these gaps are due to the lack of measurements from the marine edge of glaciers - the Achilles' heel of glaciers. For over a decade, since the glaciers in Greenland began their retreat, Fiammetta Straneo and her group at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been probing the edge of massive calving glaciers in iceberg-choked fjords in Greenland using helicopters, icebreakers, fishing vessels, and autonomous vehicles. The understanding gained through these measurements is being used in models aimed at improving sea-level rise predictions. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 34572]

The CSE Celebration of Diversity is a day-long event aimed at recognizing the wealth of contributions from all the different kinds of people in the CSE community, and act as a forum to discuss how the department can continue to evolve to become a community of inclusive excellence. This event is led by the CSE Department's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) committee. Series: "Computer Science Channel" [Science] [Show ID: 34958]

Scientist Karl Wahlin is hoping to use the tiny retinas he's developed from stem cells to find a cure for blindness. Wahlin has teamed up with UC San Diego Stem Cell Program Director Alysson Muotri, who is using a similar technique to study the brain. Together, they hope to understand how the brain and the eye influence one another's development. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 34273]