Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., discusses the science of mindfulness and how meditation can change the brain. He explains what happens in the brain during stress, how mindfulness helps us become more self-aware, and why it's important to pay attention on purpose. Zeidan shares easy ways to bring mindfulness into daily life, even in small moments. The video includes guided meditations led by Zeidan. Viewers can follow along as he teaches simple breathing techniques and short practices designed to build focu...
May 23, 2025•54 min
Yaron Singer, Vice President of AI and Security at Cisco, co-founded a company specializing in artificial intelligence solutions, which was acquired by Cisco in 2024. They developed a firewall for artificial intelligence, a tool designed to protect AI from making critical mistakes. No matter how sophisticated AI is, errors can still happen, and these errors can have far-reaching consequences. The product is designed to detect and fix such mistakes. This technology was developed long before ChatG...
May 21, 2025•43 min
Metamaterials are special structures made of tiny components that give them unique electromagnetic properties not found in nature. One key feature is a negative refractive index, which enables technologies like "superlenses" for ultra-detailed imaging and "invisibility cloaks." The concept began when Sir John Pendry theorized special rings (SRRs) that could manipulate electromagnetic waves. Later, Sheldon Schultz and David Smith proved this idea with real experiments. Since then, research on met...
May 12, 2025•59 min
The 3rd Annual Global Astrobiotechnology Hub focuses on advancing the intersection of space exploration, biotechnology, and innovation. The program brings together scientists, researchers, and space professionals to discuss how space technologies can accelerate scientific breakthroughs, particularly in fields like personalized medicine and bioengineering. Key themes include the challenges of conducting real-time research in space, the need for specialized astronaut-scientists, and the potential ...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 27 min
A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools is a valuable, research-driven resource that helps families navigate school choices with confidence. This year, the guide takes a deeper look at the powerful role Career Technical Education (CTE) plays in shaping student success beyond the classroom. In a discussion led by Morgan Appel of UC San Diego, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Jakob McWhinney of Voice of San Diego highlight how CTE programs provide early, hands-on learning that builds practical skills, boo...
May 02, 2025•40 min
Scientists, leaders, and patients discuss the intersection of cutting-edge science and real-world impact. They explore the importance of patient perspectives in shaping medical advancements and how collaboration fuels groundbreaking research. Key scientific achievements in areas like regenerative medicine, cancer therapies, and space biology are highlighted. The group emphasizes the need for scientists to engage more with the public—through social media and media appearances—to help people under...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Paul Hoffman is the 2024 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Basic Sciences. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, has conducted groundbreaking research in the “Snowball Earth” (global freezing) hypothesis and plate tectonics occurring in the first half of the Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history. After earning his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, Hoffman served the Geological Survey of his native Canada for 24 years followed by teaching at Harvard University and conducting related r...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 6 min
William Forsythe is the 2024 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy. He is a choreographer whose work has extended ballet to a dynamic contemporary art form. In 1984, he began a 20-year tenure as director of Ballet Frankfurt. After the closure of the Ballet Frankfurt in 2004, Forsythe established a new, more independent ensemble, The Forsythe Company, which he directed from 2005 to 2015. Between 2015 and 2021 he served on the University of Southern California’s faculty, where he helped esta...
Apr 26, 2025•55 min
Sir John Pendry is the 2024 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Advanced Technology. He serves as a professor of Theoretical Solid State Physics at Imperial College London. After earning his Ph.D. at University of Cambridge, Pendry’s initial research concerned a low-energy electron diffraction theory for examining and measuring the surface of materials for practical purposes. He theoretically demonstrated that materials with electromagnetic properties not found in nature, such as negative-refractive-index m...
Apr 21, 2025•1 hr 13 min
The meteorology that causes atmospheric rivers is complex, but scientists at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) are working to help better predict them and understand what they mean for rainfall and snowfall across the state. Join CW3E Deputy Director Julie Kalansky to learn the causes and consequences of these rivers in the sky. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 40658]
Apr 19, 2025•18 min
Cervical cancer remains a significant public health concern, but innovative approaches and community-based research are transforming prevention efforts, particularly immigrant communities. With over 600,000 new cases diagnosed annually, early detection and prevention strategies are crucial. However, accessibility and awareness gaps persist in immigrant communities due to language barriers, cultural stigma, and limited healthcare access. Community-based research plays a pivotal role in bridging t...
Apr 18, 2025•44 min
How can you make choices today that could help you live longer and feel better? Gordon Saxe, M.D., Ph.D., explores the ways to slow the aging process and live a healthier life. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40601]
Apr 14, 2025•3 min
“When anchors fail, people die.” This line has many meanings for author, motivational speaker and expert mountain climber Manley Feinberg. In this Osher Author Talk interview, Feinberg describes a harrowing climb of Yosemite's El Capitan in 2022, where he and his son saved the life of their companion while suspended on the face of the mountain. He incorporates his experience climbing mountains into his books and presentations to help people reach their fullest potential while supporting those ar...
Apr 12, 2025•40 min
Jesmyn Ward has been hailed as the standout writer of her generation, proving her “fearless and toughly lyrical” voice in novels, memoir, and nonfiction. She's been called “the new Toni Morrison.” Ward is a MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient and in 2017, she became the first woman and the first person of color to win two National Book Awards for Fiction—joining the ranks of William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, John Cheever, Philip Roth, and John Updike. Her books include "Let Us Descend," "Sing, Unbur...
Apr 09, 2025•55 min
John A. Pérez, Regent Emeritus of the University of California, sits down with Robert Williams, Ph.D., CEO and Finci-Viterbi Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation, for a critical conversation about the rise of antisemitism on college campuses. They explore how history shapes present-day challenges, the dangers of misinformation, and the role of higher education in confronting hate. Drawing on lessons from the Holocaust and other historical atrocities, they discuss the urgent need for co...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr
Sandra Cisneros is a Latina American short-story writer and poet regarded as a key figure in Chicano literature. She is best known for her first novel, "The House on Mango Street," and her subsequent short story collection, "Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories." Her work experiments with literary forms that investigate emerging subject positions, which Cisneros herself attributes to growing up in a context of cultural hybridity and economic inequality that endowed her with unique stories to ...
Apr 01, 2025•55 min
OpenAI researcher Adam Kalai sits down with UC San Diego professor Mikhail Belkin to discuss his work in machine learning, algorithmic fairness, and artificial intelligence. Kalai has contributed research in areas like fairness in AI models, word embeddings, and human-AI collaboration. He has worked at Microsoft Research and has published influential papers on bias in machine learning models. His work has helped shape discussions on ethical AI and the development of more equitable AI systems. Se...
Mar 31, 2025•38 min
Human beings show a range of emotional attachment, affection, and infatuation often referred to as “love”. Love promotes long-lasting and secure relationships that involve nurturing and support. Biological mechanisms underlying such behavior involve ancient neuropeptides and their receptors in the brain. These systems are also involved in reproduction, ranging from mating and pair-bonding, to giving birth and lactation. They shape the earliest experiences of all mammals and their mothers. The co...
Mar 29, 2025•1 hr 9 min
Human fathers exhibit hormonal shifts in testosterone, prolactin, and oxytocin, enabling flexible responses to parenting. In species with costly paternal care, these shifts balance mating and parenting efforts, suggesting evolved neuroendocrine capacities that support fatherhood. Today, fathers collaborate with mothers worldwide, though their roles vary across cultures and family systems, much as they likely did evolutionarily. Using research from the Philippines, Congo-Brazzaville, and the U.S....
Mar 28, 2025•23 min
Author, screenwriter, philanthropist, journalist and broadcaster Mitch Albom is an inspiration around the world. He is the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, which have collectively sold more than 40 million copies in 48 languages worldwide. He has written eight number-one New York Times bestsellers — including "Tuesdays with Morrie," the bestselling memoir of all time. As part of the 30th anniversary of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Albom joins host Dean Nelson for this fa...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 23 min
The titi and owl monkeys of South America live in socially-monogamous groups where the male and female establish a pair bond and share parental duties. Why do males of these species mate in a monogamous relationship presumably foregoing other reproductive opportunities? And why are titi and owl monkey males such good fathers, investing heavily in the care of offspring that they cannot be certain they sired? Relying on ecological, behavioral and genetic data collected during 28 years from wild po...
Mar 24, 2025•18 min
Anthony Lim, M.D., J.D., explores how small, intentional steps can lead to lasting behavioral change. Lim breaks down a simple, four-step framework to help people achieve their goals, whether it's improving health, forming better habits, or making positive life changes. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40602]
Mar 21, 2025•17 min
Explore the cutting-edge intersection of space travel, biology, and health. Experts dive into the effects of microgravity and space radiation on mitochondrial function, DNA repair, and liver regeneration, shedding light on the unique challenges astronauts face during long-term missions. The discussion also touches on metabolic health, highlighting the role of diet and new pharmaceutical treatments like GLP-1 agonists in addressing modern-day health concerns. With engaging insights on how space r...
Mar 17, 2025•58 min
How can you make choices today that could help you live longer and feel better? Gordon Saxe, M.D., Ph.D. explores lifestyle choices, including diet, that can prevent, or slow, chronic diseases and improve overall health. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40600]
Mar 14, 2025•9 min
Grandmothers play a key role as alloparents in human families. A leading hypothesis suggests that the inclusive fitness benefits of grandmaternal care selected for an extended female lifespan after reproduction, a unique trait among primates. Beyond lifespan extension, grandmothers may have biological adaptations for caregiving. Research from our lab shows grandmothers have lower DNA methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) compared to non-grandmothers, with lower methylation linked to s...
Mar 10, 2025•17 min
B Side Players is an American band formed in 1994. The band incorporates the sounds of Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and Brazil with the funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop rhythms of their homeland. The band also drops a bit of Cumbia, gritty street Samba, Son Montuno and Jarocho into the mix. Described as War meets Lenny Kravitz by way of Ben Harper, the players have expanded their sound by playing with the likes of Harper, Ozomatli, The Wailers, James Brown, War and some of Cuba's best bands. They are signe...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 21 min
Michael J. Corley, Ph.D., explores groundbreaking research on aging, the role of ancient viruses in our DNA, and the impact of the gut microbiome on longevity. Corley discusses how stress, diet, and exercise influence our genetic health, highlighting the complex interplay between environmental factors and our biological systems. The conversation also touches on individualized treatment strategies and the exciting potential of microbiome science in aging research. Series: "Stein Institute for Res...
Mar 07, 2025•47 min
This panel focuses on empowering neurodiverse individuals and their families through open discussions about communication and connection. Participants share personal experiences, emphasizing the importance of providing a voice to those who may struggle to express themselves. Key themes include support, understanding, and the journey toward fostering independence and confidence. The panelists encourage parents to prioritize their well-being while navigating the challenges of raising neurodiverse ...
Mar 05, 2025•58 min
Close relationships help us shape both our other social interactions as well as our internal physiology. Do these close relationships, also known as pair bonds, look and function similarly in species as diverse as titi monkeys, prairie voles, seahorses, and humans? How do negative experiences such as loss factor into, and perhaps strengthen, our close relationships? And what do we mean by luminance? This lecture will explore these topics while also touching on the underlying neurobiology of pair...
Feb 28, 2025•22 min
Ths discussion captures the experiences of parents raising neurodivergent children, emphasizing the importance of finding joy, fostering inclusion, and supporting sibling relationships. Parents share personal stories of resilience, from guiding neurotypical siblings to embrace their roles with love to advocating for inclusive school environments. They highlight the unexpected ways their children teach them patience and strength, as well as the deep sense of community that emerges when families, ...
Feb 26, 2025•57 min
