the UCTV BLOG

Category: Science

  • Unlocking the Science Behind Atmospheric Rivers

    This year, California’s winter weather has been wet and wild. Join Scripps scientist Marty Ralph, Director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) as he describes the phenomena of atmospheric rivers, their impact on our weather, and the essential role modeling and prediction play in managing California’s precious water resources. Watch Unlocking…

  • Death and Mortality: New Programs from CARTA

    Certain warm-blooded social animals and birds appear to react selectively and specifically to the death of other members of their group. Humans seem to be very unusual in the quality and extent of our responses – and in our ability to translate these experiences into an understanding of our personal mortality. When during childhood do…

  • Scientists Tackle Big Questions at Lawrence Berkeley Lab

    Every discovery and invention starts with a question. Find out how scientists dive into the big questions that drive their research in two video presentations from Lawrence Berkeley Lab’s Science at the Theater. “Questions drive science. Questions that provoke other questions keep science fresh and alive,” explains host Jeff Miller. “In fact, if you think…

  • Get the Latest on Climate Change Research and Solutions

    New programs on The UC Climate Solutions Channel explore what climate change is, the science behind what we know, and what we can do about it. The Natural Climate Solutions Symposium, from UC Davis Enjoy highlights from this lively and informative symposium on natural climate solutions hosted by the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and…

  • A Molecular Roadmap to Global Health

    Immunologist Erica Ollman Saphire, an expert who has worked on the front lines in west Africa battling viral hemorrhagic fevers, gives a fascinating and sometimes frightening on-the-ground account of how something called the VIC global consortium developed the only effective strategy to fight the Ebola virus. The VIC or Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Immunotherapeutic Consortium, was…

  • Climate: The More Things Change…

    The eminent climate scientist Richard Somerville of Scripps Institution of Oceanography first appeared on our airwaves in the mid-90’s, sounding the alarm about global warming in the documentary, Change on Planet Earth. Though he (and we) have matured since then, his message remains the same. The science confirming climate change is sound and our actions…

  • The Mind and Methods of V.S. Ramachandran

    In the first chapter of his book, Phantoms in the Brain, premier neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran quotes Sherlock Holmes: “I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routines of everyday life.” It was this “Sherlock Holmes” aspect of science and medicine – of…

  • Origins of Genus Homo – CARTA

    Despite discoveries of remarkable new fossils in recent years, the evolutionary events surrounding the origins of genus Homo are incompletely understood. This fascinating CARTA symposium explores evidence bearing on the emergence of our genus. What forces caused the changes in diet and body form as our predecessors evolved toward Homo. Were there forces from within…

  • Launching The UC Climate Solutions Channel

    The news about climate change is serious. The scientific consensus is clear – it’s getting worse and if we don’t address it, our planet will suffer. Browse this collection of some of the finest voices on climate change, as the University of California continues to lead the world in researching its causes and developing best…

  • Decoding the Microbiome

    There are on average about 110 trillion cells in the human body… and 100 trillion of those aren’t human. That’s the human microbiome, a mix of interdependent organisms living in a variety of ecosystems as diverse as guest Rob Knight puts it, “between a prairie in Kansas and a coral reef in Florida.” And that’s…