UC San Diego (Audio)

Humans construct their physical worlds in part by designing and constructing new tools, habitations, and in due course diverse buildings and, in some cases, towns and cities and construct their symbolic worlds by putting words together to tell stories, articulate plans, tell lies, seek truth, and much more. This talk offers hypotheses that address a key question for anthropogeny: How did biological evolution yield humans with the “construction-ready brains” and bodies that made us capable of the cultural evolution that created the diversity of our mental and physical constructs that we know today? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 40161]

Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D., examines the relationship between telomeres, cellular aging, and metabolic health, highlighting how telomere regulation differs between insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant individuals. She discusses the effects of environmental factors—like glucose levels, stress hormones, and drugs—on telomere maintenance, which can disrupt cellular coordination and contribute to age-related diseases. Blackburn also shares insights from studies on hibernating lemurs, indicating that while their telomere health remains stable during metabolic slowdowns, it declines upon reactivation. Ultimately, she suggests that telomere maintenance could serve as a valuable biomarker for early signs of metabolic dysfunction, informing strategies for long-term health and resilience. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 39944]

Artist Jeff Koons is renowned for his provocative and often kitschy sculptures that blend pop culture, consumerism, and art history. His works often feature oversized and glossy renditions of everyday objects, from balloon animals to household items, challenging the boundaries between high and low art while eliciting questions about mass production and cultural value. Koons talks with Kathryn Kanjo, director & CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, about his evolution as an artist, from simple inflatable rabbits to large-scale metal sculptures. [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 39155]

This talk provides a deep time perspective for assessing the behavioural implications of the creation of the earliest known structure and the technologies used in its making. Evidence for the earliest structure appears relatively late, about 500,000 years ago in Zambia, and before the evolution of Homo sapiens. The next oldest structures were made by Neanderthals in Europe, 176,000 years ago. The site in Zambia preserves rare evidence for the shaping and fitting together of two tree trunks to make a stable framework. The process of combining parts to make a whole reflects a conceptually new approach to technology, one which remains central to everything we make as humans, including structures. Did the invention of combinatorial technology require the use of language to discuss and evaluate diverse ways to form new constructs and constructions? This question arises from the extended planning and expertise needed in the making of combinatorial tools.    Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 40160]

Dennis O. Clegg, Ph.D., discusses treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that causes vision loss. Clegg explains that while patients often report improved vision after receiving implants, objective tests don't always confirm this. He explores the potential differences in patients' responses based on genetics and disease progression. There is also an ongoing challenge in finding the best ways to reduce immune rejection of these treatments. New trials are underway to test implants in earlier stages of the disease, and researchers are looking at different strategies like localized immunosuppression. Additionally, some studies suggest that secretions from retinal cells may help preserve vision. Overall, there are many open questions, but advances in the field offer hope for better AMD treatments. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 39459]

Fareed Zakaria, host of the renowned CNN program “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” talks about how to maintain peace in the post-Cold War era. He examines what he calls the geopolitical revolution that's taking place today and compares it with the unusual state of peace that existed from 1989 until the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 - a time without constant and sustained geopolitical rivalry and tension. He looks at current state of conflict and tension, especially with China. He is joined by Stephen Hadley, former National Security Advisor. This talk is part of the the 2024 Susan Shirk Lecture on U.S.-China Relations at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy. In its sixth year, the forum on U.S.-China Relations is the only American leadership meeting focused exclusively on China and U.S.-China relations. This year’s theme is “Widening the Aperture: U.S.-China Relations in the Global Context.” Series: "Global Policy and Strategy" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 40146]

As distinct from the buildings of termites (interesting though these are), bird nests offer a more apropos point of comparison for human buildings – they are conducted by single vertebrate (or a few) and can be adapted to varied circumstances, with even a small effect of social learning. However, the basic Bauplan remains species-specific, unlike the creativity of the human architect. Since nonhuman primates lack interesting building skills, and so we suggest that bird nest construction may come to play a similar comparative role for architectural design. The static Bauplan of birds can be compared to the near-stasis of human tool use until the end of the Paleolithic, challenging us to assess the changes in human practice that unlocked an increasingly rapid process of cultural evolution. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 40159]

At a global level, Homo sapiens have reshaped the planet Earth to such an extent that we now talk of a new geological age, the Anthropocene. But each of us shapes our own worlds, physically, symbolically, and in the worlds of imagination. This symposium focuses especially on one form of construction, the construction of buildings, while stressing that such construction is ever shaped by diverse factors from landscape to culture and the construction of history embodied in it - and more. After a brief look at birds building their nests as an example of variation on a species-specific Bauplan, we sample a broad sweep of cultural evolution and niche construction from the earliest stone tools of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens through the Neolithic and the rise of cities to the formal and informal architecture of the present day. Finally, we explore the ways artificial intelligence may further change how humans construct their mental and physical worlds. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 40169]

Every building – from the Parthenon to the Great Mosque of Damascus to a typical Georgian house – was influenced by the energy available to its architects. This talk offers a historical perspective on a topic of great relevance today, the linkage of architecture and energy. It provides a useful complement to the non-urban perspective on ecology offered by the talk on “The indigenous architecture of Australia.” Architecture has been shaped in every era by our access to energy, from fire to farming to fossil fuels. The talk will discuss a range of buildings of the past fifteen thousand years from Uruk, via Ancient Rome and Victorian Liverpool, to China's booming megacities. If we are to avoid catastrophic climate change one important ingredients is to design beautiful but also intelligent buildings, and to retrofit - not demolish - those that remain. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 40166]

A fixture in the local music scene since 1974, Gene Perry was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and was one of the earliest pioneers of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean music in San Diego. His ensemble, Rumba Ketumba, is composed of a mixture of San Diego natives and musicians from around the world. Rumba Ketumba plays a high-energy mixture of Afro-Latin, Caribbean, Spanish Rumba, and other dance rhythms. Curator Yael Strom, whose Yiddish klezmer group has previously collaborated with Rumba Ketumba, will host and conduct a Q&A with the group after their performance. “Gene Perry and Rumba Ketumba’s extraordinary musical talent and personalities are hard for audiences to resist,” says Strom. “They have virtuosic ability with calypso, reggae, salsa, samba, Afro-Cuban, and African Diaspora music, and I have been fortunate enough to tour and collaborate with them on a number of groundbreaking cross-genre projects.” Series: "Arts Channel " [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 39527]

Human "place-making" began over a million years ago when early humans made the hearth the center of social life. By 450,000 years ago, they were using caves in southwest Asia and sometimes buried their dead beneath the floor, linking memory-making with place-making. Hunter-gatherers started settling seasonally around 24,000 years ago, with permanent stone settlements by 13,000 BCE. Large, co-resident communities became common in the Holocene. The Neolithic (9600-6000 BCE) saw major social, economic, and cultural innovations, including architecture, monuments, and symbolic systems. Neolithic societies, with their complex economic relations, proto-urban patterns, and ritualistic architecture, were the first "imagined communities," deeply tied to memory and social symbolism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 40163]

An electrifying harmonizer, Lisa Sanders’ heartfelt songs are genuine with deep meaning and conviction. Her music conveys a style that can only be described as soulful country blues, integrating influences of folk-pop, gospel, rock, and jazz. Writing, singing, and producing from her heart in nearly every genre for over three decades, Sanders continues to make an impact in the musical world. Joining her from the Los Angeles band, Water Tower, will be Kenny Feinstein, on guitars, mandolin, bass, and violin and Tommy Drinkard on bass, percussion, guitars, and banjo. Series: "Arts Channel " [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40051]

Explore the captivating realm of brain research at UC San Diego with Frank Furnari, Ph.D., and Alexander Khalessi, M.D., M.B.A. Furnari and Khalessi delve into groundbreaking efforts to find new treatments for neurological conditions such as brain tumors, stroke, and brain injuries, bringing hope to patients and their families. Emphasizing ethics, innovation, and patient care, Furnari and Khalessi shed light on the challenges and successes in their quest to unravel the mysteries of the mind. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 39723]

He is often referred to as the "God of Manga" and the "Father of Anime", Osamu Tezuka was a pioneering Japanese manga artist, animator, and film producer. His work laid the foundation for modern manga and anime, influencing countless creators and shaping the industry as it is known today. Tezuka founded Mushi Production, one of the first anime studios in Japan, where he produced the first Japanese TV anime series, Astro Boy in 1963. This show was a significant milestone in anime history, both for its success and for establishing the practice of limited animation, which became a standard in the industry. A lifelong anime aficionado, Rachel Costello, from UC San Diego’s Innovating for National Security Academic Program, gives a retrospective on the life and work for Tezuka. Her passion led her to spearhead the U.S. Navy’s “Sea Strike 2041” comic project as executive producer. Series: "Arts Channel " [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40089]

This creative program invites musicians to interact with sounds recorded from the depths of the ocean. UC San Diego music professor and Qualcomm Institute Research Artist-in-Residence Lei Liang explores his composition "Six Seasons" with Marco Fusi, a renowned string player who has performed “Six Seasons,” and Joshua Jones, a project scientist with the UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography lab that recorded the soundscape. Series: "Arts Channel " [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40019]