Noted scientist Stephen Wolfram shares his perspective of how the unexpected results of simple computer experiments have forced him to consider a whole new way of looking at processes in our universe. (86 minutes)

2008 Nierenberg Award recipient James Hansen explores the global threats inherent in global warming. (55 minutes)

More than two dozen UC San Diego physicists are working with hundreds of other scientists at CERNŐs Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, searching for a subatomic particle called the ŇHiggs boson.Ó How are they doing it? What have they found thus far? And why is this search considered one of civilizationŐs greatest quests? UC San Diego Professor of Physics Vivek Sharma, who directs the Higgs search for the CMS collaboration, explains what physicists hope to achieve at the worldŐs largest scientific experiment, involving an estimated 10,000 individuals from 60 countries. (57 minutes)

Research has changed our concepts of brain organization and provided dramatic evidence showing far greater similarities between brains of birds and brains of all mammals. Harvey Karten explores what goes on inside a birdŐs brain. Learn how brains of birds compare to those of humans and other mammals and find out what the study of birdŐs brains can teach us about the nature and origins of human brains. (57 minutes)

UCSD Cognitive scientist Joan Stiles reveals the latest understandings about the intricate relationship between biology and external influences in the development of the brain. (58 minutes)

What are the mechanisms by which neurons differentiate to achieve the spectacular complexity of the brain? Join UCSD's Nick Spitzer as he explains what we know about this process. (57 minutes)

Join UCSD's Larry Squire in a fascinating presentation of recent research about memory systems in humans and other mammals. (58 minutes)

We make thousands of decisions every day: where to go, what to do, when to do it. Join UCSD's William Kristan and discover how neurons, synapses, and chemical input play out in decision making. (57 minutes)

Neuroscientist Patricia Churchland explores how the human mind functions in guiding one's decisions. (55 minutes)

In this fascinating presentation, The Salk Institute's Terry Sejnowski explores how by its nature the human brain is susceptible to the effects of addictive substances. (59 minutes)

In this edition of "Grey Matters," Aniruddh Patel, of the Neurosciences Institute, discusses what music can teach us about the brain, and what brain science, in turn, can reveal about music. (51 minutes)

Join Stuart Lipton of The Burnham Institute and discover important anti-aging strategies, the latest drugs for degenerative disorders such as AlzheimerŐs disease and the potential use of human stem cells for neurological conditions. (57 minutes)

UCSD's Charles Zuker explores the neurobiology of taste, smell and vision. (88 minutes)

Is sleep for rest? To conserve energy? For development? To cool the brain? To warm it? To boost the immune system? To learn and memorize? Or to unlearn, ridding our brains of excess mental baggage? All of these ideas have been proposed, leading to the suggestion that insomniacs might do better to count sleep theories instead of sheep. Join renowned neuroscientist Ralph Greenspan of The Neurosciences Institute to explore the latest research into the question of why we sleep. (59 minutes)

During the past decade, there have been dramatic advancements in the brain and cognitive sciences. For the first time, understanding how the brain works has become a scientifically achievable goal. In this new lecture series, Grey Matters: Molecules to Mind, San Diego's leading Neuroscientists explore the human brain. The first lecture in this series addresses an issue that has often been absent in these discussions: what role do stem cells play in development of the brain? (59 minutes)

UCSD cognitive scientist Martin Sereno takes you on a captivating exploration of the brain's structure and function as revealed through investigations with new advanced imaging techniques and understandings of evolution. (57 minutes)

Why are humans the only species to have language? Is there something special about our brains? Are there genes that have evolved for language? In this talk, Jeff Elman, UCSD professor of cognitive science and co-director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, discusses some of the exciting new research that helps us understand what it is about human language that is so different from other animals' communication systems, and what about our biology might make language possible. (58 minutes)

The National Center of Excellence in Women's Health and Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UC San Francisco present lectures to provide practical, easy ways to be proactive with your health. In this episode, Susan Folkman, Director of The UCSF Osher Center, talks about learning ways to manage and cope with stress. (44 minutes)

California Poet Laureate Al Young has created a profound and enduring body of work that represents our time. Young's numerous publications in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and for the stage and screen explore the American, human condition through the lens of the individual voice. Tune in as he reads a selection of his Poems before a live audience at UC Berkeley. (28 minutes)

Revolutionary poet, playwright, and activist Amiri Baraka is recognized as the founder of the Black Arts Movement, a literary period that began in Harlem in the 1960s and forever changed the look, sound, and feel of American poetry. 26 minutes)