The CRISPR Revolution

Jennifer Doudna is a leader in the CRISPR revolution. This new technology is a gene editing tool that manipulates DNA within organisms. The editing process has a wide variety of applications including correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and improving crops.

Doudna, Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology at UC Berkeley, sat down to talk with Harry Kreisler about her life and how she came to be involved in this amazing discovery.

They also discuss how education and public advocacy can broaden insight into the ethical and policy dimensions of the biological revolution that is upon us.

Watch Unraveling CRISPR-Cas9 with Jennifer Doudna – Conversations with History

Women in Science

Our recent series, “Women in Science” was so popular, it has been given it’s own subject page!

UCSD-TV wants to acknowledge the accomplishments of women in science, with the hope of nurturing more female scientists and encouraging other women to get involved in this exciting field.

There have been many great women scientists whose discoveries have been undercut based on their gender. For example, Rosalind Franklin remains the unsung hero who played a pivotal role in the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure with her X-ray diffraction images. She was out-shined by Watson and Crick, the two men who took full credit for the discovery.

And Rachel Carson, the author of “Silent Spring,” faced many personal attacks on her intelligence and credibility because she was smart enough to recognize and brave enough to tell about the devastation caused by large chemical companies. These corporations claimed that because she was a woman her facts were not to be trusted.

Although we would like to think that these sort of prejudices have faded from society, it is important to remember heroes like Franklin and Carson to celebrate women’s scientific accomplishments of the past and support women’s future in science.

Available_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_0824Check out the Women in Science subject page and the podcasts available on iTunes!

J. Craig Venter: Manufacturing Life with Synthetic DNA

The future is here. At least it feels that way after watching one of the most buzzed-about panels from The Atlantic Meets the Pacific forum held at UC San Diego in October.

In “Manufacturing Life: How Synthetic DNA Will Change Our World,” Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, James Bennet, chats with J. Craig Venter, CEO of Synthetic Genomics, about finding genomic-driven solutions to address global needs such as new sources of energy, food and vaccines. The program is introduced by Pradeep Khosla, UC San Diego’s new chancellor.

Watch it tonight (Nov. 26) at 8pm on UCSD-TV or online now.