May 9, Big Brains and Little Minds: A Conversation About the Future of Science, Brain Connections and Culture with Neuroscientist Michael Stryker
Big brains are no guarantee of smarts...
Read it
Hear it
May 5, Infants in Danger: A Conversation with Infant Psychologist Alicia Lieberman
Infants sense danger and internalize violence. Society loses, too...
Read it
Hear it
April 25, Lights, Camera, Enzymes!: A Conversation with Chemist and Protein Expert Brian Shoichet
An enzyme's star turn has drug makers applauding...
Read it
Hear it
April 18, Barking up the Right Tree: A Conversation About Panic Attacks, Genetics and Freud with Psychiatrist Steven Hamilton
Jittery dogs might hold the key to human panic attacks...
Read it
Hear it
April 11, Tennis Courts and Godzilla: A Conversation with Lung Biologist Thiennu Vu
Here's hoping that our lungs really are like cherry trees about to bloom...
Read it
Hear it
April 4, An Infectious Personality: A Conversation with Virologist Don Ganem, Part 2 of 2
Do viruses cause cancer? The virochip knows...maybe.
Read it
Hear it
Mar. 28, An Infectious Personality: A Conversation with Virologist Don Ganem, Part 1 of 2
It’s not often that a scientist confesses that he has, well, lost interest
in science...
Read it
Hear it
Mar. 21, Brain Man:
A Conversation with Cognitive Neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley
Rejuvenating the aging brain might be closer than we think...
Read it
Hear it
Mar. 14, Give Me Some Space: A Conversation
with Space Psychiatrist
Nick Kanas
Astronauts need their space, and so do we...
Read it
Hear it
Mar. 7, First Science Café Reader Survey
We are taking a break from the regular editorial cycle to ask you what you like — or don't like — about Science Café...
Read it
Feb. 29, The Building Wave: A Conversation with Biochemist and Systems Biologist Orion Weiner
Knowing how cells move might help stop cancer...
Read it
Hear it
Feb. 22, Floss or Die?: A Conversation with Dental Scientist Mark Ryder
Can flossing save your life? The answer might surprise you...
Read it
Hear it
Feb 15, Scales and Ladders: A Conversation About Social Status and Health with Psychologist Nancy Adler
How the status gap shortens your life and what you can do about it...
Read it
Hear it
Feb 8, Is Ergonomics a Science? A conversation with ergonomics expert and researcher David Rempel
Is ergonomics a science? We had all better hope so...
Read it
Hear it
Feb 1, Mysteries of the Heart: A Conversation with Cardiologist and Researcher Robin Shaw
Robin Shaw thinks heart cell comunication holds the secret to future therapies...
Read it
Hear it
Jan 25, Translating Science: A Conversation with Pioneering Fetal Surgeon Michael Harrison
Times have definitely changed when you can talk about fetal surgery being the norm...
Read it
Hear it
Jan 18, Gravity-Free:
A Conversation with Cell Growth Space Scientist Millie Hughes-Fulford
Humans must outwit their own biology to flourish in outer space...
Read it
Hear it
Jan 11, Poring Over Proteins: A Conversation with Protein Expert Andrej Sali
Knowing the pore can open the door to better drug delivery...
Read it
Hear it
2007 Conversations
Dec 14, Heart of Hearts: A Conversation with Pediatric Cardiologist Harold Bernstein
When it comes to stem cells and heart disease, the public has a right to be excited...
Read it
Hear it
Dec 7, Speaking of Science: Can We Talk? You Tell Me
Science news can sometimes make you applaud -- or scream...
Read it
Hear it
Nov 30, A Bug in Our Blood: A Conversation with UCSF Health Economist Leslie Wilson
Leslie Wilson knows what it costs to keep our blood supply safe from Chagas' disease...
Read it
Hear it
Nov 16, Health in the Time of Poison: A Conversation with Reproductive Health Expert Tracey Woodruff
Chemicals in the environment are threatening our health, our ability to reproduce and our offspring. What can we do?
Read it
Hear it
Nov 9, Family Trees: A Conversation with Physician-Scientist Esteban Burchard
Latinos and asthma: Knowing who you really are can help you to stay healthy...
Read it
Hear it
Nov 2, Ideas Make Good Presents
From a presidential debate on science to new research on PTSD, thinking scientifically is a gift...
Read it
Hear it
Oct 26, A Postdoc's Story: Greece's Christina Karatzaferi Remembers UCSF
From Greece to San Francisco and back again, former postdoc Christina Karatzaferi carries UCSF with her always...
Read it
Hear it
Oct 19, Alternative or Not? A Conversation with Stephen Bent
Alternative therapy expert Stephen Bent has the safety lowdown on everything from ginko to kava...
Read it
Hear it
Oct 12, Licking Lupus:
A Conversation with Physician-Researcher Lindsey Criswell
Lindsey Criswell is hot on the trail of lupus...
Read it
Hear it
Oct 5, Mice or Men? How Important Is Conserved DNA? A Conversation with Geneticist Nadav Ahituv
Just how important is the conserved DNA that humans share with mice and rats? New research might surprise you...
Read it
Hear it
Sept. 28, Old Space: Protecting Young Bones from Weightlessness. A Conversation with Thomas Lang, Professor of Radiology at UCSF's Center for Molecular and Functional Imaging
Protecting against loss of bone mass on long space flights gives new meaning to space age...
Read it
Hear it
Sept. 21, Working Small, Thinking Big: A Conversation with Bioengineer Tejal Desai
Nanotech meets biotech in the UCSF laboratory of Tejal Desai...
Read it
Hear it
Sept 13, Circling In on Alzheimer's and Obesity
As America struggles under the growing weight of Alzheimer's and obesity, two UCSF scientists at the affiliated Gladstone Institutes demonstrate why basic science might be our best hope...
Read it
Hear it
Sept 7, Crowning Glory: A Conversation with Dental Sciences Researcher Stefan Habelitz
Uncovering the secrets of tooth enamel could brighten the future for biomaterials...
Read it
Hear it
August 10, Visualizing Life: A Conversation with Tom Ferrin
Envisioning life at the molecular level is a complex business...
Read it
Hear it
August 3, Skin Cancer Scientist Sees Ray of Hope: A Conversation with James Cleaver
From the A-bomb to XP, James Cleaver has become an expert on DNA repair and the "fundamental derangement" we know as cancer...
Read it
Hear it
July 27, Surgeon Stars in Scientist Role: A conversation with Hobart Harris
UCSF surgeon scientist Hobart Harris has sepsis in his sights and movies on his mind...
Read it
Hear it
July 20, Slice of Science: Gladstone Institute Gives Students a Career Taste
A video perspective on how the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institute hopes to turn youthful curiosity into a career...
Read it
View it
July 13, A Science Feel-Good at the Gladstone
Making science real means taking it to the kids, a cultural imperative at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes...
Read it
Hear it
July 6, The Biology of Fat (or Why Literally Running Away from Stress Is a Good Idea
When it comes to getting fat, it's the brain that matters most...
Read it
Hear it
June 29, Changing the Face of Costello Syndrome
Medical genetics is revealing ever greater secrets about rare disorders that strike newborns...
Read it
Hear it
June 22, Can Addiction Be Stopped? Banys Responds to Fields
Is alcoholism more than one disease? And does "recovery" actually work? Yes to both, says UCSF psychiatrist Peter Banys in his response to UCSF neuroscientist Howard Fields...
Read it
Hear it
June 15, Voigt Makes Synthetic Biology Come Alive
Genetic robots require a program and an agenda. Synthetic biologist Christopher Voigt supplies both...
Read it
Hear it
June 8, Buff Up Your Website, Write an Essay, Win Cash
Winning communication can make science websites a good bet. Find out how you can cash in...
Read it
Hear it
June 1, UCSF and the Future of Science: A Conversation with Keith Yamamoto
Scientist, research dean, teacher and visionary, Keith Yamamoto has seen it all in his 35 years at UCSF. What does he think about today's UCSF science?
Read it
View it
May 25, Why Old Brains Never Die: A Conversation with Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich. (Plus Happy Brains and Long Lists)
Keeping an old brain young takes a jolt of novelty and a hunger for change...
Read it
Hear it
May 18, Breastfeeding and Brain Disorders: A Conversation with Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich
Are chemical poisons concentrated in breast milk behind the rise in autism?
Read it
Hear it
May 4, Is There an Electron in the House? A Conversation with Electron Kebebew
A man who operates on bodies and genes makes his mark...
Read it
Hear it
April 27, Has Science Been Framed?
Should scientists de-emphasize the technical when trying to defend or explain science? The jury is still out on how and whether science should be "framed"...
Read it Hear it
April 19, Alcoholism: Vice or Disease: A Conversation with Howard Fields,
Part 3 of 3
In this last conversation about addiction with neuroscientist Howard Fields, he argues that if drugs can dissolve your will power, it follows that other drugs can restore it...
Read it Hear it
April 13, Alcoholism: Vice or Disease: A Conversation with Howard Fields,
Part 2 of 3
Does the brain treat alcohol like a food? If so, UCSF neuroscientist Howard Fields wonders why alcoholics don't get full...
Read it Hear it
April 2, Alcoholism: Vice or Disease: A Conversation with Howard Fields, Part 1 of 3
Are addicts flawed or blameless? UCSF neuroscientist Howard Fields points the finger at the brain...
Read it Hear it
March 23, How Do You Sleep? A Conversation with Tom Neylan
Sleep disorder expert Tom Neylan explains what you lose if you don't snooze...
Read it Hear it
March 16, Express Yourself: A Conversation with Chris Barker, Director of the Genomics Core Laboratory
Managing an array of tools is at the core of modern science...
Read it Hear it
March 9, A Speck of Spec: A Conversation with Al Burlingame
Why knowing a little can sometimes tell you a lot...
Read it Hear it
March 1, Hard Drugs: A Conversation with Pharmaceutical Chemist
Tom James
Finding new drugs is sometimes like counting grains of sand...
Read it Hear it
Feb. 23, Stupid Science: Can Moviemakers Ever Get It Right?
Moviemaking must be an art, because it usually gets the science all wrong...
Read it Hear it
Feb. 16, Ace of Hearts: A Conversation with Developmental Biologist and Cardiologist Deepak Srivastava
Has congenital heart disease found its match in a Texan named Deepak?
Read it Hear it
Feb. 9, Do You See What I See? A Conversation with Jonathan Horton
Ophthalmologist and neuroscientist Jonathan Horton opens his eyes --and his mind -- to some startling observations about what vision is and why we might be blind to the truth...
Read it Hear it
Feb. 1, Are You a Science Impostor? Valerie Young Questions UCSF
Free yourself from feeling like a fake...
Read it Hear it
Jan. 26, Karolinksa Comes Calling: A Conversation with Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, President of Sweden's Karolinska Institute
Karolinska's scientist president finds like minds--and much to like--at UCSF...
Read it Hear it
Jan. 18, Front Row Seat on a Hidden Universe: A Conversation with Torsten Wittmann
Knowing how cells migrate can tell you why they also get lost...
Read it Hear it
Jan. 10, Is Aging a Disease? A Conversation with Cynthia Kenyon
Calling aging a disease is old hat. What matters, says Cynthia Kenyon, is healthy lifespan...
Read it Hear it
Jan. 4, Live Long and Prosper: A Conversation About Aging with Cynthia Kenyon
Vindicated and ever-vital, Cynthia Kenyon continues to explore and expose the mysteries of aging...
Read it Hear it
2006 Conversations
Get Fed
