University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio‪)‬ UCTV

Do complex systems exhibit fundamental properties? This talk looks at tradeoffs between robustness and fragility that occur in biological, ecological, and technological systems that are driven by design, evolution, or other sorting processes to high-performance states which are also tolerant to uncertainty in the environment and components. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Show ID: 32758]

Seven and a half billion humans are changing the way we relate to the oceans. In this fast-changing world, marine animals and plants must adapt fast to a warmer and corrosive environment as ocean acidification, pollution and deoxygenation continue. This global crisis is causing humans to be anxious about the safety of our oceans for recreation and as a source of food. Debora Iglesias-Rodriguez discusses how humans can contribute to ameliorate current ocean problems and eventually return the oceans to a more sustainable state. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Show ID: 32756]

The growth of computer processors has shaped modern life and yet we still have so many important and fundamental questions remaining. UCSB Professor Tim Sherwood discusses the state of the art in computing and how the demands for energy efficient and intelligent systems is driving the creation of entirely new approaches to the problem. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Show ID: 32753]

Patients are frequently given the wrong antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, but it is not the physician who is at fault. The standard antibiotic test used worldwide is flawed since it is based on how well drugs kill bacteria on petri plates — not how well they kill bacteria in the body. Mike Mahan describes an “in vivo” antibiotic test that mimics conditions in the body. Drugs that pass the standard test often fail to treat bacterial infections, whereas drugs identified by the test are very effective. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Show ID: 32759]

In 2013 the price of Bitcoin surged to over $1100 causing central banks around the world to take notice. Four years later, the price of Bitcoin is twice as high as its previous peak and central banks around the world are exploring the benefits of issuing crypto-based digital representations of fiat monies, more commonly known as central bank digital currencies. Rod Garratt, UCSB Professor of Economics, describes his work on a project to build a proof of concept for a wholesale interbank payment system that facilitates payments of central bank digital currency using a distributed ledger. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Show ID: 32757]

Systems of interacting agents arise throughout the natural world and are studied in such varied disciplines as engineering, physics, and biology. What is the optimal way for a swarm of robotic bees to pollinate a bed of crops? How can we use vortex motion in superconductors to develop new technologies for renewable energy? How does a colony of slime mold communicate using chemical signals? UCSB Professor Katy Craig describes the mathematics underlying systems of interacting agents and how such systems can be analyzed using an age old scientific technique: what happens if we poke it? Series: "GRIT Talks" [Show ID: 32752]