Chronic kidney disease affects more than one in seven adults in the U.S., but many don’t know they have it. So what is chronic kidney disease, and how can you reduce your risk? In this animated explainer, Ashley Stout from the Reynolds School of Journalism breaks down how kidneys work and what happens when their function declines — including the silent risks of chronic kidney disease.
References:
Cleveland Clinic. 2025. “Kidney.“ Cleveland Clinic. November 5. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21824-kidney
St-Jules, D., and J. Westhoff. 2025. “Chronic kidney disease: what causes it and what you can do to slow it.” Nevada Today. September 8. https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2025/atp-chronic-kidney-disease
Ashley Stout is a senior at the University of Nevada, Reno, majoring in Journalism, and loves making art, whether that’s taking photos, filming for video projects, or pushing herself out of her comfort zone to try motion graphics. Ashley created this science explainer for RSJ’s Motion Graphics course in fall 2025, taught by Luka Starmer.
