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Unfold, a UC Davis podcast about science, innovation and discovery, unfolded through storytelling. We make complex topics relatable and reveal answers to questions you’ve always been curious about. Each episode takes you into the field with leading researchers who are working to tackle big picture problems – like how we’re going to feed a growing population, adapt to climate change and improve the health of people, animals and the planet. Hosted by public radio veteran Amy Quinton. Co-hosted by Kat Kerlin and Marianne Russ Sharp. Sponsor free. Learn more at ucdavis.edu/unfold.
Episodes
2 days ago
The Proliferation of Probiotics
2 days ago
2 days ago
If you’ve perused grocery store shelves lately, you may have noticed a trend – food and beverages labeled probiotic or prebiotic. It’s even on sodas! Labels claim the products “support gut health” or “help boost your immune system.” But is this proliferation of probiotics and prebiotics just marketing or are these microbes really good for you? In this episode of Unfold, a UC Davis microbiologist separates hype from health.
In this episode:
Maria Marco, microbiologist and professor in the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology
Learn more about probiotics, prebiotics and friendly microbes in this Q&A and test your knowledge with a fun quiz! Go to our website at www.ucdavis.edu/unfold to find links.
Monday Sep 09, 2024
The Promise of Alternative Proteins
Monday Sep 09, 2024
Monday Sep 09, 2024
Some call it fake meat – but the burgers of the future could come from a lab, a fungus, a plant or a hybrid that combines animal meat with alternative proteins. UC Davis researchers are looking at ways to bring these proteins to market on a large scale. Experts say it may be the only sustainable way to meet the world’s demand for meat. In this episode of Unfold, you’ll learn more about alternative proteins and the challenge of getting meat eaters to embrace them.
In this episode:
David Block, director of the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein at UC Davis
Ruihong Zhang, professor, UC Davis Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Anna Denicol, associate professor, UC Davis Department of Animal Science
Lucas Smith, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior
Cody Yothers, UC Davis graduate student researcher, co-founder Optimized Foods
Zane Starkewolfe, CEO of Optimized Foods
Doni Curkendall, executive vice president of operations, Better Meat Co.
Moran Farhi, executive vice president of technology, Better Meat Co.
Learn more about the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein in our multimedia feature story, also available at ucdavis.edu/food.
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Little Bird, Big City
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Monday Aug 19, 2024
A tiny songbird called a black phoebe is trying to adapt to city life – and it’s not an easy job. They didn’t naturally evolve in the city, and they face different threats than they might in their natural habitat. Black phoebes may encounter tougher predators, more chemical pollution and hotter temperatures in the city. In this episode of Unfold, we’ll talk to researchers hoping to find a way for humans and the backyard bird to happily coexist. What they learn could help us understand how to protect other bird species whose habitat is threatened by urban sprawl.
In this episode:
Sage Madden, UC Davis ecology Ph.D. student
Jacob Johnson, UC Davis animal behavior Ph.D. student
Ian Haliburton, UC Davis master’s candidate in animal behavior
Learn more about Project Phoebe by visiting our webpage, www.ucdavis.edu/unfold.
Monday Jul 15, 2024
That Dam Removal Project
Monday Jul 15, 2024
Monday Jul 15, 2024
The world’s largest dam removal project is underway along the 250-mile Klamath River in California and Oregon. By the end of 2024, four of the river’s six dams will be demolished. UC Davis scientists are studying whether it will help salmon populations rebound. The fishes’ ear bones could hold clues to their future. In this episode of Unfold, host Amy Quinton discusses the topic with co-host Kat Kerlin, who has written a multimedia feature story about whether restoring the river to its natural state will also restore decimated salmon populations.
In this episode:
Rob Lusardi, aquatic ecologist, UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences
Beth Rose Middleton Manning, professor, UC Davis Department of Native American Studies
Barry McCovey, director of the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department
Monday Apr 29, 2024
Harvesting Intelligence: AI’s Journey From Farm to Table
Monday Apr 29, 2024
Monday Apr 29, 2024
You may not know it, but artificial intelligence may be responsible for the food on your table. AI is transforming nearly every aspect of our food system, from before a seed is planted up to the moment that food is eaten. AI could even help you decide what food you should eat based on your own health profile. In this episode of Unfold, we take you on AI’s journey from seed to plate. Host Amy Quinton and guest co-host Andy Fell examine the ways “Big Data Comes to Dinner.”
In this episode:
Ilias Tagkopoulos, director of the Artificial Intelligence Institute for Next Generation Food Systems at UC Davis
Christine Diepenbrock, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences
Mason Earles, assistant professor, UC Davis Departments of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Viticulture and Enology
Christopher Simmons, professor and chair, UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology
Danielle Lemay, associate adjunct professor, UC Davis Department of Nutrition and USDA-ARS Western Health Nutrition Research Center
Dan Vincent, former president and CEO of Pacific Coast Producers
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Close Encounters of the Whale Kind
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Can communication with a humpback whale teach us how to talk to extraterrestrials? Researchers from UC Davis and the SETI Institute want to find out. In the waters of Southeast Alaska, scientists believe they’ve had what might be the very first human-whale communication. The interaction was designed to eventually help us detect and interpret signals coming from outer space. In this episode of Unfold, you’ll hear about the scientists’ remarkable 20-minute “conversation” with a humpback named Twain and what we can learn by studying nonhuman communication on Earth.
In this episode:
Brenda McCowan, professor, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
Josephine Hubbard, postdoctoral researcher, UC Davis
Laurance Doyle, astrophysicist, SETI Institute
Fred Sharpe, president, Olympic Peninsula Prairies
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Hormonal Birth Control – It’s a Guy Thing, Too
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Imagine this: A man rubs a hormonal gel on his shoulders once daily, and after a few months his sperm count is zero, giving him and his partner peace of mind that they won’t conceive. That’s been the reality for one couple taking part in a clinical trial for male hormonal birth control at UC Davis Health – and around the world. In this episode of Unfold, we’ll learn more about how the gel works from the physician running the trial, and we’ll chat with the couple about how using the gel has changed their lives.
In this episode:
Mitchell Creinin, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a family planning specialist at UC Davis Health
Matthew Treviño and Emily Fletcher, couple taking part in the clinical trial
Edward Elizarraras, clinical research coordinator at UC Davis Health
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
Hey Siri, Why Do I Speak Differently to You?
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
If you’ve ever asked Siri or Alexa something, you may have noticed you speak MORE LOUDLY, slowly or make your words “clear-er.” UC Davis researchers say most of us speak differently when talking to our devices. Voice artificial intelligence may even be changing our social behavior. In this episode of Unfold, we’ll talk to two UC Davis linguists to find out why voice AI is changing the way we operate.
In this episode:
Georgia Zellou, associate professor, Department of Linguistics, UC Davis
Michelle Cohn, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Linguistics, UC Davis
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
The Water We Eat: Tackling the Groundwater Dilemma
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
You’ve probably heard of groundwater — the water stored underground in aquifers that is a critical natural resource for the western U.S. Did you know that in California, these aquifers provide nearly 40 percent of the water used by farms and communities? During a drought, that figure is even more — nearly 60 percent. Groundwater is vital for growing crops. But California is using this underground resource faster than it can be replenished. In this episode of Unfold, learn how UC Davis researchers are working to make groundwater more sustainable while also helping California remain the most productive agricultural state in the nation.
In this episode:
Isaya Kisekka, director of the Agricultural Water Center at UC Davis
Thomas Harter, hydrologist and distinguished professor in the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources
Mallika Nocco, assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in soil-plant-water relations and host of the podcast Water Talk
Patrick Brown, distinguished professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences
Matthew Roby, research scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Nick Edsall, orchard manager of Bullseye Farms in Yolo County, CA
Kirk Pumphrey, owner of Westwind Farms in Yolo County, CA
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Learn About Unfold, a UC Davis Podcast
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Unfold, a UC Davis podcast about science, innovation and discovery, unfolded through storytelling. We make complex topics relatable and reveal answers to questions you’ve always been curious about. Each episode takes you into the field with leading researchers and scholars who are working to tackle big picture problems – like how we’re going to feed a growing population, adapt to climate change and improve the health of people, animals and the planet. Hosted by public radio veteran Amy Quinton. Co-hosted by Kat Kerlin and Marianne Russ Sharp. Sponsor free. Learn more at ucdavis.edu/unfold.