Unfold

The Science and Politics of Processed Foods Processed food is everywhere—and chances are, you're eating more of it than you think. In this episode of Unfold, we go beyond the ingredient list to uncover the science and public perceptions of processed and ultra-processed foods. Are these foods addictive by design, unsafe or just misunderstood? With insights from food scientists and cultural experts, we'll examine how modern food manufacturing may be shaping our health, our public policy and even our understanding of what food is. In this episode: Alyson Mitchell, professor and food chemist, UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology Charlotte Biltekoff, professor in UC Davis Departments of Food Science and Technology and American Studies   Read our In Focus story: “What to Know about Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods.”   Learn more about processed foods from nutritionists and food scientists in our “Ask the Experts” article. Read Biltekoff's latest book, Real Food, Real Facts: Processed Food and the Politics of Knowledge

Consumers once complained about the short range of electric vehicles, but not so much anymore. Now, finding reliable public charging has become the top concern for EV drivers. Chargers can be broken, slow or just inaccessible for multiple reasons. In this episode of Unfold, we talk to UC Davis researchers studying public charging woes and tag along as they drive all over California to test thousands of chargers.   In this episode: Alan Jenn, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies Gil Tal, director, Electric Vehicle Research Center at the UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies

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.

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.

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.

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   

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

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

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

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

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

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.

There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who love daylight saving time, and those who don't. UC Davis Health sleep medicine expert Heinrich Gompf is not a big fan of the clock change — or at least not the way we currently do it in the United States. In this episode of Unfold, he tells us why it's so darn difficult for our bodies to adjust to the time change (the suprachiasmatic nucleus!) and offers tips to help you prepare and adapt when we do spring forward. In this episode: Heinrich Gompf, sleep researcher, Department of Neurological Surgery, UC Davis Health

No better way to celebrate Valentine's Day on Unfold than to “partner” with another UC Davis podcast, The Backdrop, hosted by Soterios Johnson. In this episode, you'll learn a little about the science of relationships from a conversation Soterios had last year with UC Davis Psychology Professor Paul Eastwick. Eastwick investigates how people initiate romantic relationships and the psychological mechanisms that help romantic partners remain committed and attached. Discover what the science says about whether you'll find the perfect mate if you “swipe right.”   In this episode: Paul Eastwick, UC Davis Professor of Psychology Hear the entire interview with Eastwick on The Backdrop.

Two episodes of Unfold are finalists in the Signal Awards. You can help us win Listener's Choice by voting online at the Signal Awards website or find links at our website, ucdavis.edu/unfold, before December 22. We have been singled out as one of the best podcasts in the industry. Hear excerpts that are finalists in the individual episodes category and then vote:   Vote for “Why is That Song Stuck in My Head?” (Season 3) in the Science and Education Category Vote for “How Climate Change is Punishing the World's Poor,” (Season 2) in the Sustainability and Environment Category.

Since the fall of Saigon in 1975, more than 1.2 million Southeast Asian refugees have resettled in the U.S. Many of them have experienced significant trauma. Now, many Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. are at ages where they're beginning to develop dementia. But like other underrepresented groups in the U.S, they also face barriers to seeking treatment for trauma and dementia.  In this episode of Unfold, we talk to a UC Davis researcher embarking on the first long-term study examining early life contributors to dementia in Vietnamese communities.   In this episode: Oanh Meyer, social psychologist at Alzheimer's Disease Center at UC Davis Health Duy Nguyen, former child refugee from Vietnam, recent graduate of UC Davis School of Medicine and psychiatry resident at UCSF Fresno

Nearly half of all arm amputees choose not to use their prosthesis, despite improvements in technology. Prosthetics can be too difficult to operate, unintuitive, and don't allow amputees to sense pressure or temperature. At UC Davis, engineers, neuroscientists and surgeons are collaborating to solve this problem. In this episode of Unfold, we look at how the combination of surgery and machine learning is making life easier for amputees.  Jonathon Schofield, assistant professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, College of Engineering  Wilsaan Joiner, neuroscientist and associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences Andrew Li, assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, UC Davis Health  Clifford Pereira, associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, UC Davis Health  Laduan Smedley, certified prosthetist-orthotist and biomedical engineer, UC Davis Health Fehran Maher, certified prosthetist-orthotist, UC Davis Health David Brockman, retired firefighter, hand amputee with prosthesis

About 1,000 people live in Knights Landing, California, a rural agricultural area in Yolo County. Because of its small size, the community lacks most services, including doctors and veterinarians - except on one Sunday every month. In this episode of Unfold, learn about the Knights Landing One Health Center, where veterinarians, physicians and their students team up to help some of the most vulnerable and underserved animals and people in the county.  In this episode: Kristin Jankowski, faculty director, Knights Landing One Health Clinic and access-to-care chief at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Susan Adams, associate professor, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Health Erik Olstad, assistant professor, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Tiaira Washington, nursing student, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Health Sydney Rasmussen, nursing student, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Health Izzy Hack, veterinary student, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Carlos Ayala, Knights Landing One Health Clinic client Santos Lopez, Knights Landing One Health Clinic client Stephanie Hernandez, Knights Landing One Health Clinic client

In this special Halloween encore episode from last season's Unfold, we discuss a macabre trend from the 1700s in Germany. To avoid eternal damnation for the sin of committing suicide, a number of people began committing child murder so they could be forgiven by a priest before being executed. In this Unfold episode, we look at how imagined child murders can create a culture of actual killings. Warning: this subject matter might not be suitable for all audiences. In this episode:  Kathy Stuart, associate professor, UC Davis Department of History

Dogs 10 years and older have a 50% chance of dying from cancer. They also develop the same types of cancers that humans do because their immune system is closely related to ours. Now human oncologists are studying cancer in canines in the hopes of benefiting both animals and humans. In this episode of Unfold, you'll learn how UC Davis veterinarians and physicians are collaborating to help human cancer patients and their furry best friends.  In this episode: Robert Canter, surgical oncologist with UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center  Michael Kent, radiation oncologist and director of the UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine  Danae Unti, owner of Boone, dog who completed a cancer clinical trial

Spina bifida is the most common cause of lifelong childhood paralysis in the United States; approximately four children are born with this spinal defect every day. Standard care usually involves surgery, but it still leaves more than half of children unable to walk. But a combination of surgery and stem cell treatment may offer hope to children. In this episode of Unfold, we examine the world's first human clinical trial using stem cells before birth to treat the most serious form of the disease.  In this episode: Diana Farmer, pediatric surgeon and chair of surgery at UC Davis Health Maya Evans, medical director of the Shriners Spina Bifida program and associate professor in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at UC Davis Michelle Johnson, mother of baby enrolled in spina bifida clinical trial  Jeff Maginnis, father of baby enrolled in spina bifida clinical trial

Spina bifida is the most common cause of lifelong childhood paralysis in the United States; approximately four children are born with this devastating defect every day. Standard care usually involves surgery, but it still leaves more than half of children unable to walk. Dogs are also sometimes born with spina bifida and most are euthanized at birth. But a combination of surgery and stem cell treatment may offer hope to both children and dogs. In the first of two episodes of Unfold, we examine the first clinical trial to treat bulldogs with spina bifida.  In this episode: Beverly Sturges, professor emeritus, neurosurgeon at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine  Aijun Wang, biomedical engineer with UC Davis School of Medicine Diana Farmer, pediatric surgeon and chair of surgery at UC Davis Health Katie Teykaerts, owner of Myrtle, a dog with spina bifida enrolled in a clinical trial

Season 4 of Unfold explores the most cutting-edge technologies and treatments that advance the health of both people and animals. Hosts Amy Quinton and Marianne Russ Sharp unfold the story of a courageous couple going through the first human clinical trial that uses surgery and stem cells to treat their developing baby's spina bifida. You'll hear how veterinarians and physicians are working together to fight cancer. You'll learn why amputees often abandon their high-tech prosthetic devices and how surgeons and engineers are working together to solve that problem. You'll hear lots of remarkable and hopeful stories about health in Season 4 of Unfold.

Just when you thought Unfold was done for the season, we decided to bug you with one last episode. UC Davis boasts one of the largest insect collections in North America, so how could we not take you on a tour? The Bohart Museum of Entomology holds more than 7 million specimens, from the beautiful to the downright terrifying. Its entomologists have even helped homicide investigations, thanks to the bug scrapings left behind. You'll hear about beautiful butterflies, jewel beetles, murder hornets and cuckoo wasps — as well as why we're calling this episode “Cockroaches for Dessert.” In this episode:  Lynn Kimsey, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and director of Bohart Museum of Entomology

Scholars who write about or analyze poetry read out loud usually do so in a subjective and impressionistic way. But UC Davis experts have empirically analyzed the complexities of these vocal performances, based on pitch patterns and speed, volume, pauses, repetition and other characteristics. Now researchers are analyzing the performances of 101 African American women poets. In this episode of Unfold, we discuss why they embarked on the project and what they've discovered.   In this episode:  Marit MacArthur, lecturer with the UC Davis University Writing Program and faculty affiliate with the Performance Studies Graduate Group Howard Rambsy, professor of literature, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 

In this episode of Unfold, we mix comic book superhero action and science. No better pairing, since many of the heroes and villains in comics started out as scientists or are connected to scientists. The things they create and the materials they use can tell us a lot about the real world too — everything from physics to engineering. We'll talk with Ricardo Castro, who teaches engineering students to think outside the box and to contemplate the unlikely, but not always impossible, real-world applications of materials science based on the powers of superheroes. In this episode:  Ricardo Castro, associate dean of research and graduate studies, UC Davis Department of Materials Science and Engineering  Gary S. May, UC Davis chancellor

In this episode of Unfold, you'll hear about Chonk, a pink, baby-faced axolotl who has become a bit of a superstar on Twitter. This fully aquatic salamander is helping developmental biologists understand neural crest cells. These cells help form our face, skin color and peripheral nervous system. Discovering more about these cells can help researchers understand congenital disorders and certain types of cancer. In this episode:  Crystal Rogers, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology at the School of Veterinary Medicine

We discuss a macabre trend from the 1700s in Germany in this special Halloween episode of Unfold. To avoid eternal damnation for the sin of committing suicide, a number of people began committing child murder so they could be forgiven by a priest before being executed. In this Unfold episode, we look at how imagined child murders can create a culture of actual killings. Warning: this subject matter might not be suitable for all audiences. In this episode:  Kathy Stuart, associate professor, UC Davis Department of History

Nine thousand years ago, a woman was buried in the Andean mountains of Peru next to tools normally associated with big-game hunting. Before you think she was just a badass, UC Davis researchers found that many females in the early Americas were big-game hunters and we shouldn't be so quick to project our own gender stereotypes and current cultural values on ancient societies. In this episode of Unfold, we dig a little deeper to learn more about this archaeological discovery.  In this episode:  Randy Haas, archaeologist and assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Anthropology  Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, distinguished research professor emeritus, UC Davis Department of Anthropology Glendon Parker, adjunct associate professor, UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology Kim Senklip Harvey, indigenous theorist and cultural evolutionist with the Tsilhqot'in and Syilx nations.

California boasts hundreds of caves, many of them hidden in the Sierra Nevada foothills. These caves hold much more than beautiful icicle-like stalactites and stalagmites. Trapped inside the stalagmites are tiny droplets of fossilized precipitation from climates long ago. In “Nature Tells Its Story Part 2” of Unfold, UC Davis researchers discuss how these water droplets provide a “climate archive” that may help us predict future shifts in rain, snow and drought.    In this episode:  ​Isabel Montañez, distinguished professor, UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Barbara Wortham, doctoral student, UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

A fish can't talk, but its eyes and ears can. Scientists have discovered that each layer of a fish's lens reveals a different part of its life history, including what it's eaten throughout its life. While you've probably never heard of fish otoliths, these ear bones tell us not only a fish's age, but what rivers it has traveled. Understanding this could help wildlife managers know what habitats to protect to help imperiled species. In “Nature Tells Its Story Part 1,” Unfold looks at the eyes and ears of fish.      In this episode:  Miranda Bell Tilcock, assistant specialist researcher, UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences  Carson Jeffres, senior researcher and fish biologist, UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

Earworm, brainworm, whatever word you choose, it's that song that gets stuck in your head. Research shows that more than 90% of us experience earworms. UC Davis researchers have found that they may play an important role in helping us form memories, not just for the song, but for life events. In this episode of Unfold, we examine music, memory and what earworms can teach us about how the brain works.  In this episode: Petr Janata professor, UC Davis Department of Psychology and Center for Mind and Brain  Ben Kubit, postdoctoral researcher, UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain 

Coming September 28, Unfold brings you stories of awe, wonder and discovery as we explore how UC Davis researchers are driven by curiosity. Curiosity can lead to some of the greatest discoveries, like why songs get stuck in our head or what real-world engineering concepts you can learn from comic book superheroes. This season, we examine a thrilling archeological discovery and the powerful spoken words of black women poets. UC Davis researchers reveal what they found by peeling back the layers of a fish's eye and by studying cute, pink, baby-faced axolotls. You'll also hear some murderous and spooky stories from one of our historians just in time for Halloween. 

In Kenya, climate change is threatening a way of life for pastoralists. It’s driving families deeper into poverty. When drought hits, men travel for weeks in search of water and greener pastures for their livestock herds. The women and children are left behind with no stable source of food or income. UC Davis agricultural economists are researching the pairing of two intervention programs, including a type of climate insurance policy, to keep these vulnerable populations from falling so deep into poverty that they have no way to recover. In this episode: Michael Carter, professor of agricultural and resource economics, and director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience at UC Davis, with research in Kenya funded by USAID. Tom Lenaruti, Project Coordinator, BOMA Project Nathan Jenson, economist at the International Livestock Research Institute

In California, 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation. Emissions from this sector will make it difficult to meet the state’s 2030 climate goals. There is a myriad of solutions: electric vehicles, public transportation, ride share, e-scooters and more. But people’s behaviors and habits as well as bad land-use planning make this one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. In this encore episode of Unfold, we’ll look at how we can transition to low-carbon transportation. In this episode:  Giovanni Circella, Director of 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program, Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis Lew Fulton, Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways Program Director, Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis Dan Sperling, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies and California Air Resources Board Member

A quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from heating and electricity. In this encore episode of Unfold, we talk with Alissa Kendall, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering about our energy use. We’ll discuss renewable energy and other decarbonizing technologies and the importance of life-cycle analysis when discussing climate change solutions.  In this episode: Alissa Kendall, professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Oceans have always done us a favor, absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But now rising greenhouse gases are warming the ocean and changing its chemistry. All of this is putting marine species and ecosystems at risk, threatening food security and the livelihoods of people along its shores. In this encore episode of Unfold, we’ll take a deep dive into the ocean to examine the effects of climate change. In this episode: Priya Shukla, Ph.D. student at Bodega Marine Laboratory, Department of Environmental Science and Policy Tessa Hill, professor and oceanographer, Bodega Marine Laboratory.

Agriculture is responsible for 24 percent of our global greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this, UC Davis researchers say agriculture holds huge potential to be one of the biggest solutions to climate change. Carbon farming may hold the key. In this encore episode of Unfold, we examine how scientists are adding rock dust to crops to see if it can sequester carbon while also increasing yields for farmers. In this episode: Ben Houlton, affiliate faculty member, former director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment at UC Davis Maya Almaraz, program manager in the Houlton Lab and terrestrial biochemist Iris Holzer, graduate student in the Houlton Lab Derek Azevedo, executive vice president, Bowles Farming Company in Los Banos, California George Dias, Specialty Granules in Ione, California

California wildfires burned more than four million acres in 2020, destroying entire towns and killing people. As wildfires become more difficult to control and more deadly, scientists say it will only get worse. Now, wind-driven wildfires like the Santa Anas that Southern California experiences, are moving further north and striking when conditions are hotter and drier. This encore episode of Unfold examines how fire is changing California’s landscapes and how we might manage this going forward. In this episode: Malcolm North, UC Davis associate professor and research forest ecologist, United States Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station Andrew Latimer professor, Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis Derek Young, postdoctoral researcher, Andrew Latimer Lab, Department of Plant Sciences Hugh Safford, affiliate faculty in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, United States Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region Emma Underwood, research scientist at the Information Center for the Environment, Department of Environmental Science and Policy

By 2100, Sacramento is expected to feel much like Phoenix, which in 2019 had more than 100 days over 100 F. In this encore Unfold episode, co-host Kat Kerlin discusses her “Becoming Arizona” series, which looks at how to prepare for a hotter future. We also examine how cities nationwide are dealing with triple threats: rising temperatures, racial inequities and a pandemic. And we’ll discuss the efforts needed to build socially just, climate-resilient communities.  In this episode: Mary Cadenasso, professor, and landscape and urban ecologist at UC Davis Stephen Wheeler, professor of landscape architecture and urban design at UC Davis Helene Margolis, associate adjunct professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine Adrienne Lawson, senior director for the UC Davis Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Victoria Dearborn, graduate student in the Cadenasso Landscape and Urban Ecology Lab  Victoria Vasquez, South Sacramento NeighborWoods organizer, Sacramento Tree Foundation

The coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home orders and lockdowns resulted in a huge drop in global greenhouse gas emissions — the largest reductions since World War II. The reductions were short-lived as the U.S. and other countries opened back up, but there are lessons we can take away from the pandemic about global climate change and how we’re handling both crises. In this encore episode of Unfold from last September, we look at surprising similarities between the climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.    In this episode: Fraser Shilling, co-director, Road Ecology Center at UC Davis Ben Houlton, affiliate faculty member, former director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment at UC Davis Helene Margolis, associate adjunct professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine Tracey Goldstein, associate director, One Health Institute at UC Davis

Millions of people plan to make online purchases today for deals on Cyber Monday. In this encore episode of Unfold, you'll hear how impulse buying, fast shipping and returns can all lead to a higher carbon footprint. Miguel Jaller with the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies will unfold all the complexities of e-commerce.In this episode:Miguel Jaller, Co-director of the Sustainable Freight Research Center at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies