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.

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

Izzie 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