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The Backdrop podcast is a monthly interview program featuring conversations with UC Davis scholars and researchers working in the social sciences, humanities, arts and culture. Hosted by public radio veteran Soterios Johnson, the conversations feature new work or expertise on a trending topic in the news.
Episodes
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
UC Davis psychology professor Charan Ranganath discusses how he and his colleagues are working to find biomarkers to help identify people with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier detection — before the brain is significantly damaged — would allow for more successful interventions and better outcomes.
Tuesday May 16, 2023
18 - Don Roth on the Recovered Voices Project
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts Executive Director Don Roth discusses the Recovered Voices project highlighting composers and works derailed by the Nazi regime.
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
17 - Richard Huskey on Brain Flow
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Whether it’s an athlete performing at their best or a musician taking it to another level, flow feels good and is good for our well-being. And the best part — pretty much anyone can attain it. Evidence suggests flow can ward off depression, prevent burnout and make us more resilient.
In this episode, Richard Huskey, a UC Davis, assistant professor of communication and cognitive science, explains the flow state, how he and other researchers are piecing together how it can be achieved and what is going on in the brain when it happens.
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
A new study from UC Davis suggests that artificial intelligence recommendation algorithms on sites like YouTube and TikTok can play a role in political radicalization. In this episode, UC Davis Computer Science Ph.D. Student Muhammad Haroon, who led the study, discusses how the study was designed, what the team found, and a new digital tool they created to mitigate the radicalizing effect of social media platform AI Algorithms.
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
15 - Lisa Ikemoto on the Ripple Effects of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
The consequences of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade go far beyond the immediate right to terminate a pregnancy. Some of the ramifications are only now being realized, months after the court’s landmark abortion ruling.
In this episode of The Backdrop, Lisa Ikemoto, professor at the UC Davis School of Law, details some of the far-reaching ramifications of the court’s Dobbs decision, which touch on issues of privacy, equality, eugenics, disability rights and medical research.
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
14 - Paul Griffin on How Climate Risk Could Bring a Series of Recessions
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
New research finds the economy could be plunged into recession — or a series of recessions — because financial markets don’t account for climate risk. Without a better knowledge of the risk posed by extreme weather events, the average investor can only hope that the next extreme event won’t trigger a sudden correction.
Paul Griffin, Distinguished Professor at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, has been studying this ”unpriced risk” and how it can affect markets and the economy.
In this episode, Griffin discusses the magnitude of climate risk, what companies and governments can do lessen the risk and how people can lower their financial exposure to it.
Friday Apr 29, 2022
13 - Clifford Saron on the Scientific Study of Meditation
Friday Apr 29, 2022
Friday Apr 29, 2022
Clifford Saron, a neuroscientist at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and the MIND Institute, leads the Shamatha Project, one of the most ambitious and comprehensive longitudinal studies of meditation ever conducted.
In this episode, Saron discusses the findings so far of the Shamatha Project; what science can tell us about the tangible effects of meditation; and how mindfulness affects our physical, mental and emotional health.
Friday Apr 01, 2022
12 - Victoria Juharyan on the Destruction of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Victoria Juharyan discusses the destruction and threat of destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage during the Russian invasion. The visiting assistant professor in the Department of Russian and German at UC Davis teaches literature and philosophy. She has been active in the effort to preserve Ukrainian culture.
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
11-Paul Eastwick on the Science of Romantic Relationships
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
The Backdrop explores the mysterious and complicated topic of human relationships.
UC Davis Psychology Professor Paul Eastwick investigates how people initiate romantic relationships and the psychological mechanisms that help romantic partners remain committed and attached.
In this episode of The Backdrop, Eastwick discusses the latest research on finding the best partner, how compatibility is constructed in a relationship, and whether men and women really approach relationships differently.
Monday Dec 06, 2021
10 - Andrés Reséndez on ‘Conquering the Pacific’
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Acclaimed historian and UC Davis Professor Andrés Reséndez has researched and written a riveting account of the first expedition to sail from the Americas to Asia and back, launching an era of global trade and cultural exchange with the Far East.
In Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery, he tells how it starts with a secret mission and includes mutiny, a shipwreck, and an African-Portuguese navigator whose story was almost lost to history.
In this episode of The Backdrop, Reséndez recounts the remarkable tale, discusses how he uncovered and pieced together details of the story and why the historic first was nearly forgotten.