51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø

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UNFOLD

a 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø podcast

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The world is a complicated place with tantalizing questions and troublesome problems. Each sound-rich episode of Unfold makes these complex topics relatable and reveals answers to questions you’ve always been curious about. We take you into the field with leading researchers and scholars working to feed a growing population, adapt to climate change and improve the health of people, animals and even the planet itself. Hosted by public radio veteran Amy Quinton and co-hosted by Kat Kerlin and Marianne Russ Sharp.

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Latest Episode

In this episode of Unfold, we uncover the science and debate behind processed and ultra-processed foods. Shown here are eight bowls with various processed and ultra-processed foods, including chips, pretzels and candies.(Getty)

The Science and Politics of Processed Foods

In this episode, we uncover the science and public perceptions of processed and ultra-processed foods. Are they addictive by design, unsafe, or just misunderstood?
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White EVgo charging station with grey electric vehicle charging. (Getty)

EV Woes

Range anxiety is no longer a big issue for most electric vehicle owners. Finding reliable public charging has become the top concern.
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A variety of food products that may or may not be probiotic, prebiotic, or just contain good microbes. They include soda, olives, kimchi, yogurt, pickles, cheese, kombucha and sourdough bread. (Greg Urquiaga/51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø)

The Proliferation of Probiotics

Are all the products on store shelves that claim to be probiotic or prebiotic really good for you? A 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø microbiologist separates hype from health.
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The Better Meat Co. has developed a new fungal based protein, shown here as a replacement for meat on three tacos. (Better Meat Co.)

The Promise of Alternative Proteins

51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers are looking at ways to bring alternative proteins to market. The burgers of the future could come from a lab, a fungus, a plant or a hybrid.
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Three black phoebe chicks are nestled in a soft, blue cloth bag. (Amy Quinton/51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø)

Little Bird, Big City

51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers are studying the black phoebe in order to understand how to protect bird species from urban sprawl.
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Aerial view above Iron Gate Dam on Klamath River in 2023

That Dam Removal Project

51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers are studying whether removing the Klamath dams will help restore decimated salmon populations.
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AI-generated graphic showing a cell phone in a field on a farm. 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers are advancing AI technology in our food system.

Harvesting Intelligence: AI’s Journey From Farm to Table

AI is transforming nearly every aspect of our food system. Learn how 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø scientists are working to advance AI in agriculture.
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A humpback whale breaches the water. 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø and SETI Institute scientists are studying whale communication. (Getty)

Close Encounters of the Whale Kind

51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø and SETI researchers had a conversation with a humpback whale to learn how it might help us communicate with aliens.
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Matthew Treviño holds a canister of a hormonal birth control gel for men while in his home in Sacramento. He is part of a clinical trial at 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø Health testing the new drug.

Hormonal Birth Control – It’s a Guy Thing, Too

51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø Health researchers are testing a new hormonal birth control for men.
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Woman talking to her Siri-based device. 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers find that most of us speak differently when talking to voice AI. (Getty)

Hey Siri, Why Do I Speak Differently to You?

51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers have found that we speak differently when talking to voice artificial intelligence such as Siri or Alexa devices.
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Diverted water spills into an almond orchard in Modesto, CA in November of 2016 to help recharge the aquifer beneath the field. 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø scientists are studying managed aquifer recharge as a solution to California's groundwater overpumping. (Curtis Jerome Haynes)

The Water We Eat: Tackling the Groundwater Dilemma

Learn how 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers are working with farmers to make groundwater more sustainable.
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Unfold Season 4


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.

 

 

Season 4 Episodes

We'll soon spring forward into Daylight Saving Time. A sleep medicine expert says there is a reason it takes our bodies so long to adjust.

Bonus: Is Springing Forward Bad for Your Health?

Season 4, Episode 7
It can be tough on our bodies when we spring forward to daylight saving time. A 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø Health sleep expert offers strategies to help you adjust.
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Vietnamese refugees in a small boat being loaded onto a U.S. amphibious command ship in 1982.

Linking Wartime Trauma to Dementia in Vietnamese American Communities

Season 4, Episode 6
Meet the 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researcher embarking on the first long-term study examining early life contributors to dementia in Vietnamese communities.
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A robotic hand reaches out to another human hand.

The Human Machine: Reimagining Prosthetics

Season 4, Episode 5
We look at how the combination of surgery, advanced prosthetic devices and machine learning is making life easier for amputees.
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Izzy Hack. a veterinary student dressed in scrubs, examines a chihuahua pug mix puppy.

Connecting Health Care to People and Pets

Season 4, Episode 4
At Knight’s Landing One Health Center, we meet veterinarians, physicians and students working to help some of the most vulnerable and underserved animals and people in a rural county.
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Big brown and black dog named Boone sits on a boat with Lake Sonoma in the background. He went through a clinical trial at 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø School of Veterinary Medicine to treat his cancer.

How Dogs Could Help Doctors Find the Next Cancer Treatment

Season 4, Episode 3
Learn how 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø veterinarians and physicians are collaborating to help humans and dogs fight cancer.
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Tobi Maginnis at 3-months-old sitting on an exam table. He was one of the first babies born after a treatment involving surgery and stem cells to treat his spina bifida.

Hope For a Spina Bifida Cure, Part 2

Season 4, Episode 2
Both humans and dogs are susceptible to spina bifida, a spinal birth defect that can lead to paralysis. In Part 2, we examine the first human clinical trial using stem cells and surgery to treat the condition.
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Photo of Myrtle, a brown, tan, and white English bulldog, as a puppy wearing a rainbow outfit

Hope For a Spina Bifida Cure, Part 1

Season 4, Episode 1
Dogs and humans are susceptible to spina bifida, a birth defect that can lead to paralysis. In Part 1, we examine the first clinical trial using stem cells and surgery to treat bulldogs.
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Portraits of 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø Unfold Podcast Season 4 Hosts Amy Quinton and Marianne Russ Sharp

Hosts Amy Quinton (left) and Marianne Russ Sharp (right) explore breakthroughs in human and animal health in Unfold season 4. (Wayne Tilcock / 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø Health

Unfold Season 3


Unfold brings you stories of awe, wonder and discovery as we explore how 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers are driven by curiosity. Curiosity can lead to some of the greatest discoveries, like why songs get stuck in your head or what real-world engineering concepts you can learn from comic book superheroes. This season, we examine an archaeological discovery that raises new questions about the sexual division of labor in early hunter-gatherer societies. 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers reveal what they found by peeling back the layers of a fish’s eye and by studying cute, pink, baby-faced axolotls. We have lots of surprising and curious stories to tell this season — even a spooky, dark and murderous one, just in time for Halloween.

Season 3 Episodes

Two yellow butterflies in pin case

Cockroaches for Dessert

Season 3, Episode 9
51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø 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.
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Photo of woman's mouth in front of microphone

The Poet's Voice

Season 3, Episode 8
Researchers have discovered a way to empirically analyze the complexities of poetry read out loud. We look at their newest project which analyzes the voices of 101 African American women poets.
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Graphic of six superheroes

The Science of Superheroes

Season 3, Episode 7
This episode of Unfold mixes comic book superhero action and science! We learn about the real-world applications of material science based on superhero powers.
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Photo of axolotl

Chonk the Axolotl: How Life is Super Amazing

Season 3, Episode 6
Learn how this cute baby-faced axolotl is helping scientists learn about how organisms develop from single cells to complex adults.
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Artist's rendering of a public execution in 18th century Germany.

Murder, Suicide and the Macabre

Season 3, Episode 5
In this Halloween episode, we discuss a true, disturbing and dark trend of child murder in the 1700s in Germany. Not suitable for all audiences.
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Woman hunter

*Was* She a Badass?

Season 3, Episode 4
The archaeological discovery of a 9,000-year-old female big-game hunter may upend the belief that only men hunted and women gathered.
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Five 51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers inside marble rock formations of cave

Nature Tells Its Story, Part 2: Caves and Really Old Water

Season 3, Episode 3
Ancient water found inside stalagmites of a cave creates an archive that may help scientists predict future climates.
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The eyeball of a fish

Nature Tells Its Story, Part 1: Fish Eyes and Ears

Season 3, Episode 2
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.
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Songs and memory photo

Why Is That Song Stuck in My Head?

Season 3, Episode 1
51³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏÍø researchers have found that those songs that get stuck in your head may play an important role in helping us form memories.
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Unfold Season 2

The Earth’s climate is changing. Temperatures around the world are rising. Traditional weather patterns are shifting, and extreme weather events are happening more often. In Season 2 of Unfold, hosts Amy Quinton and Kat Kerlin will talk to researchers who believe this unprecedented crisis calls for unprecedented solutions, including projects that pull CO2 out of the air. From carbon farming to electric cars, we’ll examine the best ways to transition to a low-carbon future. We’ll travel from California to Kenya to examine how climate change is punishing the world’s poor and how insurance might protect them when drought hits. We’ll also examine what the coronavirus crisis is teaching us about the climate crisis.

Season 2 Episodes

A child in northern Kenya stands next to his camels.

How Climate Change is Punishing the World’s Poor

Season 2, Episode 9
We’ll travel from California to Kenya to examine how climate change is punishing the world’s poor and how a type of climate insurance might protect them when drought hits.
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man enters low-carbon transportation car

Transitioning to Low-Carbon Transportation

Season 2, Episode 8
In California, 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. Emissions from this sector will make it difficult to meet the state’s 2030 climate goals.
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Photo of electricity wires.

Decarbonizing Energy

Season 2, Episode 7
A quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions comes from heating and electricity. In this episode, we discuss renewable energy and the importance of life-cycle analysis when discussing climate change solutions.
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ocean tides

Oceans under a changing climate

Season 2, Episode 6
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. In this episode of Unfold, we’ll take a deep dive into the ocean to examine the effects of climate change.
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Researcher holds bag of rock dust to be added to agricultural soils.

Is Rock Dust a Climate Change Solution?

Season 2, Episode 5
Unfold talks to scientists adding rock dust to agricultural soils to see if it will sequester carbon while also increasing yields for farmers.
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A student types an email on a laptop computer.