The Backdrop

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.

Mondavi Center Executive Director Don Roth discusses the “Recovered Voices” project highlighting composers and works derailed by the Nazi regime.

UC Davis assistant professor of communication and cognitive science Richard Huskey explains the flow state, which some describe as being "in the zone." Evidence suggests flow can ward off depression, prevent burnout and make us more resilient.

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.

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.

New research finds the economy could be plunged into recession — or a series of recessions — because financial markets don’t account for climate risk. 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.

Neuroscientist Clifford Saron leads the Shamatha Project, one of the most ambitious and comprehensive longitudinal studies of meditation ever conducted. He discusses the study's findings so far; what science can tell us about the tangible effects of meditation; and how mindfulness affects our physical, mental and emotional health.

Victoria Juharyan discusses the destruction and threat of destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage during the Russian invasion.

With Valentine’s Day upon us, The Backdrop explores the mysterious and complicated topic of human relationships.

Acclaimed historian and UC Davis Professor Andrés Reséndez reveals the story of the Afro-Portuguese mariner who was the first to successfully navigate a round trip route from the Americas to Asia -- and how his remarkable tale was almost forgotten.

UC Davis Economics Professor Kadee Russ discusses how supply chains got backed-up, and how these critical systems that produce and deliver products to consumers can be made more resilient.

With the end of the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan and the quick takeover of that nation by the Taliban, advocates fear a terrible backslide in human rights and civil society there. In this episode, UC Davis Law professor Karima Bennoune discusses her work in the international effort to help evacuate vulnerable cultural workers from Afghanistan, religious fundamentalisms as political movements and how human rights advocates can move forward in a country ruled by the Taliban.

In what is now California, close to 100 Indigenous languages were spoken before Europeans arrived. According to UNESCO, most of the languages native to the Americas are critically endangered — many others are entirely extinct.

According to one estimate, the global refugee population has more than doubled over the past decade to 26 million. Professor Keith Watenpaugh, director of the Human Rights Studies program at UC Davis, leads an innovative project to help refugee students start or continue their university education — even as they’re displaced and on the move.

The museum’s founding director, Rachel Teagle, discusses the institution's new exhibitions, how the museum has been weathering the pandemic and how the yearlong closure helped the staff focus on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Ph.D. candidate Lizbeth De La Cruz, discusses the project’s goals, how it got started and her experience working as a member of one of the research teams collecting and preserving these stories.

Magdalena Wojcieszak, a Professor of Communication at UC Davis, studies how the changing media environment creates both opportunities and challenges for informed publics, tolerant citizenry, and responsive governance.

UC Davis Distinguished Professor of History Eric Rauchway discusses the tumultuous transfer of power and lessons we can learn from another contentious transition, from Herbert Hoover to Franklin Roosevelt.

UC Davis historian Kathryn Olmsted discusses her work studying the history and impact of conspiracy theories on American society and politics. She also offers advice on how people can avoid falling prey to them.