The following University of California, Davis, professors and accomplished "Lost" fans are available to comment on the series in advance of its final episode on Sunday, May 23.

An anthropologist on 'Lost'

James Smith, associate professor of anthropology, is a cultural anthropologist who has done research in East Africa on the intersections of religion, witchcraft and development. He has been watching "Lost" since the series began six years ago. Smith sees the show as working out classic philosophical debates about what it means to be human, as well as humans’ limited capacity to know "reality," and to change (both personally and on a global scale) as the result of that knowledge. Smith has many other observations about the show and its transformation. Contact: James Smith, Anthropology, (530) 754-7503, jsmit@ucdavis.edu.

Literary themes and more

Leslie Madsen-Brooks, a Ph.D. in cultural studies and teaching consultant at the UC Davis Teaching Resources Center, has been an avid viewer of "Lost" and can comment on its many literary references and other elements of the show. Contact: Leslie Madsen-Brooks, Teaching Resources Center, (530) 219-8593, ljmadsen@ucdavis.edu.

The physics of 'Lost'

Daniel Cox, professor of physics, can comment on the role physics plays in the "Lost" universe. A fan of the show, Cox said "Lost" uses ideas from modern physics, such as multiple worlds, but does not stick to the science. "But it's not really about science, it's about about entertainment and the human condition," he said. Cox is co-director of the University of California Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter, a multicampus research partnership studying "emergent phenomena," complex patterns and behaviors that arise from apparently simple starting points in hard, soft and living matter. Contact: Daniel Cox, Physics, (415) 867-4992, dlcox@ucdavis.edu.

About UC Davis

For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 32,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $600 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools -- Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.