Lightning strike over the ocean

Lightning strikes kick off a game of electron pinball in space

Oct. 10, 2024

When lightning cracks on Earth, especially high-energy electrons may fall out of Earth's inner radiation belt, according to a new study—an electron "rain" that could threaten satellites, and even humans, in orbit.

More than 1,400 babyֱapp high school students and advisors on campus

Journalism Day makes triumphant return to Boulder

Oct. 10, 2024

More than 1,400 babyֱapp high school students and advisors visited the College of Media, Communication and Information to sharpen storytelling skills and learn about careers.

Devastation in Asheville, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene

Extreme floods, like those of Hurricane Helene, becoming more frequent

Oct. 10, 2024

Albert Kettner explains that catastrophic flooding has become more common in the 21st century. The reasons behind this shift are complex—involving climate change, urban infrastructure and human impacts.

interactive exhibit at NCAR

Students collaborate on NCAR exhibit highlighting surprising climate science

Oct. 9, 2024

An interdisciplinary team transforms complex research into an interactive museum exhibit on how ice sheets influenced weather millennia ago.

Harvard Yard

Can buildings be racist? A CU Boulder architect explores

Oct. 9, 2024

Shawhin Roudbari, an associate professor of environmental design, studies how the built environment can perpetuate racial inequality. He offers his take on what designers can do to create more inclusive spaces.

Two children kneel in the grass, scooping piles of dirt into plastic pots

CUriosity: Why does playing in the dirt feel so good?

Oct. 9, 2024

From his home garden, CU Boulder’s Chris Lowry explains why humans get so much enjoyment out of sinking their hands into dirt—it may have something to do with the friendly microbes that live in the soil.

Pedro DiNezio

Climate change is transforming how scientists think about their roles

Oct. 9, 2024

CU Boulder researcher Pedro DiNezio emphasizes solving the problems of climate change in the here and now.

Two men seen from behind lean over a lab table that's covered in machinery, lenses and wires

New quantum timekeeper packs several clocks into one

Oct. 9, 2024

Quantum physicists at CU Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology are paving the way for new kinds of optical atomic clocks, devices that track the passage of time by measuring the natural “ticking” of atoms.

Damage from Hurricane Ike in Texas

‘Evacuating is a privilege.’ Why some stay behind when hurricanes strike

Oct. 9, 2024

A risk communication researcher at CU Boulder sheds light on what motivates people to stay put when natural disasters like hurricanes Helene and Milton threaten.

Mitochondria

You get your energy from your mom. A new study explains why

Oct. 8, 2024

Scientists have long wondered why animals get the DNA inside their mitochondria, the cell’s energy center, only from their mothers. New research explains why and offers hope for treating mitochondrial disorders.

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