A blue whale

Increased krill fishing threatens whale comeback

Sept. 11, 2024

New research reveals that current krill populations in the Southern Ocean may be insufficient to support the full recovery of whale species if krill harvesting continues at current rates.

Parrotfish

Guardians of the reef: How parrotfish promote coral health

Sept. 5, 2024

CU researchers spent 400 hours under water observing these colorful fish in the Caribbean. They learned they’re smarter, and more neighborly, than previously thought.

the McMurdo Dry Valleys

How Earth’s most intense heat wave ever impacted life in Antarctica

Sept. 4, 2024

An atmospheric river brought warm, humid air to the coldest and driest corner of the planet in 2022, pushing temperatures 70 degrees above average. A new CU Boulder-led study reveals what happened to Antarctica’s smallest animals.

Smoke coming out of chimneys

Report shows 2023 marked by record-breaking greenhouse gas levels, extreme heat and high sea levels

Aug. 22, 2024

The new international annual review of the world’s climate showed that 2023 was the warmest year on record. A CU Boulder scientist weighs in on how the rising global greenhouse gas concentration is driving climate change and what we can do.

A group of adelie penguins on iceberg

Southern Ocean’s hidden treasures: Scientists identify crucial wildlife conservation sites

Aug. 14, 2024

Establishing Key Biodiversity Areas in the Southern Ocean will be vital for safeguarding the ecosystem from the impact of human activities, CU Boulder researchers say.

A view of a burned neighborhood in Lousiville,CO after the Marshall Fire.

Wildfires don’t just burn. They can also pollute aquatic ecosystems

July 29, 2024

CU Boulder chemist Lauren Magliozzi shares her findings from the devastating Marshall Fire, detailing the fire's impact on aquatic ecosystems.

Power lines against the sky

Weather-related power outages are on the rise. Here’s why, what to expect in the future

July 23, 2024

Extreme weather is straining the country’s aging power grid from Texas to babyÖ±˛Ąapp and California. Kyri Baker, who studies infrastructure, offers her perspective on what the grid of the future could look like.

Smoke Stacks Against Blue Sky

Converting captured carbon to fuel: Study assesses what’s practical and what’s not

July 22, 2024

A new analysis sheds light on major shortfalls of a recently proposed approach to capture CO2 from air and directly convert it to fuel using electricity. The authors also provide a new, more sustainable, alternative.

Rows of trailor trucks

How efforts to make heavy trucks more efficient could hit a roadblock

July 18, 2024

A new study suggests that the U.S. government’s push to increase heavy-duty trucks’ energy efficiency could encourage more shipping by truck instead of rail, reducing the policies’ anticipated effectiveness by 20%.

a redpoll finch

The redpoll finch saga: How two bird species just became one

July 18, 2024

The American Ornithological Society reclassified two previously distinct species of finch as one, based on genetic research by CU Boulder scientists. The move knocks one name off birders’ “life list” and raises questions about what a species really is.

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