Solar flare erupt from the sun

How 1,000 undergraduates helped solve an enduring mystery about the sun

May 9, 2023

For three years at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder students enrolled in "Experimental Physics I" spent an estimated 56,000 hours analyzing the behavior of hundreds of solar flares. Their results could help astrophysicists understand how the sun's corona reaches temperatures of millions of degrees Fahrenheit.

Brad Wham and his team in Turkey

Brad Wham shares key findings from post-earthquake reconnaissance in Turkey

May 9, 2023

Brad Wham, an assistant research professor, was a member of one of the three Learning From Earthquakes reconnaissance teams that traveled to Turkey in March. The team specifically looked at lifeline systems including energy, transportation, water and wastewater.

Person wears a shirt made out of kombucha leather with glowing LED lights

Kombucha chic: How one student uses microbes, and time, to grow her own clothes

May 4, 2023

Biodesign researcher Fiona Bell says that anyone, anywhere can grow their own clothing right from their kitchens. You start by brewing a batch of kombucha.

dark storm cloud

Cloud seeding can increase rain and snow, and new techniques may make it more effective

May 4, 2023

Cloud seeding—spraying materials into clouds to increase precipitation—has been around for nearly 80 years. But only recently have scientists been able to measure how effective it really is. ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Katja Friedrich lends expertise on The Conversation Weekly podcast.

Person holding a phone with Twitter logo in front of a Silicon Valley Bank sign

Twitter played a role in the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank—new research

May 4, 2023

Social media provides both a forum for communication and a public signal about what a bank’s customers believe. That means Twitter can facilitate coordination in real-time. ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ expert Tony Cookson shares in The Conversation's Research Brief series.

Cigarette burning

Does the sweet seduction of flavored tobacco make quitting harder?

May 4, 2023

A study led by a ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder researcher finds that flavored tobacco products reduce the likelihood of cessation later, but researchers say more investigation is needed.

A scene from the TV show Extrapolations

Fact or fiction? New sci-fi series Extrapolations explores a climate-changed future

May 3, 2023

Black Mirror meets Don’t Look Up in Apple TV’s dystopian drama about living through climate change impacts. Not for the faint of heart, Extrapolations depicts a future with rising temperatures, sea levels and global tensions—all mostly within the realm of possibility, according to ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ experts.

researcher in lab

Machine learning helps scientists identify the environmental preferences of microbes

May 2, 2023

Researchers have figured out a way to predict bacteria’s environmental pH preferences from a quick look at their genomes, using machine learning. Led by experts at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder, the new approach promises to help guide ecological restoration efforts, agriculture and even the development of health-related probiotics.

The outline of a human hand trapped behind a grid of tiny intersecting circuits

Artificial intelligence is exciting—and an ethical minefield

April 28, 2023

AI is poised to reshape parts of U.S. culture and society, but have tech developments raced ahead of our ability to understand the consequences? Here are four essential reads from The Conversation archives.

A striking view of Mars and its smallest moon, Deimos.

New Emirates Mars Mission observations hint at origins of Mars’ mysterious moon

April 27, 2023

The Emirates Mars Mission, the first interplanetary exploration undertaken by an Arab nation, has unveiled a series of groundbreaking observations of Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, that reveal new details of Mars’ most mysterious moon and where it came from, as well as the Red Planet’s larger moon, Phobos.

Pages