Daniela Vergara

Cannabis data lacking, but machine learning could help fill the gap

Sept. 28, 2020

An array of little-known chemicals present in marijuana can interact to influence the taste, smell and effect of each unique strain. But, according to new research, the cannabis industry seldom tests for those compounds and knows little about them.

An illustration of a puppet reacting to fake news

The truth about fake news

Sept. 25, 2020

A trio of researchers at the College of Media, Communication and Information have spent several years trying to unravel who shares fake news, what makes people click on it and what we can do about it.

image of tattooed medical professional

Dynamic tattoos promise to warn wearers of health threats

Sept. 24, 2020

Researchers are developing tattoo inks that sense chemicals, temperature and UV radiation, setting the stage for tattoos that diagnose health problems. Assistant Professor Carson Bruns shares on The Conversation.

An airtanker drops retardant to help stop the spread of the 2015 Eyrie Fire in the foothills of Boise, Idaho, which was ignited by sparks from construction equipment.

Humans ignite almost every wildfire that threatens homes

Sept. 24, 2020

Wildfires aren't always wild. Many of the most expensive and damaging fires happen in suburban areas, and nearly all blazes in these zones are started by humans. Associate Professor Jennifer Balch shares on The Conversation.

Stock image of a 3-D image of cells

CU Boulder to become national center of cryoelectron tomography

Sept. 24, 2020

With a National Institutes of Health grant, CU Boulder will be a leader in cryoelectron tomography, a technology that helps visualize in 3-D the fine-structure of intact cells and tissues.

Sea ice near Svalbard

Arctic sea ice 2020 minimum is second lowest in 42 years

Sept. 24, 2020

Arctic sea ice has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 3.74 million square kilometers (1.44 million square miles), according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. This is the second lowest extent in the nearly 42-year satellite record.

Stacked photo of fireflies flashing in a forest.

In the Smoky Mountains, thousands of fireflies flash in unison; researchers want to know how

Sept. 23, 2020

Ever wonder why some fireflies flash in harmony? New research sheds light on this beautiful phenomenon and strives to understand how relatively simple insects manage to coordinate such feats of synchronization.

An intestinal organoid

Microscopic scaffolding gives lab cells structure, then disappears under UV light

Sept. 18, 2020

Max Yavitt, a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is the first author on a new paper in advanced materials focusing on organoid development.

Choral performance

Singing unmasked, indoors spreads COVID-19 through aerosols, new study confirms

Sept. 17, 2020

Singing indoors, unmasked, can swiftly spread COVID-19 via microscopic airborne particles known as aerosols, confirms a new peer-reviewed study of a March choir rehearsal that became one of the nation’s first superspreading events.

Sea lamprey

Scientists identify gene family key to unlocking vertebrate evolution

Sept. 16, 2020

New CU Boulder-led research finds the traits that make vertebrates distinct from invertebrates were made possible by the emergence of a new set of genes 500 million years ago.

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