Person taking a saliva test at CU Boulder

Dorm sewage, vials of saliva and a state-of-the-art new lab: Inside CU’s COVID-19 testing plan

Sept. 11, 2020

With millions of students returning in the fall, college and university administrators across the country faced an unprecedented challenge this summer: Devise a plan for controlling an airborne virus, easily spread by people with no symptoms, in an environment where thousands of socially active young adults live in close quarters.

A home destroyed after Hurricane Katrina

For many families, the first disaster can be far from the last

Sept. 10, 2020

Research by CU Boulder sociologist Lori Peek explores what happens to families long-term when they are subjected to not just one but several natural disasters. "In this era of climate change and weather extremes, these families are harbingers of what is to come," said Peek.

White House Coronavirus Task Force

How has science shaped COVID-19 policy? New global project seeks to find out

Sept. 1, 2020

A new initiative seeks to understand the role scientific advice played, or did not play, in driving COVID-19-related policies in at least seven countries. Researchers hope the project helps improve communication between scientists and policymakers.

Ash and black trunks remain after the Hayman Fire.

Forests scorched by wildfire unlikely to recover, may convert to grasslands

Aug. 25, 2020

A new study of 22 burn areas across 710 square miles found that forests are not recovering from fires as well as they used to, and many regions will be unsuitable for ponderosa pine and Douglas fir in the coming decades.

CU Boulder athlete holds up a vial for testing his saliva for the coronavirus.

How an ultra-fast screening test and a team of contact tracers aim to keep campus safe

Aug. 14, 2020

Before ever entering a residence hall, students moving to campus will spit in a tube, hand it over and wait just 45 minutes for their COVID-19 test results.

A drought-parched landscape

Waning attention to climate change amid pandemic could have lasting effects

Aug. 4, 2020

Attention to climate change has rapidly declined in recent months. That's concerning, say study authors who found that simply directing one's attention to an environmental risk—even briefly and involuntarily—makes people more concerned and willing to take action.

A researchers holds up a COVID-19 test

New COVID-19 test returns results in 45 minutes, without nasal swab

July 22, 2020

Researchers from the BioFrontiers Institute at CU Boulder have developed a saliva-based COVID-19 test capable of returning results in as little as 45 minutes—no nasal swabs or fancy laboratory equipment required. It could potentially be used for mass, inexpensive screening in community settings like schools and factories.

Cells under a microscope

How does a stem cell know what to become? Study shows RNA plays key role

July 7, 2020

If each human cell has the same blueprint, or set of genes, why does an eye cell look and act differently than a brain cell or skin cell? New research moves science one step closer to solving this mystery, potentially leading to new treatments for cancer, heart abnormalities and more.

Pregnant belly

Marijuana use while pregnant boosts risk of children’s sleep problems

July 2, 2020

As many as 7% of moms-to-be use marijuana while pregnant, and that number is rising fast as more use it as a remedy for morning sickness. But new research shows such use could have a lasting impact on the fetal brain, influencing children's sleep for as much as a decade.

A photo of a steak

What makes arteries age? Study explores new link to gut bacteria, diet

June 29, 2020

Eat a slab of steak and your resident gut bacteria get to work immediately to break it down. But new research shows that a metabolic byproduct, called TMAO, produced in the process can be toxic to the lining of arteries, making them age faster.

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