Hanukkah ornament on a Christmas tree

To tree, or not to tree? How Jewish-Christian families navigate the ‘December dilemma’

Dec. 15, 2021

Figuring out whether to celebrate holidays, and how, is tricky for lots of interfaith families—but thoughtful communication makes a difference. Assistant Professor Samira Mehta shares on The Conversation.

Artist’s rendering of an exoplanet system experiencing atmospheric escape

Scientists envision what Mars would look like as an exoplanet

Dec. 15, 2021

Which planets beyond our solar system are most likely to host life? By extrapolating the current scientific understanding of Mars, a multi-disciplinary team, including researchers from LASP, is helping identify alien planets that may be habitable.

Irene Francino Urdaniz works on her spike protein research at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Research stories from 2021 that will keep on giving in the new year

Dec. 14, 2021

Look back on the year in research at CU Boulder: from custom lullabies to "cute" spacecraft, melting snow in the West and more.

Community members from Utqiagvik, Alaska, look to open water from the edge of shorefast sea ice

Arctic report card reveals cascading disruptions, extreme events, global connections

Dec. 14, 2021

Sea ice is thinning at an alarming rate. Snow is shifting to rain. And humans worldwide are increasingly feeling the impact of what happens in the seemingly distant Arctic. NSIDC and CIRES scientists share on The Conversation.

Thwaites Glacier

The threat from Thwaites: The retreat of Antarctica’s riskiest glacier

Dec. 14, 2021

Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier is retreating rapidly as a warming ocean slowly erases its ice from below, leading to faster flow, more fracturing and a threat of collapse. The glacier is the size of Florida or Britain and currently contributes four percent of annual global sea-level rise.

A pit on the moon as seen from a satellite in orbit

Spelunking on the moon: New study explores lunar pits and caves

Dec. 13, 2021

One day, human astronauts could live in the protected environments of pits and caves on the moon. A new study seeks to better understand what the environments may be like within these craggy features.

Auroras

Mysterious STEVE light emissions emanate from Earth’s magnetosphere

Dec. 13, 2021

Contributions from citizen scientists are helping researchers identify different types of aurora-like light emissions and constrain how and where in Earth’s atmosphere those light emissions are generated.

Members of the CU Boulder flight crew working on a RAAVEN drone in 2019 during a mission with a tornado in the distance.

Designing flying artificial intelligence systems to study supercell thunderstorms up close

Dec. 13, 2021

A team of CU Boulder scientists and engineers have landed a major grant to design next-generation uncrewed aircraft systems to fly into the heart of supercell thunderstorms that can spawn tornadoes.

University of Florida

Professors’ free speech rights can clash with public universities’ interest in managing employees

Dec. 10, 2021

When the University of Florida barred three professors from testifying in a lawsuit over voting restrictions, it raised important questions of academic freedom and free speech. Colorado Law Professor Helen Norton shares on The Conversation.

Illustration of a mutating virus variant

How is this variant different? 10 omicron questions answered

Dec. 10, 2021

Two CU Boulder scientists discuss what’s different about omicron, why people are watching it closely and what can be done to prevent more variants of concern from emerging.

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