A mushroom cloud erupts during the Castle Bravo nuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll in 1954.

First-of-its-kind study examines toll of nuclear war on world’s oceans

Feb. 5, 2020

A new study finds that a nuclear war could throw the world's ocean chemistry for a loop—and coral reefs could pay the price.

This hanging cube uses LED lights to give viewers a look at the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights

Fiske exhibits let you visit the sun without burning your feet

Jan. 30, 2020

Fiske Planetarium is debuting two new exhibits designed by students that will give visitors a chance to get up close and personal with Earth's favorite star.

Henry Kapteyn and Margaret Murnane in their lab at JILA

Keeping up with the Curies: Laser scientists win prestigious physics award

Jan. 27, 2020

Henry Kapteyn and Margaret Murnane, pioneers in the field of laser science, have won this year's prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics.

Footprints in sand

Beach-combing Neanderthals dived for shells

Jan. 15, 2020

Just like modern-day humans, Neanderthals may have seen the appeal in a little sand and surf, according to a new study.

A block made from living building materials.

Building materials come alive with help from bacteria

Jan. 15, 2020

Buildings that can heal their own cracks, absorb toxins from the air or even glow on command? They may not be so far off, a new study suggests.

An orrery, a type of device once used to track the movements of the planets, sitting above an infrared image of a hypothetical "protoplanetary" disk that may have divided the solar system early in its history.

How the solar system got its ‘Great Divide,’ and why it matters for life on Earth

Jan. 13, 2020

Scientists have finally scaled the equivalent of the Rocky Mountain range in space.

A ball of cotton candy floating in space

Behold the super-puffs: Planets as fluffy as cotton candy

Dec. 19, 2019

Researchers have taken the closest look yet at the Kepler 51 star system, home to the lowest-density planets ever discovered.

An artist's rendering of Parker Solar Probe orbiting the sun

Daring space mission gets its first look at the sun

Dec. 5, 2019

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has gotten closer to the sun than any other object designed and developed by humans—and CU Boulder scientists have been along for the ride.

Reindeer nuzzling hand

Vanishing ice puts reindeer herders at risk

Nov. 20, 2019

Mongolia's Tsaatan reindeer herders depend on munkh mus, or eternal ice, for their livelihoods. Now, soaring global temperatures may be threatening that existence.

Peacock mantis shrimp

Mantis shrimp vs. disco clams: Colorful sea creatures do more than dazzle

Nov. 18, 2019

Pow! These underwater animals can punch through glass and create underwater shockwaves. And we’re studying them on campus.

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