For years, researchers have pursued a strange phenomenon: When you hit an ultra-thin magnet with a laser, it suddenly de-magnetizes. Imagine the magnet on your refrigerator falling off. Now, scientists at CU Boulder are digging into how magnets recover from that change, regaining their properties in a fraction of a second. According to a study…
Climate Control of Earth’s Critical Zone
Fire Ant Colonies Could Inspire Molecular Machines, Swarming Robots
Muscle-Building Proteins Hold Clues to ALS, Muscle Degeneration
Toxic protein assemblies, or “amyloids,” long considered to be key drivers in many neuromuscular diseases, also play a beneficial role in the development of healthy muscle tissue, University of Colorado Boulder researchers have found. “Ours is the first study to show that amyloid-like structures not only exist in healthy skeletal muscle during regeneration, but are…
A Wrench in Earth’s Engine
Chaos-Inducing Genetic Approach Stymies Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs
New Study Finds US Oil And Gas Methane Emissions 60 Percent Higher Than Estimated
The U.S. oil and gas industry emits 13 million metric tons of the potent greenhouse gas methane from its operations each year, 60 percent more than estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a new study published today in the journal Science. Significantly, researchers found most of the emissions came from leaks, equipment…
Researchers Find Last of Universe’s Missing Ordinary Matter
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have helped to find the last reservoir of ordinary matter hiding in the universe. Ordinary matter, or “baryons,” make up all physical objects in existence, from stars to the cores of black holes. But until now, astrophysicists had only been able to locate about two-thirds of the matter…
Microbes Living in a Toxic Volcanic Lake Could Hold Clues to Life on Mars
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered microbes living in a toxic volcanic lake that may rank as one of the harshest environments on Earth. Their findings, published recently online, could guide scientists looking for signs of ancient life on Mars. The team, led by CU Boulder Associate Professor Brian Hynek, braved second-degree…
Future Electric Cars Could Recharge Wirelessly While You Drive
Research Team Detects an Acceleration in the 25-Year Satellite Sea Level Record
Global sea level rise is not cruising along at a steady 3 mm per year, it’s accelerating a little every year, like a driver merging onto a highway, according to a powerful new assessment led by CIRES Fellow Steve Nerem. He and his colleagues harnessed 25 years of satellite data to calculate that the rate…
New Malleable ‘Electronic Skin’ Self-Healable, Recyclable
University of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed a new type of malleable, self-healing and fully recyclable “electronic skin” that has applications ranging from robotics and prosthetic development to better biomedical devices. Electronic skin, known as e-skin, is a thin, translucent material that can mimic the function and mechanical properties of human skin. A number of…
Why Bacteria ‘Shapeshift’ in Space
Bacterial cells treated with a common antibiotic in the near-weightlessness of the International Space Station (ISS) responded with some clever shapeshifting that likely helped them survive, findings with implications for both astronauts and people on Earth. Researchers from CU Boulder’s BioServe Space Technologies designed an experiment to culture the common E. coli bacteria on ISS and treat it with…
A Large-Scale ‘Germ Trap’ Solution for Hospitals
CU Boulder Team to Track Methane Leaks Using Lasers
Researchers Dial in to ‘Thermostat’ in Earth’s Upper Atmosphere
A team led by the University of Colorado Boulder has found the mechanism behind the sudden onset of a “natural thermostat” in Earth’s upper atmosphere that dramatically cools the air after it has been heated by violent solar activity. Scientists have known that solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — which release electrically charged…