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REplacing lead pipes event

The end of lead pipes: An engineer’s take on the historic national effort to eliminate them

Oct. 29, 2024

Utilities face a 10-year deadline to replace lead water pipes under a new Environmental Protection Agency rule. Assistant Professor Julie Korak discusses why it’s necessary and how it will be carried out.

Tridacna gigas

Giant clam declared critically endangered after CU Boulder assessment

Oct. 28, 2024

Once abundant, the massive, colorful clam is now locally extinct in many regions, with a critical drop in population due to overfishing and climate change.

A bee pollinates a purple flower with more flowers in the background

How you can help Colorado’s bees from the comfort of your home

Oct. 28, 2024

A new community science project aims to help the CU Museum of Natural History digitize its collection of bees, some of which were collected in Colorado as far back as the 1870s.

On a grassy lawn, a man speaks at a podium with several others sitting in chairs beside in. In the background, a metal tower reaches up more than 20 feet

Spinout LongPath Technologies to expand methane detection with $162M DOE loan

Oct. 25, 2024

At an event on campus, engineers showed off a laser-based technology that can take a whiff of the air around oil and gas operations, then spot leaking greenhouse gasses in real time.

wildfire

Fire speed, not size, drives threat to people, infrastructure

Oct. 24, 2024

Fast-growing fires were responsible for nearly 90% of fire-related damages despite being relatively rare in the United States between 2001–20, according to a new CU Boulder-led study.

Illustration of a furred animal sitting on a tree root with a swamp in the background

Paleontologists discover Colorado ‘swamp dweller’ that lived alongside dinosaurs

Oct. 23, 2024

The new mammal lived in Colorado 70 to 75 million years ago—a time when a vast inland sea covered large portions of the state, and animals like sharks, turtles and giant crocodiles abounded.

The Pantanal

Microbes, not fossil fuels, drove methane growth between 2020–22

Oct. 21, 2024

Microorganisms growing in landfills, on agricultural land and in wetlands are contributing to skyrocketing levels of atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas, according to new CU Boulder research.

plastic pollution in the ocean

Recycle, reuse—rethink? How a fresh approach to storytelling could put plastics in their place

Oct. 18, 2024

A College of Media, Communication and Information expert’s book has won a trio of awards for its attempt to change how we think about, and tell the story of, plastics pollution. Read up on Phaedra Pezzullo’s latest.

Mountain chickadee

How mountain chickadees changed their songs to stand out

Oct. 11, 2024

In parts of the Rocky Mountains, these small, plump birds co-exist with a closely related species. To better distinguish their own kind from their cousins, they evolved a distinct song.

Devastation in Asheville, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene

Extreme floods, like those of Hurricane Helene, becoming more frequent

Oct. 10, 2024

Albert Kettner explains that catastrophic flooding has become more common in the 21st century. The reasons behind this shift are complex—involving climate change, urban infrastructure and human impacts.

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