Man in flannel shirt wearing safety glasses sits next to equipment with lots of tubes

Introducing CUriosity: How old is beer?

Sept. 25, 2024

If there’s anything that unites humans, it’s kicking back with a cool pint, says Travis Rupp, also known as the “Beer Archaeologist.” He weighs in on the age-old practice in the inaugural edition of CUriosity, a new series from CU Boulder Today.

Petroglyph of a horse carved into a rock with grassland in the background

Scientists turn to human skeletons to explore origins of horseback riding

Sept. 20, 2024

A new, wide-ranging exploration of human remains casts doubt on a long-standing theory in archaeology known as the Kurgan hypothesis—which, among other claims, suggests that humans first domesticated horses as early as the fourth millennium B.C.

Lemur sitting in a tree looking out from behind leaves

Lemur CSI: Researchers ID predators threatening Madagascar’s iconic primates

Sept. 10, 2024

Predators not native to Madagascar, such as feral dogs and cats, may pose a serious threat to lemur species—many of which are already facing extinction on this African island.

Illustration of spacecraft with stars and the Milky Way in the background

New Horizons takes best measurements yet of the universe's eerie glow

Sept. 3, 2024

Over billions of years, the universe's stars and galaxies have left behind an imperceptibly faint light in space. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has traveled to the edge of Earth's solar system and captured the most accurate measurement of this glow to date.

Sign with American flag and the word "Vote" sits out on a table while people mill around in the background

AI images abound this election cycle. Here’s how you can tell fact from fiction

Aug. 29, 2024

In an election year, experts from CU Boulder weigh in on strategies you can take to distinguish real and fake images online—and how to talk to friends and family spreading misinformation.

Several sunflowers grow in a field

Why do plants wiggle? New study provides answers

Aug. 15, 2024

Decades after his voyage on the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin became fascinated by why plants move as they grow—spinning and twisting into corkscrews. Now, more than 150 years later, a new study may have solved the riddle.

Children, seen from behind, sit at desks and raise their hands in a classroom

Are school boards becoming politicized? Expert weighs in

Aug. 13, 2024

This month, children across the U.S. are heading back to class. Their educations will be shaped by the decisions of nearly 13,000 school boards. Anna Deese, a former school board member from Montana, breaks down some of the biggest misconceptions.

Man examines a piece of paper in front of a booth labeled with the American flag and the word "vote"

Those with the biggest biases choose first, according to new math study

Aug. 12, 2024

In a new study, researchers created a sort of simulated voting booth—a space where people, or mathematical “agents,” with various biases could deliberate over decisions. The results may help reveal the mathematics of how the human brain acts when it needs to make a choice.

Person sits on couch with someone else holding a clipboard in the foreground

AI for mental health screening may carry biases based on gender, race

Aug. 5, 2024

A growing number of AI technologies analyze the way people talk to screen for mental health conditions like depression or anxiety. A new study finds that they may not perform consistently across people from different demographic groups.

Outside the U.S. Capitol Building, Kamala Harris places her hand on a Bible held by a man

Kamala Harris and the ‘electability’ trap

Aug. 1, 2024

Since announcing her bid to run for president on July 21, Vice President Kamala Harris has generated praise and drawn questions about her electability—including from some media outlets and online commentators who have asked: “Is the United States ready to elect a multiracial woman?”

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