Science & Technology

<p>Soil microbes that thrive in the deserts, rainforests, prairies and forests of the world can also be found living beneath New York City’s Central Park, according to a surprising new study led by Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Boulder.</p>
<p>The research team analyzed 596 soil samples collected from across Central Park’s 843 acres and discovered a stunning diversity of below-ground life, most of which had never been documented before.</p>

<p>The perception that Colorado’s Front Range wildfires are becoming increasingly severe does not hold much water scientifically, according to a massive new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder and Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif.</p>

<p>A new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder found that different strategies used by states to reduce power plant emissions -- direct ones such as emission caps and indirect ones like encouraging renewable energy -- are both effective. The study is the first analysis of its kind.</p>

<p>A Kurdish delegation will visit the University of Colorado Boulder campus Sept. 29 and 30 to deliver a public talk on the political situation in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and receive an electronic copy of important documents captured by Kurdish rebels in 1991 but removed from Iraq for safekeeping and analysis.</p>

<p class="p1">The spacecraft for a NASA mission to probe the climate history of Mars led by the University of Colorado Boulder slid seamlessly into orbit at about 8:24 p.m. MDT on Sunday, Sept. 21, the last major hurdle of the 10-month, 442-million-mile journey.</p>

<p>The gradual fall cooling on Colorado’s Front Range this September is helping to set up what could well be a prime-time show of gold, yellow and red leaves in the region’s aspen forests, according to a University of Colorado Boulder plant ecologist.</p>

<p>Pioneering genomics researcher J. Craig Venter—best known for leading the privately funded team that sequenced the first human genome—will give a keynote talk at the University of Colorado Boulder on Sept. 29 about the scientific potential of and future products derived from “synthetic life.” </p>

<p>A NASA mission to Mars led by the University of Colorado Boulder is set to slide into orbit around the red planet Sept. 21 to investigate how its climate has changed over the eons, completing a 10-month interplanetary journey of 442 million miles.</p>
<p>The orbit-insertion maneuver will begin with six thruster engines firing to shed some of the velocity from the spacecraft, known as the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN mission. The thruster engines will ignite and burn for 33 minutes to slow the spacecraft, allowing it to be captured into an elliptical orbit around Mars.</p>

<p>Most homeowners are willing to take part in cost-sharing that helps pay for wildfire risk mitigation on their properties, but some of those with the highest wildfire risk are the least likely to participate in those programs, according to a collaborative study by the University of Colorado Boulder and partnering institutions.</p>

<p>The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, or <a href="http://enrichment.colorado.edu/urop/">UROP</a>, is one unique program that offers CU-Boulder students an opportunity to follow academic curiosities in every field. Designed to provide grant-writing experience, connect students to faculty and explore interests beyond the classroom, the program is open to all CU-Boulder undergraduates.</p>