Major class of fracking chemicals no more toxic than common household substances

Nov. 12, 2014

The “surfactant” chemicals found in samples of fracking fluid collected in five states were no more toxic than substances commonly found in homes, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by researchers at the «Ƶ.

Chancellor’s Corner: Undertaking a grand challenge

Nov. 11, 2014

In my State of the Campus address, I invited all faculty, staff and students to undertake a grand challenge in which we leverage our unique strengths in Earth and space science and technology. My vision for the grand challenge is to create a collaborative environment among Earth and space sciences, engineering, business, law, social sciences and humanities faculty members, students and staff as well as public and private sector partners in order to explore, understand and influence how space-based innovations and technologies impact business, law and society. I have named a steering committee to help make this vision a reality, and plan for a Dec. 9 "Imagination Summit."

Facial structure predicts goals, fouls among World Cup soccer players

Nov. 11, 2014

The structure of a soccer player’s face can predict his performance on the field—including his likelihood of scoring goals, making assists and committing fouls—according to a study led by a researcher at the «Ƶ.

Study ties conflict risk in sub-Saharan Africa to climate change, socioeconomics, geography

Nov. 10, 2014

A massive new «Ƶ study indicates there is a statistical link between hotter temperatures generated by climate change and the risk of armed conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa. CU-«Ƶ Professor John O’Loughlin led a research team that assessed more than 78,000 armed conflicts between 1980 and 2012 in the Sahel region of Africa – a semi-arid belt just south of the Saharan Desert that spans about 3,000 miles and more than a dozen countries from the Atlantic to the Indian oceans.

Siding spring and satellites

Mars spacecraft, including MAVEN, reveal comet flyby effects on Martian atmosphere

Nov. 7, 2014

Two NASA and one European spacecraft, including NASA’s MAVEN mission led by the «Ƶ, have gathered new information about the basic properties of a wayward comet that buzzed by Mars Oct. 19, directly detecting its effects on the Martian atmosphere.

wildfire

New global wildfire analysis indicates humans need to coexist and adapt

Nov. 5, 2014

A new study led by the University of California, Berkeley and involving the «Ƶ indicates the current response to wildfires around the world—aggressively fighting them—is not making society less vulnerable to such events.

U.S. News & World Report ranks CU-«Ƶ second in world in geosciences

Oct. 31, 2014

The «Ƶ was ranked second in the world in geosciences this week by U.S. News & World Report. CU-«Ƶ trailed only the California Institute of Technology. Rounding out the top five are the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Harvard University and the University of Washington. U.S. News & World Report ranked the top 100 universities in geosciences in 2014 based primarily on their research and reputation.

When hearing aid users listen to music, less is more, says CU-«Ƶ study

Oct. 27, 2014

The type of sound processing that modern hearings aids provide to make speech more understandable for wearers may also make music enjoyment more difficult, according to a new study by the «Ƶ.

Jeni Sorli

Astronaut Bruce McCandless to present scholarship award to CU-«Ƶ student

Oct. 23, 2014

Former NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless will present «Ƶ senior Jeni Sorli with a $10,000 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation during a free public campus event on Thursday, Oct. 30.

Well head pump

New study pinpoints major sources of air pollutants from oil and gas operations in Utah

Oct. 21, 2014

Oil and natural gas production fields can emit large amounts of air pollutants that affect climate and air quality—but tackling the issue has been difficult because little is known about what aspects of complex production operations leak what kinds of pollutants, and how much. Now a study led by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics sheds light on just that, pinpointing sources of airborne pollutants.

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