dark storm cloud

Cloud seeding can increase rain and snow, and new techniques may make it more effective

May 4, 2023

Cloud seeding—spraying materials into clouds to increase precipitation—has been around for nearly 80 years. But only recently have scientists been able to measure how effective it really is. ’s Katja Friedrich lends expertise on The Conversation Weekly podcast.

Person holding a phone with Twitter logo in front of a Silicon Valley Bank sign

Twitter played a role in the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank—new research

May 4, 2023

Social media provides both a forum for communication and a public signal about what a bank’s customers believe. That means Twitter can facilitate coordination in real-time. expert Tony Cookson shares in The Conversation's Research Brief series.

Cigarette burning

Does the sweet seduction of flavored tobacco make quitting harder?

May 4, 2023

A study led by a Boulder researcher finds that flavored tobacco products reduce the likelihood of cessation later, but researchers say more investigation is needed.

A scene from the TV show Extrapolations

Fact or fiction? New sci-fi series Extrapolations explores a climate-changed future

May 3, 2023

Black Mirror meets Don’t Look Up in Apple TV’s dystopian drama about living through climate change impacts. Not for the faint of heart, Extrapolations depicts a future with rising temperatures, sea levels and global tensions—all mostly within the realm of possibility, according to experts.

researcher in lab

Machine learning helps scientists identify the environmental preferences of microbes

May 2, 2023

Researchers have figured out a way to predict bacteria’s environmental pH preferences from a quick look at their genomes, using machine learning. Led by experts at Boulder, the new approach promises to help guide ecological restoration efforts, agriculture and even the development of health-related probiotics.

The outline of a human hand trapped behind a grid of tiny intersecting circuits

Artificial intelligence is exciting—and an ethical minefield

April 28, 2023

AI is poised to reshape parts of U.S. culture and society, but have tech developments raced ahead of our ability to understand the consequences? Here are four essential reads from The Conversation archives.

A striking view of Mars and its smallest moon, Deimos.

New Emirates Mars Mission observations hint at origins of Mars’ mysterious moon

April 27, 2023

The Emirates Mars Mission, the first interplanetary exploration undertaken by an Arab nation, has unveiled a series of groundbreaking observations of Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, that reveal new details of Mars’ most mysterious moon and where it came from, as well as the Red Planet’s larger moon, Phobos.

Cannabis

How cannabis may ease ‘chemo brain’ and improve sleep for cancer patients

April 27, 2023

A new study led by Angela Bryan, a Boulder professor and cancer survivor, is among the first to assess how cannabis bought over the counter at dispensaries—rather than government-supplied or synthetic varieties—impacts cancer symptoms or chemotherapy side effects.

Pregnant belly with two sets of hands wrapped around it

‘Obstetric racism’ prevalent in US, fueling rise in questionable labor inductions

April 26, 2023

The study of 46 million births across nearly three decades is among the first to provide population-level statistical evidence of “obstetric racism,” a term coined recently to describe a concerning pattern of maltreatment of non-white pregnant women, including a disregard for their birthing wishes.

/rasei/2023_TEAMUP

New consortium aims to accelerate the introduction of the next generation of solar panels

April 26, 2023

The TEAMUP consortium, which brings together researchers from academic, industrial and federal laboratories, seeks to identify and solve the factors that cause advanced perovskite materials to be unstable, paving the way for the integration into existing and future solar cells, boosting the efficiency of harvesting renewable solar energy.

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