Children sitting at desks in a classroom and raising their hands

What is Colorado’s ‘school choice’ Amendment 80 all about? Legal expert weighs in

Oct. 16, 2024

Amendment 80, which Colorado voters will decide on this election, could lead to a flurry of new lawsuits across the state, says legal scholar Kevin Welner.

Lightning strike over the ocean

Lightning strikes kick off a game of electron pinball in space

Oct. 10, 2024

When lightning cracks on Earth, especially high-energy electrons may fall out of Earth's inner radiation belt, according to a new study—an electron "rain" that could threaten satellites, and even humans, in orbit.

Two men seen from behind lean over a lab table that's covered in machinery, lenses and wires

New quantum timekeeper packs several clocks into one

Oct. 9, 2024

Quantum physicists at Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology are paving the way for new kinds of optical atomic clocks, devices that track the passage of time by measuring the natural “ticking” of atoms.

Woman in clean room bunny suit and wearing a mask uses a tool to make an adjustment on a gold instrument

Europa here we come: Colorado space instrument headed to Jupiter’s moon

Sept. 27, 2024

In just a few weeks, NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will begin its long journey through space, traveling nearly 1.8 billion miles over the span of six years. On board will be the SUrface Dust Analyzer, a gold-plated, bucket-shaped instrument designed and built by a team from Colorado.

Photo of a donkey and elephant figurine on top of an American flag

How to talk with people you don’t agree with this election year

Sept. 26, 2024

If you have a relative or neighbor you disagree with about politics, you may not be able to change their mind, says Boulder’s Matthew Koschmann. But you can still have a civil conversation and maybe even understand each other a little better.

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

Introducing riosity: 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 riosity, a new series from 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 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.

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