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As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe in 2020, musicians around the world were desperate for the answers to two pressing questions: Can playing musical instruments transmit COVID-19? And if so, what can be done?

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Even in the absence of bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire, trees in Colorado subalpine forests are dying at increasing rates from warmer and drier summer conditions, found recent University of Colorado Boulder research.

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Working out just five minutes daily via a practice described as "strength training for your breathing muscles" lowers blood pressure and improves some measures of vascular health as well as, or even more than, aerobic exercise or medication, new CU Boulder research shows.

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University of Colorado Boulder researchers have discovered that minuscule, self-propelled particles called "nanoswimmers" can escape from mazes as much as 20 times faster than other, passive particles, paving the way for their use in everything from industrial clean-ups to medication delivery.

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Women exposed to higher levels of air pollution during pregnancy have babies who grow unusually fast in the first months after birth, putting on excess fat that puts them at risk of obesity and related diseases later in life, new CU Boulder research shows.

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Twice a day, at dusk and just before dawn, a faint layer of sodium and other metals begins sinking down through the atmosphere, about 90 miles high above the city of Boulder, Colorado.

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Waking up just one hour earlier could reduce a person's risk of major depression by 23%, suggests a sweeping new genetic study published May 26 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

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Whether it's plankton exposed to parasites or people exposed to pathogens, a host's initial immune response plays an integral role in determining whether infection occurs and to what degree it spreads within a population, new University of Colorado Boulder research suggests.

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Scientists have spotted the largest flare ever recorded from the sun's nearest neighbor, the star Proxima Centauri.

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Humans rely on nature extensively for everything from food production to coastal protection, but those contributions might be more threatened than previously thought, according to new findings from the University of Colorado Boulder.

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When it comes to developing drugs for mental illnesses, three confounding challenges exist:

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Attention to climate change has significantly declined in recent months, as the pandemic has monopolized news coverage. That's concerning, say study authors who found that simply directing one's attention to an environmental risk—even briefly and involuntarily—makes people more concerned about it and willing to take action.

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Inoculation with a beneficial microorganism during pregnancy fended off an autism-like syndrome in offspring, according to a new animal study. The paper is the latest to suggest that 'good bacteria' impacts the brain.

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Secrets to cementing the sustainability of our future infrastructure may come from nature, such as proteins that keep plants and animals from freezing in extremely cold conditions. CU Boulder researchers have discovered that a synthetic molecule based on natural antifreeze proteins minimizes freeze-thaw damage and increases the strength and durability of concrete, improving the longevity of new infrastructure and decreasing carbon emissions over its lifetime.

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A new brain imaging study of prairie voles—which are among only about 5% of mammalian species besides humans who mate for life —found that when it comes to forming bonds, longing for one another may be as important as being together. The study also sheds light on why it's so hard to social distance.

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Scientists have been studying cyanobacteria and its many potential applications for decades, from cutting CO2 emissions to creating a substitute for oil-based plastics, but there wasn’t a deep understanding of the full life cycle and metabolism of specialized compartments within these common bacteria – until now.

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CU Boulder researchers have developed a method that could enable scientists to accurately forecast ocean acidity up to five years in advance. This would enable fisheries and communities that depend on seafood negatively affected by ocean acidification to adapt to changing conditions in real time, improving economic and food security in the next few decades.

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A decade after President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more people are fully insured, fewer are uninsured and people who lose their insurance intermittently are no longer at greater risk of bankruptcy, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study.

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Current marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean need to be at least doubled to adequately safeguard the biodiversity of the Antarctic, according to a new CU Boulder study.

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New CU Boulder research finds that an anticipated rise in carbon dioxide concentrations in our indoor living and working spaces by the year 2100 could lead to impaired human cognition.

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New research from CU Boulder suggests that during the 21st century, our ability to predict drought using snow will literally melt away.

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Researchers at CU Boulder have found that it’s the mother cell that determines if its daughter cells will divide. The finding, explained in a new study out today in Science, sheds new light on the cell cycle using modern imaging technologies, and could have implications for cancer drug therapy treatments.

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A new study of more than 1,800 adult twins found that individuals who started using cannabis regularly before age 18 were far more likely to suffer insomnia and sleep fewer than six hours per night as adults.

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A new analysis of more than 2,500 fake ads posted by the Russian troll factory, the Internet Research Agency, shows fear and anger work remarkably well to draw clicks. With the 2020 election approaching and the COVID-19 pandemic wearing on, the trolls are at it again, the researches say.

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Wealthy, white California counties—once considered the nation’s hotbeds for autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—have seen prevalence flatten or fall in the last two decades, while rates among poor whites and minorities keep ticking up, new CU Boulder research has found.

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The movement of sea ice between Arctic countries is expected to significantly increase this century, raising the risk of more widely transporting pollutants like microplastics and oil, according to new research from CU Boulder.

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Pollution alters the human gut microbiome in ways that may boost risk of diabetes, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic illnesses, according to a new study. Ozone is particularly harmful, the researchers found.

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Researchers from CU Boulder have created a low-cost solar cell with one of the highest power-conversion efficiencies to date, by layering cells and using a unique combination of elements.

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Dietary compounds called prebiotics, which are found in fibrous foods such as artichokes, onions, leeks and some whole grains, improve sleep and boost stress resilience, according to a new study

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New research from the University of Colorado Boulder reveals that even simultaneous bark beetle outbreaks are not a death sentence to the state’s beloved forests. The study, published this month in the journal Ecology, found that high-elevation forests in the southern Rocky Mountains actually have a good chance of recovery, even after overlapping outbreaks with different kinds of beetles. One thing that is slowing their recovery down: Foraging elk and deer.

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A new study finds that a nuclear war could throw the world's ocean chemistry for a loop—and coral reefs could pay the price.

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Just in time for Academy Awards, new book sheds light on ecological impact of filmmaking

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U.S. birth weights have fallen significantly in recent decades due to soaring rates of cesarean deliveries and inductions which have shortened the average pregnancy by about a week, new research shows.

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A new analysis of nearly 733,000 fatal car accidents found they rise 6% in the week following the switch to daylight saving time. The authors say abolishing time changes would improve public health.

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Henry Kapteyn and Margaret Murnane have won this year's Benjamin Franklin Medal.

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Nearly 80% of kids age 4-10 regularly watch "unboxing videos" in which people, often children, open new presents online. The more they watch, the more likely they are to beg their parents for toys and throw a fit when the answer is no. Researchers are calling for more regulation and urging parents to talk to their kids about them.

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This weekend, Kenyan distance runner Eliud Kipchoge will attempt to break the fabled 2-hour marathon barrier. A new CU Boulder study shows the course is ideal to make it happen.

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Women tend to take cover or prepare for evacuations sooner, but often have trouble convincing the men in their lives to join them, according to a new study exploring how gender influences response to natural disasters