Boulder, Colorado news and analysis from The Conversation

Highlighting emerging research and expert analysis on issues important to Boulder and the state of Colorado.

Part of a pilot project funded by the Knight Foundation.

Latest news

A high-angle, close-up shows a woman holding an open jar with pills in it above a plastic container of pill containers.

At-home drug disposal products can play an important role in keeping rural Coloradans safe

Sunny Linnebur, University of Colorado Anschutz

Separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine could decrease access for Colorado parents

Jennifer Reich, University of Colorado Denver

A mother and daughter hike through a desert landscape.

Wildfire strategy doesn’t need a winner – with 3 camps fighting for dominance, the system can’t keep up with the risk

Tony Cheng, Colorado State University and Matt Thompson, Colorado State University

A firefighter stands at the edge of a fire set to clear away brush.

In Colorado and elsewhere, sexual assault peaks on campuses at the beginning of the school year – here’s what students should know

Kaitlyn M. Sims, University of Denver; Institute for Humane Studies

Students sit on stone benches in an outdoor auditorium holding books and electronic tablets.

How students at Colorado State helped teach their community to stop talking past each other and manage complex problems

Martin Carcasson, Colorado State University

Seen from above, a group of six people sit around a table with different color speech bubbles in the middle.

Environment

Large burned trees have been carried by debris flows after wildfire, leaving a tangle of debris, mud and ash.

Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger dangerous flooding and mudflows – a geologist explains how

Jen Pierce, Boise State University

Not all Coloradans want to share their cities with Canada geese and their poop – a wildlife manager shares the control methods that work

Mark Vrtiska, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

A flock of birds flies in the sky, with the snow-capped mountains visible behind them.

Wildfires can generate tornadoes, lightning and other extreme weather, sometimes miles from the flames

Yunyao Li, University of Texas at Arlington

A fire truck near flames and a fire whirl looking like a small tornado.

Colorado prepares for screwworms, as the pest that was eradicated in 1966 returns to the US

Sarah Tomlinson, Colorado State University

A fly with a shiny metallic coloring on its back sits on a leaf

Electric companies don’t need to black out customers to prevent wildfires – here are 3 relatively fast, affordable solutions

Jasmine Garland, University of Colorado Boulder

Hello Readers! Our local team wants to hear your feedback and story ideas. Send an email to Emily Costello, Director of Local News + Collaborations, and Colorado Editor Claire Cleveland at colorado@theconversation.com.

Health care

A woman sits in a hallway while an infant plays in the room beyond her.

Nearly 20% of new moms have anxiety or depression, but a promising psychedelic treatment is on the horizon

Camille Hoffman, University of Colorado Anschutz

How Colorado hospitals are caring for pregnant patients with substance use disorders by overcoming stigma

Karli Swenson, University of Colorado Anschutz

A pregnant woman sits in a hospital gown and chats with a man in scrubs.

Magic mushroom-infused products appear in Colorado gas stations – what public health officials want consumers to know

David Kroll, University of Colorado Anschutz

A close-up shot of backlit mushrooms surrounded by humidity.

Fewer new moms are dying in Colorado – naloxone might be one reason why

Kaylin Klie, University of Colorado Anschutz

A woman in a blue dress holds a swaddled baby in a hospital room.

Colorado has high levels of radon, which can cause lung cancer – here’s how to lower your risk

Jan Lowery, University of Colorado Anschutz

An illustrated house sits next to an illustrated magnifying glass with the words "Radon gas."

Economy

A woman in a white blouse holds a red credit card and looks at a cellphone in her other hand.

Coloradans are getting squeezed by credit cards while trying to navigate high costs

Ali Besharat, University of Denver

From the San Luis Valley to Vail, Latino labor powers every sector of Colorado’s economy

Ernesto Sagás, Colorado State University

People bend over in a field to harvest parsley under a gray sky.

Thousands of employed Colorado workers need SNAP benefits to make ends meet

Jennifer C. Greenfield, University of Denver

People in orange vests stand under tents with bags of produce.

Federal benefits cuts are looming – here’s how Colorado is trying to protect families with children

Stephen Roll, Washington University in St. Louis; Jenn Finders, Colorado State University, and Leah Hamilton, Appalachian State University

Children play on a see-saw on a sunny day at a park.

Aldi is coming to Colorado, and the disruption could lead to lower food prices

Jack Buffington, University of Denver

A store front with the text " Aldi" is pictured with shoppers and cars in front.

Policy and society

Tan panels with open cut-outs for windows create the frame for a housing structure, while wood planks are on the ground at the structure's base.

Affordable housing often costs more to build than market-rate housing – Colorado is closing the gap

Solomon Greene, University of Denver

Colorado was the first state to cap a drug’s price – then a federal court stepped in

Shweta Kumar, University of Kentucky

An orange, translucent bottle filled with white pills and a 100 dollar bill spills out onto more bills of different values.

Why Colorado replaced its AI discrimination law with a transparency requirement that the feds might challenge anyway

Stefani Langehennig, University of Denver

People sit behind a long desk facing another desk with people sitting at it.

Why Denver stopped treating sidewalk repair as a DIY project – lessons for other cities and homeowners

Wes Marshall, University of Colorado Denver

A crumbling sidewalk with green grass on either side.

Colorado criminal cases are dismissed at a higher rate when prosecutors face heavier workloads

Rebecca Dunlea, UMass Lowell

A gavel and scale sit in front of a person in a blue suit with a pen in their hand.

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Want to read more?

Agricultural work is dangerous – but good communication can save lives in Colorado

Morgan Valley, Colorado State University and Lorann Stallones, Colorado State University

A man is reaching up to a machine in a dairy production facility.

Colorado voted to end forced prison labor in 2018 – so why are incarcerated people in the state still working for less than $2 an hour?

Julia Bowling, City University of New York

Supreme Court ruling on Colorado conversion therapy case is not a clear win for conservatives

Kevin Cope, University of Virginia

People stand in line on sunny day outside the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Winter’s alarmingly low snowpack offers a glimpse of the changing rhythm of water in the western US

Imtiaz Rangwala, University of Colorado Boulder

A few across a mountain stream near Lake Tahoe and land covered in snow.

Meet our Colorado team

Members of the Colorado local team includes: Emily Costello, Director of Collaborations and Local News; Claire Cleveland, Colorado Editor; and Zack Newman, Local Editor and Researcher