In recent years, the plumes of smoke crawling upward from Western wildfires have trended taller, with more smoke and aerosols lofted up where they can spread farther and impact air quality over a wider area. The likely cause is climate change, with decreased precipitation and increased aridity in the Western U.S. that intensifies wildfire activity. […]
University of Utah
Posted inEnviro
Indigenous co-management essential for Bears Ears region
May 17, 2021 – Indigenous people have lived in the Bears Ears region of southeastern Utah for millennia. Ancestral Pueblos built elaborate houses, check dams, agricultural terraces and other modifications of the landscape, leaving ecological legacies that persist to this day. Identifying how humans interacted with past environments is critical for informing how best to […]
Posted inUncategorized
The rise of ‘Zoom Towns’ in the rural west
When COVID-19 hit the United States, small towns near ski areas such as Park City, Utah, and Sun Valley, Idaho, experienced some of the highest per capita cases; people from around the world had brought the virus along with their skis. As the coronavirus spread, gateway communities—communities near scenic public lands, national parks, and other […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Wildfire Smoke May Increase Risk to COVID-19 Infection
Wildfires are becoming more common and severe due to climate change and warmer and drier conditions in the West. As wildfire season rages in Utah, California, and other parts of the United States, people are also at increased risk for COVID-19 infection due to wildfire smoke. Smoke from wildfires can potentially irritate the lungs and […]
Posted inSci/Tech
University of Utah launches first-ever Journal of Dark Sky Studies
Aug. 27, 2019 – Despite growing evidence that artificial light at night severely impacts wildlife, human health, wasteful spending and a disconnect to our cultural past, there are no formal academic educational programs strictly for dark sky study and protection. The University of Utah is changing that. This week, the U launched the first issue […]
Posted inUS
Hate incidents are notoriously underreported. Now, there’s an app for that
April 8, 2019 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation is responsible for tracking hate crimes across the country, but the data are notoriously unreliable. Despite the FBI recording an all-time high in hate-motivated incidents in 2017 (the most recent year’s statistics available) the number is likely much higher. Low reporting from victims to police and […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Drivers of hate in the US have distinct regional differences
Feb. 9, 2018 – In a new study, University of Utah geographers sought to understand the factors fueling hate across space. Their findings paint a rather grim reality of America; hate is a national phenomenon, and more complicated than they imagined. The researchers mapped the patterns of active hate groups in every U.S. county in […]
Posted inSci/Tech
The Devastating Effects in Utah of Nuclear Weapon Testing at the Nevada Test Site
July 17, 2017 – Beginning in 1951, the era of nuclear weapons testing was a time of tremendous change at both national and local levels. In the name of national security, a variety of nuclear weapons were tested in a remote area of the Nevada desert known as the Nevada Test Site. Fallout and radiation from these […]
Posted inUS
Researcher: Trump University Lawsuits Lay Groundwork for Potential Impeachment of Donald Trump
Sept. 21, 2016 – As the presidential race continues to heat up, a new legal analysis released today by University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law professor Christopher L. Peterson outlines why there is a legally sufficient case to impeach Republican nominee Donald Trump under the U.S. Constitution on charges related to fraud and […]