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<p>Contrary to expectations that spruce beetle infestations increase the severity of wildfires in southwestern Colorado, a new study led by �鶹ӰԺ researchers has found that this native insect may not be to blame after all.</p>

<p><span>On Thursday, Oct. 29, </span><span>at 4 p.m. in UMC 235,</span><span> Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research Fellow and Professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering Diane McKnight will present, “The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Ecosystems waiting for water” as part of the 2015 Distinguished Research Lecturer series.</span></p>

<p>Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and key academic partners including the �鶹ӰԺ have quantified how rapidly ancient permafrost decomposes upon thawing and how much carbon dioxide is produced in the process.</p>

<p>CU-�鶹ӰԺ’s Center of the American West presents Diné photographer Will Wilson as the twelfth speaker in the Modern Indian Identity lecture series. Willson will speak on Monday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m., in Hale, room 270.</p>

<p>Launched in May 2014 to jumpstart projects led by current CU-�鶹ӰԺ students, faculty and staff, the CU-�鶹ӰԺ Crowdfunding platform hosted 19 projects raising over $80,000 in the first year. </p>

<p>SuviCa Inc. of �鶹ӰԺ, a �鶹ӰԺ biotech start-up company, has been awarded roughly $1.5 million in federal funding to develop novel treatments for head and neck cancer.</p>

<p dir="ltr">When he was in high school, Daniel Pette was fascinated by stars. When his earth science teacher told him that massive stars die out faster than smaller ones, Pette diagrammed a theory to figure out why this was. When he discovered that his findings were correct, Pette became determined to pursue a career in astrophysics. </p>

<p>A new paper <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/151012/ncomms9368/abs/ncomms9368.html">published</a> today in the journal <em>Nature Communications </em>and co-authored by a researcher at the �鶹ӰԺ’s BioFrontiers Institute, looks at the genetic strategy used by the human malaria parasite and how old it is from an evolutionary perspective.</p>

<p>"Round and Round Up and Down: A 31st Century Child's Guide to Spirals or The Time Traveler's Bathroom Reader" is a kid-friendly and adult-friendlier performance that winds through the imagination by way of science, mathematics, storytelling and dance. The show runs Saturday Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11, at Fiske Planetarium. Both performances start at 7 p.m.</p>

<p>CU Theatre & Dance continues its 2015-16 season with "The Otherland," an MFA dance concert created by Bailey Anderson and Rosely Conz. Their show—which runs Oct. 16-18 at the Charlotte York Irey Dance Theatre on the CU-�鶹ӰԺ campus—explores through contemporary dance what it means to be a stranger in one’s everyday world. </p>