Health

Scientists discover new way to shape what a stem cell becomes

Lisa Marshall — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:04:47 +0000

Scientists discover new way to shape what a stem cell becomes Lisa Marshall Mon, 11/03/2025 - 08:04

Lisa Marshall

How do stem cells know what to become?

Nearly three decades after scientists isolated the first human embryonic stem cells, researchers are still working hard to understand precisely how a single, undifferentiated cell can become any one of the roughly 200 cell types that make up the human body.

Research published this week offers key insights, describing how cellular storage units known as “P bodies” heavily influence a cell’s fate. By manipulating P bodies, the scientists were able to efficiently create hard-to-develop cell types in the lab, including “germ cells” (the cells that precede sperm and egg) and “totipotent” cells, which can become any type of cell in the body.

“I like to think of it as cellular alchemy,” said Justin Brumbaugh, co-senior author and assistant professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. “If we can understand how to manipulate cell fate— to drive one type of cell to become another type of cell— a whole world of applications opens up. Our paper sets the foundation for that.”

The findings, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, could help advance understanding of how embryos form and disease originates. They could also open new avenues for developing fertility treatments, regenerating organs and testing new drugs, said co-senior author Bruno Di Stefano, an assistant professor at the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

“There is great value in understanding, at the most basic level, how biology works,” Di Stefano said.

Cracking open the vaults

For the study, the research team examined embryonic human, mouse and chicken stem cells as they moved through various stages of differentiation. They zeroed in on P bodies, or processing bodies, clusters of Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) and protein found in the cytoplasm of cells across a variety of vertebrate species.

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Biochemistry Professor Roy Parker discovered P bodies in 2003. Since then, studies have associated P body dysregulation with disease, including Parkinson’s and certain cancers.

Scientists previously believed P bodies served as a sort of junk drawer for the cell, where RNA—the instructional molecule that tells a cell which genes to express—was hidden away and degraded when unused.

The new study found that P bodies are more like organized storage bins than a junk drawer, with different cell types holding different types of RNA that, if released, would have guided the cell toward a different fate.

“Our work shows that P-bodies sequester the products of certain genes to dampen their function and direct cell identity changes,” said Brumbaugh.

Critically, the researchers found that if they perturbed the P bodies, or broke open the storage container, they could make those instructions readable again and rewind the cells to a previous, more malleable, developmental stage.

If you think of the stages of development as an upside-down tree, with a single cell at the top, moving down through a trunk, and branching out into more and more specialized cells (skin, lung, neuron, etc.), the researchers were able to guide cells at the tips of the branches back to the trunk where they could be more easily nudged to become something else.

In doing so, they were able to efficiently guide more mature cells to become primordial germ-cell-like cells (PGCLCs) or totipotent-like cells.

“Totipotent-like cells are sort of the holy grail for stem cell biology,” said Brumbaugh. “Being able to make these cell types and study them is something that's been extremely challenging.”

Potential ramifications for human health

The researchers imagine a day when germ cells developed in a lab via this process could form sperm or eggs to assist with new fertility treatments.

And, theoretically, totipotent cells, derived from something as simple as a skin cell, could be used to regenerate organs or tissues ravaged by disease.

In the shorter term, early-development cells generated in the lab could be invaluable for understanding the origins of disease.

For example, scientists could take a neuron from a person with Parkinson’s disease, nudge it back to its earliest developmental stages and examine what went wrong. Or they could examine lab-grown germ cells to explore what might drive infertility or birth defects.

Drug developers could also use such cells to create specialized tissue for drug testing, researchers said.

The study also found that noncoding RNAs called microRNAs play a critical role in determining which RNAs get stored inside the P bodies. Modulating these microRNAs could lead to new therapies.

More research is already underway.

“It’s exciting to understand how things work,” said Di Stefano. “Now that we know what drives this process, we can manipulate it.”

New research shows that cellular storage units known as “P bodies” play a critical role in cell differentiation. The findings could open new avenues for fertility treatments and regenerative medicine.

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Cells dividing. Adobe sock photo.

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Cells dividing. Credit: Adobe stock photo

'Jump scare' science: Study explains how the brain responds to fear

Lisa Marshall — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:22:14 +0000

'Jump scare' science: Study explains how the brain responds to fear Lisa Marshall Thu, 10/30/2025 - 14:22

Lisa Marshall

In haunted houses across the country this month, threatening figures will jump out of the shadows, prompting visitors — wide-eyed and heart racing —to instinctively freeze and flee.

Evolutionarily speaking, this “innate threat response” is key to survival, helping a wide variety of animal species escape predators. But when stuck in overdrive it can cause problems for humans.

A �鶹��Ѱ�� research team has identified a novel brain circuit responsible for orchestrating this threat response. Known as the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN), this dense cluster of specialized neurons not only jump starts that freeze-and-flee reaction but dials it down when animals learn there’s no real danger.

Assistant Professor Susanna Molas

In people with anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this circuit may be broken, the authors said.

The findings could help explain why some people have a greater appetite for risk than others and lead to new therapies for psychiatric disorders.

“The brain’s threat system is like an alarm. It needs to sound when danger is real, but it needs to shut off when it’s not,” said first author Elora Williams, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. “Our study shows how the brain learns to fine-tune those responses through experience, helping us adapt to the world.”

The findings were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

False alarm

For the study, Williams and senior author Susanna Molas, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, developed something akin to a mouse haunted house.

For three consecutive days, they periodically projected a predator-like shadow, or “visual looming stimulus,” on a screen above a large arena where mice were busy navigating a maze.

Cameras rolled. Through the use of an imaging technique called fiber photometry, which uses fluorescent proteins to signal neural activity, the researchers measured what was happening in real-time inside the mouse brains.

On day one, when the ominous figure appeared overhead, the mice, as expected, froze.

This makes sense, explained Molas. Freezing is a fundamental stress-response, enabling animals including humans to focus their heightened senses on detecting where a danger might be coming from, and how fast it’s approaching.

The mice then fled to a shelter in the corner and hunkered down, before eventually venturing out again.

By day two, the mice began to respond differently to the looming shadow. They stopped freezing, spent less time in the nest and did more exploring. By day three, the spooky figure barely fazed them.

Their brain activity also changed.

On day one, when the shadow appeared, their IPN crackled to life, with cells called GABAergic neurons putting the body on high alert by signaling fear-related brain regions. By day three, once the animals realized the threat wasn’t real, much of the IPN had gone dark.

Brain cells in the interpenduclear nucleus glow green in a mouse's brain after a shadow appears on the ceiling.

Other types of neurons in the IPN activated when the animals entered the shelter area, signaling safety and helping to “silence the brain’s alarm,” Williams said.

In other experiments, the team used a technique called optogenetics, which uses light to manipulate brain cells, to control the activity of neurons within the IPN circuit. The impact on the mouse behavior was profound.

When GABAergic neurons were silenced before the shadow appeared, the animals froze less and spent less time hiding in the shelter. When those neurons were switched on throughout the three-day experiment, the animals never got used to the looming shadow.

Elora Williams, PhD candidate

“Collectively, these findings implicate the IPN as a critical circuit for helping us process potential threats and adapt accordingly when we learn they aren’t putting us in danger,” said Molas.

Short-circuited

For decades, research using older methods, like Pavlovian conditioning, has pointed to the amygdala and hippocampus as key players in fear and threat response.

The new study is the first to identify the lesser-known IPN, a tiny part of the ancient midbrain, as a key tool in enabling us to adapt to false threats and get past unwarranted fears.

More research is needed, but it’s possible that risk-takers might have a less active IPN, while those who struggle to bounce back after a frightening experience might have more activity in that circuit.

Disruptions in the IPN could also play a role in fueling anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric disorders, the authors said.

They’ve already launched their next studies.

Ultimately, they hope their discovery could lead to new ways to precisely target the IPN.

“Identifying the neuronal circuits underlying threat processing and adaptive learning is vital to understanding the neuropathology of anxiety and other stress-related conditions,” said Williams.

Researchers have identified a brain circuit that helps animals swiftly respond to perceived threats—and dial down that response when they learn there’s no real danger. In people with anxiety disorders, this circuit may be broken.

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A spooky shadow walks through the trees

Young adults fear mass shootings but don't necessarily support gun control

Lisa Marshall — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:11:51 +0000

Young adults fear mass shootings but don't necessarily support gun control Lisa Marshall Mon, 10/27/2025 - 09:11

Lisa Marshall

More than 60% of adults aged 18 to 29 worry that a mass shooting will impact their lives in some way. About 17% worry a lot. But when it comes to sentiments about gun control, the age group dubbed the “massacre generation” is deeply divided, new �鶹��Ѱ�� research shows.

The study, published in the journal Social Science Quarterly, found that while young adults overall modestly favor gun control, their viewpoints differ wildly depending on their gender and political leanings: Among young Republicans, young conservatives and young men, for instance, the more they fear mass violence, the more they oppose firearm restrictions.

Jillian Turanovic, associate professor of sociology

The findings call into question some previous assumptions that as this generation — raised in an era of unprecedented mass violence—gains political power, stricter gun legislation will follow, the authors said.

“This is a generation of people who live with significant fear and anxiety over mass violence,” said senior author Jillian Turanovic, associate professor of sociology. “But we found that those shared fears do not unite them in attitudes on gun policy. In fact, they polarize them.”

The ‘massacre generation’

In 2022, sociologists coined the phrase ‘massacre generation’ to describe young people growing up in a post-Columbine, post 9/11-era in which mass shootings dominate news coverage and social media, and lockdown drills are the norm.

As voters, they are poised to be extremely influential.

“Young adults today represent the most powerful potential voting bloc in the future of American policy making, so it is very important to understand how they feel about policy issues,” said Turanovic, pointing to research estimating that by 2032, Millennials and Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) will comprise almost half of the electorate.

While mass shootings are relatively rare — making up only about 1% of all gun deaths each year—they have dominated discourse around policy making for the ‘massacre generation.’

After a gunman killed 17 people at Parkland High School Shooting in Florida in 2018, young survivors launched the gun-control organization March for our Lives. In contrast, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, in which 20 children and six adults died, some gun rights advocates embraced the slogan “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

“In the wake of nearly every high-profile mass shooting incident, there is a predictable flurry of opposing discourse by gun control and gun rights activists,” she said.

National polls by Pew and Gallup have suggested that the 18- to 29-year-old set is more liberal in general and more favorable toward gun restrictions than older generations.

Turanovic and co-authors at Clemson University and Florida State University set out to dig deeper, looking specifically at how fear of mass violence influences sentiments about firearms among different groups.

The team surveyed a racially representative national sample of nearly 1,700 emerging adults and asked them to rank, on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 3 (a lot), how much in their everyday lives they fear that:

You or someone you love will be a victim of a mass shooting.
A mass shooting will happen to you or someone you love at a public event or gathering with large crowds.
A mass shotting will happen to you or someone you love at a shopping mall, store, school, bar or a night club.

Overall, 44% of the sample scored in the range of “moderate fear” and an additional 17% scored in the “high fear” range.

When asked about viewpoints on gun control, the responses were strikingly varied.

While 58% of respondents said that owning a gun does not make you safer, 42% said that it does; 32% said they believe that guns should be permitted on college campuses; 32% indicated that a permit should not be required to carry a gun in public; and 42% said gun control laws are unconstitutional.

Overall, those who feared mass violence more tended to have modestly higher support for gun control. But this pattern did not hold true for Republicans, conservatives and men.

For them, the opposite was true: The more they feared mass shootings, the more they viewed expanded access to guns as a solution.

“This shows that emerging adults today are very divided in their gun control sentiment, and those divisions are most pronounced when fear of mass shootings runs high,” she said.

Mental health support needed

At a minimum, Turanovic said she hopes the data in her study on fear itself will serve as a wake-up call to policymakers, nudging them to boost mental health support for the ‘massacre generation.’

For those interested in gun policy, regardless of whether they want controls tightened or loosened, the message is clear, she said: Tomorrow’s voters are not all of the same mindset.

“Generational change alone will not resolve America’s gun policy debates,” she said.

A new study of the 'massacre generation' reveals deep divisions along gender and party lines in sentiments about firearms.

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Students gather for a candlelight vigil in February, 2018 after a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

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Students gather for a candlelight vigil in February, 2018 after a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Credit: Wikamedia Commons

Researchers pioneer fluid-based laser scanning for brain imaging

Megan Maneval — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 19:37:26 +0000

Researchers pioneer fluid-based laser scanning for brain imaging Megan Maneval Tue, 10/21/2025 - 13:37

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Researchers explored a fluid-based optical device known as an electrowetting prism to steer lasers at high speeds for advanced imaging applications. This new frontier in miniature lasers opens the door to new technologies in microscopy, LiDAR, optical communications and even brain imaging.

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Hindsight may be 20/20, but people feel more strongly about the future

Elizabeth Lock — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 18:24:09 +0000

Hindsight may be 20/20, but people feel more strongly about the future Elizabeth Lock Thu, 10/09/2025 - 12:24

In reviewing psychological studies, �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder researcher Leaf Van Boven and colleagues find that people prioritize thinking about the future over the past.

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A better band-aid: New 'suspended animation' technology could revolutionize wound care

Lisa Marshall — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:10:22 +0000

A better band-aid: New 'suspended animation' technology could revolutionize wound care Lisa Marshall Thu, 10/09/2025 - 08:10

Lisa Marshall

Burn your hand on a hot stove and, almost instantly, immune cells within the wound begin producing inflammatory compounds to help clear out dead tissue and fight off infection. In most cases, the swelling abates quickly, and the wound heals within days.

But for the 600,000 or so people in the United States who suffer serious burns each year, the immune response itself can cause problems, with prolonged inflammation tearing through surrounding tissue and increasing risk of scarring, disfigurement and disability.

A team of �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder scientists hopes to minimize such long-term damage by suspending that cellular immune response until the body, or care providers, are better equipped to deal with it.

Funded by a new up-to-$5.8 million, two-year contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the project could lead to new treatments for a host of serious tissue injuries, from battlefield blast wounds to frostbite and diabetic ulcers. It could be particularly useful for those without immediate access to care.

“The ultimate goal is to help patients have less pain, faster healing and less systemic damage,” said Christopher Bowman, professor of chemical and biological engineering and co-principal investigator on the project. “It could also save lives.”

Suspended animation for cells

The new “Tissue Preservation Under Stress” (TPS) project grew out of a years-long �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder effort, funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to develop novel ways to keep battlefield injuries from worsening as soldiers awaited transport.

An AI rendering of a tardigrade, or 'water bear.' The microscopic animal goes into 'biostasis' to survive extreme temperatures, and served as inspiration for a new wound care technology. Credit: Adobe stock

Since 2018, the �鶹��Ѱ��team has centered their research around a seemingly sci-fi process called “biostasis,” in which certain organisms temporarily shut down cellular processes to survive harsh conditions. For instance, in extremely cold temperatures, a microanimal called a tardigrade, a.k.a. water bear, slows its cellular function to a stand-still. When temperatures warm, the cells awaken from hibernation.

“The big picture idea was that you could possibly put injured tissue in biostasis until transport to a medical facility could occur,” explained Kristi Anseth, professor of chemical and biological engineering and co-principal investigator on the TPS project.

To induce biostasis in mammalian cells, Bowman, and a multidisciplinary team from CU’s BioFrontiers Institute, developed a specialized hydrogel—essentially a biodegradable 3D plastic— which, upon entering cells, spreads out like a net to stop proteins, enzymes and other molecules inside from moving around.

“It’s like freezing without the ice,” said Senior Research Associate Benjamin Fairbanks, who has been working on the technology for years. “It is a completely different way of addressing the problem,” of serious wounds.

Once light is shined on the cells, the hydrogel degrades and normal cellular activity resumes, according to a paper published in the journal Advanced Materials in 2022.

Subsequent studies on simulated skin in the lab show that when the hydrogel material is applied, healing stalls, and once the polymer degrades, healing resumes.
Pilot studies in animals have also shown promise.

“You basically protect the tissue from its own responses until the initial trauma passes and then bring the cells back to full activity,” said Bowman.

A smarter band-aid

Christopher Bowman, research assistant Maria Lemon, seated, senior research associate Ben Fairbanks, in background, and postdoctoral researcher Jessica Stelzel. (Photo by Glenn J. Asakawa/University of Colorado)

ARPA-H was founded in 2022 with a mission to fast-track “high-impact solutions to society’s most challenging health problems.”

In its announcement about the new TPS contract, the agency named traumatic tissue injuries among those major challenges.

“Despite advancement in wound care, millions of Americans lack immediate access to specialized medical facilities, increasing the risk of chronic wounds or death.”

Studies show burns account for as many as 20% of battlefield injuries too, with most caused by blasts from explosive devices. In those cases, prolonged inflammation can make it hard to preserve limbs. Biostasis could potentially make it easier, suspects Bowman.

More research is necessary before the technology is ready for use in people, but the potential applications are broad.

Anseth and Bowman envision a day when hydrogel-infused bandages could be used by soldiers in the field, carried on mountaineering expeditions (where frostbite is common), or used in remote health clinics, where resources for treating serious burns or wounds are limited and patients must often be transported.

It may also have applications in cancer treatment someday, to minimize the impact of burns from radiation therapy.

The new infusion of federal dollars could make these possibilities come sooner.

“What’s really special about this funding is that it bridges the gap between fundamental science and clinical application and it makes you think big,” said Anseth. “It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

Armed with a $6 million contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, �鶹��Ѱ��researchers are fast-tracking development of a new way to prevent long-term damage from burns, diabetic ulcers, frostbite, battlefield wounds and more.

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Christopher Bowman, left, and members of his research team demonstrate how light can be used to deactivate a technology that puts cells in 'suspended animation.' Credit: Glenn Asakawa/�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

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Professor Christopher Bowman, left, and members of his research team demonstrate how light is used to activate a novel treatment for frostbite, severe burns, battlefield wounds and more. Credit: Glenn Asakawa/�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

Student helps uncover new treatment for respiratory syndrome

Megan Maneval — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:50:20 +0000

Student helps uncover new treatment for respiratory syndrome Megan Maneval Tue, 09/30/2025 - 11:50

The project, like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, combines RNA-based gene therapy with tiny microrobots for drug transport to help treat acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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Inside the 'incelosphere:' What the hit series 'Adolescence' gets right about online hate

Lisa Marshall — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 16:35:54 +0000

Inside the 'incelosphere:' What the hit series 'Adolescence' gets right about online hate Lisa Marshall Mon, 09/29/2025 - 10:35

Lisa Marshall

Jillian Turanovic had just worked out at a yoga studio in Tallahassee, Florida when, the next day, an armed man walked in the studio door and began firing, killing two women and injuring several others before turning the gun on himself.

Turanovic was shaken and heartbroken. As a criminologist, she was also determined to learn more about what motivated the shooter, a 40-year-old man with a history of misogynistic views shared openly online.

Seven years later, Turanovic, co-director of the new Crime and Justice Center at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, says extremist online misogyny is a growing threat, with more than 50,000 actively registered users of so-called ‘incel’ forums and nearly three million visits to the largest one in the first three months of 2025.

Such forums serve as the centerpiece of the Netflix series "Adolescence," about a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate. The series won eight Emmys earlier this month and is now among the top streaming shows in the country.

Jillian Turanovic, associate professor of sociology

“The themes in this show—around young, vulnerable boys spending a lot of time online and ingesting this hateful rhetoric about women—are very real,” says Turanovic, an associate professor of sociology who recently published a report about Incel Violence and the Incelosphere.

Turanovic spoke with �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Today about what "Adolescence" gets right, how young men are uniquely vulnerable to online hate, and what parents can do.

What is an incel?

The term was coined by a woman in Canada in the 1990s who started the first involuntary celibate website as a self-help forum. But it got co-opted and evolved into a community of hate and anger directed at women. Involuntary celibates, or "incels," are individuals, almost exclusively male, who are unable to develop a romantic or sexual relationship despite desiring one. The concept gained notoriety in 2014 after 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people, including two sorority members, in Isla Vista, California, near the University of California, Santa Barbara. In the months leading up to the attack, he produced a manifesto spouting incel ideology, and he has become glorified as a saint in the most concerning reaches of this subculture.

What is the 'incelosphere'?

It is one small part of the broader internet culture known as the "manosphere." Common underlying rhetoric across the manosphere is that if men are experiencing problems, women are to blame and it views women’s equality and liberation as threatening. The incelosphere is a smaller subset rooted in feeling alienated and rejected by women.

The show talks about the 80/20 rule. What is this?

One thing that's really alarming about incel-based rhetoric is that it sends a message to men and boys that if they're not liked or desired by women, it's something that is biologically predetermined. This "rule" is the idea that 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men, and if you are not in that 20% you are essentially doomed to be alone. This is a dangerous myth with no scientific basis.

However, there are a lot of contradictions in this culture, because it also heavily promotes "looksmaxxing"—things like how to build a stronger jaw or more symmetrical bone structure or become more muscular. When these efforts fail, it seems to confirm fears about being genetically inferior. This pattern can lead to hopelessness and escalate to violent rhetoric and hatred toward women.

What about the show's 'blue pill' and 'red pill' references?

In the incelosphere, references to the "blue pill" represent a state of naivete, where you haven’t been awakened to the idea of the 80/20 rule yet—you’re under the false impression that there’s someone out there for you. The "red pill" represents when you start to awaken to this "truth."

The worst, most concerning elements of this culture are represented by the "black pill," which symbolizes hopelessness and resentment. Being "black pilled" is far less common, yet this ideology heavily influences rhetoric on incel forums through a small group of extremely active users. This is where you sometimes see calls to violence and radicalization.

How do boys find their way to the incelosphere?

Research shows that users as young as 15 are active on major incel forums. But it’s important to realize that most young men and boys don’t go online seeking these forums out. They can be led there simply by searching for things related to basic teenage identity struggles, like feeling bad about how you look or researching mental health or suicide forums. For older demographics, fitness and unemployment forums can also inadvertently lead them to these spaces through various algorithms.

How concerned should people be?

Most incel content is not necessarily espousing violence, and most incels never resort to violence. However, I think we do need to be concerned about how young men are being socialized to view women. There have also been several high-profile acts of mass violence carried out by self-identified incels.

How did your experience in Tallahassee in 2018 impact you?

It was extremely traumatizing. It led to increased advocacy for research and change, including efforts by Maura’s Voice, a nonprofit founded by Jeff Binkley, whose daughter Maura was one of the victims. Many of us believe that hate against women should be taken as seriously as violence against other populations that we know stem from radicalization and extremism. We believe incel violence, even if only concentrated in extremist fringes of the incelosphere, should be viewed as a growing terrorism threat.

What can parents do?

This show demonstrates how people who are young and vulnerable can become sucked into this rhetoric, despite having parents that care about them. They end up in these forums because they're already experiencing feelings of hopelessness, rejection and loss of self-worth. Recognizing those signs is a good first step. If someone is spending excessive time online and beginning to use language that is disparaging toward women, that may also indicate they're digesting some problematic content.

Most importantly, we need to make sure that boys have good role models and real-life connections that give them confidence, so that if they are exposed to this hateful messaging, they don’t get sucked in. Having positive interactions with people of all genders helps young men develop healthy perspectives on relationships and see women as human beings and as equals, not through the distorted lens these forums promote.

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Today regularly publishes Q&As with our faculty members weighing in on news topics through the lens of their scholarly expertise and research/creative work. The responses here reflect the knowledge and interpretations of the expert and should not be considered the university position on the issue. All publication content is subject to edits for clarity, brevity and university style guidelines.

The story of a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate recently swept the Emmys and is now one of the top streaming shows on Netflix. Criminologist Jillian Turanovic says its portrayal of online radicalization of young men is chillingly accurate.

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A scene from the Netflix series Adolescence shows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, being questioned by police.

Why do some thoughts refuse to leave?

Megan Maneval — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:54:49 +0000

Why do some thoughts refuse to leave? Megan Maneval Tue, 09/16/2025 - 13:54

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder graduate student researcher Jacob DeRosa delves into the brain's ability to remove unwanted thoughts.

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A new way to fight allergies: Switch on the light

Lisa Marshall — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:21:10 +0000

A new way to fight allergies: Switch on the light Lisa Marshall Mon, 09/15/2025 - 12:21

Lisa Marshall , Nicholas Goda

Tess Eidem holds a jar of fungus used to produce allergens for research. A new study shows that UV light can reduce allergens in the air by double digits within a half-hour. Credit: Patrick Campbell/�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

Cats. Dust mites. Mold. Trees.

For people with allergies, even a brief whiff of the airborne allergens these organisms produce can lead to swollen eyes, itchy skin and impaired breathing.

Such allergens can persist indoors for months after the original source is gone, and repeated exposure can exacerbate, and even lead to, asthma.

What if you could just flip a switch and disable them? You can, according to new �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder research.

“We have found that we can use a passive, generally safe ultraviolet light treatment to quickly inactivate airborne allergens,” said study author Tess Eidem, a senior research associate in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering.

“We believe this could be another tool for helping people fight allergens in their home, schools or other places where allergens accumulate indoors.”

The findings were published in August in the journal ACS ES&T Air.

Why you can't kill an allergen

Walk into a room with a cat and, if you sneeze, it’s not actually the cat you are reacting to. It’s likely airborne flecks of a protein called Fel d1 produced in their saliva. The protein spreads when they lick themselves and ends up in microscopic flakes of dead skin floating in the air, a.k.a. dander. When we inhale these particles, our immune system produces antibodies that bind to the protein’s unique 3D structure, kicking off an allergic reaction.

Dogs, mice, dust mites, mold and plants all emit their own unique proteins, with their own unique structure. Unlike bacteria and viruses, these allergens can’t be killed because they were never alive.

“After those dust mites are long gone, the allergen is still there,” said Eidem. “That’s why, if you shake out a rug, you can have a reaction years later.”

Standard methods of reducing allergens—like vacuuming, washing walls, using an air filter and regularly bathing pets—can work OK but are hard to maintain, long-term studies show.

Eidem and co-authors Mark Hernandez, a professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, and Kristin Rugh, a microbiologist in the lab, sought a simpler way.

Tess Eidem pumps airborne allergens into a sealed chamber to test how UV light impacts them. Credit: Patrick Campbell/�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

Instead of eliminating the proteins that cause allergies, they sought to change their structure—much like unfolding an origami animal—so the immune system wouldn’t recognize them.

“If your immune system is used to a swan and you unfold the protein so it no longer looks like a swan, you won’t mount an allergic response,” explained Eidem.

UV light, their study suggests, can do that.

Let there be light

Previous research has shown that UV light can kill airborne microorganisms, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

It’s already used widely to disinfect equipment in hospitals, airports and elsewhere, but the bandwidth is typically so strong (a wavelength of 254 nanometers) that users must wear protective equipment to prevent damage to skin and eyes.

Eidem used 222-nanometer-wavelength lights, a less-intense alternative considered safe for occupied spaces because it doesn’t penetrate deep into cells. (It does not come entirely without risks, including ozone production, she notes, so exposure should be limited.)

The team pumped microscopic aerosolized allergens from mites, pet dander, mold and pollen into an unoccupied and sealed 350-cubic-foot chamber. Then they switched on four lunchbox-sized UV222 lamps on the ceiling and floor.

When they sampled the air at 10-minute intervals and compared it to untreated, allergen-filled air via laboratory tests, they saw significant differences. In the treated samples, immunorecognition was reduced, meaning the antibodies no longer recognized many of the proteins and stuck to them.

UV 222 lights

After just 30 minutes, airborne allergen levels effectively decreased by about 20% to 25% on average, the study showed. Efficacy depended on the type of allergen, how long the light was on and what the allergen was floating in (dust, dander, liquid droplets, etc.) In one condition tested, after 40 minutes of UV light exposure, the cat allergen Fel d 1 had decreased by 61% compared to untreated air.

“Those are pretty rapid reductions when you compare them to months and months of cleaning, ripping up carpet, and bathing your cat,” said Eidem.

A portable allergy buster?

UV222 lights are already commercially available, mostly for industrial antimicrobial uses.

But Eidem envisions a day when companies could engineer portable versions for people to switch on when they visit a friend with a pet or clean out a dusty basement.

UV222 systems could also potentially protect workers frequently exposed to allergens, such as those who work around live animals or in cannabis grow houses where, her own research shows, allergic reactions can be deadly.

One-in-three adults and children in the United States have allergies, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Eidem hopes her research, and more to come, can provide them with some relief—or even save lives.

“Asthma attacks kill about 10 people every day in the United States, and they are often triggered by airborne allergies,” she said. “Trying to develop new ways to prevent that exposure is really important.”

Ultraviolet light can disable airborne allergens within 30 minutes, according to a new study. The findings could lead to new portable devices to prevent allergies or new systems to provide relief from allergens in workplaces and other public spaces.

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