Research /asmagazine/ en Video games don鈥檛 rot your brain鈥攖hey train it /asmagazine/2025/08/18/video-games-dont-rot-your-brain-they-train-it <span>Video games don鈥檛 rot your brain鈥攖hey train it</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-18T14:06:22-06:00" title="Monday, August 18, 2025 - 14:06">Mon, 08/18/2025 - 14:06</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/video%20game%20controllers.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&amp;itok=gDa7ezTv" width="1200" height="800" alt="hands holding two video game controllers with TV in background"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/30"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1264" hreflang="en">Institute for Behavioral Genetics</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/144" hreflang="en">Psychology and Neuroscience</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> </div> <span>Blake Puscher</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span>缅北禁地 scientists find that playing video games comes with small but significant cognitive benefits</span></em></p><hr><p><span>Ever since video games began to gain widespread popularity, some have questioned how playing them consistently affects people, especially mentally. Like with TV, the internet, social media and AI, the tendency has been to assume negative effects. However, a number of studies have suggested that playing video games can help strengthen people鈥檚 cognitive abilities.</span></p><p><span>Despite similar research findings, many of the studies disagree on the size of this effect and to which areas of cognition it applies鈥攑erhaps, in part, because of the limitations inherent to their typically cross-sectional approach.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>A team of 缅北禁地 scientists including Shandell Pahlen,&nbsp;</span><a href="/ibg/anqing-zheng" rel="nofollow"><span>Anqing Zheng</span></a><span>,&nbsp;</span><a href="/ibg/robin-corley" rel="nofollow"><span>Robin P. Corley</span></a><span>, </span><a href="/psych-neuro/naomi-friedman" rel="nofollow"><span>Naomi P. Friedman</span></a><span>,&nbsp;</span><a href="/ibg/sally-wadsworth" rel="nofollow"><span>Sally J. Wadsworth</span></a><span> and&nbsp;</span><a href="/psych-neuro/chandra-reynolds" rel="nofollow"><span>Chandra A. Reynolds</span></a><span>, all members of 缅北禁地鈥檚 team within the&nbsp;</span><a href="/ibg/catslife/about-us" rel="nofollow"><span>CATSLife project</span></a><span>, aim to address these uncertainties with a longitudinal study on video games and cognitive health. CATSLife stands for Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan behavioral development and cognitive aging.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Chandra%20Reynolds.jpg?itok=6Z6e03Ni" width="1500" height="2251" alt="portrait of Chandra Reynolds"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Chandra Reynolds, a 缅北禁地 professor of psychology and neuroscience, and her research colleagues found small, positive cognitive benefits of playing video games.</p> </span> </div></div><p><span>鈥淲e can leverage the twins and siblings鈥 similarities and differences to understand aspects of behaviors and cognitive abilities,鈥 Reynolds explains, a 缅北禁地 professor of </span><a href="/psych-neuro/" rel="nofollow"><span>psychology and neuroscience</span></a><span>, 鈥渆specially as they relate to how well people maintain their cognitive functioning, not only now, but eventually we hope to continue following them as they transition into midlife.鈥</span></p><p><span><strong>Video games and cognitive health</strong></span></p><p><span>Video games are an accessible way to engage one鈥檚 mind for several reasons. Like board games, video games do not require much in the way of physical ability, unlike sports and other such ways to exercise the mind. Additionally, video games are widely popular, with 2.7 billion gamers worldwide as of early 2025,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/1680/gaming" rel="nofollow"><span>according to Statista</span></a><span>.</span></p><p><span>These traits suggest that video games could be used as a tool to support cognitive health, but this assertion raises some questions: What are the specific abilities that comprise generalized cognitive functioning, and how can scientists determine whether video games serve this purpose?</span></p><p><span>The study covered three important cognitive domains: processing speed, working memory and spatial reasoning. It included 1,241 individuals from CATSLife between 28 and 49 years old who had taken at least one of these tests. Some of the participants played video games and some did not, so the effects of playing video games were determined based on what video games they played. These games were categorized broadly into Action+, Puzzle+, and Other genres. The plus signs refer to the fact that the categories include genres that are not usually described with the base name, like life simulation games being included in Puzzle+ even though they aren鈥檛 puzzle games.</span></p><p><span><strong>Reverse selection</strong></span></p><p><span>One argument against prior studies suggesting that video games provide a cognitive benefit is the concept of reverse causation. In this case, reverse causation refers to certain people鈥檚 cognitive skills making them more likely to play video games, as opposed to playing video games causing an increase in cognitive skills.</span></p><p><span>Reverse causation is therefore part of the nature vs. nurture discourse, and as such, the point is not that engaging in an activity can鈥檛 improve people鈥檚 abilities, but that part of the correlation between activity and ability comes from those who already have above-average abilities choosing to engage in activities that take advantage of them. For example, a hypothetical study that compared Olympic runners with people who never run without accounting for reverse causation would overestimate the physical benefits of running, because a large part of the gap between the two groups is baked in: Most people can鈥檛 reach the level of Olympic athletes just by exercising.</span></p><p><span>This study factored in the participants鈥 baseline cognitive ability by looking at their adolescent IQ scores. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fortunate that we had a longitudinal design,鈥 Reynolds says, 鈥渁nd that we鈥檝e assessed our participants multiple times over their earlier development into adolescence. Most studies of video games are cross sectional, and they don鈥檛 have indices of people鈥檚 cognitive performance at earlier ages.鈥</span></p><p><span>The researchers also considered several variables associated with performance on specific cognitive tasks. These included age, sex and educational attainment. The first two of these are especially important, because the genre of video games that people play varies within these demographics. Specifically, women and older adults are more likely to play Puzzle+ games, and men and younger people are more likely to play Action+ games.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/boy%20playing%20video%20game_0.jpg?itok=2ouZPOOG" width="1500" height="1875" alt="boy sitting on floor facing TV and playing video game"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">缅北禁地 researcher Chandra Reynolds and her colleagues found that <span>spatial reasoning benefited most consistently from playing video games. (Photo: Unsplash)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span>鈥淭here are some sociodemographic differences in what kinds of games people are playing,鈥 Reynolds says, 鈥渁nd we wanted to account for that to isolate the differences that might arise from the gameplay itself.鈥</span></p><p><span><strong>Increased processing speed</strong></span></p><p><span>Spatial reasoning benefited most consistently from playing video games, with a significant effect measured in all three tests before and after adjustment for adolescent IQ, although the effect was about half as large after adjustment. There is also evidence that processing speed performance could increase after playing video games, as the results of one test remained significant even after adjustment. Working memory was the only domain that did not show evidence of improvement due to video game play, with non-significant numbers before and after adjustment.</span></p><p><span>Reynolds says that unimproved working memory results could be a consequence of the test used and the fact that only one test was used for this ability, compared to the three tests used for both processing speed and spatial reasoning.</span></p><p><span>鈥淲e can鈥檛 say a whole lot about working memory from one test,鈥 he says. 鈥淚n the future, we want to extend to other measures that would get more specifically at attention, working memory and other aspects of executive functioning.鈥</span></p><p><span>When video game play was broken down by the broad genre of game, there were some negative correlations: people who played Action+ games scored worse on processing speed, and those who played Puzzle+ games scored worse on spatial reasoning. However, these correlations were very small, and only statistically significant for one of the processing speed tests.</span></p><p><span>These results seem counterintuitive, which makes it particularly interesting to see if they will be replicated in other studies. As to benefits by genre, Action+ games had a particular association with spatial reasoning and Puzzle+ games had a particular association with processing speed.</span></p><p><span>According to the paper, the results for different tests may have been affected by how similar they are to video games. For example, with respect to spatial reasoning, Action+ gamers scored best on the Block Design test, which involves three-dimensional operations similar to those involved in playing many modern action games. By the same token, gamers may have performed worse on tests that were more divergent from video games due to their familiarity with related but substantially different tasks.</span></p><p><span><strong>Future assessments</strong></span></p><p><span>The researchers are currently collecting more data from the CATSLife sample, asking the same questions for further insight into how the observed effects change over the course of five or six years. 鈥淚f people continue to play games, they鈥檒l likely nominate newer games鈥攊t would be interesting to see if there is a long-standing influence or if new game play factors emerge,鈥 Reynolds says.</span></p><p><span>Some changes could be made to the assessment of people鈥檚 gameplay to get more particular results. In the future, Reynolds says, 鈥渨e would conduct more specific surveys of our participants: asking for more details about the games they play, the systems they use and how they approach gameplay. We asked questions that allowed us to get at the kinds of games they play, but not how they play them, and we鈥檙e making some inferences, so we鈥檇 want to dig deeper into that.鈥</span></p><p><span>鈥淭here has been some debate in the literature about the potential benefits or even detriments of video game play,鈥 Reynolds explains, 鈥渂ut I think we found that, in a general sample that isn鈥檛 selected for pathological use or other characteristics related to playing video games, we found some salient, small positive effects.鈥</span></p><p><span>This brings up an important caveat, which is that even though there could be positive effects of playing video games, it is still possible to experience negative effects by engaging with them in a unhealthy manner. Because the positive effects are small, any negative effects due to playing video games irresponsibly, such as playing them for an excessive amount of time each day, are likely to outweigh the benefits.</span></p><p><span>鈥淚 think it will bear additional replication and future work,鈥 Reynolds says, 鈥渂ut the benefits are quite interesting, and we鈥檇 like to see how this plays out with other kinds of activities as well.鈥</span></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about psychology and neuroscience?&nbsp;</em><a href="/psych-neuro/" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>缅北禁地 scientists find that playing video games comes with small but significant cognitive benefits.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/video%20game%20controllers%20cropped.jpg?itok=wWVr2eVt" width="1500" height="529" alt="Hands holding video game controllers with TV in background"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 18 Aug 2025 20:06:22 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6200 at /asmagazine Scholar dissects voter perceptions of transnational politics /asmagazine/2025/08/14/scholar-dissects-voter-perceptions-transnational-politics <span>Scholar dissects voter perceptions of transnational politics</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-14T15:24:57-06:00" title="Thursday, August 14, 2025 - 15:24">Thu, 08/14/2025 - 15:24</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/AfD%20booth.jpg?h=9849aab7&amp;itok=Ve1-EkLs" width="1200" height="800" alt="Alternative fur Deutschland booth set up on sidewalk"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/30"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1240" hreflang="en">Division of Social Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/524" hreflang="en">International Affairs</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/212" hreflang="en">Political Science</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1283" hreflang="en">honors</a> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/bradley-worrell">Bradley Worrell</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>缅北禁地 political scientist Jeffrey Nonnemacher asserts that Western European national political parties use their affiliations with party families to signal their own political viewpoints</em></p><hr><p><span>In the 2013 German national elections, the upstart political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) failed to gain a single seat in parliament. Just four years later, the AfD won 97 seats and became the third-largest political party in Germany.</span></p><p><span>The AfD made its historic inroads in the 2017 German elections at the same time it transformed itself from a&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euroscepticism" rel="nofollow"><span>Euroskeptic</span></a><span> but relatively moderate party into a political movement that became much more closely aligned with radical right parties in the rest of Western Europe, says&nbsp;</span><a href="/polisci/jeffrey-nonnemacher-1" rel="nofollow"><span>Jeffrey Nonnemacher,</span></a><span> an assistant teaching professor with the 缅北禁地&nbsp;</span><a href="/iafs/jeffrey-nonnemacher" rel="nofollow"><span>International Affairs Program</span></a><span>, whose research focus is political parties and elections.</span></p><p><span>In particular, Nonnemacher points to a decision by AfD鈥檚 party leader, Frauke Petry, in 2017 to host radical right leaders from across Europe, including Marine Le Pen with the French National Rally, Geert Wilders of the Dutch Party for Freedom and Matteo Salvini of Italy鈥檚 Northern League. That decision effectively telegraphed to voters the party鈥檚 shift to the right and signaled its embrace of the transnational radical right party label, says Nonnemacher, who recently published a paper in the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-political-science/article/do-voters-pay-attention-to-transnational-politics-party-positions-transnational-families-and-voter-perceptions/2767DAD9263F96460E8CDBB4A767FE04" rel="nofollow"><em><span>British Journal of Political Science</span></em></a><span> about voter perceptions of transnational politics.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Jeffrey%20Nonnemacher.jpg?itok=OpRkODpc" width="1500" height="1632" alt="portrait of Jeffrey Nonnemacher"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">缅北禁地 scholar <span>Jeffrey Nonnemacher is an assistant teaching professor in the International Affairs Program and the Arts and Sciences Honors Program and a lecturer in the Department of Political Science.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span>鈥淢y goal with this paper is to tackle the question of: Do voters care if the AfD鈥檚 leadership is spending a lot of time with France鈥檚 Marine Le Pen and the National Rally? Are voters getting some sort of information from the party family label attached to a party and the party鈥檚 relationship with that label?鈥 he explains. In his paper, Nonnemacher contends that political parties in Western Europe are responsive to politics outside their home country鈥攁nd that strategic choices to embrace a larger party family label, such as radical right in the case of AfD, do influence how parties are perceived by a country鈥檚 voters.</span></p><p><span>In a recent conversation with </span><em><span>Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine</span></em><span>, Nonnemacher emphasized that a political party that embraces the party family signifies its commitment to the larger ideological goals associated with the party family, while parties that push back and work to distance themselves from their sister parties from other countries signal that they may not be credible champions for core issues. His answers have been lightly edited for style and clarity.</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: Can you define what constitutes a transnational party family?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher:&nbsp;</strong>In political science鈥攅specially in comparative politics鈥攐ne of the goals is to think about the ways we can compare political outcomes. One of the ways we do this is by looking at these so-called party families. These are basically categorizations of parties based upon shared histories, shared ideology and common networks of activists and leaders.</span></p><p><span>There are a whole host of party families. The largest families in Europe are the Social Democrats, which is your center-left, working-class parties, and the Conservatives, which are your traditional center-right parties. You鈥檝e also got your Green parties, which are your environmental parties, among many other families.</span></p><p><span>These party families are now much more useful than what academics created them for, which was tools for comparisons. Today, parties within similar party families tend to behave the same, learn from each other and form groups that transcend national boundaries based upon shared ideologies.</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: What motivated you to explore the topic of transnational parties as a source of voter perceptions?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher:&nbsp;</strong>The academic answer is that I felt there was a gap there. We know a lot about how voters in Europe today are concerned about integration and thinking about politics beyond their own borders. But we had not yet, as academics, come to terms with the consequences of this, for&nbsp;how they view their parties and the links between what information they鈥檙e getting and their political parties. That was the academic motivation.</span></p><p><span>The more topical answer was the rise of the radical right parties in these various countries and how these parties seemed to be learning from each other, copying each other and celebrating each other鈥檚 victories in a way that we hadn鈥檛 really seen before. You have Hungary鈥檚 Victor Orb谩n hosting CPAC (the U.S.-based Conservative Political Action Conference), and you have Marine Le Pen in France having these big rallies with other radical right leaders.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Viktor%20Orban%20CPAC.jpg?itok=RJFyLXeT" width="1500" height="911" alt="Viktor Orban onstage at CPAC 2023 in Hungary"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Hungary鈥檚 Victor Orb谩n hosts CPAC (the U.S.-based Conservative Political Action Conference). (Photo: Elkes Andor/Wikimedia Commons)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span>My motivation was trying to understand the consequences of this seeminginternationalization of right party politics especially, but also party politics more generally.</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: What are some specific reasons why parties might choose to embrace a transnational party?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher</strong>: The argument I make in the paper is very much an electoral argument.&nbsp;Parties win elections when voters know what they stand for. That鈥檚 one of the big theories that we have about party competition, is that parties need to distinguish themselves from their competitors&nbsp;and be able to communicate to voters what they believe.</span></p><p><span>If a voter can鈥檛 tell the difference between one party and another, they鈥檙e unlikely to support them. And if a voter doesn鈥檛 know where the party stands, then they don鈥檛 know if they鈥檙e going to get what they want out of the party. So, parties need to distinguish themselves. They need to signal to voters what their positions are.</span></p><p><span>One of the motivations here for parties is: This label tells voters where I stand. If I鈥檓 seen alongside other Social Democrats, I can kind of bolster my credentials on being a Social Democratic Party.</span></p><p><span>The other electoral motivation is parties want to win elections, and they look to who won and say, 鈥榃e should copy that.鈥 In 2021, when the Social Democrats won in Germany, Social Democratic parties across Europe all immediatelylooked to Germany and said, 鈥榃hat did they do? How did they win this election? What can we do to&nbsp;kind of copy that?鈥</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: So, it鈥檚 not just radical right parties learning from radical right parties in other countries, but also leftist and centrist parties learning from their transnational sister parties?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher:</strong> Yes. One of the things I wanted to do in this paper was to make the case that it鈥檚 not just the radical right that鈥檚 doing this and benefitting from it. It鈥檚 the British Labour Party taking lessons from Germany鈥檚 Social Democrats, for example.</span></p><p><span>Green parties are an especially interesting transnational group, because inherently, they see fighting for the environment as a global issue. They view international cooperation and international learning as core to solving the problems that they are running on. Notably, almost all of them have 鈥榞reen鈥 in their name and almost all of them have the sunflower as their logo.</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: What makes Germany鈥檚 AfD party a particularly noteworthy example of a national party forming associations with like-minded parties in Western Europe?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher: </strong>There鈥檚 probably two reasons for that. One is they exploded in Germany in terms of growing support from 2013 to 2017; the other is that by 2017, the radical right in Europe had exploded. There鈥檚 just a lot more attention on the far right, and it鈥檚 Germany, so whenever the far right does anything in Germany, people notice.</span></p><p><span>The AfD is an interesting case, because in 2013 they were not&nbsp;the far-right party that they are today.&nbsp;They have had a big transformation in the last 10 to 12 years. In 2013, they were really just angry about the European Union and the Euro crisis, and with Germany having to bail out the rest of the European Union.&nbsp;They were a Euroskeptic party first and foremost.&nbsp;They were anti-immigrant, but it wasn鈥檛 their main focus.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Marine%20le%20Pen.jpg?itok=F3q-Snqt" width="1500" height="1125" alt="Marine Le Pen speaking at podium with arm raised"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">France's Marine Le Pen of the French National Rally <span>has helped lead a far-right shift, particularly on immigration, in Europen politics. (Photo: J茅r茅my-G眉nther-Heinz J盲hnick/Wikimedia Commons)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span>They had a disappointing election in 2013, where they barely missed out on getting seats in the parliament.Then by 2017, they shifted dramatically to the right on immigration.&nbsp;They really started to copy France鈥檚 Le Pen and other prominent, far-right leaders in Europe tobe this anti-immigrant party, just like the rest of these radical right parties,&nbsp;and that worked out really well for them. In 2017, they became the third-largest party in parliament, so it was a quite successful strategy for them.</span></p><p><span>By the elections in&nbsp;2021, they plateaued a little bit,&nbsp;and then in February this year they became the second largest party in the Bundestag (the German parliament), and they鈥檝e come to be embraced by the broader far-right movement.</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: Why might a national party choose to distance itself from a sister party?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher:&nbsp;</strong>There are two family labels where this generally applies. The first is the radical right鈥攐r at least that was the case in the past鈥攚here if you were seen as too close to the radical right you were punished, because there was a lot of stigmas around being affiliated with that ideology.</span></p><p><span>With the AfD example, when they made the transition to embrace more radical right principals from other countries and hosted the rally with Le Pen, Wilders and Salvini to signal the AfD鈥檚 embrace of transnational radical right parties, this was incredibly controversial, both inside and outside of the party. It was a delicate balance, because there were some in the party who were very nervous that if they embraced the radical right movement they could face a backlash, because Germans are very conscious of their history. So, 10 years ago there was more hesitation about embracing their fellow party members abroad.</span></p><p><span>We see similar patterns on the left, especially when it comes to communism. Parties on the radical left are generally hesitant to embrace communists or things that look like communism because of the similar kinds of stigmas around that that exist in western and especially eastern Europe.</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: Do you think voters are consciously recognizing these European family party associations and how their own parties are relating to sister transnational parties, or is it happening at a subconscious level?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher:</strong> We know from political psychology that voters rely on&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristic" rel="nofollow"><span>heuristics</span></a><span> for a lot of things. So, just hearing the label鈥攖hat a particular party is a radical right party, for instance, triggers for voters a set of assumptions about what a party stands for and what it鈥檚 leaders believe and what they are advocating for.</span></p><p><span>But I also believe that there is something much more active going on here, where voters start to make those kinds of connections between the party and the label and where voters deliberate what those labels mean in relation to their own politics.</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: If a national party is not in alignment with its transnational party family on foundational ideological issues, does it cause voter distrust or just confusion?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher:</strong> I think it鈥檚 a bit of both. Definitely it causes confusion, because if you鈥檙e watching the news and you鈥檙e being told that Marine Le Pen is a radical right politician, but then let鈥檚 say you hear she is endorsing letting more immigrants into (Europe), you鈥檙e going to say, 鈥榃ait a minute; that doesn鈥檛 make any sense. How is she radical right, then?鈥</span></p><p><span>It also probably leads to distrust. If you see yourself as a Social Democratic voter and you believe in this center-left Social Democratic vision for Europe, but your Social Democratic politician is talking about de-regulating markets and shrinking the state, that鈥檚 probably going to make you say, 鈥楬e鈥檚 not a Social Democrat. I don鈥檛 trust him to be an advocate for my goals.鈥</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: Your paper focused a transnational politics in Western Europe. Do you think the paper鈥檚 findings have any relevance for the United States?</strong></span></em></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><blockquote><p class="lead"><em><span>"Understanding how voters perceive their parties is a huge part of what makes democracies work.&nbsp;If&nbsp;voters don鈥檛 know what their parties are fighting for and don鈥檛 know where their parties stand, they check out."</span></em></p></blockquote></div></div><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher:&nbsp;</strong>I don鈥檛 know how well the paper鈥檚 findings travel to the United States. We have a very strong two-party system that doesn鈥檛 map as neatly to the multi-party competition in European elections. That being said, I think if we look at parties in the United States as factions of various ideological groups, we can see green factions of the Democratic Party, radical right and center-right Christian democratic factions of the Republican Party. I think for activists and people inside these parties, it matters a lot what kind of broader ideological movements that they are associated with are doing.</span></p><p><span>I鈥檓 skeptical that voters will derive the same utility, just because the labels don鈥檛 fit as neatly, and (American voters) tend to think we鈥檙e unique in our politics as voters, so we don鈥檛 tend to look abroad for political inspiration.</span></p><p><em><span><strong>Question: Anything else relating to Western European voters and their perceptions of their political parties and transnational parties that you think is important to share?</strong></span></em></p><p><span><strong>Nonnemacher:&nbsp;</strong>I think&nbsp;understanding how voters perceive their parties is a huge part of what makes democracies work.&nbsp;If&nbsp;voters don鈥檛 know what their parties are fighting for and don鈥檛 know where their parties stand, they check out; they disengage,&nbsp;and we鈥檝e seen that they become less satisfied with democracy.</span></p><p><span>I think&nbsp;anything that parties can do to really communicate their positions to voters and reaffirm for voters that they areserious about accomplishing their goals is important, because parties across Europe and the United States are having a credibility crisis right now.</span></p><p><span>What my paper does is highlight one such way that parties can go about communicating to voters&nbsp;what they stand for, which has a whole host of implications to address some of the big problems facing Western democracies today.</span></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about political science?&nbsp;</em><a href="/polisci/give-now" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>缅北禁地 political scientist Jeffrey Nonnemacher asserts that Western European national political parties use their affiliations with party families to signal their own political viewpoints.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/AfD%20booth%20cropped.jpg?itok=dGdB2ZHe" width="1500" height="636" alt="Alternative fur Deutschland booth set up on sidewalk"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:24:57 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6199 at /asmagazine Is drought the new normal? /asmagazine/2025/08/14/drought-new-normal <span>Is drought the new normal?</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-14T11:56:36-06:00" title="Thursday, August 14, 2025 - 11:56">Thu, 08/14/2025 - 11:56</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/drying%20lake%20thumbnail.jpg?h=8b472570&amp;itok=Q2gxvS88" width="1200" height="800" alt="receding lake with cracked earth in foreground and mountains in background"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/202" hreflang="en">Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/676" hreflang="en">Climate Change</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/945" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Pedro DiNezio and Timothy Shanahan</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>Climate models reveal how human activity may be locking the Southwest into permanent&nbsp;drought</em></p><hr><p>A new wave of climate research is sounding a stark warning: Human activity may be driving drought more intensely<span>鈥</span>and more directly<span>鈥</span>than previously understood.</p><p>The southwestern United States has been in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01290-z" rel="nofollow">a historic megadrought</a> for much of the past two decades, with its reservoirs including <a href="https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/" rel="nofollow">lakes Mead and Powell</a> dipping to record lows and legal disputes erupting over <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-colorado-river-slowly-dries-up-states-angle-for-influence-over-future-water-rights-254132" rel="nofollow">rights to use water from the Colorado River</a>.</p><p>This drought has been linked to the <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/pdo/" rel="nofollow">Pacific Decadal Oscillation</a>, a climate pattern that swings between wet and dry phases every few decades. Since a phase change in the early 2000s, the region has endured a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01290-z" rel="nofollow">dry spell of epic proportions</a>.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Pedro%20DiNezio.jpg?itok=8LFEaJXO" width="1500" height="1905" alt="portrait of Pedro DiNezio"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">缅北禁地 scientist Pedro DiNezio, along with climate researchers around the world, <span>assert that human activity may be driving drought more intensely鈥攁nd more directly鈥攖han previously understood.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>The PDO was thought to be a natural phenomenon, governed by unpredictable natural ocean and atmosphere fluctuations. But <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09368-2" rel="nofollow">new research</a> published in the journal Nature suggests that鈥檚 no longer the case.</p><p>Working with hundreds of climate model simulations, our team of atmosphere, earth and ocean scientists found that the PDO is now being strongly influenced by human factors and has been since the 1950s. It should have oscillated to a wetter phase by now, but instead it has been stuck. Our results suggest that drought could become the new normal for the region unless human-driven warming is halted.</p><p><strong>The science of a drying world</strong></p><p>For decades, scientists have relied on a basic physical principle to predict rainfall trends: <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/" rel="nofollow">Warmer air holds more moisture</a>. In a warming world, this means <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-water-cycle-is-intensifying-as-the-climate-warms-ipcc-report-warns-that-means-more-intense-storms-and-flooding-165590" rel="nofollow">wet areas are likely to get wetter</a>, while dry regions become drier. In dry areas, as temperatures rise, more moisture is pulled from soils and transported away from these arid regions, intensifying droughts.</p><p>While most climate models simulate this general pattern, they often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00282.1" rel="nofollow">underestimate its full extent</a>, particularly over land areas.</p><p>Yet countries are already experiencing drought emerging as one of the most immediate and severe consequences of climate change. Understanding what鈥檚 ahead is essential, to know how long these droughts will last and because severe droughts can have sweeping affects on ecosystems, economies and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/climate/drought-food-prices-coffee-wheat-beef.html" rel="nofollow">global food security</a>.</p><p><strong>Human fingerprints on megadroughts</strong></p><p>Simulating rainfall is one of the greatest challenges in climate science. It depends on a complex interplay between large-scale wind patterns and small-scale processes such as cloud formation.</p><p>Until recently, climate models have not offered a <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/figures/chapter-8/figure-8-14/" rel="nofollow">clear picture of how rainfall patterns</a> are likely to change in the near future as greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, power plants and industries continue to heat up the planet. The models can diverge sharply in where, when and how precipitation will change. Even forecasts that average the results of several models differ when it comes to changes in rainfall patterns.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Pacific%20Decadal%20Oscillation%20graph.jpg?itok=CxsJcA9r" width="1500" height="1143" alt="graph showing Pacific Decadal Oscillation over time"> </div> </div></div><p>The techniques we deployed are helping to sharpen that picture <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09368-2" rel="nofollow">for North America</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09319-x" rel="nofollow">across the tropics</a>.</p><p>We looked back at the pattern of PDO phase changes over the past century using an exceptionally large ensemble of climate simulations. The massive number of simulations, more than 500, allowed us to isolate the human influences. This showed that the shifts in the PDO were driven by an interplay of increasing warming from greenhouse gas emissions and cooling from sun-blocking particles called aerosols that are associated with industrial pollution.</p><p>From the 1950s through the 1980s, we found that increasing <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/earth-science/climate-science/aerosols-small-particles-with-big-climate-effects/" rel="nofollow">aerosol emissions</a> from rapid industrialization following World War II drove a positive trend in the PDO, making the Southwest rainier and less parched.</p><p>After the 1980s, we found that the combination of a sharp rise in greenhouse gas emissions from industries, power plants and vehicles and a reduction in aerosols as countries <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250106012650/https:/www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/progress-cleaning-air-and-improving-peoples-health" rel="nofollow">cleaned up their air pollution</a> shifted the PDO into the negative, drought-generating trend that continues today.</p><p>This finding represents a paradigm shift in our scientific understanding of the PDO and a warning for the future. The current negative phase can no longer be seen as just a roll of the climate dice<span>鈥</span>it has been loaded by humans.</p><p>Our conclusion that global warming can drive the PDO into its negative, drought-inducing phase is also supported by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01726-z" rel="nofollow">geological records of past megadroughts</a>. Around 6,000 years ago, during a period of high temperatures, evidence shows the emergence of a similar temperature pattern in the North Pacific and widespread drought across the Southwest.</p><p><strong>Tropical drought risks underestimated</strong></p><p>The past is also providing clues to future rainfall changes in the tropics and the risk of droughts in locations such as the Amazon.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Western%20reservoirs%20water%20level%20graph.jpg?itok=8kRKSDpS" width="1500" height="1244" alt="graph showing water decline over time in western reservoirs"> </div> </div></div><p>One particularly instructive example comes from approximately 17,000 years ago. Geological evidence shows that there was a period of widespread rainfall shifts across the tropics coinciding with a major slowdown of ocean currents in the Atlantic.</p><p>These ocean currents, which play a crucial role in regulating global climate, naturally weakened or partially collapsed then, and they are expected to slow further this century at the current pace of global warming.</p><p>A recent study of that period, using computer models to analyze geologic evidence of earth鈥檚 climate history, found <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09319-x" rel="nofollow">much stronger drying</a> in the Amazon basin than previously understood. It also shows similar patterns of aridification in Central America, West Africa and Indonesia.</p><p>The results suggest that rainfall could decline precipitously again. Even a modest slowdown of a major Atlantic Ocean current could dry out rainforests, threaten vulnerable ecosystems and upend livelihoods across the tropics.</p><p><strong>What comes next</strong></p><p>Drought is a growing problem, increasingly driven by human influence. Confronting it will require <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-colorado-river-slowly-dries-up-states-angle-for-influence-over-future-water-rights-254132" rel="nofollow">rethinking water management</a>, agricultural policy and adaptation strategies. Doing that well depends on predicting drought with far greater confidence.</p><p>Climate research shows that better predictions are possible by using computer models in new ways and rigorously validating their performance against evidence from past climate shifts. The picture that emerges is sobering, revealing a much higher risk of drought across the world.</p><hr><p><a href="/atoc/pedro-dinezio-they-their-them" rel="nofollow"><em>Pedro DiNezio</em></a><em> is an associate professor of </em><a href="/atoc/" rel="nofollow"><em>atmospheric and oceanic sciences</em></a><em>&nbsp;at the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-colorado-boulder-733" rel="nofollow"><em>缅北禁地</em></a><em>. Timothy Shanahan is <span>an associate professor of geological science at the University of Texas at Austin</span></em></p><p><em>This article is republished from&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>&nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-models-reveal-how-human-activity-may-be-locking-the-southwest-into-permanent-drought-262837" rel="nofollow"><em>original article</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Climate models reveal how human activity may be locking the Southwest into permanent drought.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/drought%20header.jpg?itok=_lOE9UeQ" width="1500" height="498" alt="receding lake with cracked earth in foreground, mountains in background"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 14 Aug 2025 17:56:36 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6198 at /asmagazine Moose are on the loose /asmagazine/2025/08/13/moose-are-loose <span>Moose are on the loose</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-13T16:43:40-06:00" title="Wednesday, August 13, 2025 - 16:43">Wed, 08/13/2025 - 16:43</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/moose%20thumbnail.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&amp;itok=xDdmkyp7" width="1200" height="800" alt="bull moose standing in shallow water"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/244" hreflang="en">Anthropology</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1240" hreflang="en">Division of Social Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/945" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>William Taylor</span> <span>,&nbsp;</span> <span>John Wendt and Joshua Miller</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span>Moose have lived in Colorado for centuries鈥攗npacking evidence from history, archaeology, oral traditions</span></em></p><hr><p>Moose are on the loose in the southern Rockies.</p><p>In July 2025, a <a href="https://kdvr.com/news/local/moose-moved-from-northeastern-colorado-town-after-unsuccessful-first-attempt/" rel="nofollow">young wandering bull was captured</a> roaming a city park in Greeley, Colorado. A <a href="https://www.9news.com/article/life/animals/moose-sightings-colorado/73-53373ed2-3e0f-4bd5-9b7c-0d3503ecaec9" rel="nofollow">spate of similar urban sightings</a> <a href="https://kdvr.com/news/local/cpw-warns-of-cow-moose-aggression-toward-dogs-after-3-reported-attacks-euthanization/" rel="nofollow">alongside some aggressive moose encounters</a> has elevated moose management and conservation into a matter of public debate, especially across metro Denver and <a href="https://gazette.com/life/moose-boom-is-the-rising-population-of-the-iconic-animal-threatening-critical-colorado-ecosystems/article_78791ed4-f43a-473d-9ad0-764f0f11746b.html" rel="nofollow">the Colorado Front Range</a>.</p><p>In Rocky Mountain National Park, a recent study found that moose and elk might be to blame for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70053" rel="nofollow">far-reaching changes</a> to valley ecosystems, as their browsing reduces important plants like willows, depriving beavers of habitat and materials for their wetland engineering. Park wildlife are generally not managed through hunting, but the park has tried techniques like <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/elk-and-moose-exclusion-fence.htm" rel="nofollow">fencing moose</a> away from wetland zones. Publicly, <a href="https://www.biographic.com/of-moose-and-men/" rel="nofollow">discussion has swirled</a> around further mitigation measures to slow or eliminate moose populations.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/William%20Taylor.jpg?itok=q8dxCY99" width="1500" height="1203" alt="photo of William Taylor with small dappled horse wearing a saddle"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">缅北禁地 archaeologist William Taylor is partnering with paleoecology and conservation paleobiology colleagues to study <span>the ancient animals of the Rockies.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>At the heart of this debate is a basic question 鈥 do moose belong in the southern Rockies at all?</p><p>During much of the last century, moose were apparently rare in Colorado. The animals are absent from some <a href="https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&amp;d=RMD19290901-01.2.65&amp;srpos=1&amp;e=--1859---1977--en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-FORESTS+OF+COLORADO+CONTAIN+30%2c958+DEER-------0------" rel="nofollow">early 20th century official wildlife tallies</a>. Then, in 1978, the Colorado Division of Wildlife 鈥 now Colorado Parks and Wildlife 鈥 <a href="https://cpw.state.co.us/species/moose" rel="nofollow">released a group of moose into North Park</a> in north-central Colorado. At the time, <a href="https://alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/view/1275" rel="nofollow">biologists understood their efforts to be a reintroduction</a>, but in the years since, wildlife managers have shifted their thinking about the place of moose in local ecosystems.</p><p>In the decades that followed, the moose expanded their range and numbers. Today, informal estimates by Colorado Parks and Wildlife put <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01310" rel="nofollow">the moose population at around 3,500 animals</a>. Under increased moose browsing pressure and a shifting climate, some mountain wetland environments are changing.</p><p>Should these changes be thought of as human-made ecological wounds caused by releasing moose? The National Park Service seems to think so.</p><p><a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/moose-research-in-rocky-mountain-national-park.htm" rel="nofollow">Statements from 2025 on the park service website</a>, and other public messaging from wildlife officials, assert that Colorado has never supported a breeding population of moose 鈥 only the occasional transient visitor. The factual basis for this idea seems to hinge heavily on an unpublished internal report from 2015, which identified only a few archaeological or historical records of moose near the park.</p><p><a href="http://williamttaylor.com/" rel="nofollow">We are a team of archaeologists</a>, <a href="https://www.johnafwendt.com/" rel="nofollow">paleoecologists</a> and <a href="https://www.joshuahmiller.com/" rel="nofollow">conservation paleobiologists</a> studying the ancient animals of the Rockies.</p><p>Understanding moose and their interactions with people centuries ago means carefully analyzing different traces that survive the passage of time. These can range from the bones of animals themselves to indirect clues preserved in everything from lake sediments to historical records.</p><p><strong>Are moose actually native to Colorado?</strong></p><p>As scientists studying the past, we know that reconstructing the ancient geographic ranges of animals is difficult. Archaeological sites with animal bones can be a great tool to understand the past, especially for tracing the food choices of ancient humans. But such sites can be rare, and even when they are well preserved and well studied, it can take lots of care and scientific research to identify the species of each bone.</p><p>Harder still is determining the intimate details of ancient animals鈥 lives, including how and where they lived, died or reproduced. Such key details can be especially opaque for moose, who are <a href="https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Moose" rel="nofollow">solitary and elusive</a>. Because of this, moose may not end up in human diets, even where both species have established populations. A comprehensive review of archaeological sites from across Alaska and some areas of the Canadian Yukon, where moose are common today and have likely been present since the end of the last Ice Age, found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic1646" rel="nofollow">moose were nearly absent until the past few centuries</a>. In fact, moose often comprised less than 0.1% of the total number of bones in very large collections, if they appeared at all. In some areas, cultural reasons like taboos against moose hunting can also prevent them from ending up in archaeological bone tallies.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Moose%20in%20colorado%20graph_0.jpg?itok=9TM0PZps" width="1500" height="1190" alt="graph showing moose populations in Colorado"> </div> </div></div><p>In new research <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16756547" rel="nofollow">published as a preprint</a> in advance of peer review, we took a closer look at the idea that moose were absent from Colorado before 1978. We combed through newspaper records, photo archives and early travel diaries and identified dozens of references to moose sightings in Colorado spanning the first records in 1860 through the decade of moose reintroduction in the 1970s.</p><p>Moose sightings appear in the very earliest written records of the area that would become Rocky Mountain National Park. In his 1863 diary, Milton Estes described happening upon a large moose alongside a band of elk while on a hunting trip.</p><p>鈥淪ince elk were common I picked out Mr. Moose for my game,鈥 he wrote.</p><p>Milton thought he had bagged 鈥渢he first and only moose that had ever been killed so far south.鈥 He was wrong.</p><p>Our archival research turned up even earlier sightings of moose in the area, along with many more across the region in the decades that followed. Diaries, newspapers and photo records from the past two centuries show the presence of not only young bulls, which at times can range widely, but also cows and calves, a sign that local breeding was taking place in Colorado before reintroduction.</p><p>These sightings recorded in diaries and newspapers don鈥檛 have to stand on their own. Moose appear in older placenames around the state, like the area once known as Moose Park <a href="https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&amp;d=LML18840704-01.2.37&amp;srpos=1&amp;e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-%22moose+park+hill%22-------0------" rel="nofollow">along the road from Lyons to Estes Park</a>. Written accounts from the late 19th and early 20th centuries among Ute, Shoshone and Arapaho peoples describe moose stories, hunts and songs. And though historical records don鈥檛 go too much further back than the mid-19th century in Colorado, archaeological records do.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16756547" rel="nofollow">Our survey of Colorado sites</a> turned up ancient moose at Jurgens, near Greeley, dated to more than 9,000 years ago, and even moose bone tools among the ruins of Mesa Verde, only a few centuries ago.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/moose%20lying%20in%20pasture.jpg?itok=3ad85ZZP" width="1500" height="1000" alt="moose lying in autumn pasture with trees in background"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Diaries, newspapers and photo records from the past two centuries show the presence of not only young bull moose, which at times can range widely, but also cows and calves, a sign that local breeding was taking place in Colorado before reintroduction.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>This question of whether moose are native to the southern Rockies is not just a philosophical one 鈥 its answer will shape management decisions by the National Park Service and others.</p><p><strong>Official narrative minimizes moose presence</strong></p><p>The contemporary idea of moose as non-native animals reflects a different understanding than was common only a few decades ago. In the 1940s, some biologists described moose as a native species that had <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/3795631" rel="nofollow">been 鈥渆xtirpated except for stragglers</a>.鈥 As recently as the early 1970s, Rocky Mountain National Park officials understood their moose work as a <a href="https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&amp;d=GOT19731231-01.2.47&amp;srpos=1&amp;e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-+%e2%80%9cRocky+Mt.+Park+as+Moose+Habitat%3f%22-------0------" rel="nofollow">reintroduction of 鈥渨ild animals once native to the park</a>.鈥 Our findings suggest that the valid knowledge of earlier scientists has since faded or been replaced, repositioning moose as ecological outsiders.</p><p>As moose-human conflicts and shifting wetland ecologies prompt hard conversations over how to manage moose, a range of options have been discussed in public discourse. These include courses of action such as the reintroduction of carnivores like wolves, or targeted hunting access for tribes or the public.</p><p><strong>If moose are 鈥榠nvasive,鈥 they can be removed</strong></p><p>For federal agencies, labels like 鈥渋nvasive鈥 or 鈥渘on-native鈥 carry legal connotations and can be used to enable other measures, like eradication.</p><p>In Olympic National Park, where mountain goats were deemed invasive and ecologically impactful, biologists undertook an extermination campaign that involved <a href="https://www.kentreporter.com/northwest/olympic-national-park-goat-management-plan-includes-lethal-removal/" rel="nofollow">shooting the animals from helicopters</a>, despite <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/White_Goats_White_Lies/mabwAAAAMAAJ?hl=en" rel="nofollow">warnings from archaeologists as long ago as the late 1990s</a> that the data behind their argument was flawed.</p><p>As the animal and plant communities of our <a href="https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/climatechange.htm" rel="nofollow">Rockies change rapidly</a> in a warming world, this kind of policy would not only be unsupported by scientific evidence, but also likely to impede the ability of our animal communities to survive, adapt and thrive.</p><p>The historical evidence indicates that moose are not foreign intruders. Archival, archaeological and anthropological data shows that moose have been in the southern Rockies for centuries, if not millennia. Rather than treat moose as a threat, we urge Rocky Mountain National Park and other agencies to work in partnership with tribes, paleoecologists and the public to carefully develop historically grounded management plans for this Colorado native.</p><hr><p><a href="/anthropology/william-taylor" rel="nofollow"><em>William Taylor</em></a><em> is an assistant professor of </em><a href="/anthropology/" rel="nofollow"><em>anthropology</em></a><em> at the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-colorado-boulder-733" rel="nofollow"><em>缅北禁地</em></a><em>. </em><span>John Wendt is a postdoctoral fellow in natural resources ecology and management at Oklahoma State University. Joshua Miller is an associate professor of geosciences at the University of Cincinnati.</span></p><p><em>This article is republished from&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>&nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/moose-have-lived-in-colorado-for-centuries-unpacking-the-evidence-from-history-archaeology-and-oral-traditions-261060" rel="nofollow"><em>original article</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Moose have lived in Colorado for centuries鈥攗npacking evidence from history, archaeology, oral traditions.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/moose%20cropped.jpg?itok=S95EpJ4A" width="1500" height="510" alt="bull moose standing in shallow water"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 13 Aug 2025 22:43:40 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6197 at /asmagazine Telling the stories of loss and healing /asmagazine/2025/08/13/telling-stories-loss-and-healing <span>Telling the stories of loss and healing</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-13T15:52:08-06:00" title="Wednesday, August 13, 2025 - 15:52">Wed, 08/13/2025 - 15:52</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/Marshall%20Fire%20heart%20sign.jpg?h=1c6f660f&amp;itok=QoukrLlz" width="1200" height="800" alt="white paper heart with green child's writing and drawings"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/244" hreflang="en">Anthropology</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1240" hreflang="en">Division of Social Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/945" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1053" hreflang="en">community</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Kathryn E. Goldfarb and Lucas Rozell</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>Colorado鈥檚 Marshall Fire survivors find healing and meaning through oral history&nbsp;project</em></p><hr><p>The <a href="https://www.marshallfiremap.com/" rel="nofollow">Colorado Marshall Fire</a> killed two people and <a href="https://research.noaa.gov/looking-back-at-colorados-marshall-fire/" rel="nofollow">destroyed over 1,000 structures</a> on Dec. 30, 2021.</p><p>The news cycle has long since moved on, but people impacted by the fire are still recovering. Part of that process is through storytelling.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.louisvilleco.gov/exploring-louisville/historical-museum" rel="nofollow">Louisville Historical Museum</a>, which is located 10 miles east of 缅北禁地, later joined by collaborators from the <a href="/anthropology/home" rel="nofollow">缅北禁地 Anthropology Department</a>, initiated the <a href="https://www.louisvilleco.gov/exploring-louisville/historical-museum/marshall-fire-preserving-your-memories" rel="nofollow">Marshall Fire Story Project</a> to preserve the stories of people affected.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Kathryn%20Goldfarb.JPG?itok=QyqYlixf" width="1500" height="1871" alt="portrait of Kathryn Goldfarb"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">缅北禁地 researcher Kathryn Goldfarb is an associate professor of anthropology.</p> </span> </div></div><p>鈥淭his is the first time we鈥檝e actually sat down and taken this long to talk about it,鈥 said Lisa Clark, one contributor to the project. 鈥溾機ause we鈥檙e always like, 鈥(people) have better things to do. You don鈥檛 wanna hear our pain. You don鈥檛 wanna hear our stories,鈥 you know. But yeah, it鈥檚 been nice to do it.鈥</p><p>All project contributors are quoted using their real names.</p><p>We are a <a href="/anthropology/kathryn-goldfarb" rel="nofollow">cultural anthropologist</a> and <a href="https://www.clawlab.org/people" rel="nofollow">qualitative researcher</a> who are collaborating with the Louisville Historical Museum on the Marshall Fire Story Project. Broadly, we are each involved with research that explores the importance of personal and community narratives for well-being.</p><p>However, the Marshall Fire Story Project is not a research project. We have no research questions. Contributors are simply invited to share what they would like about the fire.</p><p>While this project embraces the specificity of individual experiences, recent destructive fires in <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/maui-wildfires" rel="nofollow">Maui, Hawaii</a>, and <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/los-angeles-fires-january-2025-explained" rel="nofollow">Southern California</a> show that the work we are doing is needed in many other locations.</p><p><strong>Why oral history?</strong></p><p>Recounting personal experiences is <a href="https://lucidea.com/blog/why-oral-histories-matter/" rel="nofollow">critical to the historical record</a>.</p><p>Oral history has also become recognized as a powerful method for healing after trauma, both for <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315820491-15/healing-empowering-community-narrative-julian-rappaport-ronald-simkins" rel="nofollow">individuals and larger community groups</a>. Talking about traumatic events <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00940798.2020.1793679" rel="nofollow">may be painful</a>. However, narrative also facilitates meaning-making, strengthens ties within communities, and contributes to <a href="https://oralhistory.org/guidelines-for-social-justice-oral-history-work/" rel="nofollow">social justice efforts</a>.</p><p>By telling their own stories in their own words, participants in the Marshall Fire Story Project shape <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=pIcWOr22_TgC&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PR7&amp;dq=Michael+H.+Frisch,+A+Shared+Authority:+Essays+on+the+Craft+and+Meaning+of+Oral+and+Public+History,+Albany:+State+University+of+New+York+Press,+1990.&amp;ots=oox3gouFkU&amp;sig=VAZR8dWF9pr0FBJDUYJxf068Buk#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" rel="nofollow">what is remembered and how it is remembered</a>.</p><p>Contributors to the project had diverse objectives in sharing their stories. Many welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the historical record, which Jessica Rossi-Katz described as 鈥渁 record of experience.鈥 Another contributor wanted to share their perspective as a lower-income person. Others mentioned the relevance of local stories as they apply to a global context of climate change.</p><p>As <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/earth/explore/wildfires-and-climate-change/" rel="nofollow">wildfires become ever more common</a>, the themes that came up in the oral histories are increasingly relevant to community members, policymakers and scholars alike.</p><p><strong>Stories of loss</strong></p><p>Two people lost their lives in the fire, along with <a href="/today/2022/12/21/save-our-pets-we-need-know-our-neighbors-lessons-marshall-fire" rel="nofollow">over 1,000 pets</a>.</p><p>鈥淚鈥檇 take losing my stuff over losing them,鈥 said Anna Kramer, when describing the loss of her neighbor鈥檚 dogs. Kramer, an artist, did lose her stuff, including the majority of her artistic works.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Marshall%20Fire%20smoke%20remediation.jpg?itok=vjKG4MfX" width="1500" height="1126" alt="Two workers in white hazmat suits perform smoke remediation in a garage"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Remediation workers clean the garage of Gigi Yang, a collaborator for the Marshall Fire Story Project. Due to concerns about toxins from smoke and ash residue in their homes, many residents opted for smoke remediation and deep cleaning of their homes. (Photo: Gigi Yang)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>Abby McClelland鈥檚 family was away from their house when it burned.</p><p>鈥淔or a while I was really upset that we weren鈥檛 there and didn鈥檛 get a chance to take anything,鈥 McClelland said. 鈥淎nd the more I think about what we would鈥檝e taken, the more I鈥檓 like, that stuff is dumb.鈥</p><p>The family was able to replace their vital records and passports within weeks.</p><p>鈥淏ut things like, you know, my grandmother鈥檚 rings or the Champagne cork from our wedding reception. Like things that I would鈥檝e thought, oh, that鈥檚 so silly to evacuate that, those are the truly irreplaceable things.鈥</p><p>Mary Barry said the 鈥渇ire was the ultimate downsizer.鈥 She reflected on the objects she had lost 鈥 her daughter鈥檚 baby pictures, her sewing machines, a collection of books bound in blue and gold.</p><p>The fire also took Barry鈥檚 pet turtles, one of whom her husband had kept for over twenty years.</p><p>鈥淟osing (a) house is like losing a person, where you mourn the loss of your comfort,鈥 Barry said. This was particularly true in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, where people鈥檚 homes were their entire environment during quarantine.</p><p>Many of those whose homes did not burn suffered a different kind of <a href="https://theconversation.com/processing-and-grieving-an-ongoing-loss-such-as-a-child-with-a-devastating-injury-or-disability-does-not-fit-neatly-into-traditional-models-of-grief-205459" rel="nofollow">ambiguous loss</a>. Their <a href="https://theconversation.com/homes-that-survived-the-marshall-fire-1-year-ago-harbored-another-disaster-inside-heres-what-weve-learned-about-this-insidious-urban-wildfire-risk-196926" rel="nofollow">homes were damaged by smoke</a>, which carried with it heavy metals, hazardous chemicals and volatile organic compounds.</p><p>Shana Sutton鈥檚 family stayed in a hotel for six months while their home was being remediated. Like many others, much of the family鈥檚 belongings were deemed nonsalvageable.</p><p>鈥淚n my head,鈥 Sutton recounted, 鈥淚 was like, okay, I鈥檓 just going to pretend that they all burned.鈥</p><p><strong>Concern with health impacts</strong></p><p>As she watched the smoke from a distance, Brittany Petrelli told her brother on the phone, 鈥淚 can smell how devastating this fire is.鈥 Petrelli, a project contributor involved with the recovery effort, recounted that the fire smelled 鈥渓ike things that shouldn鈥檛 be burning. Rubber, plastic building materials.鈥</p><p>Residents with concerns about outdoor and indoor air quality as well as soil and water contamination contacted scientists at the 缅北禁地, who, along with scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 Chemical Sciences Laboratory, <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cd7e211f5d594f9996b061d05670e779" rel="nofollow">conducted air quality sampling</a>. Ultimately, the publicized data for outdoor air quality showed little difference from other urban areas.</p><p>Residents whose homes survived but were affected by smoke <a href="https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smoke-inside-homes-can-create-health-risks-that-linger-for-months-tips-for-cleaning-and-staying-safe-247050" rel="nofollow">continued to note symptoms</a> such as sore throats, coughs and stinging eyes for six months and then one year after the fire.</p><p><a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/wildfire/marshall-fire/insurance-to-clean-smoke-damaged-house-marshall-fire/73-6053aec9-dfd8-4e39-a4a7-99bc5f219277" rel="nofollow">Like others whose homes were damaged by smoke</a>, Beth Eldridge had difficulty obtaining insurance coverage for mitigation. After she attempted to clean char and ash on her own, she experienced persistent health impacts.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Marshall%20Fire%20heart%20sign.jpg?itok=tniqfqec" width="1500" height="1127" alt="white paper heart with green child's writing and drawings"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>After the Marshall Fire, area residents created notes of support for friends and neighbors at the Louisville Public Library; the notes were displayed in the library windows. (Photo: Louisville Historical Museum)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>鈥淏eing part of an HOA (Home Owner鈥檚 Association) should give you two buckets of insurance,鈥 Eldridge explained, 鈥渂ut in reality, everyone is divided and the system makes individuals fend for themselves. My insurance wouldn鈥檛 take any responsibility. The HOA insurance wouldn鈥檛 take any responsibility. 鈥 I was sick and I couldn鈥檛 get better and I needed help.鈥</p><p>Accounts from the project highlight uncertainty that remediated personal items were 鈥渞eally clean鈥 鈥 as Shana Sutton shared, it 鈥渕akes you crazy.鈥 Many people spoke of dissatisfaction with <a href="https://uphelp.org/smoke-damage-a-source-of-friction-for-standing-home-survivors/" rel="nofollow">a lack of standards for remediation</a>. <a href="https://iicrc.org/s700/" rel="nofollow">Current standards, not specific to wildfires</a>, do not engage the epidemiological and toxicological effects of fire byproducts, although <a href="https://theredguidetorecovery.com/addressing-toxic-smoke-particulates-in-fire-restoration-2/?srsltid=AfmBOoqkREAPpeDejhQBG6s14ss5w_DJouWCXXtinvAjLduyN-Qi8ZfK" rel="nofollow">experts in the field recognize these dangers</a>.</p><p><strong>Precarity and community solidarity</strong></p><p>Being underinsured was a persistent theme in project stories, and some people recounted how negotiating with their insurance companies literally became a full-time job. After the fire, lower-income community members found themselves in an even more acute state of financial uncertainty.</p><p>A number of mutual aid groups sprung up in the aftermath of the fire, and several of those groups shared their stories with the project. Meryl Suissa started the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/625305485377808/" rel="nofollow">Marshall Fire Community group on Facebook</a>, which worked to help families replace items lost in the fire.</p><p>鈥淚 think what we鈥檝e learned is like, yes, people are okay and they鈥檙e strong and they鈥檙e resilient and they鈥檙e gonna continue fighting,鈥 Suissa said. 鈥淏ut we still have a long way to go to help them heal.鈥</p><p>Kate Coslett, who ran <a href="https://www.denver7.com/news/marshall-fire/operation-hotel-sanity-helping-displaced-families-a-month-after-the-marshall-fire" rel="nofollow">Operation Hotel Sanity</a>, also highlighted how the community came together to contribute to organizations like hers, which delivered home-cooked meals to displaced residents.</p><p>鈥淪o many volunteers, hundreds of volunteers,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 September (2022), and there are still people making meals. It鈥檚 incredible 鈥 their empathy and their love, this community is just, I have goose bumps.鈥</p><p>Yet recovery means different things to different people. As Abby McClelland noted, there is a difference between 鈥渢rauma on the individual level and trauma on the collective level.鈥</p><p>鈥淚 can rebuild the house,鈥 McClelland said, 鈥渂ut I can鈥檛 rebuild all the houses in the neighborhood, and I can鈥檛 plant all the trees, and I can鈥檛, you know, reopen all the businesses. I can鈥檛 reverse the trauma in the area. I can only control what鈥檚 inside my house. It鈥檚 hard to know what鈥檚 going to happen on that larger level, and how long that鈥檚 going to resonate.鈥</p><p>Like others who shared their accounts with the project, McClelland highlighted a necessity for policy change and governmental actions to prevent further climate-related disasters.</p><p>鈥淚ndividuals can鈥檛 solve systemic problems,鈥 she said.</p><p><strong>Future of the project</strong></p><p>For a community historical museum whose motto is 鈥淏e a part of the story,鈥 first-person records constitute valuable resources for both the present and the future.</p><p>Our team is currently preparing written and oral project contributor submissions for archiving in a publicly accessible platform. In partnership with <a href="https://marshalltogether.com/" rel="nofollow">Marshall Together</a> and the <a href="https://www.commfound.org/" rel="nofollow">Community Foundation 缅北禁地 County</a>, we are <a href="https://www.louisvilleco.gov/exploring-louisville/historical-museum/experience/marshall-fire-share-a-story" rel="nofollow">documenting recovery and rebuilding experiences</a> as residents return to their homes.</p><p>The first storytellers in our project spoke of trauma and despair, but also gratitude for community. What will future stories tell us as neighbors continue to reunite and adjust to how the community has changed after the Marshall Fire?</p><p><em>This article was written in collaboration with Sophia Imperioli, museum associate 鈥 Public History &amp; Oral History, and Gigi Yang, museum services supervisor of the </em><a href="https://www.louisvilleco.gov/exploring-louisville/historical-museum/visit/about-us" rel="nofollow"><em>Louisville Historical Museum</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p><a href="/anthropology/kathryn-goldfarb" rel="nofollow"><em>Kathryn E. Goldfarb</em></a><em> is an associate professor of </em><a href="/anthropology/" rel="nofollow"><em>anthropology</em></a><em> at the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-colorado-boulder-733" rel="nofollow"><em>缅北禁地</em></a><em>. </em><span>Lucas Rozell (MAnth'24) is a research assistant on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.</span></p><p><em>This article is republished from&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>&nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/colorados-marshall-fire-survivors-find-healing-and-meaning-through-oral-history-project-251783" rel="nofollow"><em>original article</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Colorado鈥檚 Marshall Fire survivors find healing and meaning through oral history project.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Marshall%20Fire%20kids%20sign.jpg?itok=rH4y0Tmy" width="1500" height="740" alt="children standing by white sign on wood fence"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Top photo courtesy the Louisville Historical Museum</div> Wed, 13 Aug 2025 21:52:08 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6196 at /asmagazine It takes a village of mothers /asmagazine/2025/08/13/it-takes-village-mothers <span>It takes a village of mothers</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-13T14:56:42-06:00" title="Wednesday, August 13, 2025 - 14:56">Wed, 08/13/2025 - 14:56</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/moms%20and%20babies.jpg?h=53fb482a&amp;itok=gFl4GHJ5" width="1200" height="800" alt="several women and babies sitting on the floor"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/144" hreflang="en">Psychology and Neuroscience</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1112" hreflang="en">Renee Crown Wellness Institute</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/945" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1053" hreflang="en">community</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Sona Dimidjian and Anahi Collado</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>How mothers supporting mothers can help fill the health care worker shortage gap and other barriers to&nbsp;care</em></p><hr><p>For generations, women have relied on informal networks of friends, family and neighbors to navigate the complexities of birth and motherhood. Today, research is finally catching up to what generations of women have known: Peer support can be a lifeline.</p><p>Despite growing evidence, the unique wisdom and strength that arise when mothers help mothers has been surprisingly under鈥慹xplored in the scientific literature, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03655-1" rel="nofollow">but that鈥檚 beginning to change</a>. Peer-delivered programs are beginning to bring together long-standing community traditions and structured, evidence-based approaches to support the mental health of new and expectant moms.</p><p>We are <a href="/crowninstitute/anahi-collado-phd" rel="nofollow">clinical</a> <a href="/crowninstitute/sona-dimidjian-phd" rel="nofollow">psychologists</a> at the 缅北禁地 <a href="/crowninstitute/" rel="nofollow">Ren茅e Crown Wellness Institute</a>. Our work and research weaves together psychological science and the wisdom of mothers supporting mothers. <a href="/crowninstitute/alma" rel="nofollow">Our program, Alma</a>, supports women in restoring well-being in ways that are community-rooted, evidence-based and scalable.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Sona%20Dimidjian%20and%20Anahi%20Collado.jpg?itok=xf3xjDp7" width="1500" height="995" alt="portraits of Sona Dimidjian and Anahi Collado"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Through the Alma program, researchers Sona Dimidjian (left) and Anahi Collado (right) <span>aim to support women in restoring well-being in ways that are community-rooted, evidence-based and scalable.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><strong>Pressure on parents</strong></p><p>Nearly 50% of parents report feeling overwhelmed by stress on most days. An even larger share, about 65%, experience feelings of loneliness, according to a <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/parents-under-pressure.pdf" rel="nofollow">2024 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</a>. These feelings hit mothers especially hard, the report says.</p><p>In 2025, mothers in the United States continue to shoulder most of the caregiving of children while also managing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231251314667" rel="nofollow">work, personal health and household responsibilities</a>. The transition to motherhood is often marked by emotional and psychological strain. In fact, 10% to 20% of women experience depression during pregnancy, the postpartum period or both. Depression is one of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.87a.19054" rel="nofollow">most common complications of childbirth</a>. A similar number of women <a href="https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.116.187179" rel="nofollow">also face significant anxiety</a>.</p><p>In many communities, mental health resources are scarce and stigma around mental health issues persists; therefore, many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-536X.2008.00296.x" rel="nofollow">mothers are left to navigate such challenges alone</a> and in silence. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24345349/" rel="nofollow">Antidepressants are widely prescribed</a>, but research suggests that many women stop using antidepressants during pregnancy 鈥 yet they <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2829728" rel="nofollow">don鈥檛 start therapy or an alternative treatment</a> instead.</p><p>Psychotherapy is the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000579671300199X?via=ihub" rel="nofollow">most preferred care option among new and expectant mothers</a>, but it is often inaccessible or nonexistent. This is due in part to a workforce <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29503292/" rel="nofollow">shortage of mental health providers</a>.</p><p>The shortage has contributed to long wait times, geographic disparities and cultural and language barriers between providers and patients. This is especially <a href="https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.6.0325.1186" rel="nofollow">true for underserved populations</a>. In fact, more than <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.0434" rel="nofollow">75% of depressed mothers do not receive the care they need</a>.</p><p><strong>Science of peer support</strong></p><p>The science of peer support is part of a larger field exploring community health workers as one way to address the shortage of mental health providers. Peer mentors are trusted individuals from the community who share common experiences or challenges with those they serve. Through specialized training, they are equipped to deliver education, offer mental health support and <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/national-model-standards-draft-for-public-comment.pdf" rel="nofollow">connect people with needed resources</a>.</p><p>A study that analyzed 30 randomized clinical trials involving individuals with serious mental illness found that peer support was associated with significant improvements in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36066104/" rel="nofollow">clinical outcomes and personal recovery</a>. Researchers have proposed that peer support creates space for learning and healing, especially when peers share <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.2975/27.2004.392.401" rel="nofollow">lived experience, culture and language</a>.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/moms%20and%20babies.jpg?itok=UM_NrAs-" width="1500" height="1219" alt="several women and babies sitting on the floor"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>In 2025, mothers in the United States continue to shoulder most of the caregiving of children while also managing work, personal health and household responsibilities. (Photo: Shutterstock)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>As clinical psychologists, we heard from mothers in our work and communities that wanted to help other moms recover from depression, navigate the challenges of motherhood and avoid feeling alone. This insight led us to co-create <a href="/crowninstitute/alma" rel="nofollow">Alma, a peer-led mental health program</a> based on behavioral activation.</p><p><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/behavioral-activation" rel="nofollow">Behavioral activation</a> is a proven <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006x.74.4.658" rel="nofollow">method for treating depression</a> based on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032210-104535" rel="nofollow">decades of randomized clinical trials</a>, including in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38532913/" rel="nofollow">new and expectant mothers</a>. It <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000151" rel="nofollow">helps new and expectant mothers reengage in meaningful activities</a> to improve mood and functioning.</p><p><strong>The Alma program</strong></p><p><a href="/crowninstitute/alma" rel="nofollow">Alma</a> is based on the principle that depression must be understood in context and that changing what you do can change how you feel. One strategy we use is to help a mother identify an activity that brings a sense of accomplishment, connection or enjoyment 鈥 and then take small steps to schedule that activity. Mothers might also be guided on ways to ask for help and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2024.11.003" rel="nofollow">strengthen their support networks</a>. Alma is offered in English and Spanish.</p><p>Peer mentors typically meet with moms once a week for six to eight sessions. Sessions can take place in person or virtually, allowing flexibility that honors each family鈥檚 needs. Traditionally, peer mentors have been recruited through long-standing relationships with trusted community organizations and word-of-mouth referrals. This approach has helped ensure that mentors are deeply rooted in the communities they serve. Alma peer mentors are compensated for their time, which recognizes the value of their lived expertise, their training and the work involved in providing peer mentoring and support.</p><p>鈥淭his was the first time I felt like someone understood me, without me having to explain everything,鈥 shared one mother during a post-program interview that all participants complete after finishing Alma.</p><p>To date, more than 700 mothers in Colorado have participated in Alma. In one of our studies, we focused on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2024.11.003" rel="nofollow">126 Spanish-speaking Latina mothers</a> who often face significant barriers to care, such as language differences, cost and stigma. For nearly 2 out of 3 mothers, symptoms of depression decreased enough to be considered a true, measurable recovery 鈥 not just a small change.</p><p>Notably, most of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2024.11.003" rel="nofollow">depression improvement occurred within the first three Alma meetings</a>. We also observed that peer mentors delivered the Alma program consistently and as intended. This suggests the program could be reliably expanded and replicated in other settings with similar positive outcomes.</p><p>A second study, conducted through a national survey of Spanish-speaking Latina new and expectant mothers, found that peer-led mental health support was not only perceived as effective, but also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2025.a959117" rel="nofollow">highly acceptable and deeply valued</a>. Mothers noted that they were interested in peer-led support because it met them where they were: with <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/lat0000104" rel="nofollow">language, trust and cultural understanding</a>.</p><p><strong>Supporting mothers works</strong></p><p>Supporting mothers鈥 mental health is essential because it directly benefits both mothers and their children. Those improvements foster healthier <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28636221/" rel="nofollow">emotional, cognitive and social development in their children</a>. This interconnected impact highlights why investing in maternal mental health yields lasting benefits for the entire family.</p><p>It also makes strong economic sense to address mood and anxiety disorders among new and expectant mothers, which cost an estimated US$32,000 for each mother and child from conception through five years postpartum. More than half of those costs occur within the first year, driven primarily by <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305619" rel="nofollow">productivity losses, preterm births and increased maternal health care needs</a>.</p><p>Beyond the impact on individual families, the broader economic toll of untreated mood and anxiety disorders among new and expectant mothers is substantial. For example, it鈥檚 estimated that <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305619" rel="nofollow">$4.7 billion a year are lost</a> to mothers who have to miss work or reduce their job performance because of symptoms like fatigue, anxiety and depression.</p><p>Together 鈥 as individuals, families, communities and institutions 鈥 we can cultivate a world where the challenges of parenting are met with comprehensive support, allowing the joy of parenting to be fully realized. Because no one should have to do this alone.</p><hr><p><a href="/clinicalpsychology/sona-dimidjian-phd" rel="nofollow"><em>Sona Dimidjian</em></a><em> is director of the </em><a href="/crowninstitute/" rel="nofollow"><em>Ren茅e Crown Wellness Institute</em></a><em> and a professor of psychology and neuroscience&nbsp;at the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-colorado-boulder-733" rel="nofollow"><em>缅北禁地</em></a><em>. </em><a href="/crowninstitute/anahi-collado-phd" rel="nofollow"><em>Anahi Collado</em></a><em> is a 缅北禁地 assistant research professor of psychology.</em></p><p><em>This article is republished from&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>&nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-mothers-supporting-mothers-can-help-fill-the-health-care-worker-shortage-gap-and-other-barriers-to-care-257520" rel="nofollow"><em>original article</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>How mothers supporting mothers can help fill the health care worker shortage gap and other barriers to care.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/mothers%20group%20cropped.jpg?itok=FDR82ihR" width="1500" height="560" alt="women and babies sitting in chairs in a semi-circle"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 13 Aug 2025 20:56:42 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6195 at /asmagazine Raised with pets? Your immune system remembers /asmagazine/2025/08/12/raised-pets-your-immune-system-remembers <span>Raised with pets? Your immune system remembers </span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-12T10:46:30-06:00" title="Tuesday, August 12, 2025 - 10:46">Tue, 08/12/2025 - 10:46</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/dog%20and%20cat.jpg?h=c3878e91&amp;itok=Hh0hZeHs" width="1200" height="800" alt="white dog and striped cat rubbing faces together"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/30"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1195" hreflang="en">Health &amp; Wellness</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/352" hreflang="en">Integrative Physiology</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> </div> <span>Cody DeBos</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span>缅北禁地 researchers, with an international team of colleagues, find that childhood pets are linked to healthier stress responses</span></em></p><hr><p><span>If you grew up in a city and without a pet, your immune system likely developed differently than that of someone who shared their childhood with a dog or cat. That difference, new research from </span><a href="/iphy/people/faculty/christopher-lowry" rel="nofollow"><span>缅北禁地 Professor Christopher Lowry</span></a><span> suggests, could influence how your body responds to stress even decades later.</span></p><p><span>In </span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159125000996" rel="nofollow"><span>a study published</span></a><span> in the journal </span><em><span>Brain, Behavior, and Immunity</span></em><span>, an international team of researchers, including Lowry and 缅北禁地 PhD student </span><a href="/iphy/john-sterrett" rel="nofollow"><span>John Sterrett</span></a><span>, found that for people raised in urban environments, having regular contact with pets early in life may protect against harmful immune responses to stress.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Christopher%20Lowry.jpg?itok=6NvlRDCA" width="1500" height="1500" alt="portrait of Christopher Lowry wearing white lab coat"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">缅北禁地 scientist Christopher Lowry and his research colleagues found that <span>having regular contact with pets early in life may protect against harmful immune responses to stress.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span>鈥淏eing raised in a home with pets can provide protection against chronic low-grade inflammation, which we know is a risk factor for stress-related psychiatric disorders and more,鈥 Lowry says.</span></p><p><span>The study adds to a growing body of evidence that our childhood environments can leave a lasting mark on our physical and mental health.</span></p><p><span><strong>Our oldest friends</strong></span></p><p><span>Lowry is a professor in the </span><a href="/iphy/people/faculty/christopher-lowry" rel="nofollow"><span>Department of Integrative Physiology at 缅北禁地</span></a><span> and has spent much of his career studying how the microbial world interacts with the human brain. It鈥檚 a fascination that traces back to the 1990s when he started exploring how soil microbes influence mood.</span></p><p><span>鈥淔or about 25 years, we have been interested in understanding how microbes found in our environment鈥攊n nature, soil, fermenting vegetable matter, and unpurified water鈥攃an signal from the body to the brain,鈥 Lowry says.</span></p><p><span>Along with a research team directed by Stafford Lightman at the University of Bristol鈥檚 University Research Center for Neuroendocrinology, Lowry studied </span><em><span>Mycobacterium vaccae</span></em><span> NCTC 11659 (</span><em><span>M. vaccae</span></em><span>), a microbe commonly found in soil.</span></p><p><span>His lab found that exposure to </span><em><span>M. vaccae</span></em><span> in mice activated serotonin pathways in the brain and produced antidepressant-like behavioral effects.</span></p><p><span>鈥</span><em><span>M. vaccae</span></em><span> is representative of diverse microbes in nature that have the ability to promote immunoregulation and protect us from inappropriate inflammation,鈥 Lowry explains.</span></p><p><span>The microbe soon became a model for studying what scientists now call 鈥淥ld Friends鈥濃攖he microorganisms humans co-evolved with and depend on for proper immune system development.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/guinea%20pigs%20eating%20carrots.jpg?itok=CWCocAGg" width="1500" height="1000" alt="two spotted guinea pigs eating shredded carrots"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>鈥淏eing raised in a home with pets can provide protection against chronic low-grade inflammation, which we know is a risk factor for stress-related psychiatric disorders and more,鈥 says 缅北禁地 researcher Christopher Lowry. (Photo: Bonnie Kittle/Unsplash)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span>It鈥檚 thought that modern urban living, with its clean indoor environments and reduced contact with naturally occurring microbes, disrupts this relationship. In turn, people living in such environments have experienced a rise in chronic, stress-related disorders.</span></p><p><span><strong>Pets as microbial messengers</strong></span></p><p><span>In a previous study, Lowry and his colleagues </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29712842/" rel="nofollow"><span>showed</span></a><span> that people raised on farms, with regular exposure to animals, exhibited lower inflammatory responses to psychological stress. But in that study, it was hard to separate the effects of rural living from contact with animals.</span></p><p><span>So, the team designed a new study to answer a more specific question.</span></p><p><span>鈥淲e designed the study to determine if having pets in the home could protect against inappropriate inflammation in individuals raised in urban settings,鈥 Lowry says.</span></p><p><span>The team recruited healthy adult men who had been raised in cities either with or without household pets. The participants were then exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test, and measurements of their immune function and inflammation were taken both before and after completing stressful tasks like public speaking.</span></p><p><span>Compared to their pet-free peers, individuals who grew up with pets showed a more balanced immune response and better regulation of stress-reactive cells.</span></p><p><span>But what accounts for this striking result?</span></p><p><span>鈥淓xposures to 鈥極ld Friends,鈥 which are thought to increase in homes with pets, interacts with our immune system to produce more regulatory T cells,鈥 Lowry explains. 鈥淲ithout sufficient exposure to 鈥極ld Friends鈥 we have reduced capacity to produce these regulatory T cells, which leads to inappropriate or unresolved inflammation.鈥</span></p><p><span>In short, a four-legged friend in the house means more microbial diversity. That might be just what your immune system needs to stay in balance.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/cat%20and%20dog%20playing.jpg?itok=V-bHFBuW" width="1500" height="998" alt="a bengal cat and small dog playing with a feather wand"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Something as simple as living with a pet could help buffer the long-term health risks of urban living, notes 缅北禁地 researcher Christopher Lowry.</span> (Photo: Helena Jankovi膷ov谩 Kov谩膷ov谩/Pexels)</p> </span> </div></div><p><span><strong>From theory to therapy</strong></span></p><p><span>Lowry and his team鈥檚 findings are just the beginning. He is now involved in several projects exploring how they could be applied in the real world.</span></p><p><span>鈥淲e are interested in exploring if we can increase mental health outcomes by increasing exposure to 鈥極ld Friends,鈥欌 he says, pointing to clinical trials testing microbial supplements and high-diversity plant-based beverages, which contain diverse microbial communities.</span></p><p><span>He鈥檚 also a co-founder of a </span><a href="/venturepartners/startup-portfolio/kioga-inc" rel="nofollow"><span>缅北禁地 startup company Kioga</span></a><span>, which is developing soil-derived microbiome-based nutritional supplements, food ingredients and therapeutics. Their goal is to improve mental health outcomes for anyone experiencing high levels of perceived stress, whether or not they have a diagnosed disorder.</span></p><p><span><strong>What comes next?</strong></span></p><p><span>Lowry also notes that more research is needed to explore if the recent findings hold true for women or people of different ages or backgrounds.</span></p><p><span>鈥淭his is an extremely important question,鈥 Lowry says. 鈥淢ore work is needed to fully understand the importance of upbringing in rural versus urban lifestyles in females.鈥</span></p><p><span>Still, the implications are clear. Something as simple as living with a pet could help buffer the long-term health risks of urban living. Given that more people than ever today live in cities and stress-related conditions are on the rise, Lowry鈥檚 work offers a hopeful solution.</span></p><p><span>鈥淗umans co-evolved with these microbes in nature, and our body depends on them for a normally functioning immune system,鈥 he says.</span></p><p><span>So, the next time you鈥檙e scrubbing muddy paw prints off the floor, remember that your four-legged friend is just trying to help you stay healthier in the long run.&nbsp;</span></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about integrative physiology?&nbsp;</em><a href="/iphy/give-iphy" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>缅北禁地 scientist Christopher Lowry and research colleagues find that childhood pets are linked to healthier stress responses.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/dog%20and%20cat%20header.jpg?itok=MhD-5u_D" width="1500" height="577" alt="white dog and striped cat rubbing faces together"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 12 Aug 2025 16:46:30 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6193 at /asmagazine Study: Using cannabis and psilocybin together may increase dependence /asmagazine/2025/08/07/study-using-cannabis-and-psilocybin-together-may-increase-dependence <span>Study: Using cannabis and psilocybin together may increase dependence</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-07T12:16:17-06:00" title="Thursday, August 7, 2025 - 12:16">Thu, 08/07/2025 - 12:16</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/psilocybin%20cannabis%20header.jpg?h=7f294760&amp;itok=jYlW-aME" width="1200" height="800" alt="Photo of psilocybin mushrooms over photo of marijuana leaves"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/30"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/144" hreflang="en">Psychology and Neuroscience</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/bradley-worrell">Bradley Worrell</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span>缅北禁地 researchers studied cannabis-psilocybin co-users and cannabis-only users to look for similarities and differences between the two groups, including drug-use motivations</span></em></p><hr><p><span>In November 2022, Colorado voters approved Proposition 122, decriminalizing the personal use of mushrooms containing psilocybin, a psychedelic substance. That followed a decision by Colorado voters in 2014 to legalize recreational marijuana use.</span></p><p><span>Cannabis and psilocybin are becoming more commonly used, but there is still relatively little research on what happens when people use both, says&nbsp;</span><a href="/center/cuchange/maddie-stanger" rel="nofollow"><span>Maddie Stanger</span></a><span>, a 缅北禁地&nbsp;</span><a href="/psych-neuro/" rel="nofollow"><span>Department of Psychology and Neuroscience</span></a><span> researcher whose area of focus is motivations behind substance abuse and how people use substances to cope.</span></p><p><span>A recently published&nbsp;</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38885938/" rel="nofollow"><span>research paper</span></a><span> co-authored by Stanger examined differences in cannabis dependence and reasons for using among individuals who regularly use marijuana and psilocybin versus marijuana-only users. In this case, co-use could either be the simultaneous use of cannabis and psilocybin or concurrent use over the same time period, Stanger explains.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Maddie%20Stanger.jpg?itok=_9IGYBKv" width="1500" height="1540" alt="portrait of Maddie Stanger"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Maddie Stanger is&nbsp;a 缅北禁地&nbsp;</span><a href="/psych-neuro/" rel="nofollow"><span>Department of Psychology and Neuroscience</span></a><span> researcher whose focus is motivations behind substance abuse and how people use substances to cope.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span>Stanger says this research is valuable because assessing individuals鈥 reasons for using substances can provide insight into potential harms, such as addiction or mental health issues. This is because motivations are related to quantity and frequency of use.</span></p><p><span>The researchers used a previous, larger study by the Center of Health and Neuroscience, Genes and Environment within the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience that investigated the effects of different cannabis strains on metabolic processes and insulin sensitivity.</span></p><p><span>From that study, researchers drew a test sample that included 97 regular cannabis users (those who used marijuana more than seven times a month) in Colorado. About a third of those had used psilocybin in the past three months while the rest had not. The researchers compared these two groups to understand how psilocybin use might affect marijuana use motives and dependencies.</span></p><p><span>Study participants were, on average, about 35 years old, mostly male and white, healthy overall and predominantly from the 缅北禁地 area, with at least some higher education. They reported using cannabis 21.73 out of the previous 30 days.</span></p><p><span>The motivations of all participants were measured using the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2653613/pdf/jsad279.pdf" rel="nofollow"><span>Comprehensive Marijuana Motives Questionnaire</span></a><span> (CMMQ), which encompasses 12 possible motives, including enjoyment, coping, experiment, boredom, celebration, altered perception, social anxiety, sleep and availability. Participants were also assessed for cannabis dependence based upon an 11-item Marijuana Dependence Scale (MDS) scoring system, which asks users to self-evaluate if they believe their cannabis use is excessive.</span></p><p><span><strong>Considering motivation</strong></span></p><p><span>Stanger says she and her research colleagues hypothesized that recent psilocybin users would have higher MDS scores and more strongly endorse coping, expansion (also referred to as 鈥渁ltered perception鈥) and enhancement/enjoyment motives compared with non-recent psilocybin users. Additionally, the researchers hypothesized that there would be correlations between dependence and coping motives for both groups, but that these would be stronger for recent psilocybin users relative to non-recent users.</span></p><p><span>The prediction that recent psilocybin users would have higher dependence scores than non-recent users was borne out, Stanger says. As expected, the research data demonstrated that psilocybin users showed mild signs of marijuana dependence, while non-psilocybin users did not, she says.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><blockquote><p class="lead"><em><span>鈥淚nterestingly, we found that recent psilocybin users had indicated they were more likely to use for enjoyment, boredom and availability鈥攁nd boredom and availability are shown in previous literature to be linked to increased cannabis problems and mental health symptoms.鈥</span></em></p></blockquote></div></div><p><span>Additionally, compared to cannabis-only users, Stanger says the psilocybin co-user group exhibited higher scores on the motivations of enjoyment, boredom relief and availability/access, which can be indicative of dependency problems.</span></p><p><span>鈥淚nterestingly, we found that recent psilocybin users had indicated they were more likely to use for enjoyment, boredom and availability鈥攁nd boredom and availability are shown in previous literature to be linked to increased cannabis problems and mental health symptoms,鈥 she says.</span></p><p><span>However, contrary to the researchers鈥 hypothesis, Stanger says there was no difference in coping motives between the two groups.</span></p><p><span>The researchers note that these findings should be considered within the confines of the study limitations. Specifically, Stanger explains that the data came from a preexisting study and that this &nbsp;analysis was not the primary purpose of the larger project. Thus, there is no data on the dose of the psilocybin used and no information as to whether cannabis and psilocybin were used simultaneously versus concurrently. Additionally, the study ideally would have involved a more diverse group of participants, Stanger adds.</span></p><p><span>Still, Stanger says she believes the research is timely and valuable, as more states have followed Colorado since 2014 in legalizing marijuana sales for medicinal or recreational purposes, and it鈥檚 conceivable that states will follow the Centennial State in legalizing psilocybin in the coming years.</span></p><p><em><span>In addition to Stanger, co-authors of this paper include Professor Angela Bryan and Research Assistant Professor Carillon Skrzynski, both with the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience; and Researcher Harmony Soffer with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center.&nbsp;</span></em></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about psychology and neuroscience?&nbsp;</em><a href="/psych-neuro/giving-opportunities" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>缅北禁地 researchers studied cannabis-psilocybin co-users and cannabis-only users to look for similarities and differences between the two groups, including drug-use motivations.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/psilocybin%20cannabis%20header.jpg?itok=K9gkeEnf" width="1500" height="843" alt="Photo of psilocybin mushrooms over photo of marijuana leaves"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 07 Aug 2025 18:16:17 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6191 at /asmagazine Medical issues and neighborhood opportunity can affect infant development /asmagazine/2025/08/04/medical-issues-and-neighborhood-opportunity-can-affect-infant-development <span>Medical issues and neighborhood opportunity can affect infant development</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-08-04T14:21:30-06:00" title="Monday, August 4, 2025 - 14:21">Mon, 08/04/2025 - 14:21</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/infant%20thumbnail.jpg?h=6733dcf8&amp;itok=30_PVvoI" width="1200" height="800" alt="smiling infant lying on stomach"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/30"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/352" hreflang="en">Integrative Physiology</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1218" hreflang="en">PhD student</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/sarah-kuta">Sarah Kuta</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span lang="EN">缅北禁地 researcher Emily Yeo finds that some babies may benefit from more support and resources so they can grow up to lead long, happy and healthy lives</span></em></p><hr><p><span lang="EN">In an ideal world, every baby would be born perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, many newborns arrive prematurely or suffer from medical conditions that could hinder their future development.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Some of these high-risk infants live in neighborhoods with access to healthy food, low crime rates and affordable housing. Others, however, live in worse-off communities with limited access to quality education, health care, housing and jobs.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Now, new research led by 缅北禁地鈥檚 </span><a href="/iphy/people/graduate-students/emily-yeo" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Emily Yeo</span></a><span lang="EN"> explores how medical complexity and neighborhood opportunity might affect the development of high-risk infants.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Emily%20Yeo.jpg?itok=6i9aodaO" width="1500" height="1630" alt="portrait of Emily Yeo"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Emily Yeo, a PhD student in the 缅北禁地 Department of Integrative Physiology, led research exploring <span lang="EN">how medical complexity and neighborhood opportunity might affect the development of high-risk infants.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">The findings, recently published in the </span><a href="https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(24)00536-5/abstract" rel="nofollow"><em><span lang="EN">Journal of Pediatrics</span></em></a><span lang="EN">, suggest some babies may benefit from more support and resources so they can grow up to lead long, happy and healthy lives.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">鈥淲hat the study highlights is that there鈥檚 sort of a double burden on medically complex infants living in lower-opportunity neighborhoods,鈥 says Yeo, a doctoral student in the </span><a href="/iphy/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Department of Integrative Physiology</span></a><span lang="EN">. 鈥淭here needs to be a lot more research into how we can better support these infants, especially within the first couple of years of their lives, which are critical for development and when small interventions could have a huge, life-long impact.鈥</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Studying high-risk infants in California</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">Public health professionals have long understood that social, environmental and economic factors affect human health and development. Everything from a person鈥檚 income and education levels to the purity of the air they breathe and their access to grocery stores can play a role in their well-being.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Against this backdrop, scientists wanted to understand whether there was a relationship between the complexity of infants鈥 medical conditions, their neighborhood opportunity and their developmental progress.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">鈥淭o fully understand the developmental challenges these infants face, it is essential to consider how their medical conditions interact with the social and environmental contexts of their upbringing,鈥 says Yeo.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The team studied 440 infants born in Southern California between 2014 and 2023. Doctors had deemed these babies 鈥渉igh-risk鈥 because they were born prematurely, had very low birth weights or suffered from conditions that required treatment in a neonatal intensive care unit.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">By reviewing the infants鈥 medical records, scientists were able to categorize them based on the seriousness of their situation. Infants with the highest level of medical complexity, for instance, had conditions like permanent brain damage or chronic respiratory issues. Those with the lowest level of medical complexity, meanwhile, had more easily treatable conditions, like acute lung or eye infections.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Researchers also assessed each child鈥檚 neighborhood opportunity level, based on their home address. For this, they turned to the </span><a href="https://www.diversitydatakids.org/child-opportunity-index" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Child Opportunity Index</span></a><span lang="EN">, a pre-existing, composite index that analyzes education, health, social and economic data from every census tract in the United States.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Some neighborhoods earn high scores, because the children who live there have access to quality schools, clean air, health care, playgrounds and other conditions that will help them grow up healthy and become thriving adults. Other neighborhoods, however, offer very few or none of these resources. Black, Hispanic and Native American children are more likely to live in very low-opportunity neighborhoods compared to their White peers.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">For each child, researchers also collected developmental scores from standard tests conducted when they were between the ages of 4 months and 36 months old. The scores came from the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, which doctors consider the 鈥済old standard鈥 for evaluating infant cognitive, motor and language skills, the researchers write in the paper.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/infant%20in%20striped%20onesie.jpg?itok=Ckn7BCpp" width="1500" height="1000" alt="infant lying on back wearing striped onesie"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span lang="EN">缅北禁地 researcher Emily Yeo found that childhood development is affected by both medical and social factors, which aligns with what pediatricians see in daily practice. (Photo: Emily May/Unsplash)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">When the scientists analyzed all of the data they had gathered, some clear patterns began to emerge. Developmental scores got worse as medical complexity increased, meaning that infants with more severe and complicated health conditions had lower cognitive, motor and language scores.&nbsp;</span><span>These finding are consistent with previous studies, says Yeo, which have found that infants with fewer medical complications are also likely to face fewer challenges achieving growth milestones.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The study also found that medical complexity had a more significant effect on developmental outcomes than gestational age, or how early a baby was born. This is an important takeaway for pediatricians, who have long used gestational age to predict potential developmental delays or issues, says Yeo.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">鈥淕estational age might be useful for infants who are not medically complex, but if you鈥檙e looking specifically at those infants, we need a more granular tool,鈥 she says. 鈥淲ith this group of infants, we saw that gestational age didn鈥檛 really play a huge role in deciphering differences in development, whereas their degree of medical complexity did.鈥</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The researchers also found a correlation between lower neighborhood opportunity scores and decreased language scores, but not cognitive and motor scores. The reasons for this discrepancy are not clear. But, overall, this finding indicates that where an infant lives does seem to play a role in their development.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Importantly, the study also ruled out differences in development based on race and ethnicity alone. Black and Hispanic babies did have lower developmental scores than White babies, but the findings indicate those disparities resulted from differences in the infants鈥&nbsp;</span><span>socio-demographic and medical factors.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">鈥淭he differences do not come from race and ethnicity itself鈥攖hey come from other influential factors that tend to be worse in those groups,鈥 says Yeo, adding that this finding aligns with the general shift from race-based to race-conscious medicine.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>More social supports for development</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">Together, the study results align with what pediatricians see in real life鈥攖hat childhood development is affected by both medical and social factors. The research also highlights the importance of early intervention programs and policies designed to help children succeed.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">鈥淚t鈥檚 one more indication of how, if we really want to move the needle and improve the outcomes of these babies that are born with medical risk factors, we need to put as many social supports in place as we can to support their development,鈥 says study senior author </span><a href="https://www.chla.org/profile/christine-mirzaian-md-mph-ibclc" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Christine Mirzaian</span></a><span lang="EN">, a pediatrician at Children鈥檚 Hospital Los Angeles and an associate professor of clinical pediatrics in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><blockquote><p class="lead"><em><span>鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the child鈥檚 medical diagnosis that is going to impact their development鈥攊t鈥檚 also the neighborhood the child is brought up in, how much medical care their family is able to afford and other barriers.鈥</span></em></p></blockquote></div></div><p><span lang="EN">The study did not explore the possible mechanisms at play鈥攖hat is, why medical complexity and neighborhood opportunity seem to be linked with development. But the researchers have a few theories.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">For one, children with very serious health issues often need to use medical equipment that helps them breathe and eat鈥攍ike feeding tubes in their stomachs or oxygen tubes in their noses. From a purely physical standpoint, these devices may make it difficult for infants to do 鈥渁ll the basic things babies do,鈥 Mirzaian says, like rolling around or pulling themselves up to a standing position.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Another possible explanation is that a child鈥檚 appointments and treatments may leave little time for activities that promote development, like reading and playing with toys, Mirzaian adds.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Families living in neighborhoods with low opportunity scores, meanwhile, may be grappling with poverty鈥攁nd having a baby with a serious medical condition likely only adds to their stress. Through no fault of their own, caregivers may need to focus more on basic needs鈥攍ike how they鈥檙e going to pay next month鈥檚 rent or put food on the table鈥攁nd less on their child鈥檚 development, says Mirzaian.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>鈥楳edical Data Alone Does Not Tell the Whole Story鈥</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">Looking ahead, the co-authors hope other researchers will repeat and replicate the study, perhaps in other geographic locations or with slightly different populations. Future work might also involve following the same children as they grow up, to see whether and how their developmental outcomes change over time.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">For now, though, the study is a good first step toward understanding the link between medical complexity, neighborhood opportunity and development. Zooming out, the findings also reinforce the idea that 鈥渕edical data alone does not tell the whole story,鈥 says Yeo.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">鈥淚t鈥檚 important for researchers to consider social explanations to formulate a holistic picture of infant development,鈥 she adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the child鈥檚 medical diagnosis that is going to impact their development鈥攊t鈥檚 also the neighborhood the child is brought up in, how much medical care their family is able to afford and other barriers.鈥</span></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about integrative physiology?&nbsp;</em><a href="/iphy/give-iphy" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>缅北禁地 researcher Emily Yeo finds that some babies may benefit from more support and resources so they can grow up to lead long, happy and healthy lives.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/infant%20header.jpg?itok=wRtd4rTR" width="1500" height="660" alt="smiling baby lying on stomach"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Top photo: Philip Mroz/Unsplash</div> Mon, 04 Aug 2025 20:21:30 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6190 at /asmagazine Cycling tradition meets biomechanics at CU /asmagazine/2025/07/31/cycling-tradition-meets-biomechanics-cu <span>Cycling tradition meets biomechanics at CU</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-07-31T12:47:46-06:00" title="Thursday, July 31, 2025 - 12:47">Thu, 07/31/2025 - 12:47</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-08/cycling%20shoe%20thumbnail.jpg?h=80340972&amp;itok=xOqT2wmf" width="1200" height="800" alt="underside of white cycling shoe in bicycle pedal"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/30"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/378" hreflang="en">Buffalo Bicycle Classic</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/352" hreflang="en">Integrative Physiology</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> </div> <span>Cody DeBos</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>In time for Buffalo Bicycle Classic, 缅北禁地 researchers challenge cycling norms that stiff cycling-shoe soles are essential for efficient riding</em></p><hr><p>Years ago, <a href="/iphy/people/emeritus/rodger-kram" rel="nofollow">Rodger Kram</a>, a biomechanics researcher and now 缅北禁地 associate professor emeritus of <a href="/iphy/" rel="nofollow">integrative physiology</a>, offered a student in his lab a challenge.</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/asher-straw-80b23a119/" rel="nofollow">Asher Straw</a>, a sophomore at the time and an avid cyclist, was convinced that stiff, carbon fiber soles were essential for serious riders because they made for more efficient pedaling. Kram, with a twinkle in his eye, disagreed.</p><p>鈥淚 provocatively said that I didn鈥檛 think they made any difference,鈥 Kram recalls. 鈥淚 figured even very flexible running shoes would be just as efficient as carbon fiber cycling shoes when riding at a steady pace and moderate intensity.鈥</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/Rodger%20Kram.jpg?itok=Y0n5YYNj" width="1500" height="2100" alt="portrait of Rodger Kram"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><a href="/iphy/people/emeritus/rodger-kram" rel="nofollow"><span>Rodger Kram</span></a><span> is a biomechanics researcher and 缅北禁地 associate professor emeritus of integrative physiology.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>Straw was determined to prove his professor wrong. So, the two set out on a small but illuminating study and found that ultra-stiff shoes didn鈥檛 offer improved efficiency during moderate cycling.</p><p>But that was just the beginning.</p><p>Kram and his students have since spent nearly a decade exploring a deceptively simple question: How stiff does a cycling shoe really need to be?</p><p>The answer, it turns out, may surprise even the most gear-obsessed riders.</p><p><strong>The stiffness myth</strong></p><p>Carbon fiber shoes have been marketed as the gold standard for years, and riders have adopted the message. These shoes are sleek and featherlight, and their unyielding soles allegedly transfer more power from leg to pedal.</p><p>Kram鈥檚 research team, including then-graduate student <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tripp-hurt/" rel="nofollow">Tripp Hurt</a>, conducted a study to test the limits of this belief. They equipped trained cyclists with a set of three identical shoes, each fitted with a unique sole material of varying stiffness. The cyclists were then asked to sprint as hard as possible up a 50-meter stretch of road in each pair.</p><p>After multiple experiments, the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19424280.2024.2415082" rel="nofollow">researchers had their answer</a>.</p><p>鈥淭here was a breakpoint,鈥 Kram says. 鈥淏elow a certain stiffness, sprint performance does trail off.鈥</p><p>But not by much. Going from nylon soles (a very stiff reference) to a medium-stiff TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) sole caused only a 3.1% drop in maximal one-second power output. The more flexible, soft TPU sole yielded a further power-output decrease of just 2.4%. At those levels, most cyclists wouldn鈥檛 notice the difference.</p><p>鈥淭he $150 shoes were just as good as the $450 shoes,鈥 Kram says.</p><p><strong>Comfort over carbon</strong></p><p>鈥淔or most of us, like <a href="/event/buffalobicycleclassic/" rel="nofollow">riders in the Buffalo Bicycle Classic</a>, there are far more important qualities in a shoe beyond sprint performance. Are they comfortable would be number one. Do they fit your foot?鈥 Kram asks, adding that when picking out new shoes, 鈥渟ole stiffness should be way down your list.鈥</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/underview%20of%20cycling%20shoe%20on%20pedal.jpg?itok=pGWAokPg" width="1500" height="1788" alt="underside of white cycling shoe on bicycle pedal"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>鈥淔or most of us, like </span><a href="/event/buffalobicycleclassic/" rel="nofollow"><span>riders in the Buffalo Bicycle Classic</span></a><span>, there are far more important qualities in a shoe beyond sprint performance. Are they comfortable would be number one. Do they fit your foot?鈥 asks researcher Rodger Kram. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>It鈥檚 a refreshing perspective in a world where the latest (and often most expensive) iterations are always advertised the loudest. Stiff soles may seem impressive in an ad, but they aren鈥檛 always practical, Kram says. They can even be a hazard.</p><p>鈥淪ocial riders often stop for a snack or coffee, and it鈥檚 easy to fall when trying to walk in carbon fiber soles on the tile floor of a caf茅,鈥 Kram says.</p><p>There鈥檚 also a growing awareness of carbon fiber鈥檚 environmental toll. Making carbon fiber is energy intensive and expensive, and the end product is nearly impossible to recycle. Though the sole of a cycling shoe isn鈥檛 world-ending, the cumulative effect of our consumption habits adds up.</p><p>If riders are sacrificing comfort, affordability and sustainability for just a few watts of power they may never use, Kram wonders, what鈥檚 the point?</p><p><strong>Lab to innovation</strong></p><p>That question stuck with Tripp Hurt, the aforementioned 缅北禁地 graduate. Inspired by the science, he found <a href="https://ridebrevay.com/" rel="nofollow">Brevay</a>, a shoe startup based in Seattle.</p><p>鈥淚 had my 鈥榣ightbulb鈥 moment after a night out with friends,鈥 Hurt says. 鈥淚 started to think about my biomechanics research and how it was relevant to the overall cycling market. We see these results, but nothing has changed about the way cycling companies were building their product.鈥</p><p>So, Hurt decided to build a new kind of shoe. Brevay鈥檚 first model, the Road One, will be a high-performance road cycling shoe made from sustainable materials.</p><p>鈥淪ustainability and performance are the north star for Brevay. We鈥檙e the first brand developing a sustainable cycling shoe, so the market is unproven if this is a category that cyclists are interested in. But we鈥檙e building it anyway,鈥 Hurt says.</p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-left ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p><em>This year, Rodger Kram will work at the Buffalo Bicycle Classic aid station near his home in Ward, handing out water and snacks to the riders. Though he鈥檚 retired from teaching, he nevertheless considers it important to help make CU Bulder affordable for the next generation of curious students.</em></p></div></div></div><p>That means sourcing bio-based materials, investing in an alternative supply chain and pricing the shoes competitively with the high-end carbon-fiber models they aim to replace.</p><p><strong>Challenging assumptions</strong></p><p>For Kram, the research is about more than shoes.</p><p>鈥淲e love challenging conventional wisdom,鈥 he says, 鈥渁nd cycling is a sport fraught with tradition.鈥</p><p>That spirit of inquiry is part of what makes 缅北禁地鈥檚 research culture special, he adds. The study, and its illuminating results, started with a student鈥檚 curiosity and a professor鈥檚 willingness to be proven wrong.</p><p>鈥淚t represented a major shift in my career trajectory,鈥 Hurt says of his time in Kram鈥檚 lab. 鈥淚 felt more at home working on running and cycling biomechanics.鈥</p><p>As elite athletes continue to chase fractions of a second, Kram and Hurt hope their work encourages others to rethink what performance really means.</p><p>For many, like riders tackling 缅北禁地 Canyon to fundraise for scholarships in the Buffalo Bicycle Classic, choosing the right shoe shouldn鈥檛 be about speed, Kram says, but about enjoying the ride, staying comfortable and being mindful of the environment.</p><p><span>In the end, as Kram puts it, 鈥渢here are far more important qualities in a cycling shoe than sprint performance.鈥</span></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about integrative physiology?&nbsp;</em><a href="/iphy/give-iphy" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>In time for Buffalo Bicycle Classic, 缅北禁地 researchers challenge cycling norms that stiff cycling-shoe soles are essential for efficient riding.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-08/cycling%20shoe%20header.jpg?itok=HafE2cQ7" width="1500" height="607" alt="close-up of cyclist's leg and red cycling shoe"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 31 Jul 2025 18:47:46 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6188 at /asmagazine