How America courted increasingly destructive wildfires − and what that means for protecting homes today

In many parts of the US, Americans must learn to live with fire. That means careful decisions on where homes are built and what’s around them, and allowing more low-risk fires to burn.

Justin Angle, Professor of Marketing, University of Montana • conversation
Jan. 16, 2025 • ~11 min

Wildfire smoke inside homes can create health risks that linger for months − tips for cleaning and staying safe

The chemicals emitted when buildings and vehicles burn can find their way into nearby homes. Studies show the health risks can stick around.

Colleen E. Reid, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Jan. 9, 2025 • ~7 min

Wildfire smoke’s health risks can linger in homes that escape burning − as Colorado’s Marshall Fire survivors discovered

A series of surveys in the months and years after the devastating blaze near Boulder revealed continuing health concerns in surviving buildings, and tips for how to clean up smoke-damaged homes.

Colleen E. Reid, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Dec. 23, 2024 • ~8 min

3 years after the Marshall Fire: Wildfire smoke’s health risks can linger long-term in homes that escape burning

The fire burned more than 1,000 homes outside Boulder, Colorado, in 2021. A series of surveys shows residents’ continuing health concerns, and tips for how to deal with smoke-damaged homes.

Colleen E. Reid, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Dec. 23, 2024 • ~8 min

Wildfires can create their own weather, including tornado-like fire whirls − an atmospheric scientist explains how

Fire-produced thunderstorms and tornado-like fire whirls are more common than anyone realized, as high-resolution satellite images and data now show.

Kyle Hilburn, Research Scientist in Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University • conversation
Aug. 1, 2024 • ~7 min

Wildfires can create their own weather, further spreading the flames − an atmospheric scientist explains how

Fire-produced thunderstorms and tornado-like fire whirls are more common than anyone realized, as high-resolution satellite images and data now show.

Kyle Hilburn, Research Scientist in Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University • conversation
Aug. 1, 2024 • ~7 min

House of the Dragon: if dragons were real, how might fire-breathing work?

A chemistry professor attempts to bridge the gap between the magical and the biological by exploring the biochemistry of dragon fire.

Mark Lorch, Professor of Science Communication and Chemistry, University of Hull • conversation
June 20, 2024 • ~6 min

Lithium-ion batteries don’t work well in the cold − a battery researcher explains the chemistry at low temperatures

Electric vehicles are catching on across the US, but they’re also catching on fire in colder regions like the Northeast and Midwest.

Wesley Chang, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Drexel University • conversation
March 5, 2024 • ~7 min

Despite the climate crisis, Scotland is burning as much carbon-rich peatland as it did in the 1980s

Nearly a third of all moorland burning in Scotland occurs on peat soil – a vital carbon sink.

Dominick Spracklen, Professor of Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions, University of Leeds • conversation
Jan. 22, 2024 • ~7 min

Lighting a fire using friction requires an understanding of some physics principles − but there are ways to make the process easier

You may have seen contestants on reality shows like “Survivor” make fire using friction, but do you know the physics behind the process?

Bradley Duncan, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Dayton • conversation
Dec. 14, 2023 • ~9 min

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