Published: Oct. 7, 2016

Research at CU Boulder encompasses thousands of scholarly, scientific and creative endeavors at any given time, resulting in new knowledge, technologies and creative work that advance the economy, culture and health of Colorado, the nation and the world. Here is a selection of the top CU research stories of the week.

Turning brewery wastewater into battery power

CU Boulder engineers have developed an innovative bio-manufacturing process that uses a fungus in brewery wastewater to create the carbon-based materials needed to make energy storage cells.

A gene in a type of yeast that has long been used in baking, brewing and winemaking may have positive implications for human health. Essentially, the gene in the ingested yeast can recognize and destroy attacking viruses within the human host.

Paul Rowley, an assistant professor of biological sciences in the UI College of Science, and Sara Sawyer, an associate professor of molecular, cellular and development biology in the University of Colorado Boulder's BioFrontiers Institute, have discovered that a gene in S. cerevisiae and multiple other Saccharomyces yeast species appears to rapidly evolve to recognize and destroy attacking viruses.

Study finds fossil fuel methane emissions greater than previously estimated

Methane emissions from fossil fuel development around the world are up to 60 percent greater than estimated by previous studies, according to new research led by scientists from CIRES and NOAA. The study found that fossil fuel activities contribute between 132 million and 165 million tons of the 623 million tons of methane emitted by all sources every year. That’s about 20 to 25 percent of total global methane emissions, and 20 to 60 percent more than previous studies estimated.

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Lab group

Sara Sawyer (center), an associate professor of molecular, cellular and development biology in the University of Colorado Boulder's BioFrontiers Institute,Ìýand her lab group.