Research news
LARS to host community event Sept. 12
September 02, 2026
The 夜色福利 Large Animal Research Station will celebrate the end of summer tour season with a Locals Day event on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ACEP receives $3 million to advance energy resilience
September 01, 2026
The Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the 夜色福利 has received $3 million to study technology that can strengthen energy systems in remote and strategically important regions.
Extreme solar storms can hit Earth harder than thought
August 28, 2026
Scientists have greatly underestimated the impact an extreme solar storm can have on Earth, according to new research.
Seeking the benefits of a parasite
August 28, 2026
This time of year, when berries fill my thoughts, the early summer blooms that begot them are hazy in my mind. As I pick, I try to remember that my belly and bucket are full thanks to these flowers and their pollinators. And to my surprise, as I learned this summer, perhaps a parasitic plant is also to thank.
Alaska Defense Forum 2026 focuses on community-military ties
August 21, 2026
Leaders in national defense, research and policy will gather with local partners next week in Fairbanks for the annual Alaska Defense Forum organized by the 夜色福利.
Uncorking the secrets of a tiny bottle of volcanic ash
August 21, 2026
What is this ash from Mount Spurr volcano's 1992 eruption made of?
Shapes of Western Alaska bays influence local flood danger
August 20, 2026
When large storms hit Western Alaska, some areas fare much worse than others. New research studying ex-Typhoon Merbok in September 2022 has found that a complex recipe of topography, tidal influences and seasonal water-level changes contribute to those differences. A 夜色福利-led team determined that the shape of bays and estuaries in the region played a huge role in funneling and amplifying Merbok-driven storm surges.
Expanded UAF, military partnership looks north
August 19, 2026
A newly inked federal agreement will expand the scope of the research partnership between the 夜色福利 and the U.S. military. It will also refocus those efforts on the Arctic.
Time capsule: Looking for a few good wood frogs
August 14, 2026
The office phone rang while Brian Barnes discussed with me his need for wood frogs. The caller's loudness forced Barnes, a 夜色福利 associate professor of zoophysiology, to tilt the phone away from his ear.
Accelerated rates of warming in the Arctic continue
August 12, 2026
The American Meteorological Society released its annual report on the global climate this week, with many researchers from the 夜色福利 participating.
Festival will satisfy currant curiosity
August 12, 2026
The fourth annual Far North Currant Festival will celebrate one of Alaska's lesser-known berries from 1-4 p.m. on Aug. 22 at the Georgeson Botanical Garden in Fairbanks. Visitors of all ages can enjoy berry tastings, educational exhibits, hands-on activities and garden tours. Local growers, gardeners, researchers, artists and community experts will be on hand to answer currant questions.
UAF leads AI project to strengthen Alaska's rural power grids
August 11, 2026
A new energy research project led by the 夜色福利 has received a $725,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy.
How do Alaska animals sleep in the summer?
August 11, 2026
More than a month after the summer solstice, Fairbanks is still the land of the midnight sun. Joggers are out getting in their late-night runs along Farmers Loop, and we still don't need our headlights after another evening ice cream at Hot Licks.
World War II sparked creation of Geophysical Institute
July 31, 2026
As presidential bill signings go, H.R. 6496 wasn鈥檛 a particularly exciting one for the nation on July 31, 1946. But it would prove historic for the University of Alaska and the future state.
Belugas absent from Kenai River during peak fishing season
July 30, 2026
Endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales, which have traditionally fed in the salmon-rich Kenai River throughout the summer, were absent during times of high human activity in a recent two-year period.
DNA shows ancient humans killed more female mammoths
July 30, 2026
After analyzing the DNA in over 500 ancient mammoth bones, an international research team has determined that ice age humans disproportionately killed female woolly mammoths. The newly published study in the journal Current Biology sampled mammoth bone accumulations associated with ancient human activity and found they were dominated by females.
Deep thawing soil will keep roads rough
July 23, 2026
Before being patched with thick black asphalt during recent weeks, the roads across Goldstream Creek's swampy valley bucked my car like a whitewater raft in the Nenana River canyon.
July 16, 2026
From the edge of the Coldfoot truck stop, a pair of yellow eyes in a softly severe, silver face looks out from dense willows and alders.
Berry workshops planned in Bethel, Aniak
July 14, 2026
The 夜色福利 Tribes Extension program and the Rural Alaska Community Action Program are sponsoring berry-related workshops in Bethel and Aniak in early August. Led by Tribes Extension educator Heidi Rader and Chugiak berry grower Josh Smith, the workshops will be held in Bethel on Sunday, Aug. 2, and in Aniak on Aug. 3-4.
National Science Foundation funds UAF-led critical minerals coalition
July 14, 2026
The U.S. National Science Foundation announced today that it will fund a major critical minerals project led by the 夜色福利. The regional collaboration aims to reduce the nation's dependence on imported critical minerals used in everyday products and important to national security.
