How are important are blockades to the outcome of wars?
Trade blockades are an old tool that is still used in wars. The ERC has awarded an EUR 9.9 million grant to see how significant they really are.
Humanities
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How do objects shape our language?
Objects and shapes influence language and how we see the world. The European Research Council is supporting research on this topic with a NOK 123 million Synergy Grant.
Uncovering the secrets of Norway’s largest lake
Engineers and biologists are standing shoulder to shoulder with philosophers, social scientists and historians to safeguard Norway’s largest lake for future generations.
Piecing together Viking tapestries from the Oseberg Ship
The Vikings surrounded themselves with textiles that were richly illustrated with stories. 1200-year-old tapestry fragments found in Norway’s Oseberg Ship are now being pieced together – without having to touch them.
The cathedral at the end of the world
Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral is full of secrets, messages from the past written in stone. One researcher is now decoding these missives, half hidden in a very special spot in and around the most sacred place in the church.
Language affects how quickly we perceive shades of colour
People who speak a language that has multiple words for different shades of colour perceive the shades more quickly.
Meet the Stone Age Trøndelag man
4000 years ago, a 25-year-old man died on the island of Hitra. Now he has been given a new lease of life at NTNU University Museum.
Witchcraft trials in Norway ended in the 18th century
When it came to the Sámi people, a persistent fight continued against what was termed the art of witchcraft, and missionaries took over from the judicial system.
Do you have an ear for languages? It may be related to how you perceive the rhythms.
A test that shows how good or bad we are at perceiving the rhythm of language can predict the ability to acquire language. The test results may also help us understand individual differences in brain biology.
Why did so many girls die?
Far more female infants than male infants died in Europe from 1700–1950. Researchers have been investigating why.
How an intestinal bacterium from Bergen and a splinter from the Oseberg Ship became art
A playful artist duo invited scientists to take part in a collaboration, and they were more than willing to oblige. This is how an intestinal bacterium from Bergen and a 1200-year-old wooden splinter became public art.
A 500-year-old law laid the foundation for how Norwegians understand – and trust – the law today
Medieval Norwegians felt King Magnus VI’s Code of the Realm was fair when it was introduced as one of the first laws of its kind in Europe. For more than 500 years, this law has helped give Norwegian people a relatively high level of trust in their judicial system.
Social media can reveal who needs the most help
Researchers find the most depression and the least adaptability in poorer areas that are home to a larger proportion of minorities.
You can always become a better reader
When children first learn to read, a number of factors affect their success. Some of these factors benefit girls more than boys.
Scandinavia’s oldest known ship burial is located in mid-Norway
Dating shows that the ship grave at Leka in central Norway is from before the Viking Age. That makes it Scandinavia’s oldest known ship burial.
Jon Fosse is both high culture and a champion of the banal
In a literary conversation, Jon Fosse said “I am who I am”, which perfectly sums up the awkward, yet insistent way he writes.
The hunt for the Malvik apple
Finding old — and hardy — apple varieties was a challenge for the Trøndelag apple community.
When trees talk
We think of trees as silent sentinels, watching as the world goes by and the ages pass. But what if you could interview them about what they have seen?
Early whaling eradicated species from local waters
Several whale species disappeared from Europe long before whaling became a major industry. Two of the most common species are no longer found here, and one of them is almost extinct.
When 1100 teachers defied Hitler — and won!
More than 80 years ago, Norwegian teachers refused to teach Nazi ideology to their students. They were tortured, imprisoned and starved. But they prevailed. The story of how they won — and why it still matters.
Listening to Leviathans
Nineteenth-century Norwegian technology helped bring large whale populations to the brink of extinction. Can 21st-century technology help save them?
Has Europe built a fortress against everyone else?
The prevailing opinion is that Europe built a common fortress to keep people from outside the EU/EEA out. But is this true?
Rare Stone Age discovery in mid-Norway
When archaeologists recently carried out an excavation at Vinjeøra in southern Trøndelag County, they made a surprising discovery that they had only dreamed of finding.
Central Norway’s largest burial mound likely contains a ship burial
We were through the roof with excitement when the first ship rivet was found, says archaeologist Geir Grønnesby at the NTNU University Museum