Found hundreds of species using DNA barcoding
There are millions of species on Earth that we still know nothing about. Researchers call these species ‘biological dark matter’, but new methods can provide us with a better overview more quickly.
Natural science
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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.
Cracking the planetary code
Imagine if everyone were to agree to do everything they can to help the planet. Right now. What sort of state would we and the planet be in in 2050? And what would we have to do?
Don’t store food in plastic grocery bags!
The warning couldn’t be clearer. Standard plastic grocery bags are useful when we’re out shopping, but don’t use them to store food. So says research scientist Lisbet Sørensen at SINTEF.
Are European vipers expanding their range?
Vipers (Vipera berus) are being observed in areas where no one has seen them ever before.
Svalbard: Non-native species are threatening vulnerable plant life
Non-native, invasive species are among the world’s biggest environmental problems. Svalbard has been unaffected – up until now.
Smart collaboration on future technology
TOPOCOM is bringing together leading European research institutions to work on a project that could replace today’s electronics.
Researchers work to promote phosphorus recovery and recycling
Here’s how Norway can limit the loss of an all-important substance, phosphorus.
Algorithms in the Arctic – removing bad weather from images to make Arctic shipping safer
Arctic shipping traffic is on the increase. One day, these ships will be autonomous. New technology that can remove rain, snow and fog from the images produced by the ship’s cameras and sensors will increase safety in extreme conditions.
Cheap, dirty leftovers can produce pure oxygen
Industry needs a lot of pure oxygen. New materials that are affordable and robust can provide us with cheaper and more sustainable oxygen production.
This could make today’s ultra-fast computers seem slow
Magnons, Bose-Einstein condensates and very bright people.
Your apple core may someday fuel an airplane
In the future, your apple core may end up fuelling a Boeing. New research could help make the production of aviation fuel from biomass more efficient.
Unlocking the secrets of evolution
We know that evolution works over many, many millennia, giving rise to everything from hippopotamuses to whales and more. A new study looks at the links between microevolution, or evolution over a shorter period, and macroevolution, or evolution over thousand or millions of generations.
Plastic food packaging contains harmful substances
Plastic food packaging can contain chemicals that affect your hormones, metabolism and the transmission of signals in your body.
Are animals able to cope with climate change?
Professor Jane M. Reid has received NOK 29 million in EU funding to investigate how animals adapt to rapid environmental change.
Saying no to all gene technology is an ethical short-circuit
Conventional breeding techniques result in major and uncontrolled modifications to the genetic material of plants and animals. If arguments based on the ‘precautionary principle’ are used as blindly on this issue as in the gene technology debate, then we are condemning the world to starvation.
4D imaging of fluids in pores
A method based on CT (computed tomography) – a type of imaging that is widely used in hospitals – can help improve our understanding of CO2 storage, batteries, and processes in the body such as nutrient uptake.
Artificial intelligence makes smarter use of seaweed and kelp
Seaweed and kelp, or macroalgae, are used in many products, and may become an even more important resource in the future. Artificial intelligence can help us avoid overusing this valuable resource.
Gloom and doom warnings about climate change do not work
How do you spread a message about climate change? According to an international study involving 59,000 participants, some tactics may actually reduce support.
Connecting computers so they can think faster
Calculations that previously took a year can now be performed in just 10 days by computers connected in a special way.
Development projects should be assessed according to the cumulative impact they have on nature
Does it matter if a small area of rare wetland is lost if a lot more of the same area remains intact? In Norway, it is impossible to say, because no-one can show how many such wetlands are being destroyed elsewhere at the same time.
Precautionary fundamentalism is threatening Norwegian food production
If the Norwegian government rejects the majority opinion of the Gene Technology Committee, it will miss a long overdue opportunity to boost food safety, improve animal welfare and promote more eco-friendly pesticides.
How bats survive Norwegian winter nights
Bats hunt at night, navigating in the dark using echolocation to find insects and other food. During the winter, bats in Norway have to manage as best they can by hibernating, but until now, not much has been known about how they do this.
Jealousy – we understand our own sex best
Do you really know why your partner gets jealous? We understand a surprising amount about other people’s jealousy, but we understand our own sex best.