What goes on in the brain when it gets too hot?
Which organisms survive and which succumb when the climate changes? A small larval fish is providing surprising insight into how the brain reacts when the temperature rises.
Biology
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How a plant from the USA invaded Europe
This invader can extend the pollen season to November, and it is heading towards Norway. For now, it has stopped in Denmark.
Arctic mercury levels drop during the depths of the winter
The interplay between mercury and manganese in Arctic seawater may explain a surprising drop researchers found in mercury levels in the Barents Sea during the winter.
Darwin’s giant daisies and evolution
How animals and plants adapt to the environment is often particularly evident on islands. Now Darwin’s giant daisies are helping researchers understand a little more about how these plants actually go about adapting.
Twin mothers aren’t more fertile – just luckier
The prevailing belief by researchers has been that mothers of twins are more fertile than other women. But a new study shows that isn’t the case.
“Pamela” makes studying the ocean easy and affordable
NTNU biology and cybernetics researchers have built a robot that allows them to sample everything from microplastic to salmon lice densities.
Testing lice traps on the Hardanger coast
Researchers at NINA, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, and NTNU have developed a new method for monitoring salmon lice larvae along the coast. The lice trap is now being tested in the Hardangerfjord.
Eavesdropping on whales in the high Arctic
The Earth’s oceans are crisscrossed with roughly 1.2 million km of fibre optic telecommunication cables — enough to girdle the planet 30 times. Researchers have now succeeded in using fibre in a submarine cable as a passive listening system, enabling them to listen to and monitor whales.
Norwegian rivers need to be better protected
When hydroelectric power plants suddenly switch off the water, we risk killing fish fry and other living organisms in rivers. The regulations need to change, say scientists and anglers.
Parasites affect salmon in several ways
When salmon ingest parasites, the parasite may not be the only factor that determines the impact on the health of the fish.
Observing Arctic marine life — from the seabed to space
NTNU researchers from AMOS, the Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems, used small satellites and subsea robots — and everything in between — to study marine life in Svalbard’s Kongsfjorden in a first-ever experiment in May.
A cushy lab life has its evolutionary costs — when it comes to fish, that is
An animal’s ability to adapt to its environment is clearly key to its survival, but does that ability come at a physiological cost? A clever experiment with laboratory zebrafish and their wild relatives suggests it does.
The Detectives: Hunting toxic chemicals in the Arctic
What researchers are learning about the fate of chemicals in the Arctic, and how what they’re learning is changing international law and providing life-saving advice.
Two Industrial Ecology professors named to international climate-related posts
Professor Edgar Hertwich has been named to the EU’s newly constituted European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, while Professor Francesco Cherubini has been asked to serve as a Lead Author for an upcoming assessment by The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
ERC Grant aims to figure out the cost of survival
DNA from sticklebacks that is thousands of years old could provide answers to one of the great questions of evolution. The EU is supporting the research with over 600.000 euros.
Ladybirds: The insects almost everyone likes
Ladybird beetles are probably among the most popular insects we have. Did you know that Norway has some 50 different species – plus some unwelcome guests?
The tiny structures that mimic a cell’s natural environment
Covering glass microscope slides in tiny, nano-sized pillars can mimic a cell’s natural environment – and could help biologists understand how cells act inside the human body.
What plants need to withstand drought
When temperatures rise, it affects the plants that agriculture and we depend on. Now we know more about how plants resist drought.
Plastic chemicals may contribute to weight gain
Plastic consumer products contain chemicals that may promote the development of overweight and obesity.
How do dolphins learn to live along the coast?
Ocean-dwelling dolphins have repeatedly adapted to life in coastal areas throughout history.
The Norwegian wolf is extinct
The Norwegian wolf died out in the wild a long time ago. The wolves in Norwegian forests today are Finnish. Inbreeding is making them prone to extinction as well.
What is nature worth?
Climate change is not the greatest threat to the diversity of species on Earth. The main problem is that animal and plant habitats are disappearing.
Ski wax chemicals alter animals’ brains and livers
New research confirms that fluorinated compounds in ski waxes affect organs in mice.
New technology can count endangered salamanders
The stomach patterns of salamanders are as unique as human fingerprints. This feature will be used in an app to record salamander numbers.