Mapping the conflict between farming and biodiversity
A new study provides the most detailed dataset yet on the biodiversity footprint of food. The results can lead to more sustainable diets.
Biology
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Gaining a better overview of life on earth
Approximately 47 000 different species have been identified in Norway – and there are probably many more. A new tool can help us gain a better overview.
Supergenes helped bring alien plant to Norway
The plant is called common ragweed, and if you are allergic to pollen, you should probably pay extra close attention. This is one of the invasive plants that supergenes have brought to Norway.
Tracking whales as they cruise the Arctic
For the first time ever, researchers have been able to track eight fin whales in near real time for five hours, as they swam along a stretch of fibre-optic cable line in the Arctic. The breakthrough suggests that fibre-optic cable networks could be harnessed to help prevent whale deaths by ship strikes.
Bacteria could make salmon healthier
Bacteria-free fish fry put researchers on the track of how they could make fish more disease resistant.
Prestigious EU support to save species
An NTNU professor has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant to investigate how species can survive a changing environment.
Moose can play a big role in global warming
Climate researchers have long known that large animals, like moose, could play a role in how much the Earth will warm due to climate change. But the question is, how much? New research shows the answer can be a lot.
Over a hundred new species discovered in Norway
You don’t get to discover a new insects and arachnids numbering in the hundreds every day. Most of the new discoveries were of the biting midge variety.
Just one degree can change a species
Even seemingly small changes in the climate can change the number of animals and plants in an area and how species behave, new research shows. Natural history collections provide valuable insights.
Enzymes from bacteria and fungi break down plastic
Plastic is useful but also poses an environmental problem. Scientists are now using enzymes from bacteria and fungi to break down plastic.
Eavesdropping on the Earth itself
This summer, a coalition of researchers led by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology reported the first-ever use of a fibre-optic cable network to eavesdrop on whales in the Arctic. Now they suggest these networks be used to establish a low-cost global ocean-earth observatory.
World’s food production footprint on climate and environment
Cattle farming has often been portrayed as having the most detrimental environmental impact because it takes the most grazing land, uses a lot of water and has large methane emissions. But it’s not the worst. And is locally produced food always best for the environment?
Goal is to add 15 000 species to the DNA library in Europe
DNA from European species is being collected in an open reference work. Norway’s contributions are well underway.
More efficient ocean mapping and monitoring
Australia has a seafloor monitoring program where they can precisely surveil the changes in the environment. NTNU has attracted one of the key researchers from this project. Oscar Pizarro’s research goal is to find tools to facilitate continuous observation with less resources.
ERC support for coral research
Lena van Giesen, an associate professor at NTNU’s Department of Biology, was awarded EUR 1.7 million by the European Research Council (ERC) to study larval development of the coral Lophelia pertusa as well as its environment.
Half of the data deficient species may be threatened with extinction
We know very little about very many species. Unfortunately, that’s often not a good sign.
It is not enough to save water – we must reuse it
Is it safe to use treated wastewater to irrigate lawns and vegetable crops? This is the question now being addressed by researchers and the water industry.
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.
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.