Natural science

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Hunting down toxic substances in sludge

Chemists behave like detectives as they examine sludge from sewage systems. They hope to contribute to better sludge recycling by identifying the contaminants and toxic substances it contains.

Coastal marshlands are the place between land and sea

An ‘unknown’ ecosystem that is good news for the climate

At the boundary between the land and sea, there exists an ecosystem that has been overlooked by Norwegians for so long that it was only recently given an official name. But studies are revealing that it has some very desirable properties.

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.

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.

Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe and the $6 billion deal

How the unlikely combination of WWII Germany, a modest English engineer who created a worker’s paradise, an ambitious industrialist prosecuted as a traitor and a hardworking PhD helped build modern Norway, one aluminium ingot at a time.

Illustration photo of peacock with feathers out

Nature’s colours can replace toxic pigments

Dye pigments are often toxic, so researchers around the world have long been looking for effective ways to make non-toxic, recyclable and sustainable colours instead. The answer lies in nanotechnology and nature’s own methods.

Everyday electronic waste contains valuable materials

Demand for rare minerals and metals creates eco-dilemma

The world is crying out for rare minerals for the manufacture of electric cars, wind turbines and other technologies that we simply need more of. But how can we guarantee access to these resources without threatening the natural world and mankind as we know it?

Hunting for dead stars

Neutron stars are the little siblings of black holes and show some of the most extreme phenomena in the universe. The European Research Council (ERC) is giving Professor Manuel Linares EUR 2 million to hunt them down.

Grey wolf in the forest

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.