Sun and wind in a box
Renewable energy is fine, but often it’s needed at times other than when the wind is blowing or the sun makes an appearance. The energy needs to be stored – and a new method is on the horizon.
Renewable energy is fine, but often it’s needed at times other than when the wind is blowing or the sun makes an appearance. The energy needs to be stored – and a new method is on the horizon.
We can’t take care of the Earth’s species unless we know what species exist. A collaborative project that will help us know more is being launched in Trondheim during The Big Challenge science festival.
Ecologist Daniel H. Janzen has spent virtually all of his half-century career trying to catalogue and understand the creatures in a patch of dry tropical forest in northwestern Costa Rica. Little did he realize his efforts would evolve into building a sea-to-summit conservation area — and a drive to inventory all million species in the country in partnership with the Costa Rican government.
We’ve changed our name to Norwegian SciTech News — so readers know immediately what they will find here.
Fibre optic research can give us better medical equipment, improved environmental monitoring, more media channels – and maybe better solar panels.
Many insect species are struggling. But all of us can help them, whether we live in an apartment or in a house with a garden.
The arctic archipelago of Svalbard is already experiencing dramatic effects from climate change. A new study shows how these changes can force wild reindeer to graze on seaweed, a strategy that increases their likelihood of survival— and is recorded in their poop.
Climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme winter rain events in the Arctic. These kinds of winter storms on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago can cause a thick cap of ice to cover the forage that reindeer eat. You’d think that more frequent rain-on-snow events would spell the end for these arctic animals — but you’d be wrong.
A sixth of all emissions resulting from the typical diet of an EU citizen can be directly linked to deforestation of tropical forests. Two new studies shed light on this impact, by combining satellite imagery of the rainforest, global land use statistics and data of international trade patterns.
Several fish species can change sex as needed. Other species adapt to their surroundings by living long lives — or by living shorter lives and having lots of offspring. The ability of animals and plants to change can sometimes manifest in apparently extreme ways.
Ecology professor Sandra Myrna Díaz is the winner of the 2019 Gunnerus Award in Sustainability Science.
For the first time ever, researchers have been able to peek deep into the mantle of the Earth under an ultraslow mid-ocean ridge, where they have been able to observe mantle melting and growth of the Earth’s crust.
Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food chain but are notoriously difficult for scientists to account for — a little like trying to identify and count motes of dust in the air. A truly independent underwater vehicle shows it can do the job.
Do we have a dominant brain hemisphere? Do we use our whole brain? Can we train our brains to be smarter? Does our ability to learn depend only on our genetic inheritance?
Apparently, everything should have turned to light. Instead, you and I and everything else are here. But physicists don’t know why.
Twenty-five years ago, African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) disappeared from Serengeti National Park. A firestorm of debate followed when one researcher claimed that handling by scientists was the cause. New research refutes that claim and offers another explanation.
Travelling to Mars will require astronauts to grow their own food. NTNU is creating the planters for cultivating veggies in space. Now that researchers have finished lettuce-growing experiments, they’ll be embarking on bean trials.
Flock status is crucial for small birds struggling to survive the winter. Those with the lowest status face tough odds.
Several countries are warning of massive insect deaths. Right now we don’t know how matters stand in Norway. But that’s about to change.
Climate change in the Arctic means more winter rain, and consequently more rain falling on snow. The result can be a buildup of ice under the snow, which can wreak havoc with arctic ecosystems.
Three new fjord laboratories, one in Trondheim, one in Hitra/Frøya and one in Ålesund, along with two test basins in Trondheim are planned as part of the project.
Listen to headliners such as Edward Snowden, Ben Goldacre and the musician Sting. Festival passes go on sale from Friday 7 December.
An enzyme that normally repairs damaged DNA may be the key to a new treatment for inflammatory diseases.
Our carbon emissions are much higher than are needed for us to have happy, healthy lives. But cutting these emissions requires us to think differently about how we measure growth and progress.