Fjord ice can have a great impact on local communities
Norwegian fjord and coastal ice represent a potential security threat, as it may cut off entire communities from the outside world.
Society
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School, war and crisis management
The Norwegian school year start up again after another pandemic crisis year and with the ongoing war in Ukraine. Pupils’ experiences may be different, but all children are affected by these crises, some many years later.
Working from home has become a universal right. This raises five important questions
How can we ensure that everyone feels that they can cope and develop? This is just one of many challenges that employers have to address now that working from home is here to stay.
European innovation award for hearing screening of children
A game-based test that detects hearing loss in children has recently been awarded a European innovation medal. Both the test and the technology behind it have been developed by Norwegian researchers.
A failed democratic experiment?
This is how the democratic process is described in several of the former Soviet states that won their freedom starting in the 1990s. Now researchers want to propose new ways of building democracy.
Companies need to report their climate risks
Regulators across the globe regularly require publicly traded companies to tell their stockholders about potential financial risks. A March proposal from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would require companies to disclose the risks that climate change poses to their financial health. Adopting the rule is an important step for the climate, researchers say.
Not all social media fuel conspiracy theories in the same way
Conspiracy theories spread quickly early on in the pandemic, and social media received a lot of the blame. But not all social media are the same.
And behind it all looms the threat of nuclear weapons
Ukraine is certainly putting pressure on Russia in the war. How can this be? And is this good news against an authoritarian regime with atomic weapons?
How useful or necessary is homework?
This topic is one of several addressed in an updated Norwegian Education Act that is currently out for comments. Several researchers are sceptical about the benefits of homework.
Pixelization — Using solar panels to beautify building facades
The shift to greener energy technologies can be beautiful as well as carbon neutral.
How terrorism affects our attitudes
Some types of terrorist acts affect people much more than others. Islamist violence apparently produces the strongest counter-reactions.
What’s the best way to combine sports and school?
What challenges do teens face when they prioritize both their education and elite sports? Researchers have interviewed athletes who juggle both.
How does light impact our school pupils?
Did you know that light is a factor that affects both learning and the psychological development in school children? The right kind of light can boost performance in reading, writing and maths, and suppress restlessness and aggression.
Is it really selfish to complain about electricity prices?
Norwegians are not necessarily being selfish by wanting to go back to the good old days of cheap electricity. Nor do people think it is acceptable to use the situation for some to enrich themselves at the expense of others, says the researcher.
Algorithms can prevent online abuse
The number of abuse cases against children via the internet has increased by almost 50 per cent in five years, according to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Researchers at NTNU in Gjøvik have developed algorithms that can help detect planned online grooming by analysing conversations.
Mental stress plagues 44 per cent of teenage girls in Norway
In the age of smartphones and social media, the number of adolescents and young adults in Norway with depression and anxiety has doubled. Researchers believe politicians and technology giants need to take more responsibility.
Old Norse settlers traded walrus ivory with Kyiv
Norse settlers in Greenland exported walrus tusk ivory to Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages.
Thousands of environmental bombs under Norwegian homes
Heating with oil in homes and commercial buildings is now banned in Norway. The storage tanks are supposed to be removed from buildings, but many people choose not to get rid of these environmental time bombs.
Keeping the faith – or your willingness to push yourself – as you grow older
Did you ever want to get really good at something when you were younger? Over the years, you tend to lose some of the spark and the belief in yourself that you’ll succeed. But – there’s hope.
Better cyber security at sea
Drug dealers have tricked shipping cargo tracking systems to think drugs are “bananas” and unknown actors have jammed GPS signals in northern Norwegian waters. Fixing these problems requires understanding how seafarers themselves perceive cyber risks — so they can do a better job protecting themselves and their vessels.
Ruminating on our ruminations causes more depression
A lot of young people have depressive symptoms. Ruminative thinking, and even thinking about how much you ruminate, reinforces the symptoms. But there is hope.
How can deficits be avoided at major sporting events?
Many major sporting events experience large cost overruns and lower revenues than expected. The reasons are complex, but several misjudgements seem to recur from one event to the next. Researchers in sports economics offer a solution to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again.
The computing industry can assist Polish refugee centres
Speedy work carried out for free in Norway resulted in an IT system that protects refugees against human traffickers at the Polish-Ukrainian border. This type of aid work may become financially self-supporting.
This kind of flirting works best
Some people succeed at flirting more often than others. Plenty of people are obviously more attractive than the rest of us, but it also seems that a lot of them know what works. Now researchers do, too.