What do the animals in stave church ornamentation signify?
The richly decorated portal at Urnes stave church has often been interpreted in light of paganism. That’s wrong, according to a new stave church study.
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New drones check ships for cracks and rust
Inspecting ship tanks and storage spaces underwater is a challenging task for humans. A start-up company that originated at NTNU is manufacturing autonomous drones that can take over the job – and do it more cheaply.
Men sometimes act less interested in sex – in order to get it
In a new study, women said they acted a little more interested in sex than they really were. Men are the ones who apparently play cool most often.
Carbon capture is cheaper than ever
According to a new report, many years of research effort have resulted in significant reductions in the cost of full-scale carbon capture and storage.
Finding ways to use less salt on snowy roads
It’s springtime in much of the northern hemisphere, although spring snowstorms are still possible. When that happens, salt trucks and ploughs help make roads safe. But road salt can be bad for the environment, and can rust cars, bicycles and other metal. New research shows that salt use can be safely — and substantially — cut in certain circumstances.
When the extreme becomes the norm: Svalbard reindeer cope with dramatic climate change
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.
Kavli Institute researchers discover new type of brain cell
Researchers at NTNU’s Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience have found specialized brain cells that help us navigate in space.
Toss it if it’s 481 years old – but not if it’s a year older
Norway conserves archaeological finds from 1537, but not when they’re from 1538 or later. That means we know less about people’s everyday lives during the last 481 years.
Teaching on Mount Everest and Mars
In the virtual world, inaccessible places become accessible. NTNU uses virtual reality – or VR – technology to create new teaching methods.
EU consumption results in high carbon emissions from tropical deforestation
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.
How do species adapt to their surroundings?
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.
Well-known drug has less risk for preterm delivery in PCOS
Metformin significantly reduces the risk of late miscarriages and preterm births for women with PCOS. But the drug does not work to prevent gestational diabetes, according to a large Nordic study from NTNU and St. Olavs hospital.
Common medication may lead to obesity
Metformin has several benefits when the mother has PCOS. But children are at greater risk for obesity later in life.
Gunnerus Award goes to expert on biodiversity
Ecology professor Sandra Myrna Díaz is the winner of the 2019 Gunnerus Award in Sustainability Science.
A first glimpse deep beneath an ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridge
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.
Researchers want to store Swedish CO2 on the Norwegian shelf
A Swedish-Norwegian research project will be looking into the possibilities and costs of transporting CO2 captured in Sweden for storage on the Norwegian shelf. This is the first project ever to look into this possibility.
Tourism, aquaculture and offshore accidents with Blueye
Blueye is an underwater drone that got its start at NTNU. The drone can be used for serious purposes – such as when it mapped damage to the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad – or for entertainment, such as showing cruise passengers the underwater landscape.
To abort or not to abort – making difficult choices alone
Some pregnant women are so conflicted about abortion that they don’t even talk about it with their own mother.
Drones catching drones
How do you catch a drone flying at 70 km/h over a ship? With string.
Ocean life in 3-D: Mapping phytoplankton with a smart AUV
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.
More than 30 presenters signed up for NTNU’s science festival, The Big Challenge
Comedian Stephen Fry is coming. So is the man who created the drone show that Metallica takes on tour, and a cyborg artist who had an antenna surgically implanted in the back of his head so he can hear colours.
Are European NATO states freeloading?
Perhaps the US president has a point. Are European NATO countries simply piggybacking on US defence efforts?
The world meets in Trondheim to share CCS know-how
The themes of the tenth edition of the Trondheim CCS Conference are technology that is absolutely necessary to combat climate change: CO2 capture, transport and storage.
This solar panel is the first in the world to store both electricity and heat
Moreover, researchers have succeeded in increasing its output dramatically by providing the panel with its own cooling system.
Basic safety measures will save lives in tunnels
What has to happen to facilitate more effective rescues from tunnel fires? Researchers have been investigating how 80 research subjects wearing VR glasses reacted in a virtual tunnel fire. Their conclusion is that basic measures can save lives.
Short-term hydro operation planning could bring in billions
What is the best timing for the various hydroelectric plants to produce power? NTNU and SINTEF have developed an efficient and profitable simulation tool to make the most of hydropower generation.
Pupils with low grades feel less supported by teachers
A recent study of upper secondary students shows that strong students experience more support from teachers than do students who have lower grades.
Electric motors go to print
Even electric motors can be made more environmentally friendly. A Norwegian start-up company is on it.
How genes affect tobacco and alcohol use
Data from 1.2 million people reveal how tobacco and alcohol use may be linked to your genes and to various diseases.
Little words are better than their reputation
“Meaningless” little words create nuances and meaning in our language and can make our communication more effective.
Making artificial intelligence understandable for the rest of us
Humans have developed machines that can learn on their own. Machines using artificial intelligence develop “behaviours” based on their interpretation of data. But we know less about how they teach themselves. Professor Harald Martens has created the start-up company Idletechs to develop a technology that will make artificial intelligence more understandable for the rest of us.
C-sections by trained health officers a safe alternative
Sierra Leone has few doctors and even fewer surgeons to serve its seven million people. Since 2011, a non-profit group called CapaCare has been training community health officers to perform basic lifesaving surgeries. A new study shows the programme is working well when it comes to the most common surgery in the country — Caesarean sections.