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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.

VIEWPOINTS

Yes, we should produce hydrogen in Norway

Producing hydrogen will become an important part of decarbonising Europe’s energy system and is one of the opportunities Norway has to maintain value creation along the lines of what the country has experienced with oil and gas.

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The hidden helpers

The situation of family carers has recently been the national news in Norway. Hidden helpers – caregiving relatives – must become visible in order to prevent becoming patients themselves, and health policy rhetoric needs to be translated into action.

Moose in forest, photo by Endre Grüner Ofstad

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.

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Mini2P microscope goes global

The Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience has won a grant to share its groundbreaking miniature brain microscope with researchers across the globe.

fibre-optic Icebreaking Vessel In Arctic at sunset

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.

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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.

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.

Making bike-sharing work

Bike-sharing is a way for cities to cut their greenhouse gas emissions while limiting urban congestion. But bikes have to be available when and where people want them. A new approach can help by ensuring bikes are in the right place at the right time.

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.

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.

WITH PODCAST

Pirates, noblewomen and bicycling housewives

Why does Norway always rank among the top countries on the planet when it comes to gender equality? Part of the answer lies in medieval times, when Norwegian women battled the Hanseatic League with pirates and threatened to burn down towns to wield their power.