When AI replaces everyday thinking
If the current stage of AI development frees us from thinking, who will decide what the next stage will be?
Listening to whales – even when they make no sound
A 100-year-old equation and a fibre-optic cable off the coast of Svalbard led researchers to discover they could detect swimming whales — even if they were completely silent. The discovery broadens the tools that biologists could someday use to detect and monitor these marine giants.
Location matters: Balancing renewable energy and biodiversity in Norway
How can Norway provide new renewable energy sources to meet future needs while still protecting its natural environment, and the plants and animals that live there?
Patients are much more demanding than ever before
Pablo Picasso’s painting ‘Science and Charity’ from 1897 depicts a meek and compliant patient lying placidly in bed between the doctor and the nurse. Picasso would hardly recognize the modern-day patient.
How trained community health officers cut Sierra Leone’s maternal deaths by two-thirds
Maternal mortality in Sierra Leone used to be among the highest in the world. A 15-year-old non-profit programme that trains community health officers to do life-saving surgeries has helped slash that risk by two-thirds.
Boycott unethical AI companies – and do it now!
In light of recent events, it is time for consumers to start wielding their power to influence the AI giants. Replace ChatGPT with Claude, and do not use the Microsoft Copilot chatbot.
Europe’s power grid has a big drought problem
Europe’s droughts are challenging its clean energy ambitions — with considerable social and environmental costs. There’s a solution – but it’s not quite what you might expect.
High levels of forever chemicals in Svalbard reindeer
Svalbard reindeer live in a place so remote they have actually evolved to become a subspecies. But that remoteness isn’t enough to protect them from contaminants from the industrial world.
Open-source software can increase security – but a long-term approach is required
The security policy landscape has changed. We are at increasing risk because we are so dependent on large US technology companies.
From Arctic Readiness to Mideast Crisis: NATO on the edge
Roughly 25000 soldiers from 14 nations are gathering in northern Norway this month for a biannual NATO joint training exercise called Cold Response. But the changing US attitude towards NATO under the Trump administration raises questions about its future, one researcher says.
Tundra tongue: The science behind a very cold mistake
You’ve done it too, haven’t you? Or maybe you know someone who has? Stuck their tongue to a piece of frozen metal in the winter, even though they know it’s cold? But is it dangerous?
What freezing plants in blocks of ice can tell us about the future of Svalbard’s plant communities
How will a warming Arctic affect plant growth on Svalbard? Researchers encased plant plots in a thick layer of ice during the winter and used little greenhouses to heat up those plots in the summer. The surprise? The plants that got the harshest treatment did just fine.
Polluting the environment for all eternity – and still sticking our heads in the sand
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework states that plastic pollution must be eliminated by 2030. So why haven’t we enacted measures that make a real difference?
Keeping an eagle eye on carbon stored in the ocean
Geologic reservoirs that trapped petroleum for millions of years are now being repurposed to store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. New research is improving how we monitor this storage and verify how much CO₂ these reservoirs have stored.
When a baby’s small movements have big consequences
A breakthrough method from the 1990s is now being transformed into an AI-powered tool to help doctors diagnose cerebral palsy.
Babies are born to learn – and they learn by moving
In her 35 years as a psychologist, NTNU researcher Audrey van der Meer has studied everything from baby swimming to what infants learn before they are born. At the core of her work is the idea that babies are born to learn – and the key to their learning is movement.
Can we tap the ocean’s power to capture carbon?
The oceans have to play a role in helping humanity remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to curb dangerous climate warming. But are we ready to scale up the technologies that will do the job?
Want to cut your carbon footprint? Move out of your house
There’s no getting around it: downsizing the kind of housing you live in is the best thing you can do for the environment.
An uninvited guest leads to a new antibiotic
Alexander Fleming famously discovered penicillin back in 1928, when an experiment he was running was accidentally was contaminated by mold. When bacteria contaminated one of her cancer cell cultures in 2011, researcher Marit Otterlei decided to follow in Fleming’s footsteps.
Preventing recidivism after imprisonment
Reoffending after serving time in prison is a common problem. A new study identifies what it takes to break the cycle and create lasting change.
Spending time outdoors improves young people’s health
Stress is a global epidemic that can be caused by a sedentary lifestyle. One solution is obvious.
Unlocking the secrets of Viking and medieval walrus tusk trade
Two tiny Scandinavian settlements in Greenland persisted for nearly 500 years and then mysteriously vanished. Their disappearance has been blamed on everything from poor agricultural practices to a changing climate. But what if the real reason was the walrus tusk trade?
What does it do to children when parents are always distracted by their phones?
Digital failure is more than just inconsiderate distraction – it can affect your child’s emotional safety and social skills.
Does adapting to a warmer climate have drawbacks?
When animals evolve to tolerate higher temperatures, those evolutionary changes might have other negative effects. Or maybe not.
The future of marine operations: Robots that organize themselves
Autonomous robots that organize themselves are the next step in working in and studying the ocean.
New clues from old bones: Some Vikings were much more violent than others
An investigation into Viking skeletons reveals a hidden story of violence, power, and the surprising differences between neighbouring Viking societies.
Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?
The lifetime of some Norwegian appliances, like washing machines and ovens, has in fact decreased over the last decades, a new study says. But the reason is most probably due to consumer preferences and not because of “planned obsolescence.”
Why a groundbreaking discovery about tiny RNA molecules may be helpful for humans and wildlife
Short strands of genetic material called microRNA have implications for human health – but they could also revolutionize species identification, and perhaps even allow monitoring of wildlife health. Here’s how they work and the potential they offer.
Trump wants Greenland – but here’s what the people of Greenland want
Donald Trump used a 2018 survey on Greenlandic preferences for national independence to bolster his argument for annexing the autonomous territory.
Why is it so hard to bring clean cookers to Africa?
Despite decades of innovation, more than a billion people in sub-Saharan Africa still don’t have access to clean cooking. Low-tech, affordable cookers exist, yet firewood remains the go-to fuel. Why?
NTNU physicist honoured in Australia
Physicist Sol Jacobsen from QuSpin has been awarded a prestigious award.
A lifeline – with challenges and risks
Norway’s support for scholars at risk is a lifeline for displaced academics. As displaced scholars, however, we see that challenges remain.