Immune system and mental health are connected
Our understanding of how our psyche affects our immune system – and vice versa – has been limited. Until now.
Seaweed and kelp are more than food
Algae cultivation is popular, but good uses for the raw material are still lacking. Researchers in Norway are set to do something about this, with the goal of fully using this resource.
Here’s what you need to rise to the top
Passion, grit, the right mindset and support from others are what’s needed to rank among the best in a given field. That’s the only way you’ll be able to keep yourself motivated and endure all the practice that’s required.
Practising cyber security gets easier
A new tool will make it easier and cheaper to train individuals who defend us from computer attacks.
New research could predict landslide threats
In theory, PoreLab studies porous media. But the research team dreams of being able to predict quick clay landslides as part of their results.
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are a warning sign
Women who experience hypertensive disorders while pregnant are more susceptible to developing cardiovascular disease later in life. But the main reason doesn’t stem from the hypertensive disorder itself.
What killed this person?
Sometimes it’s hard to know what a person has actually died from. But post-mortem CT scans may provide a useful tool.
Giving ferries wings to optimize wave power
The boat wings started as an unfinished idea in Eirik Bøckmann’s head. Now they’re being mounted on a ferry in the Faroe Islands.
Well-meaning climate measures can make matters worse
Lifestyle changes can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and help protect nature. While some actions offer great potential, some aren’t as effective as we think and may even require more land and water, such as shifting to renewable energy.
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.
Stephen Fry: If we sleepwalk, we’ll die
“We may be a mere 20 years away from creating artificial life,” says Stephen Fry. He warns that these new life forms won’t see any need to keep us, and may instead look at us as pests.
“The fabric of life is disintegrating”
“Human beings are destroying the nature that we are all a part of,” says the winner of the Gunnerus Award in Sustainability Science, Professor Sandra M. Díaz.
Earth’s population could shrink soon
Better opportunities for women mean that the threat of overcrowding the planet may not be as dramatic as people fear. The population may well decline in a few decades.
Publishing half-truths worsens treatment for patients
“I am a doctor who reveals idiots as a hobby,” says Ben Goldacre. If so, it’s become a pretty comprehensive hobby.
How to defend yourself against fake news
How can we defend ourselves against false information? NTNU researchers provide some tips and tackle the problem during The Big Challenge Science Festival this week.
$180 million to go toward mapping world’s species
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.
Eliminating infamous security threats
Meltdown and Spectre attack computers. No efficient protection has been found. Until now.
Michelin-class composting
Now you can learn how to compost food scraps from a Michelin restaurant. Restaurant Credo folks in Trondheim will be showing off their artistry at the FUTURUM exhibit, part of NTNU’s science festival The Big Challenge.
Migrants not particularly prone to depression
Migrants are doing well generally, but experience higher rates of depressive symptoms than the population at large in some European countries. One country stands out as an exception.
What makes everyone sick?
The world’s best-known doctor is coming to the Big Challenge to talk about the world’s biggest challenge, and one that thousands of scientists are trying to figure out: what makes us sick? Norway is among the challenge participants.
Why you should care about better fibre optics
Fibre optic research can give us better medical equipment, improved environmental monitoring, more media channels – and maybe better solar panels.
Passion trumps love for sex in relationships
When women distinguish between sex and the relational and emotional aspects of a relationship, this determines how often couples in long-term relationships have sex. Passion plays a significant role.
How you can help the insect world
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.
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.
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.
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.
Are European NATO states freeloading?
Perhaps the US president has a point. Are European NATO countries simply piggybacking on US defence efforts?
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.
Why are you and I – and everything else – here?
Apparently, everything should have turned to light. Instead, you and I and everything else are here. But physicists don’t know why.