The potato disease that changed the world
Potato blight changed Europe and America, and led to widespread deaths and mass emigration. And we’re not rid of it yet. But where did it come from?
Bob needs bones — but you have the biggest ears
A talking skeleton and luminous color boxes joined sound wave gizmos and a gene machine when students at NTNU recently strutted their stuff.
Understanding tiny droplets can make for better weather forecasts
The study of tiny water droplets could result in more precise weather forecasts and climate models.
Why your mom and sister disapprove of your boyfriend: the Juliet effect
What woman doesn’t want to be with that sexy guy? But mom and sis think you should find a good, dependable man. And researchers know why.
Water bears survive in space and the ocean’s depths
These animals can survive outer space conditions. They can provide new insights into cancer and what ageing does to us. But you’ve probably never heard of them before.
Colonization usurps indigenous languages
Up to 90 per cent of the world’s languages may disappear by the end of this century. Inuvialuktun is one of them.
Mapping life’s barcodes in Norway
After just two years, researchers are halfway to their goal of creating DNA barcodes for Norwegian species.
Bringing new life to old bones
The NTNU University Museum’s squirrel from 1878 is a youngster compared to the 6600-year-old walrus that was recently dated after 50 years in storage.
Two hundred and seventy-eight wind turbines won’t cut it
The transition to green energy hasn’t really begun, according to Associate Professor Espen Moe. Even though the 278 new wind turbines that will be built in central Norway are an important investment, it’s not nearly enough, he says.
The day Atlantic City blew away
Norwegian researchers are working on mapping the geology of Jan Mayen Island, Norway’s most northwesterly territory. In the process, they also found ruins from Atlantic City, an American base from the Second World War.
Physically active individuals cope better with heart attacks
People who exercise regularly tend to be less depressed after a heart attack. Those who don’t work out yet can also find reason for optimism from the research.
Jan Mayen’s evolution through ice, fire and water
The isolated Norwegian island of Jan Mayen is located at the junction of two currents. Here, scientists can gain valuable insight into climate change. Take a coffee table tour by scrolling through the picture carousel.
Why some cuckoos have blue eggs
Cuckoo eggs come in a wide variety of colours and patterns, but why?
Sea lice problem should translate to cutbacks in salmon farming
Professor Jon Olaf Olaussen says that increasing the aquaculture industry to five times its current production now is a crazy idea. He is calling for reducing one of Norway’s largest industries.
The Paris summit is over— now what?
The climate summit in Paris ended with an agreement. But how do we ensure that the agreement is translated into action?
Prime-time charging of electric cars could be a problem
If everyone drove electric cars, there wouldn’t be enough power to charge them all when people got home in the afternoon. The solutions could affect your wallet.
The professor who misses his tail
Professor Dag Svanæs has lectured at Stanford University and is inspired by the philosophers Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. He has also had a furry mechanized tail that he still sometimes misses.
Fit older people fall just as much as their less active counterparts
People in good shape are as prone to falling as others. But practicing specific balance tasks and simple exercises can help.
The road to longer-lasting batteries
Are you sick of your phone’s battery dying after only a few hours? NTNU researchers are hard at work on improving the technology.
New cancer treatment is gentler
A new option for cancer treatment is just as effective as, but less toxic than similar drugs.
Think a thought — and then take flight
It took two students just two months to figure out how to control a drone using brainwaves.
Training a dog you can trust
There are six breeds of dogs that are illegal in Norway. According to dog training expert Ane Møller Gabrielsen, this ban is not supported by the science.
Great heights and deep valleys
Some children are more aggressive than others when they have bad experiences. But they are also calmer when life is good.
Medieval Norwegian realm comes under the microscope
Norwegian school children may have learned that Norway was once a superpower. But was Norway really an empire?
The jewel in the crown
“Dynamic positioning” has been hailed as “the jewel in the crown” and Norway’s greatest engineering feat since World War II. But what is it?
The day terrorism came to Norway
“July 22 affected individuals and Norwegian society in a way we have not experienced since World War II,” writes Tor Einar Fagerland.
Eating habits matter most when children gain weight
Some children gain weight faster than others. Eating habits seem to have far more to say than physical activity.
Jump in the sea and swim with salmon
With the help of new 3-D technology, you can dive underwater and swim with farmed salmon.
Norwegian iron helped build Iron-Age Europe
Two thousand years ago, Norway produced iron in significant quantities. Much of it was exported both southward and northward from Trøndelag in central Norway.
It pays to replace asphalt
Switching to more durable asphalt could save significant amounts of money on some Norwegian roads — possibly as much as NOK several hundred million a year
Whale tails can make for efficient seafaring
If testing goes well, an invention that helps save fuel in ships may soon be in production, with the support of the British industry.
The robot that learns everything from scratch
Imagine that everything in your mind had been erased, and you had to learn everything all over again. What would that process be like?