The Brain’s Searchlight
Grid cells were supposed to tell the brain only where it was. Now it turns out they also point towards where it wants to go.
NTNU
LOADING CONTENT
Robots improved student motivation and helped them perform better
When Pepper the social robot was given the chance to try its hand as a teaching assistant, it showed that it can be even better than a human teacher at motivating pupils and helping them learn.
Why municipalities need to conduct more cybersecurity exercises
A cyberattack on local government authorities can result in disruption to critical services such as healthcare, water supply, schools and social services.
Why making lighter and better batteries takes time
Chinese car manufacturers aren’t the only ones trying to develop new types of batteries. New materials are being tested in Norwegian laboratories to make batteries lighter, cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
Young people’s attitudes toward democracy are formed outside of school
The backgrounds of 14-year-olds in Norway have a significant impact on their attitudes and knowledge regarding democracy and citizenship.
Apprentices in private, independent companies face disadvantages
Apprentices in private, independent companies are more likely to fail their final exams, change contracts and not complete their training than apprentices who have contracts through a training agency.
Elderly people living at home have less control, not more
Elderly Norwegians are encouraged to stay in their homes where they can receive home care services. The idea is that living at home will give them the most control over their everyday lives. Research suggests the opposite is true.
AI Is Not Displacing Young Job Seekers – Yet
Is artificial intelligence displacing young workers at the start of their careers? So far, the answer appears to be no. But that could change in the future.
So you thought antiferroelectric materials were always non-polar? Think again!
What exactly are antiferroelectric materials, and what does it mean that they can also be polar? The answers may open up new possibilities in technology.
Tactical urbanism for a car-free commute
Urban planning is not what it used to be. Researchers now want to use social networks and sensor data to make cities easier to navigate – and preferably on foot.
A radical shift more than a century ago transformed European views on homosexuality
The turn of the 20th century has been referred to as the homosexual breakthrough in Europe. A recent study has analyzed literary texts in which Norwegian nature plays an important role in conveying this perspective.
Why some people are more bothered by low-frequency sounds
Some people are more sensitive to low-frequency noise, such as from ventilation systems, heat pumps, wind turbines and transformers. Why is that?
Equine colleagues can help protect therapists from burnout
Spending less time in an office and more time in the great outdoors with animals can benefit patients and therapists alike.
The other road to a mind
A small fish and a human, hundreds of millions of years apart, build the sensing brain by the same underlying logic. The finding suggests there may be rules a vertebrate brain follows.
Training AI in the fight against bloodthirsty parasites
Researchers have taken over 120,000 images of salmon lice larvae in seawater and used them to train AI models. The models were much faster and more accurate than experienced biologists at identifying the parasites that feed on the skin and blood of salmonids.
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?
Bariatric surgery increases the risk of alcohol problems
Your body absorbs alcohol much more rapidly after bariatric surgery. Patients need to know this when they choose the kind of surgery they will have.
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.
Boosting mental robustness in Ukrainian soldiers
Modern large-scale warfare imposes extreme psychological stress on soldiers at the front. Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in Norway to help better protect them from this trauma.
Underwater robots that are always on call
More than 70 per cent of the Earth is covered by oceans. An increasing amount of critical infrastructure is being installed on the seabed. Sabotage and accidents increase the need for inspection and monitoring. These measures are currently very expensive, but the hope is that they can soon be carried out by robots that are permanently stationed on the seabed.
The mystery of the eye disease that can make infants blind
Why do some Norwegian hospitals treat infants’ eye disease more often than others?
The Kavli Prize: Major discoveries about the universe, materials and the brain
The Kavli Prize 2026 has been awarded to researchers who have provided us with groundbreaking knowledge in their fields.
Can Pepper the robot be a good playmate?
Pepper the friendly, humanoid robot both looks and behaves much like a human being. But is that enough?
Some brains are more similar than others when under stress
People who are resilient to psychological stress are similar to each other – not in terms of appearance, but in the brain’s response to stressful stimuli.