The stag hunt – and why a circular economy is so difficult
The will is there. The technology is too. So why is only 2.4 per cent of the Norwegian economy circular?
Viewpoints
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Quarantine and financial support for plagues were already in place in the 1600s
Plagues have ravaged Norway many times over the centuries. As early as 1625, the state took systematic action to prevent the plague from spreading. Isolation was a new idea that would prove to be effective. Strict restrictions were imposed on social gatherings, including limits on the number of people who could be present at weddings and funerals. Measures were also introduced to compensate the business community for the financial losses resulting from closures.
Twenty years of sequencing genes… for better or for worse
It’s been 20 years since the first draft sequence of the human genome was published in the journals Nature and Science. The result led then-President Bill Clinton to state that we are now learning the language in which life was written, and that “doctors will increasingly be able to cure diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and cancer by attacking their genetic roots.”
Sequencing 30 000 genes has changed the world, but in a different way than expected.
The hidden threat of the home office
Working at home has given many people the opportunity to arrange their working hours more freely than usual. But has it really given us more freedom?
Simulation model may reduce the climate footprint of oil production
Future offshore oil and gas fields are most likely to be “satellite developments” that are less expensive and emit less greenhouse gases than other fields because they do not require new production platforms. An innovative Norwegian computational tool called “Slug Capturing 2” is now enabling the design of longer pipelines that will allow many more fields to be developed as satellites.
Social media “likes” and comments lead to poorer self-esteem
Girls who “like” and comment on what others post on social media develop a worse self-image over time. Posting on your own profile doesn’t have the same effect.
Concussions can cause long-term sleep problems
A new study shows that people who have had concussions sometimes develop long-term after effects, including sleep disturbances. The findings could also be of use to other patient groups.
Bats not a threat to public health, but important for ecosystems
Bats have received a lot of negative attention, but the chances are slim that the virus that causes COVID-19 was transmitted from bats to humans. The world needs bats – in ecosystems, for pollination and for seed dispersal. On top of that, they keep harmful insects in check around our homes, on farms and in cities.
Temperament affects children’s eating habits
Temperamental children are at greater risk for developing unhealthy eating habits.
How we figure out that red herrings are neither red nor herrings
Our language can be fun and colourful, but unusual phrases that aren’t literal can be difficult for some to interpret. Learning more about how we decipher these phrases can help us teach people in certain groups how to better understand them.
Does Norway’s future lie at the bottom of the sea?
Low oil prices have fueled the debate about which industries Norway should develop and live on in the future. In the government’s revised national budget, the extraction of seabed minerals emerges as a clear investment area.
Winter War in Finland was a struggle against invading power
Eighty years have passed since the end of the Finnish Winter War. “The war is my family’s history too,” Soilikki Vettenranta writes in this Viewpoint article.
Norway’s history has forgotten the 80 000 Finnish war children
Heart-breaking images of children in refugee camps in Greece and Syria remind us of how war is driving children to flee their homes. Minors are being sent off to foreign countries. But this also happened in Norway’s neighbouring country of Finland during World War II.
Thinking outside the box of fossils
During the time of Darwin, anthropogeny was the study of human origins. Its sub-discipline paleoanthropology has since taken over, which focuses on fossils found in dry parts of Africa. These fossils don’t tell us much about why or where humans actually evolved.
Towards a sustainable term for sustainability
The concept of sustainability has long been incorporated into our collective vocabulary. The word is used in many contexts, including in the PR industry. If we are going to find a way out of the climate and environmental crisis, maybe it should be replaced?
How to cut emissions and save on transmission costs
Even Norway, which already heats with green energy sources, could contribute more to shrinking Europe’s CO2 emissions. Building zero emission neighbourhoods would also help lower rising electrical transmission fees.
Could Trondheim be Norway’s new seabed mining capital?
Stavanger is Norway’s oil capital. Trondheim could become the country’s capital for seabed mining. It will be an important contribution to the UN’s climate goals.
Acclaimed fossils might not depict human evolution
Humans may have evolved relatively recently from isolated chimpanzees, without formation of any fossils. This would mean that since the time of Darwin, the missing-link fossils that people have been looking for simply do not exist.
Water reservoirs save lives and create value
While there is considerable opposition to dams and reservoirs in the Western world, reservoirs built to store water during the rainy season so it can be used during the dry season can save lives and secure values when the rains fail.
Setting Spaceship Earth on the right course
If the world is going to be able to meet the UN’s sustainability goals by 2030, research must give individuals and businesses alike the tools they need to make the right choices.
Trashing the ocean
Marine debris has become a big problem. But plastic and old fishing nets can be turned into a resource rather than being an environmental hazard.
Major climate benefits from shifting to renewable energy
Wind and solar power are variable sources of energy that require storage and transmission capacity. But the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
Our green future must include industry
Researcher Markus Steen says research alone isn’t enough to make Norway’s economy greener. Industry needs to be more deeply involved with the research community at an early stage.
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.