Wed, 07 May 2025 14:22:22 +0000Science/article/unicellular-green-algae-may-carry-giant-virus-dna-their-genomeWed, 07 May 2025 14:22:22 +0000/article/unicellular-green-algae-may-carry-giant-virus-dna-their-genomeHumans and animals are not the only ones affected by viruses. Unicellular organisms can also be attacked. In a new study, scientists establish that green algae can carry latent giant virus DNA in their genome./article/living-air-scientists-enlist-arctic-bacteria-fight-climate-changeThu, 24 Apr 2025 13:53:36 +0000/article/living-air-scientists-enlist-arctic-bacteria-fight-climate-changeWhat if we could fight climate change using bacteria that live on air? That’s the vision behind a newly funded international research project led by scientists from �۶���Ƶ, the University of Tromsø, and Harvard Medical School. With support from the prestigious Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), the team aims to explore how an Arctic microbe that can feed exclusively on methane could become a powerful tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions./article/how-animal-life-exploded-earthWed, 09 Apr 2025 10:51:28 +0000/article/how-animal-life-exploded-earthAbout 540 million years ago, our planet suddenly erupted with life, filling our oceans with a diversity of complex life. This is known as the Cambrian explosion, and for a long time scientists agreed it was triggered by a rise in oxygen levels in the atmosphere. But new research from Emma Hammarlund at �۶���Ƶ is turning the tables completely on what scientists thought they knew to be true – for decades. How did Hammarlund end up going down an entirely different path?/article/reptiles-are-brightest-open-habitatsMon, 07 Apr 2025 10:17:47 +0000/article/reptiles-are-brightest-open-habitatsReptiles living in open habitats generally have brighter colouration than species living in denser vegetation. This is shown in a new study from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden. The results suggest that changes in habitat and climate over millions of years have prompted animals to adapt their colouration in order to survive./article/migrating-roach-have-sharper-eyesightThu, 03 Apr 2025 08:19:48 +0000/article/migrating-roach-have-sharper-eyesightRoach that migrate between different lakes and water courses have larger pupils and better eyesight than roach that stay in one place. The adaptation makes it easier for the red-eyed freshwater migrants to find food in murky waters. This is shown in a large study from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden./article/surprising-number-environmental-pollutants-hedgehogsTue, 01 Apr 2025 08:25:02 +0000/article/surprising-number-environmental-pollutants-hedgehogsLead, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, plastic additives, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals. This is what researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden found when they collected dead hedgehogs to investigate the environmental pollutants found in urban environments. /article/lakes-worldwide-are-changing-colour-possibly-due-human-impactFri, 14 Mar 2025 15:16:18 +0000/article/lakes-worldwide-are-changing-colour-possibly-due-human-impactOver the last 40 years, the majority of the world’s lakes have changed colour, according to a new study. The research team analysed 32 million satellite observations from over 67,000 lakes. Major changes in the lake ecosystems are thought to be the cause./article/titanium-and-mysterious-jet-streams-discovered-extreme-exoplanetThu, 27 Feb 2025 12:07:50 +0000/article/titanium-and-mysterious-jet-streams-discovered-extreme-exoplanetUsing the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, astronomers have made detailed observations of the mysterious exoplanet WASP-121 b. The discoveries of the element titanium and jet streams challenge our understanding of the winds and chemistry found on ultrahot planets./article/soft-tissue-183-million-year-old-jurassic-plesiosaur-analysedFri, 07 Feb 2025 12:18:20 +0000/article/soft-tissue-183-million-year-old-jurassic-plesiosaur-analysedResearchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have analysed the soft tissue from a fossilized plesiosaur for the first time. The results show that the long-necked marine reptile had both smooth and scaly skin. This was likely so it could both swim rapidly and move along rough seabeds./article/virgin-birth-beyond-biblical-legendFri, 20 Dec 2024 12:42:29 +0000/article/virgin-birth-beyond-biblical-legendNow that Christmas is just around the corner, thoughts inevitably turn to an expectant Mary in the stable. However, she is not alone in the sphere of life-giving without the involvement of both sexes. In the animal kingdom, there are many species that engage in immaculate conception./article/climate-change-plans-include-unrealistic-land-demands-area-larger-usWed, 11 Dec 2024 15:26:44 +0000/article/climate-change-plans-include-unrealistic-land-demands-area-larger-usFor the first time, an international team of scientists have calculated the total land area that the countries of the world have included in their individual plans for climate action, known as nationally determined contributions. The results show a big divide between the countries' expected land use and the actual potential of land to mitigate climate change./article/five-lund-university-researchers-receive-erc-consolidator-grantsTue, 03 Dec 2024 10:55:56 +0000/article/five-lund-university-researchers-receive-erc-consolidator-grantsPer Augustsson, Enrico Ronchi, Mikkel Brydegaard, Andreas Nord and Yafa Shanneik have each been awarded the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant. /article/new-gps-system-microorganisms-could-revolutionise-police-workThu, 07 Nov 2024 11:12:22 +0000/article/new-gps-system-microorganisms-could-revolutionise-police-workA research team led by �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has developed an AI tool that traces back the most recent places you have been to. The tool acts like a satellite navigation system, but instead of guiding you to your hotel, it identifies the geographical source of microorganisms. This means you can use bacteria to determine whether someone has just been to the beach, got off the train in the city centre or taken a walk in the woods. This opens up new possibilities within medicine, epidemiology and forensics./article/successful-experiment-paves-way-new-elementThu, 24 Oct 2024 10:39:50 +0000/article/successful-experiment-paves-way-new-elementScientists have found an alternative way to produce atoms of the superheavy element livermorium. The new method opens up the possibility of creating another element that could be the heaviest in the world so far: number 120./article/extinct-brittle-stars-named-after-death-metal-bandsMon, 14 Oct 2024 12:51:28 +0000/article/extinct-brittle-stars-named-after-death-metal-bandsResearchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have discovered thirteen new species of extinct brittle stars on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The fossils were dug out of rocks from the Silurian Period (around 444 to 419 million years ago). The species have now been named after several famous hard rock musicians and bands./article/anne-lhuilliers-year-science-rockstarThu, 03 Oct 2024 08:45:41 +0000/article/anne-lhuilliers-year-science-rockstarA year has passed since Anne L'Huillier became �۶���Ƶ's first Nobel laureate. Since then, she has tried to use the attention to revive interest in research. But she has also had to come to terms with the oddity of becoming a science rock star asked for selfies all over town. /article/grazing-zooplankton-severely-impacted-nanoplastic-particlesThu, 26 Sep 2024 11:20:16 +0000/article/grazing-zooplankton-severely-impacted-nanoplastic-particlesResearchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have studied how nanoplastic affects aquatic organisms in lakes and rivers. The results are surprising and the researchers are the first to show that some species are being wiped out, while others – such as cyanobacteria that contribute to algal blooms – are completely unaffected./article/beetles-cooperate-tricky-dung-movesThu, 19 Sep 2024 08:28:36 +0000/article/beetles-cooperate-tricky-dung-movesDung beetles are among the strongest animals in the world. They also possess an exceptional ability to cooperate. Research shows that female and male spider dung beetles together are able to move large dung balls across difficult obstacles. However, same-sex attempts to do the same always ended in aggressive fights./article/researchers-discover-space-oddity-exoplanet-moving-mysterious-waysThu, 05 Sep 2024 09:55:12 +0000/article/researchers-discover-space-oddity-exoplanet-moving-mysterious-waysA research team led by �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has discovered a small planet that displays peculiar orbital motion. The shimmying planet, located 455 light-years from Earth, shows that planetary systems can be considerably more complex than researchers have previously thought. /article/organic-farms-had-doubled-plant-diversity-only-over-timeMon, 02 Sep 2024 14:08:17 +0000/article/organic-farms-had-doubled-plant-diversity-only-over-timeIt takes a long time, up to several decades, before the benefits of organic farming take full effect on land that was previously cultivated conventionally, a new study from �۶���Ƶ suggests. After thirty years, the plant species richness around the cultivated crop had doubled on organic farms compared to conventional farms. /article/socioeconomics-shape-childrens-connection-nature-more-where-they-liveFri, 23 Aug 2024 10:02:50 +0000/article/socioeconomics-shape-childrens-connection-nature-more-where-they-liveThe income and education levels of a child’s environment determine their relationship to nature, not whether they live in a city or the countryside. This is the finding of a new study conducted by researchers at �۶���Ƶ, Sweden. The results run counter to the assumption that growing up in the countryside automatically increases our connection to nature, and yet the study also shows that nature close to home increases children’s well-being. /article/bumblebees-sense-direction-rivals-humansWed, 14 Aug 2024 11:17:13 +0000/article/bumblebees-sense-direction-rivals-humansBumblebees have a great capacity to navigate despite their small brain size. This is borne out of new research conducted at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden, among others. The research results can potentially benefit the development of navigation robots in crisis situations where GPS does not work, for example./article/conferences-make-scientists-climate-transgressorsTue, 14 May 2024 10:44:24 +0000/article/conferences-make-scientists-climate-transgressorsClimate researchers often emphasise the fact that reducing carbon emissions is in everyone’s best interest, and should involve all of us. But how good are they at minimising their own carbon footprint? A new study carried out jointly by �۶���Ƶ in Sweden and the University of Lausanne in Switzerland shows that some of them use up half their annual carbon allowance in a single week. There are ways to cut these emissions, however, the authors behind the study say./article/incredible-hulk-lizard-provides-clues-understanding-evolutionMon, 29 Apr 2024 09:36:34 +0000/article/incredible-hulk-lizard-provides-clues-understanding-evolutionBody shape, colour and behaviour often evolve together as species adapt to their environment. Researchers from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have studied this phenomenon in a specific type of large, bright green and aggressive common wall lizard found near the Mediterranean. They discovered that a unique cell type might have played a key role in this joint evolution./article/two-lund-researchers-receive-prestigious-eu-grantThu, 18 Apr 2024 10:58:16 +0000/article/two-lund-researchers-receive-prestigious-eu-grantQuaternary geologist Raimund Muscheler and physical geographer Thomas Pugh have been awarded the ERC Advanced Grant by the European Research Council. They will receive EUR 2.5 million each over a five-year period to study historical solar storms and the rate at which trees grow and die around the world./article/unique-field-study-shows-how-climate-change-affects-fire-impacted-forestsWed, 17 Apr 2024 10:54:30 +0000/article/unique-field-study-shows-how-climate-change-affects-fire-impacted-forestsDuring the unusually dry year of 2018, Sweden was hit by numerous forest fires. A research team led from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has investigated how climate change affects recently burnt boreal forests and their ability to absorb carbon dioxide./article/marine-worm-outstanding-vision-fascinates-researchersFri, 12 Apr 2024 14:21:04 +0000/article/marine-worm-outstanding-vision-fascinates-researchersThe large-eyed bristle worm Vanadis has long been of interest to the world’s vision researchers. But the worm has been difficult to study since it lives in the open sea and is active at night. Now, a research team has succeeded in locating an Italian worm colony and is able to confirm that the worm has completely unique vision./article/lund-universitys-wallenberg-scholars-are-announcedTue, 26 Mar 2024 11:18:14 +0000/article/lund-universitys-wallenberg-scholars-are-announcedTwelve researchers at �۶���Ƶ have been appointed Wallenberg Scholars, a programme funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation that supports excellent basic research, primarily in medicine, technology and the natural sciences. The total funding amounts to SEK 239 million. /article/new-insights-how-galaxies-are-formedFri, 01 Mar 2024 08:21:02 +0000/article/new-insights-how-galaxies-are-formedAstronomers can use supercomputers to simulate the formation of galaxies from the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago to the present day. But there are a number of sources of error. An international research team, led by researchers in Lund, has spent a hundred million computer hours over eight years trying to correct these./article/destruction-gaza-monitored-spaceFri, 23 Feb 2024 15:54:18 +0000/article/destruction-gaza-monitored-spacePhysical geographer Lina Eklund is tracking the destruction of Gaza week by week using satellite images. Her analyses could be significant if, once the fighting between Israel and Hamas is over, questions of possible war crimes are raised at the International Court of Justice in The Hague./article/scandinavias-first-farmers-slaughtered-hunter-gatherer-populationThu, 08 Feb 2024 12:29:42 +0000/article/scandinavias-first-farmers-slaughtered-hunter-gatherer-populationFollowing the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago, the hunter-gatherer population was wiped out within a few generations, according to a new study from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden, among others. The results, which are contrary to prevailing opinion, are based on DNA analysis of skeletons and teeth found in what is now Denmark./article/astronomers-determine-age-three-mysterious-baby-stars-heart-milky-wayTue, 05 Dec 2023 14:24:36 +0000/article/astronomers-determine-age-three-mysterious-baby-stars-heart-milky-wayThrough analysis of high-resolution data from a ten-metre telescope in Hawaii, researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have succeeded in generating new knowledge about three stars at the very heart of the Milky Way. The stars proved to be unusually young with a puzzling chemical composition that surprised the researchers./article/un-climate-meetings-organised-way-benefits-richer-larger-countriesWed, 22 Nov 2023 15:24:43 +0000/article/un-climate-meetings-organised-way-benefits-richer-larger-countriesThe COP climate meetings are organised in a way that benefits richer and larger countries at the expense of smaller and poorer countries, according to a new study from �۶���Ƶ and the University of Leeds. The study also labels the participating countries as either Radicals, Opportunists, Hypocrites or Evaders./article/coastal-river-deltas-threatened-more-climate-changeMon, 20 Nov 2023 09:51:24 +0000/article/coastal-river-deltas-threatened-more-climate-changeWorldwide, coastal river deltas are home to more than half a billion people, supporting fisheries, agriculture, cities, and fertile ecosystems. In a unique study covering 49 deltas globally, researchers from �۶���Ƶ and Utrecht University have identified the most critical risks to deltas in the future. The research shows that deltas face multiple risks, and that population growth and poor environmental governance might pose bigger threats than climate change to the sustainability of Asian and African deltas, in particular./article/scientists-have-solved-damselfly-colour-mysteryFri, 17 Nov 2023 11:58:33 +0000/article/scientists-have-solved-damselfly-colour-mysteryFor over 20 years, a research team at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has studied the common bluetail damselfly. Females occur in three different colour forms – one with a male-like appearance, something that protects them from mating harassment. In a new study, an international research team found that this genetic colour variation that is shared between several species arose through changes in a specific genomic region at least five million years ago./article/large-herbivores-such-elephants-bison-and-moose-contribute-tree-diversityFri, 03 Nov 2023 15:38:43 +0000/article/large-herbivores-such-elephants-bison-and-moose-contribute-tree-diversityUsing global satellite data, a research team has mapped the tree cover of the world’s protected areas. The study shows that regions with abundant large herbivores in many settings have a more variable tree cover, which is expected to benefit biodiversity overall./article/vacuum-cleaner-effect-fungi-can-hold-nanoplastics-bayMon, 09 Oct 2023 10:10:03 +0000/article/vacuum-cleaner-effect-fungi-can-hold-nanoplastics-bayUsing micro-engineered soil models, researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have investigated the effect of tiny polystyrene particles on bacteria and fungi. While these nanoplastics reduced both bacterial and fungal growth, the fungus actually managed to "clean up" their surroundings, thereby easing the effect of the plastics./article/understanding-behaviour-light-and-matter-key-future-technologiesTue, 03 Oct 2023 13:07:51 +0000/article/understanding-behaviour-light-and-matter-key-future-technologiesIf we can understand how and why light and matter behave as they do, we are one step closer to solving some of the most fundamental problems in physics. Finding the answers to these questions drives Ville Maisi, Associate Professor of Solid States Physics at NanoLund./article/migratory-birds-can-be-taught-adjust-climate-changeFri, 22 Sep 2023 10:12:03 +0000/article/migratory-birds-can-be-taught-adjust-climate-changeOne result of climate change is that spring is arriving earlier. However, migratory birds are not keeping up with these developments and arrive too late for the peak in food availability when it is time for breeding. By getting the birds to fly a little further north, researchers in Lund, Sweden, and the Netherlands have observed that these birds can give their chicks a better start in life./article/disease-affects-blackbirds-more-previously-thoughtWed, 06 Sep 2023 16:13:56 +0000/article/disease-affects-blackbirds-more-previously-thoughtWhen humans are ill, we tend to be less active. This also applies to wild animals, but so far, it has not been known how long the reduced activity lasts or which activities are affected the most. New research from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden shows that birds' activity decreases for up to three weeks when they become ill - something that could mean the difference between life and death./article/four-lund-researchers-receive-erc-starting-grantsTue, 05 Sep 2023 15:26:19 +0000/article/four-lund-researchers-receive-erc-starting-grantsFour researchers from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have received an ERC Starting Grant. The researchers and their respective fields are Filip Lenrick (industrial production), Colin Olito (evolutionary ecology), Milda Pucetaite (microbiological ecology) and Daria Davitti, (international law). The last-named is the first researcher at a department of law in Sweden to receive an ERC Grant. /article/rewriting-past-and-future-universeThu, 24 Aug 2023 09:47:12 +0000/article/rewriting-past-and-future-universeNew international research has improved the accuracy of the parameters governing the expansion of the universe. This will help astronomers determine how the universe grew to its current state - and how it will evolve in the future. Małgorzata Bogdan, statistics professor at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden, is one of the scientists behind the study./article/people-drive-more-slowly-usual-during-wildfire-evacuationsTue, 22 Aug 2023 11:45:09 +0000/article/people-drive-more-slowly-usual-during-wildfire-evacuationsDuring extensive wildfires, residents may need to evacuate to stay safe, but knowing when to leave is sometimes unclear. A new study from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden, among others, shows that people fleeing their homes drive more slowly than usual - despite time being crucial. /article/urban-great-tits-have-paler-plumage-their-forest-living-relativesWed, 16 Aug 2023 21:41:21 +0000/article/urban-great-tits-have-paler-plumage-their-forest-living-relativesA new study conducted by researchers in Europe shows that urban great tits have paler plumage than their countryside counterparts. Since the yellow pigment of the breast feathers of great tits comes from the food they eat, the paler yellow plumage of urban birds indicates that the urban environment affects the entire food chain./article/secondary-forests-more-sensitive-droughtMon, 31 Jul 2023 08:50:09 +0000/article/secondary-forests-more-sensitive-droughtThe dry summer of 2018 hit Swedish forests hard - and hardest affected were the managed secondary forests. This according to a new study from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden./article/were-all-asgardians-mysterious-microorganisms-unveiled-key-origin-complex-lifeTue, 04 Jul 2023 11:41:33 +0000/article/were-all-asgardians-mysterious-microorganisms-unveiled-key-origin-complex-lifeAn international group of researchers has been studying a group of microorganisms called Asgard archaea for several years. According to the research, these unique organisms are the origin of all complex life forms that we see around us today./article/ai-improving-understanding-migratory-birds-internal-clock-map-and-compassThu, 29 Jun 2023 14:48:26 +0000/article/ai-improving-understanding-migratory-birds-internal-clock-map-and-compassDifferent species of migrating bird have different genetically programmed procedures that signal when it is time to head off and when it is time to return. It may have to do with factors such as daylight, temperature, weather and the Earth’s magnetic field. These migration programmes have been studied before, but new technology and computational capacity make it possible to process large amounts of data and even simulate various factors so that researchers are able to study how their routines are disrupted by changes to the climate and by us. /article/predatory-bacteria-provide-hope-chlorine-free-drinking-waterMon, 19 Jun 2023 10:44:48 +0000/article/predatory-bacteria-provide-hope-chlorine-free-drinking-waterIn a unique study carried out in drinking water pipes in Sweden, researchers from �۶���Ƶ and the local water company tested what would happen if chlorine was omitted from drinking water. The result? An increase in bacteria, of course, but after a while something surprising happened: a harmless predatory bacteria grew in numbers and ate most of the other bacteria. The study suggests that chlorine is not always needed if the filtration is efficient - and that predatory bacteria could perhaps be used to purify water in the future./article/urban-great-tits-less-stressed-their-countryside-cousinsWed, 14 Jun 2023 11:35:36 +0000/article/urban-great-tits-less-stressed-their-countryside-cousinsGreat tits in urban environments have lower levels of stress hormone than those living in woodland habitats. This according to a new study from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden./article/clay-ancient-material-great-futureTue, 30 May 2023 12:02:31 +0000/article/clay-ancient-material-great-futureClay is a material that has been used since ancient times for protecting, building and carrying things. If we learn more about how to change various properties of clays, such as through the addition of certain molecules or salts, we can use them for new and sustainable products in the fields of medicine, architecture and building materials./article/bacteria-are-vital-diversity-and-survival-insectsMon, 29 May 2023 12:19:10 +0000/article/bacteria-are-vital-diversity-and-survival-insectsInsects heavily rely on bacteria for essential nutrients that are lacking in their diet. This has allowed insects to access a wide variety of food, leading to remarkable species diversification in some cases, according to a new study from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden.