News from 2022

Consumer behaviour

2022.01.05

Healthy shopping peaks in January

Year after year, January is the month when we load our shopping baskets with the healthiest foods, according to new data from the University of Copenhagen. Is it because so many New Year's resolution makers are seeking…

GRANT

2022.01.05

Will infants in sync with their parents develop better social skills?

In a new project funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, Psychology Professor Victoria Southgate will measure the synchrony of brain activity in parents and children while they interact.

Grants

2022.01.05

New intervention to strengthen efforts against diabetes in Vietnam

As one of four new Danida-supported projects involving researchers from the Department of Anthropology, a collaborative health anthropological project addresses diabetes among pregnant women in Vietnam.

DNA

2022.01.06

Which animals exist right here? Now researchers are able to find the answer out of thin air

Using a new technique, researchers are able to vacuum animal DNA from the air and identify the species that live nearby. The researchers expect to be able to use it to map threatened and invasive animal species.

INEQUALITY

2022.01.13

Men’s health more vulnerable after breakups, divorces, and living alone, than women’s

A new study conducted at the University of Copenhagen establishes a connection between increased risk of inflammation in men and both breakup and living alone for a number of years.

Geology

2022.01.19

The early Earth may have behaved more like Venus

A new study from the University of Copenhagen suggests that there may have been another form of tectonics on Earth 3.7 billion years ago, meaning that the way in which Earth’s crust formed and behaved was significantly…

Collaboration

2022.01.20

UCPH establishes investment company to boost entrepreneurship activities

The University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has established a limited company with the main aim of investing in the University’s own spin-out companies. It is the first time that a Danish university establishes an investment…

The brain

2022.01.20

Four universities and Lundbeck Foundation boost Danish brain research and talent development with a new neuroscience academy

With a programme grant of DKK 187 million from Lundbeck Foundation, the framework is established for an ambitious new growth dynamo for neuroscience in Denmark – the Neuroscience Academy Denmark (NAD).

Epigenetics

2022.01.20

You can feel this acid when you work out. Now it may help increase knowledge of cancer medicine

New research shows that specific enzymes can remove lactic acid marks. This finding may increase our understanding of cancer medicine and how physical exercise, among other things, can affect human epigenetics.

Mathematics

2022.01.24

Researchers will enlighten us about insurance and pensions

With DKK 45 million (€6M) over the next 12 years, the University of Copenhagen has landed a historically large agreement for additional research and educational programming in the insurance and pension field that will…

Geography

2022.01.24

Satellite images reveal a nexus between war, cropland abandonment and food insecurity in South Sudan

A new study sheds light on a complex interaction of armed conflict, cropland abandonment and implications to food security in war-ravaged South Sudan.

FOOD SCIENCE

2022.01.26

X-rays will make plant diets of the future more tasty

X-rays can be used to examine the tiniest parts of food and provide us with fresh knowledge about what makes yogurt feel soft and what it takes for chocolate to have just the right snap. According to researchers at the…

buildings

2022.02.02

Rescue for failed construction project

Minister for Higher Education and Science Jesper Petersen promises that the University of Copenhagen will not be left alone with the extra costs for the delayed and ill-famed Niels Bohr building.

BABY BEHAVIOUR

2022.02.04

New research shows how babies’ behavior is influenced by those around them

Young infants’ search for potential hidden objects is influenced by how many objects another person believes to be hidden, according to a new study.

Cells

2022.02.07

Researchers gain a unique view of the inner life of cells

The ever-changing shape of the interior of cells limits our understanding to whatever snapshot we’re looking at under the microscope. Now, a new computer model developed at the University of Copenhagen is allowing…

BEER

2022.02.10

Researchers make non-alcoholic beer taste like regular beer

Finally, researchers have found a way to brew non-alcoholic beer that tastes just like regular beer. Even more, the method is far more sustainable than the existing brewing techniques. “It’s a game changer for…

Chemicals

2022.02.11

Reusable plastic bottles release hundreds of chemicals

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have found several hundred different chemical substances in tap water stored in reusable plastic bottles. Several of these substances are potentially harmful to human health.…

agriculture

2022.02.16

Pharmaceutical residues in sewage sludge and cattle manure do not have the feared effect

Pharmaceutical residues and chemicals from personal care products in sewage sludge and cattle manure do not have a detectable toxic effect on nematodes living in agricultural fields, according to 14-year-long experiment…

Crime

2022.02.16

Impatient and risk-tolerant people more often become criminals

A new study published in the prestigious journal PNAS confirms the assumption that risk-tolerant, impatient and self-centered people are more likely to commit crimes than risk averse, patient and altruistic people are. …

THE BRAIN

2022.02.16

Treatment for Parkinson’s could now get even better

New study could help clinicians to focus Deep Brain Stimulation to the right therapeutic spot and hopefully could improve treatment of motor symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease.

education

2022.02.17

How to choose the right programme of study

Are you interested in pursuing an education in the sciences, or in the humanities? Do you feel like commuting to the university every morning, and do you prefer group work or individual assignments? Here, UCPH researche…

Fat tissue

2022.02.17

Well-functioning fat may be the key to fewer old-age ailments

Fat tissue plays an important role in human health. However, our fat tissue loses function as we age, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and other ailments. High levels of lifelong exercise seem to…

Insects

2022.02.21

Insect wingbeats will help quantify biodiversity

Insect populations are plummeting worldwide, with major consequences for our ecosystems and without us quite knowing why. A new AI method from the University of Copenhagen is set to help monitor and catalogue insect…

climate

2022.02.21

290 million new city dwellers benefit China's climate balance

Contrary to popular belief, China’s massive emigration from rural areas to cities has been shown to have a positive effect on China's carbon stocks. Urbanization can even play a role in attaining climate neutrality. Thi…

Robot technology

2022.02.22

New robot helps dairy workers make Havarti and Danbo

The world's very first cheese robot is on the move and helping a Danish dairy with the quality control of its cheeses. According to the University of Copenhagen researcher behind the invention, the robot can save dairy…

Plant science

2022.02.24

Plants use the pungency of sandwich and sushi condiments to defend themselves

For the first time, new research from the University of Copenhagen proves how plants defend themselves against herbivores. Spicy flavours that we know from delis and sushi bars are part of the explanation.

TECHNOLOGY & CLIMATE

2022.03.01

Neural networks behind social media can consume an infinite amount of energy

Artificial neural networks are deployed intensively by social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to recommend content that matches user preferences. The process is energy intensive and generates heavy carbon…

SOCIAL MEDIA

2022.03.02

People spreading misinformation are ridiculed rather than met with facts

People who spread misinformation on Twitter are more often met with ridicule than with fact-based arguments, new study shows.

Inequality

2022.03.02

Children of the low-educated are at risk of early death. Now we may know why

In a new study conducted at the University of Copenhagen, data on more than 1.2 million Danish children show a connection between parents’ level of education and children’s risk of dying too early. A main reason is…

The Brain Prize

2022.03.03

The world's most prestigious brain award goes to a researcher from UCPH

Ole Kiehn – one of Denmark's leading brain researchers – is today awarded The Brain Prize for his ground-breaking mapping of the neural networks in the brain and spinal cord that activate and control our movements.

Biology

2022.03.07

Pig grunts reveal their emotions

We can now decode pigs’ emotions. Using thousands of acoustic recordings gathered throughout the lives of pigs, from their births to deaths, an international team of researchers is the first in the world to translate pi…

SANCTIONS

2022.03.07

The invasion of Ukraine: Sanctions how do they work

what exactly is the purpose of economic sanctions, now that the threat of them could not prevent the war? We have asked Jens Ladefoged Mortensen, associate professor at the Department of Political Science.

FOOD

2022.03.08

Nordic diet lowers cholesterol and blood sugar – even if you don't lose weight

A healthy Nordic diet can prevent a range of diseases. Until now, the health benefits attributed to a Nordic diet by researchers primarily focused on weight loss. But in a new study, University of Copenhagen researchers…

The climate researchers

2022.03.08

Green political scientist: Non-state actors are now driving the green transition

The climate scientists: Portrait of political scientist Michele Betsill and her research in the non-state actors' influence on green agendas.

ASTROPHYSICS

2022.03.09

Black Hole Billiards in the Centers of Galaxies

Researchers provide the first plausible explanation to why one of the most massive black hole pairs observed to date by gravitational waves also seemed to merge on a non-circular orbit. Their suggested solution, now…

History of Earth

2022.03.09

Giant impact crater in Greenland occurred a few million years after dinosaurs went extinct

Danish and Swedish researchers have dated the enormous Hiawatha impact crater, a 31 km-wide asteroid crater buried under a kilometer of Greenlandic ice. The dating ends speculation that the asteroid impacted after the…

Bird Life

2022.03.10

How new bird species arise

Much of a centuries-old debate over where and how new bird species form has now been resolved. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have provided evidence that birds in mountainous areas – where the vast majority…

Climate economics

2022.03.10

Survey: Strong consensus among experts for higher CO2 prices

Almost all academic experts recommend higher carbon prices as a way to limit global warming, the first comprehensive global survey on carbon pricing concludes.

archaeology

2022.03.11

Reseachers confirm Plymouth shipwreck could be 400-year-old colonial "Sparrow-Hawk"

The remains of a shipwreck in Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, thought to be a 400-year-old colonial vessel, have now undergone extensive scientific analyses.

Ulcerative colitis

2022.03.11

Quantum leap towards transplanting stem cells into the intestines

Stem cell transplantation can cure mice suffering from inflammation in the large intestine. This is good news for ulcerative colitis patients, as it may lead to the development of new treatment forms that do not result…

Volcanoes

2022.03.16

Ancient ice reveals scores of gigantic volcanic eruptions

Ice cores drilled in Antarctica and Greenland have revealed gigantic volcanic eruptions during the last ice age. Sixty-nine of these were larger than any eruption in modern history. According to the University of…

THE INVASION IN UKRAINE

2022.03.18

In Russia, the media picture has been turned upside down

What is the purpose of the Russian media's pink portrayal of Putin's military conduct?

ideology

2022.03.21

The war is the logical consequence of Putin's ideological struggle with the West

If you have followed what Vladimir Putin has said and written about the West and Russia these past years, the invasion of Ukraine should not come as a surprise. What is surprising is how poorly it seems to have been…

MEDIA WAR

2022.03.21

Ukraine fights propaganda with censorship

During the years-long conflict with Russia, Ukraine has used some of the most far-reaching methods of censorship to defend itself against Russia's information war and online propaganda a research project at the…

Pain relief

2022.03.24

Can a poisonous sea snail replace morphine?

A sea snail living in the Pacific Ocean off the Philippines may be able to help scientists develop an alternative to addictive painkillers like morphine, a new study from the University of Copenhagen concludes.

Geology

2022.03.25

Groundbreaking earthquake discovery: Risk models overlook an important element

Earthquakes themselves affect the movement of Earth's tectonic plates, which in turn could impact on future earthquakes, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen. This new knowledge should be…

Artificial Intelligence

2022.03.28

The Danish Pioneer Centre for AI marks its official opening

On 28 March Denmark's new Pioneer Centre for Artificial Intelligence marks its official opening with an event that will focus on how fundamental AI research can contribute to solving some of society's greatest challenge…

cells

2022.03.28

Octopus-like tentacles help cancer cells invade the body

With the help of the worlds best tweezers a team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen has shed new light on a fundamental mechanism in all living cells that helps them explore their surroundings and even…

FOOD

2022.03.29

Why the food crisis will pass

Even though the food crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine is now causing acute problems, there is no reason for panic, according to University of Copenhagen food economist Henning Otte Hansen. High food prices will no…

SCIENCE DISSEMINATION AWARD 2022

2022.03.31

Professor inspired by housewives and schoolchildren

University of Copenhagen professor Dennis Sandris Nielsen has been awarded SCIENCE’s Dissemination Award 2022 for his willingness and ability to communicate research about the broader societal perspectives of bacteria,…