All news

ERC SYNERGY

2022.10.25

World-class research into Greenland's oldest ice and the Universe's densest stars win very large EU grants

When was Greenland actually green? And how does the Universe make gold, platinum and uranium? Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have just received 11.4 million euro to answer these big questions. The…

Coastal protection

2022.10.25

Disappearing coastlines: A smartphone and selfie stick can let us know by how much

New mobile phone technology makes it possible to better monitor Danish coastlines, which recede up to four meters a year in some places. The method, which has been tested by the University of Copenhagen, also lets…

Clima

2022.10.18

Vibrating trucks searched for Denmark's future underground CO2 storage sites

Seismic studies of the deep soil layers in northwest Zealand will help researchers locate soil formations suitable for storing captured CO2 in the near future. The University of Copenhagen is supplying academic expertis…

SPORTS POLITICS

2022.10.14

Dictatorships use sporting events as a smokescreen for political repression

A new study shows a systematic connection between major sporting events in autocracies and the persecution of political opponents.

Nobel Prize

2022.10.06

University of Copenhagen professor wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Professor Morten Meldal, of the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Chemistry, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work with what is known as click chemistry – when a chemical…

Misinformation

2022.10.05

Healthy democracies are threatened by false information, but not everyone is keen on a cure

Our democracy relies upon the choices of an informed electorate. But today, it is threatened by mis- and disinformation. More and better fact-checking is needed according to the University of Copenhagen’s Isabelle…

Vaccine

2022.09.29

Pregnant women and their unborn babies can die of malaria. A vaccine may be on the way

Malaria is a major health challenge especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Pregnant women and their unborn babies in particular are affected by the parasite. But now a team of researchers has received DKK 75 million in…

The Ocean

2022.09.28

The greatest increase in marine biodiversity can help us understand and control ocean deoxygenation

Deoxygenation can make large areas of the ocean uninhabitable. New study offers knowledge of how oxygen levels affect marine life – this may help us preserve marine ecosystems. “In the past 50 years, we have already los…

Energy supply

2022.09.27

Bio-what? Half of Danes don’t know what biomass is

Nearly half of Danes have never heard of Denmark’s largest source of renewable energy. The finding, reported in a study from the University of Copenhagen, is the first to explore Danish attitudes to woody biomass as an…

TECH

2022.09.26

Creepy apps cause emotional stress

We know that apps collect all sorts of data about us, and that makes us feel uncomfortable. In a new study researchers from the University of Copenhagen have measured how uncomfortable and ‘creeped out’ using apps can…

Quantum computer

2022.09.21

Major investment for developing Denmark’s first fully functional quantum computer

Denmark’s first fully functional generally applicable quantum computer will be available in 2034. This is the objective of the ambitious Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme that is being launched in…

Cancer

2022.09.20

Three proteins join forces to spread cancer. Now scientists may destroy them

With cryo-electron microscopy, it is possible to examine proteins more than a 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Now research using the technology may help develop treatment for some of the deadliest…

Climate Change

2022.09.15

Global warming doubled the risk for Copenhagen’s historic 2011 cloudburst

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), have used detailed weather models to clearly tie increased temperatures to the historic cloudburst over…

Religion

2022.09.13

Millions of farmers put their faith in God when making decisions

A widespread belief among millions of smallholder farmers in one of the world’s poorest countries is that God determines their yields. This is shown by a study that has examined the correlation between religiosity and…

Plants

2022.09.09

Two grains, mutual gain: surviving drought through varietal collaboration

Some draw water from the soil’s depths, while others absorb nutrients nearer to the surface with shallow, wide root systems. Fields of grains with mixed properties could be the future for farmers hoping to protect their…

Student Life

2022.09.09

Participating in student politics

Henry Lankes, an international student from Germany studying Nature Management (MSc) at UCPH, was recently elected as a student representative on the Geosciences Study Board. What motivated him to run for election? Do…

BLOG

2022.09.09

Student engagement

This issue of our newsletter has a student view. In an earlier issue we focused on student well-being inside and outside the classroom with articles on the challenges faced by international students in the classroom and…

award

2022.09.06

Teacher of the Year: A living legend, whether in glitter or gladiator garb

He is a living legend in his department – known to occasionally sport a gladiator costume or sequin jacket and electric guitar. Not a speck of dust has settled on this epic lecturer after 38 years of teaching. To the…

SPACE TRAVEL

2022.09.02

Martian oxygen factory passes first major test

New results from the red and rocky surface of Mars have shown that MOXIE, an oxygen generator that Danish researchers from the University of Copenhagen and fellow institutions have been deeply involved with, has passed…

Microbiology

2022.08.30

Warring genetic parasites could lead to new defenses against dangerous bacteria

Plasmids – a type of autonomous genetic parasites in bacteria – are armed with a previously unknown arsenal of CRISPR-Cas "gene tools" that are frequently deployed to combat other plasmids, according to research from th…

smoking

2022.08.24

More Danes quit smoking during COVID

Danish smokers bought less tobacco and more of them quit smoking than usual during the COVID pandemic, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen. The result comes as a surprise given that mental health…

Arctic

2022.08.23

Popular research station reopens in Greenland: Danish zoologist recognized the greenhouse effect at same site in 1904

For more than a century, Arctic climate research has been collected and stored at the University of Copenhagen's northernmost research station – the Arctic Station. Now, after a thorough renovation and modernisation, th…

Nature

2022.08.23

New revelations about an ancient fish: the secret to swimming upside down

An after-hours trip to Aarhus University Hospital Skejby’s radiology department has shed light on a mysterious and ancient fish, one that remains one of the world’s rarest – the Coelacanth. Researchers from the…

Pets

2022.08.11

The modern dog fights a lonely battle

Separation anxiety and behavioral problems. Veterinary care and malnutrition are no longer the main problems for Danish dogs, as was the case a hundred years ago. On the other hand, our sky-high expectations of them are…

Endurance

2022.07.22

Perspiration and an ingenious suspension prepared early humans for the yellow jersey

Unparalleled endurance allowed Homo erectus to tire antelopes on the savannah two million years ago. Since then, our prehistoric genetics have been leveraged to compete in the world's toughest bike race. The Tour de…

Biology

2022.07.21

When you Google the word 'tick', you're helping science

Knowledge about the spread of tick-borne diseases is extremely limited and notoriously difficult to acquire. A new study from the University of Copenhagen demonstrates that internet searches just might be the way to kee…

Insects

2022.07.15

Zombie fly fungus lures healthy male flies to mate with female corpses

A unique fungus survives by 'bewitching' male flies into mating with dead female flies. The longer a female fly carcass has lain and rotted, the greater the male’s lust. This, according to a new study led by researchers…

Biodiversity

2022.07.13

The value of nature should be included in Danish economic decision making

Denmark is miles away from meeting its agreed targets for nature and biodiversity. To remedy the Danish and global biodiversity crisis effectively, we need to improve how the value of nature is measured to allow…

Applicants 2022

2022.07.07

Applicants 2022: Slight decline but UCPH remains most popular

As the rest of the sector, the University of Copenhagen is seeing a decline in applicants in relation to the years with corona, 2020 and 2021. However, some degree programmes have experienced an increase.

Award

2022.07.06

Math and computer science can help us understand pandemics. UCPH-professor receives grant to continue work in that field

Can you create a mathematical model that pinpoints the process of infection and the interventions against a disease? Professor Samir Bhatt from University of Copenhagen wants to do so, and now he received the Schmidt…