Culture, Language & History

CUNEIFORM

2026.04.15

4,000-year-old clay tablets inscribed with magical spells… and beer tabs

Around 5,200 years ago, people from ancient cultures in Iraq and Syria began carving characters onto clay tablets. This new system of communication gradually made it possible to develop advanced urban societies with…

Church and state

2026.04.13

Faith-based initiatives increase religiosity and conservatism in the United States

When states introduce legislation in favor of religious organizations, citizens begin to attend church more often, and their attitudes toward issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights become more conservative. This is…

reading

2026.03.24

Boys ditch books when schools close – girls keep reading

When holidays or pandemics shut down schools, gender differences in children’s reading habits widen; boys stop reading, while girls continue, according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen. The researchers…

AI

2026.03.17

AI was supposed to ease doctors’ workload – instead they spend hours correcting errors

AI‑powered clinical documentation was meant to streamline work at Danish hospitals. But in practice, doctors are spending valuable hours correcting mistakes, training algorithms, and handling administrative tasks that…

Theology

2026.03.10

UCPH researcher publishes an alternative to the classic children’s Bible

The Bible contains far more exciting, brutal, and meaningful stories than those most children - and adults - know from traditional children’s Bibles. In collaboration with his wife, Associate Professor Frederik Poulsen…

Nightlife

2026.03.04

Young people fear drugging in nightlife – but almost never report it

Young people – especially women – increasingly fear being drugged, and the phenomenon is more widespread and complex than previously assumed. This is shown in a new report from the Criminological Observatory at the…

Archaeology

2026.02.12

New study maps where wheat, barley and rye grew before the first farmers found them

Using advanced machine-learning and climate models, researchers have shown that the ancestors of crops like wheat, barley, and rye probably were much less widespread in the Middle East 12,000 years ago than previously…

Archaeology

2025.12.18

Archaeologists use AI to create prehistoric video game

Archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Bergen have used AI and free digital tools to create a dynamic and educational video game about the Stone Age. According to the researchers, the new…

literature

2025.11.21

We have forgotten the Bosnian War, but literature helps us remember

The Bosnian War (1992–1995), which claimed over 100,000 lives and displaced many more, is largely forgotten today. But powerful literature can evoke strong memories of the war—even among readers who have no personal…

social media

2025.11.11

Small digital frictions can slow the spread of misinformation

New research from the University of Copenhagen points to a simple yet effective method for combating misinformation on social media: make it slightly harder to share content.

extension

2025.11.04

Kirsten Busch Nielsen continues as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities

Kirsten Busch Nielsen’s appointment as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen has been extended until 2029.

tourism

2025.10.30

Tourists flock to the Faroe Islands – but meet resistance from locals

Tourism in the Faroe Islands is growing rapidly and now generates more than one billion Danish kroner annually. However, the successful tourism industry risks destroying the unique, untouched nature that is used to…

Archaeology

2025.10.17

Archaeologists uncover 5,500-year-old ceremonial site in Jordan

A research team led by the University of Copenhagen has uncovered a remarkable Early Bronze Age ritual landscape at Murayghat in Jordan. The discovery can shed new light on how ancient communities responded to social an…

mesoamerica

2025.10.06

Researchers on the verge of solving Mexican mystery

Christophe Helmke and Magnus Pharao Hansen have taken the first steps toward solving a major archaeological mystery surrounding the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan. Until now, the language of Teotihuacan has been…

Bacteria

2025.09.12

Stored for 130 years: Bottles reveal evidence of Danish butter production and hygiene practices of the past

Two forgotten bottles in a basement in Frederiksberg containing bacterial cultures from the 1890s have provided researchers at the University of Copenhagen with unique insight into Denmark's butter production history.…

social media

2025.09.05

Hashtags and humour are used to spread extreme content on social media

Conspiracy theories and incitement to harassment and violence abound on mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. But the extreme content is often mixed with ironic play, memes and hashtags, which…

art

2025.08.18

13 contemporary artists challenge the monument tradition of the University of Copenhagen

In August, the University of Copenhagen will open the doors to RECAST, a large group exhibition organised to mark the 150th anniversary of women's admission to university. The exhibition challenges the university's…

Digital habits

2025.06.26

Screen time: Passive and solitary use makes us most dissatisfied

What lies behind our dissatisfaction with our screen use – and why does the dissatisfaction rarely lead to action? A new Danish study sheds light on this.

media studies

2025.05.05

Streaming culture creates new digital communities for film fans

In a new book, media researcher Helle Kannik Haastrup explores how TV series and films can both challenge our view of the world and engage us in online communities. The book challenges prejudices about popular culture's…

Grant

2025.03.05

Researchers share new knowledge about 'toddlers' with parents and professionals

With support from Nordea-fonden, psychologists at the UCPH will strengthen the social and emotional development of 1-2 year-olds through the project 'Understanding your toddler'.

Philosophy

2025.02.21

Selfhood is a precondition for true community

In his new book Being We, Professor Dan Zahavi shares the results of five years of research into communal experience. He argues that being part of a we requires an experiential anchoring; an identification with the grou…

Sonning Prize

2025.01.27

Gastronomic artist is awarded the Sonning Prize 2025

French Hervé This, who invented molecular gastronomy, has fundamentally changed European food culture and put gastro experiences at the top of many people's bucket lists.

archaeology

2025.01.16

Volcanic eruption caused Neolithic people to sacrifice unique "sun stones"

4,900 years ago, a Neolithic people on the Danish island Bornholm sacrificed hundreds of stones engraved with sun and field motifs. Archaeologists and climate scientists from the University of Copenhagen can now show…

Computer Science

2024.12.13

Coming soon – offline speech recognition on your phone

More than one in four people currently integrate speech recognition into their daily lives. A new algorithm developed by a University of Copenhagen researcher and his international colleagues makes it possible to…

The Brain

2024.12.12

Electrical stimulation of the nervous system can improve motor learning

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated that the brain's ability to learn certain skills can be significantly enhanced if both the brain and nervous system are primed by carefully-calibrated,…