Green research and green solutions

2022.05.23

New measurements from Northern Sweden show less methane emissions than feared

It is widely understood that thawing permafrost can lead to significant amounts of methane being released. However, new research shows that in some areas, this release of methane could be a tenth of the amount predicted…

plant science

2022.05.20

How plants colonized the land

University of Copenhagen researchers have shed new light on how plant life became established on the surface of our planet. Specifically, they demonstrated that two genes are indispensable for allowing terrestrial plant…

Physics

2022.05.11

Scientists discovers new properties of magnetism that could change our computers

Our electronics can no longer shrink and are on the verge of overheating. But in a new discovery from the University of Copenhagen, researchers have uncovered a fundamental property of magnetism, which may become…

CLIMATE RESEARCHERS

2022.04.06

Large, economic wheels must be turned to make way for green cars

Which economic levers do the politicians have to pull to move people from fossil driven cars to electrified cars? That is the main question for the GREENCAR research team at the Department of Economics.

Astrophysics

2022.03.31

Hubble spots most distant single star ever seen, at a record distance of 28 billion lightyears

With a fortuitous lineup of a massive cluster of galaxies, astronomers from among other institutes the University of Copenhagen and DTU discovered a single star across most of the entire observable Universe. This is the…

SCIENCE DISSEMINATION AWARD 2022

2022.03.31

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.

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…

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.

climate

2022.02.21

290 million new city dwellers benefit China's climate balance

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

Nature

2021.12.20

Years later, restored wetlands remain a shadow of their old selves

A study of restored wetlands on the Danish island of Funen reveals that plant species richness remains extremely poor many years after wetlands restoration. It is widely assumed that restored wetlands will increase loca…

CLIMATE CHANGE

2021.12.17

After thousands of years, an iconic whale confronts a new enemy

The iconic tusked whale of the Arctic has a new enemy – noise. A unique study from the University of Copenhagen and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources shows that narwhals are highly affected by noise from ship…

CAR TRAFFIC

2021.12.16

Millions for research into green transition on the roads

The Independent Research Fund Denmark has allocated almost 12 million to the project GREENCAR, which will show the way to a green transformation of the car sector.

Wildlife

2021.12.10

New phenomenon: Forest mammals eavesdrop on messy monkeys

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a unique phenomenon among forest mammals – eavesdropping. Their study demonstrates that various animal species depend on one another in more ways than ever…

Grant

2021.11.25

Research project will crack the code behind green neighbourhood communities

With support from THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS, new research anchored at the Department of Anthropology will examine how to create green neighbouring communities in housing associations.

FOOD SCIENCE

2021.11.22

We prefer farmed salmon – as long as we don't know what we're eating

A blind taste test by University of Copenhagen researchers demonstrates that Danes prefer the taste of both conventionally and organically farmed smoked salmon over wild-caught salmon. However, the picture is turned…

PLANT BIOLOGY

2021.11.18

New knowledge about our Earth’s most important biochemical reaction: A step towards increasing CO2 uptake in plants

A group of proteins in plant cells plays a vastly more important role in regulation of photosynthesis than once thought, according to new research at the University of Copenhagen. The research is an important step…

Natural History

2021.11.10

Researchers puncture explanation for largest increase of biodiversity in Earth's history

The greatest increase in marine biodiversity on Earth was not due to the explosion of an asteroid, as previously believed. In fact, the explosion caused the development of new animal species to stagnate for a period of…

FOOD

2021.11.09

Danes have reduced meat consumption – but we lag behind other Europeans

A major new survey on meat consumption in Europe reports that Europeans have a growing appetite for plant-based foods and that meat consumption has dipped. While this applies to Denmark as well, Danes lag behind the…

CLIMATE CITIZENS' ASSEMBLY

2021.10.26

The green transition starts in your municipality

Local citizens need to be involved in the green transition if the climate crisis is to gain broad public support, researchers argue. Local citizens’ assemblies focussing on climate issues may prove an important part of…

archaeology

2021.10.20

Origin of domestic horses finally established

Horses were first domesticated in the Pontic-Caspian steppes, northern Caucasus, before conquering the rest of Eurasia within a few centuries. These are the results of a study led by paleogeneticist Ludovic Orlando. The…

THE CLIMATE SCIENTISTS

2021.10.13

Economics of climate change: One per cent makes a world of difference

Frikk Nesje and his colleagues have created international awareness by building bridges in the political debate as to how much we should invest in the climate.

Biology

2021.09.09

Fruit fly metabolism could pave the way for new obesity and diabetes drugs

The inner workings of fruit flies are more similar to those of humans than one might think. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a hormone in these flies that can help us better understand…

Man & Nature

2021.08.30

This is how much Danes are willing to pay to protect nature and prevent noise from motorways

Danes are quite willing to pay to prevent noise pollution, protect unique natural areas and avoid animal collisions when it comes to the construction of new motorways. This is the conclusion of a new report by…

Natural History

2021.07.15

Dinosaurs lived in a warmer and more dynamic climate than previously thought

Global climate during the late Cretaceous Period, an era when dinosaurs ruled the planet, was warmer and more varied than previously believed according to a new study by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and…

CLIMATE

2021.07.12

Researchers: Let crop residues rot in the field – it’s a climate win

Plant material that lies to rot in soil isn’t just valuable as compost. In fact, agricultural crop residue plays a crucial role in sequestering carbon, which is vital for reducing global CO2 emissions. This, according t…

sustainable crops

2021.07.09

Danish researchers find a way to make faba beans safe for all to eat

Consuming large amounts of faba beans can be dangerous for about 400 million people due to a compound called vicine, which accumulates in the beans. This limits their potential as a widespread, sustainable source of…

algorithms

2021.07.06

Danish invention to make computer servers worldwide more climate friendly

An elegant new algorithm developed by Danish researchers can significantly reduce the resource consumption of the world's computer servers. Computer servers are as taxing on the climate as global air traffic combined,…

climate

2021.07.05

Climate report: Home buyers ignore flood risk

Buyers neglect to investigate the risk of flooding until after purchasing new homes according to a new report from the University of Copenhagen. The report also reveals that home prices are only slightly affected by…

artificial intelligence

2021.06.16

Algorithm reveals the mysterious foraging habits of narwhals

An algorithm can predict when narwhals hunt – a task once nearly impossible to gain insight into. Mathematicians and computer scientists at the University of Copenhagen, together with marine biologists in Greenland, hav…

Environment

2021.06.16

Bacteria used to clean diesel-polluted soil in Greenland

Diesel-polluted soil from now defunct military outposts in Greenland can be remediated using naturally occurring soil bacteria according to an extensive five-year experiment in Mestersvig, East Greenland, to which the…

climate

2021.06.09

Ancient air bubbles speak to a much warmer Antarctica during the ice-age than once believed

Twenty thousand-year-old air bubbles have revealed that Antarctic temperatures during the last ice age were markedly different than what the leading science once suggested. This is according to new research in which the…

archaeology

2021.06.07

10,000-year-old bones reveal earliest goat herders’ practices

To trace the domestication of the goat, an international team of researchers have analysed 10,000 year-old goat bones from two sites in the Zagros Mountains in present-day western Iran. Using ancient DNA and…

genomics

2021.05.12

Differences between leopards are greater than between brown bears and polar bears

New research demonstrates that African and Asian leopards are more genetically differentiated from one another than polar bears and brown bears. Indeed, leopards are so different that they ought to be treated as two…

CLIMATE

2021.05.11

Significantly reducing agricultural CO2 emissions by way of wheatgrass

Wheatgrass has the potential to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in Denmark by up to 10 percent according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Carlsberg Research Laboratory. Over the next five…

Biology

2021.04.19

Beetles that pee themselves to death could be tomorrow’s pest control

Various beetle species have gobbled through grain stores and weakened food production worldwide since ancient times. Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a better way of targeting and…

FARMING

2021.04.16

New invention can reduce agricultural pesticide use: Distinguishes harmful insects from helpful ones

A researcher from the University of Copenhagen has developed an algorithm that, in tandem with a sensor, makes it possible to distinguish crop-harming insects from helpful ones that pollinate and contribute to plant…

Geography

2021.04.12

Thawing permafrost cools Arctic currents: This might affect fish stocks

A new study by a University of Copenhagen researcher finds that thawing permafrost in Alaska causes colder water in smaller rivers and streams. This surprising consequence of climate change could affect the survival of…

rewilding

2021.04.06

Letting nature manage itself may lead to the least costs - but EU subsidies remain an obstacle

Nature management through rewilding can be significantly more cost-effective than by traditional conservation measures. However, EU agricultural subsidies distort competition. This is the conclusion of an economic…

carbon footprint

2021.03.29

Climate labeling reduces our CO2 footprint

Climate labels informing us of a meat product’s carbon footprint cause many people to opt for climate-friendlier alternatives. This applies to people who are curious about a product’s carbon footprint, as well as to…

FORESTS

2021.03.25

New documentation: Old-growth forest carbon sinks overestimated

The claim that old-growth forests play a significant role in climate mitigation, based upon the argument that even the oldest forests keep sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere, is being refuted by researchers at the…

CLIMATE

2021.03.16

Researchers discover intact plant fossils beneath Greenland’s ice sheet for the first time

For the first time ever, researchers have found fossils under Greenland's ice sheet that are so large and well preserved that they can be seen with the naked eye. The fossils reveal several million years of details abou…

AGRICULTURE

2021.03.15

LITTLE NINJA protein helps crops grow more side shoots

A tiny, newly discovered protein can regulate how tall grass species like wheat, barley and rice become and how many side shoots they produce. University of Copenhagen researchers have identified the microProtein LITTLE…

Dinosaurs

2021.03.09

An epic walk: 15 million years needed for dinosaurs to get from South America to Greenland

For the first time, two researchers—one from the University of Copenhagen and the other from Columbia University—have accurately dated the arrival of the first herbivorous dinosaurs in East Greenland. Their results…

Technology

2021.03.08

How robotics will affect humanity and nature in the future

How will robotic technologies impact wildlife? Will self-driving cars create more or less urban noise? What will the relationship between humans and nature be like in the future? 170 experts weigh in on the global…

PLANT BIOLOGY

2021.03.04

Researchers discover how to control zinc content in plants: Could help the world’s malnourished

Over 2 billion people worldwide are malnourished due to zinc deficiency. Led by the University of Copenhagen, an international team of researchers has discovered how plants sense zinc and use this knowledge to enhance…

climate

2021.02.09

Arctic permafrost releases more CO2 than once believed

There may be greater CO2 emissions associated with thawing Arctic permafrost than ever imagined. An international team of researchers, including one from the University of Copenhagen, has discovered that soil bacteria…

evolution

2021.02.04

We’re more like primitive fishes than once believed

People traditionally think that lungs and limbs are key innovations that came with the vertebrate transition from water to land. But in fact, the genetic basis of air-breathing and limb movement was already established…

climate

2021.02.02

Misguided sense of balance exacerbates climate scepticism

Many of us may have inadvertently contributed to the growing climate scepticism of recent years, a widespread phenomenon fuelled by “system errors” built into journalism, social media and parliamentary debates. A new…

plant science

2021.01.28

Wood formation can now be followed in real-time - and possibly serve the climate and builders of tomorrow

A genetic engineering method makes it possible to observe how woody cell walls are built in plants. The new research in wood formation, conducted by the University of Copenhagen and others, opens up the possibility of…

TASTE

2021.01.27

New study: Which beverages burst with umami potential?

In a new and first of its kind study, University of Copenhagen researchers study fermented beverages to find the one with the most umami flavour. Which one wins—champagne, beer, wine or sake? A UCPH researcher answers…

insects

2021.01.19

Aphids suck: Invasive aphid found on Danish apple trees

The spirea aphid, Aphis spiraecola, an invasive pest, has been discovered for the first time in Denmark by University of Copenhagen researchers. The extent of its current distribution remains unknown, but in time, it…

ENVIRONMENT

2021.01.12

Your organic waste will be upcycled to fertilise fields

Researchers behind a major EU project will develop technologies that make it easier to convert organic waste in our compostable trash bags into fertiliser. UCPH researcher says that agriculture sector needs to tackle…

evolution

2021.01.06

How Earth’s oddest mammal got to be so bizarre

Often considered the world's oddest mammal, Australia’s beaver-like, duck-billed platypus exhibits an array of bizarre characteristics: it lays eggs instead of giving birth to live babies, sweats milk, has venomous spur…

solving climate changes

2021.01.05

We want people to choose green

A call for applications sparked off a conversation around the dining table in a dorm, which quickly turned into a brainstorm on how to make a difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Forests

2020.12.22

Droughts, viruses and road networks: Trends that will impact our forests

A new UCPH study assembled an array of experts to highlight major trends that will impact the world's forests, and the people living around them, in the decade ahead. These trends include drought, viral outbreaks and…

CLIMATE

2020.12.10

Can an abundant green mineral solve our climate crisis? Exploring the power of Olivine

Olivine has an astonishing ability to sequester atmospheric CO2 whenever it is expelled from Earth's depths via tectonic processes. Now, a University of Copenhagen researcher is working to recreate the mineral’s magic i…

Climate

2020.11.26

Satellite images confirm uneven impact of climate change

University of Copenhagen researchers have been following vegetation trends across the planet's driest areas using satellite imagery from recent decades. They have identified a troubling trend: Too little vegetation is…

PLANT BIOLOGY

2020.11.10

From rooftop dweller to vigorous globetrotter: Researchers discover the secret of how moss spreads

University of Copenhagen researchers have discovered how mosses became one of our planet’s most widely distributed plants — global wind systems transport them along Earth’s latitudes, to rooftops, sidewalks and lawns…

artificial intelligence

2020.11.03

Students develop tool to predict the carbon footprint of algorithms

Within the scientific community, it is estimated that artificial intelligence — otherwise meant to serve as a means to effectively combat climate change — will become one of the most egregious CO2 culprits should curren…

Animals

2020.10.26

Surprised researchers: Number of leopards in northern China on the rise

Most of the world’s leopards are endangered and generally, the number of these shy and stunning cats is decreasing. However, according to a recent study by a researcher from University of Copenhagen and colleagues from…

TREES

2020.10.20

Artificial intelligence reveals hundreds of millions of trees in the Sahara

There are far more trees in the West African Sahara and Sahel than most would expect. A combination of artificial intelligence and detailed satellite imagery allowed a team from the University of Copenhagen and…

Geology

2020.10.14

Volcanic eruptions may explain Denmark’s giant mystery crystals

Researchers have long been stumped for an explanation of how tens of millions of years-old giant crystals known as glendonites came to be on the Danish islands of Fur and Mors. A recent study from the University of…

Sustainable diet

2020.10.05

Sprat, mollusks and algae: What a diet of the future might look like

Rethinking what we eat is essential if we hope to nourish ourselves sustainably and mind the climate. One option is to seek out alternative food sources from the sea. All the way at the bottom, where algae, cephalopods…

New Prorector

2020.09.30

Professor of social data is appointed Prorector

Professor David Dreyer Lassen will take up a new position as Prorector at the University of Copenhagen on 1 January 2021. He will be in charge of research, innovation and overall relations with foundations and…

CLIMATE

2020.09.25

Study delivers new knowledge about what causes thunderstorms and cloud bursts

Thunderstorms often provoke violent cloud bursts that can result in devastating flooding. But what actually spawns thunderstorms and cloud bursts? This question has spurred a new study by researchers at the University o…

Quantum physics

2020.09.23

Tomorrow’s pharmaceuticals could be discovered by quantum simulators

Trial and error define today’s approach to developing new pharmaceutical drugs. But with their enormous computing power, quantum computers are expected to solve important and complex problems in medicine, biology and…

FOOD CULTURE

2020.09.07

Mold now associated with food quality

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have studied a range of perceptions among Danes about good, healthy and safe foodstuffs. Their findings report that mold prone foods are considered to be more natural than…

CLIMATE

2020.08.21

Proven: Historical climate changes occurred simultaneously in several parts of the world

A new study published by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and partner institutions has proven that repeated and abrupt climate changes during the last ice age occurred simultaneously in South America,…

Climate

2020.08.10

New study warns: We have underestimated the pace at which the Arctic is melting

Arctic sea ice is melting more quickly than once assumed. Today’s climate models have yet to incorporate the steep rise in temperatures that have occurred over the past 40 years. This, according to a new study by…

Technology

2020.07.16

The electronic monitoring of fishermen ensures that cod aren’t tossed overboard

The remote electronic monitoring of fishermen generally has more advantages than disadvantages, according to an extensive international study conducted by University of Copenhagen researchers, among others. The method…

Chemistry

2020.07.13

The secret of line-dried laundry’s fresh scent

When atmospheric chemistry researchers began to wonder why laundry dried outside smells so good, they began by hanging towels outside of the University of Copenhagen’s chemistry building in an unusual experiment.

insects

2020.07.06

Bug doctors to the rescue

The first batch of insect veterinarians is set to be trained at the University of Copenhagen. This new breed of veterinarian will help the growing insect industry to keep their insect micro stocks healthy and abuzz.

DEFORESTATION

2020.07.03

Danish soy and palm oil imports account for 7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year

A new report released by University of Copenhagen researchers indicates that Danish soybean and palm oil imports account for seven million tons of CO2 emissions annually. By comparison, Danish agriculture’s combined CO2…

Mathematics

2020.06.30

Coronavirus family tree can reveal new transmission chains

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have used unconventional methods to identify coronavirus transmission chains. An advanced family tree of the virus’ development can provide an exceptionally accurate overview…

PLANT BIOLOGY

2020.06.16

Newly discovered plant gene could boost phosphorus intake

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered an important gene in plants that could help agricultural crops collaborate better with underground fungi—providing them with wider root networks and helping…

PLANT BIOLOGY

2020.06.12

Researchers discover what’s behind nature’s largest erection - which is not that big

In the plant kingdom, the sexual organ of a male pollen grain grows up to a thousand times its own length as it sniffs its way forth to a female egg cell to deliver its two sperm cells. Now researchers at the University…

new species

2020.05.18

Bizarre new species discovered... on Twitter

A new species of fungus has been discovered via Twitter and christened accordingly — Troglomyces twitteri. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen are behind the discovery of this unique fungal parasite that grows…

economy

2020.05.18

Ambitious EU climate efforts could increase greenhouse gas emissions in the rest of the world

The more the EU economy succeeds in dialing down greenhouse gas emissions, the more the rest of the world will turn them up – unless a similar level of green ambitions is shared by others. Up to 61.5% of the saved EU…

Greenhouse gas

2020.05.14

Researchers go cuckoo: Antarctic penguins release an extreme amount of laughing gas

In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated that penguins in Antarctica emit copious amounts of nitrous oxide via their feces. So much so, that the researchers went "cuckoo" from bein…

Geology

2020.05.13

Violent rivers of meltwater may have carved Greenland's 'Grand Canyon'

Rapid climate change and enormous amounts of ice and meltwater may have excavated a nearly 800-kilometer long canyon beneath Greenland's ice cap, the origins of which have long been the subject of discussion.

Sustainable energy

2020.04.30

Enormous potential: Deep groundwater could heat half of Denmark

A sea of untapped potential lies deep beneath Denmark. Hot groundwater can be used to cover up to half of Denmark's heating needs according to a comprehensive mapping conducted by, among others, researchers at the…

agriculture

2020.04.28

Crops sown in a uniform spatial pattern produce higher yields and reduce environmental impact

Higher yields and fewer weeds are possible if farmers sow wheat, maize, soy and other crops in more uniform spatial patterns, according to University of Copenhagen researchers. More precise sowing can also help reduce…

Quantum physics

2020.04.22

Quantum research unifies two ideas offering an alternative route to topological superconductivity

Researchers from University of Copenhagen have discovered a new way of developing topological superconductivity that may provide a useful route toward the use of Majorana zero modes as the foundation of qubits for…

Ocean Research

2020.04.14

Danish and Icelandic Ocean Research Center opens at UCPH

New ocean research center opens at the University of Copenhagen with support from the Carlsberg Foundation. The center is led by Professor Katherine Richardson from the GLOBE Institute.

Virus

2020.03.12

Virologists monitor which coronaviruses that occur in Danish animals

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Statens Serum Institut (SSI) have mapped the different coronaviruses that occur in Danish animals. They emphasise that these viruses are harmless to humans.

geology

2020.03.11

Terrestrial riddle solved: We now know where our oceans came from

One of planet Earth’s great riddles has been clarified. We now have proof of the origin of our oceans. The evidence is found in billions of years old rocks that were collected in Greenland by a Danish researcher from th…

air pollution

2020.01.20

New discovery about harmful particles: "We have found a fundamental shortcoming in air pollution models"

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a surprising phenomenon in a process by which certain gas molecules produce harmful particles. The impact of this phenomenon is likely to increase in urban…

Genetics

2020.01.16

A sea monster’s genome

The giant squid is an elusive giant, but its secrets are about to be revealed. A new study led by the University of Copenhagen has sequenced the creature’s entire genome, offering an opportunity to throw some light on…

Ancient DNA

2019.12.17

Ancient “Chewing Gum” Yields Insights into People and Bacteria of the Past

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have succeeded in extracting a complete human genome from a thousands-of-years old “chewing gum”.

Gastronomic research

2019.11.12

Knowledge of the origin of the food makes it taste better

Food we are familiar with tastes the best, but if we know where the food comes from and how it is made, it actually gets better, even if we don’t think the taste is spot on. New research from the Future Consumer Lab at…

Microbiology

2019.10.10

Friendly bacteria collaborate to survive

New microbial research at the University of Copenhagen suggests that 'survival of the friendliest' outweighs 'survival of the fittest’ for groups of bacteria. Bacteria make space for one another and sacrifice properties…

Biodiversity

2019.09.13

Why is Earth so biologically diverse? Mountains hold the answer

Life on Earth is amazingly diverse, and exhibits striking geographical global patterns in biodiversity. A pair of companion papers published September 13th in Science reveal that mountain regions—especially those in the…

The walrus

2019.09.13

Extinction of Icelandic walrus coincides with Norse settlement

An international collaboration of scientists in Iceland, Denmark and the Netherlands has for the first time used ancient DNA analyses and C14-dating to demonstrate the past existence of a unique population of Icelandic…

Climate

2019.09.06

Results of an eight-year climate experiment: Danish heath vegetation increases CO2 uptake as atmospheric concentration rises

In a unique experiment, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, DTU and Aarhus University have simulated future climate change on a heath in Jægerspris, Denmark. The heath was exposed to increased CO2, higher…

Fibrillation

2019.09.05

International Cooperation Brings Heart Research into Gallop

Together, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Adelaide in Australia have mapped the hearts of a number of horses. The objective is to learn more about atrial fibrillation in trained…

Grant

2019.09.02

Major grant strengthens leading Danish position in protein research

Since its inauguration in 2009, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research has placed Danish biomedical research firmly onto the world map by creating a highly successful international beacon of leading…

Plants

2019.08.28

New method reveals whether your potato is organic or not

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have developed a new approach that helps public agencies and commercial interests combat fraudulently-labelled organic foods. By looking at how organic plants are fertilised,…

PLANTS

2019.08.06

Houseplants ability to survive drought can provide useful knowledge for the climate change era

It has long been known that some plants tolerate drought better than others. As some of the first to do so in the past 100 years, Danish scientists have investigated the mechanisms behind the Aloe plant's ability to…

Stem Cells

2019.07.30

Stem Cell Research Sheds New Light on the Skin

For the first time, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have studied and outlined the development of sebaceous glands in the skin. The study provides greater insight into the development and maintenance of the…

Antibiotics

2019.07.25

Antibiotics Can Inhibit Skin Lymphoma

New research from the LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center at the University of Copenhagen shows, surprisingly, that antibiotics inhibit cancer in the skin in patients with a rare type of lymphoma.

Blood pressure

2019.07.02

Carbohydrate in the Heart Seems to Help Regulate Blood Pressure

New research suggests that a particular type of carbohydrate plays an important role in regulating the blood pressure in the human body. This has been shown by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and…

CLIMATE

2019.06.25

Climate change is already affecting food production worldwide

Research from the University of Copenhagen shows that crops around the world are already affected by climate change. This means a decrease in yield in almost half of the countries where food production is already…

hybrid animals

2019.06.20

Danish researchers confirm that narwhals and belugas can interbreed

A team of University of Copenhagen researchers has compiled the first and only evidence that narwhals and beluga whales can breed successfully. DNA and stable isotope analysis of an anomalous skull from the Natural…

2019.06.17

Danish researchers unravel how toxic almonds became edible

After more than 12 years of work, researchers can now reveal that only a single change in a gene has made the toxic almonds sweet and edible. Their discoveries are now published in SCIENCE and show the way to improved…

agriculture

2019.06.14

UCPH researchers on hunt for sustainable super crop recipe

Smarter food production is becoming an imperative as the world's population swells and climate changes. With the backing of a 203 million kroner grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, researchers at the University of…

Metabolism

2019.06.13

Exercise may have different effects in the Morning and Evening

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have learned that the effect of exercise may differ depending on the time of day it is performed. In mice they demonstrate that exercise in the morning results in an…

Climate change

2019.06.03

New center at the University of Copenhagen to predict climate tipping points

Current climate models are unable to predict sudden and violent changes to climate, known as tipping points. This is a phenomenon that researchers fear more and more, and that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel…

Initiative

2019.05.30

New institute to describe the diversity of humans and the Earth

Through research into the origins of life and the Earth, the distribution and genetic diversity of life as well as the interaction of humans with the Earth, scientists at the new Globe Institute will contribute to a…

Fainting

2019.05.16

Research Team Identifies the First Gene that Increases the Risk of Fainting

Fainting is not solely caused by external factors. Your genes also play a part. This has recently been documented by research team from the University of Copenhagen, Statens Serum Institut and Rigshospitalet. Based on…

DNA-SCIENCE

2019.05.10

Uncovering a 5000-year-old family tragedy

An international team, lead by researchers from the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, has shed light on a mysterious 5000-year-old mass grave in Poland. Despite being killed brutally, the victims were buried…

GMO

2019.04.24

Risk and unnaturalness cannot justify EU’s strict policy on GMO

The EU’s policy on GMO is extremely strict and prevents new GMO crops from being authorized. The policy is based on arguments about the risk and unnaturalness of GMO plants – but these arguments cannot justify the…

beneath the ice-sheet

2018.11.14

Massive impact crater from a kilometre-wide iron meteorite discovered in Greenland

An international team lead by researchers from the Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen have discovered a 31-km wide meteorite impact crater buried beneath the…

QUANTUM RESEARCH:

2018.10.29

A billion euros for quantum research

Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen are part of a high-profile European research collaboration where the EU will spend a billion euros to develop quantum technologies, which will…

Global warming

2018.08.06

Planet at risk of heading towards irreversible “Hothouse Earth” state

Keeping global warming to within 1.5-2°C may be more difficult than previously assessed. An international team of scientists, with the participation of Center from Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of…

Particle physics:

2018.07.13

Astrophysicists are thrilled about finding a source from where the cosmic ‘ghost particles’ originate

A magnificent research project located under the ice of the South Pole has found a connection between emission of the mysterious neutrinos and the active galaxies, blazars. One of the involved scientists at the…

Quantum computers:

2018.03.29

Neutron scattering brings us a step closer to the quantum computer

A major challenge for future quantum computers is that you have to keep the quantum information long enough to make calculations on it – but the information only has a very short lifespan, often less than a microsecond.

New marking system

2018.01.29

New marking technique could halt counterfeit goods

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have developed the world's most secure marking system for combatting pirated goods including pirated pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, designer merchandise and artwork. The system…

Quantum computer:

2017.11.30

Qubits put into reverse

A group of scientists at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, has figured out how to make spin qubits perform controlled backward rotations. This has never been shown before.

Neutrino research:

2017.11.23

From deep under the Antartica-surface: IceCube has collected new knowledge about high-energy neutrino physics

High-energy neutrinos ‘caught’ in Antarctica Scientists from NBI were part of an international team measuring neutrino interaction at energy levels 1000 times higher than what can be attained in man-made particle…

wildlife trade

2017.11.22

EU trade ban brings down global trade in wild birds by 90 %

Trade of wild birds has dropped about 90% globally since the EU banned bird imports in 2005. A study published today in the recognized scientific journal Science Advances demonstrates how the EU’s ban decreased the…

INSECTS

2017.10.27

Danish islands - an overlooked reservoir of insect genetic diversity?

Insect account for the largest biodiversity and significant part of the biomass here on Earth, but still seem to be poorly understood.

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES:

2017.10.17

Neutron star smash shakes universe

Scientists have, for the first time, captured gravitational waves as well as light, from two neutron stars that orbited each other ever closer to eventually collide. The groundbreaking discovery begins a...

Ancient genomes

2017.10.05

Prehistoric humans are likely to have formed mating networks to avoid inbreeding

Early humans seem to have recognised the dangers of inbreeding at least 34,000 years ago, and developed surprisingly sophisticated social and mating networks to avoid it, new research has found.

Building block of life in Space:

2017.10.03

ALMA and Rosetta Detect Freon-40 in Space

Observations made with ALMA and ESA’s Rosetta mission by an international team, including researchers from NBI, have revealed the presence of the organohalogen Freon-40 in gas around both an infant star and a comet.

Quantum computer:

2017.10.02

New ’building material’ points toward quantum computers

A Danish-American research team has shown that it is possible to produce ‘Majorana particles’ in a new ‘building material’. The research, led by scientists from Niels Bohr institute, paves the road for new types of…

Star formation:

2017.09.15

Star formation influenced by local environmental conditions

Three scientists at Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), University of Copenhagen, have carried out extensive computer simulations related to star formation, and they conclude that the present ‘standard explanatory model’ is…

Volcanic eruptions:

2017.09.05

Massive Antarctic Volcanic Eruptions Triggered Abrupt Southern Hemisphere Climate Changes Near the End of the Last Ice Age

Halogen-rich eruptions created a stratospheric ozone hole over Antarctica that, analogous to the modern ozone hole, led to large-scale changes in atmospheric circulation and hydroclimate throughout the Southern…

New Head of Department

2017.08.22

New Head of Department at the Niels Bohr Institute

Jan W. Thomsen’s appointment as Head of Department at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute commences on September 1. He will focus on maintaining and expanding the research and instruction for which the…

Major outburst floods:

2017.08.13

Satellite photos reveal gigantic outburst floods

The lake has been the source of four major outburst floods over the last 50 years - each representing an astounding mass of energy, equaling up to 240 Hiroshima-bombs. The next may happen as soon as 2018-19.

Malaria research:

2017.08.08

Spying on malaria parasites at -196 Celsius

A team of scientists led by postdoc Sergey Kapishnikov from the Niels Bohr Institute has managed to obtain new information about the ravaging mode of operation applied by malaria parasites when attacking their victims.

Quantum physics:

2017.07.13

Smart atomic cloud solves Heisenberg's observation problem

One of the most fundamental principles of physics, "Quantum Back Action", has been challenged by researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute, which has used laser light to link a vibrating membrane with cesium atoms.

Superconductors:

2017.07.07

Iron secrets behind superconductors unlocked

Due to magnetism iron should - theoretically - be a poor superconductor. Nevertheless certain ironbased materials possess fine superconducting properties. Why? Because the five unbound electrons found in iron...

Climate change

2017.06.26

New ice core drilling in Northeast Greenland to help us prepare for climate change

The East Greenland Ice-Core Project – EastGRIP – is led by the Centre for Ice and Climate at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute. The project’s objective is to drill a roughly 2550 meter long ice core…

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

2017.06.14

Statistics professor named Teacher of the Year at SCIENCE 2017

TEACHER OF THE YEAR Professor Susanne Ditlevsen at the Department of Mathematical Sciences is so good at making figures and mind-bending statistical calculations interesting and accessible for her students that she has…

Learning

2017.06.13

Exercise improves learning retention for kids

University of Copenhagen study demonstrates that exercise immediately after learning improves learning retention among children.

New basic research center:

2017.04.19

New astronomy center will reveal the cosmic dawn

Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) is a new basic research centre funded by the Danish National Research Foundation and located at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen in close collaboration with DTU Space.

X-ray microscopy:

2017.04.12

An important step towards new malaria medicine

An international research team, led by Sergey Kapishnikov and Jens Als-Nielsen from the X-ray and Neutron Science section at the Niels Bohr Institute, has developed new techniques in analyzing malaria infected red blood…

New funding

2017.03.23

Ice core-researcher, astrophysicist and computer scientist honoured by VILLUM FONDEN

Professors Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Jens Hjorth and Mikkel Thorup of the University of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Science, are among 11 Danish research heavyweights to receive up to 40 million kroner each from the VILLUM FONDEN…

Good advice

2017.03.20

Universities want to help companies benefit from materials research of the future

How might Danish firms large and small make use of the world’s most powerful neutron and X-ray microscopes for product development? Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University and the Technical…

Food Quality

2017.03.09

Surprise: Transport proteins evolved long before their compounds emerged

Danish scientists from the DynaMo Center, University of Copenhagen, bridge an important gap that changes our understanding of the evolution of plant transport proteins.

Prize

2017.02.27

Elite Research Prize won by a mathematician in a league of his own

On February 23, Professor Søren Galatius of the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Mathematical Sciences received one of five Elite Research Prizes presented annually by the Minister for Higher Education and…

Climate

2017.02.06

World renown climate expert to become professor

Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen to take up professorship at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute on March 1st. As an internationally recognized expert and one of the main authors of a UN Climate Change…

Annual Award

2017.01.23

Danish astronomer to receive major research award

Jens Hjorth, professor and director of the Dark Cosmology Centre at the University of Copenhagen, will receive the Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award in Science and Technology on January 23, 2017. The 5 million kroner…

Video

2017.01.16

The Indonesian fermented food tempe in Scandinavian context

Head Chef at the Nordic Food Lab, University of Copenhagen, Roberto Flore on how the lab is exploring the traditional Indonesian food tempe in a Scandinavian context. Research Intern Anna Loraine Hartmann on the…

WEIGHT LOSS AND PSORIASIS

2016.12.22

Weight loss reduces psoriasis symptoms

Weight loss has a significant and prolonged positive impact on psoriasis symptoms and quality of life. The findings stem from a study conducted by Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, in collaboration with the University of…

dairy engineer

2016.12.14

Dairy engineer heads leading biotech center

The managing director of the research and innovation consortium BIOPRO, Jesper Bryde-Jacobsen, is educated as a dairy engineer. The education gives him a solid background for making strategic decisions, which are rooted…

AWARD

2016.11.21

FOOD Professor Rasmus Bro receives the first Nils Foss Excellence Prize

The first recipient of the Nils Foss Excellence Prize is Professor Rasmus Bro, who works with advanced data analysis at the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen. Rasmus Bro has worked tirelessly to…

AWARD

2016.11.21

Bekzod Khakimov received the first Nils Foss Talent Prize

Bekzod Khakimov, from the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen, is the first recipient of the Nils Foss Talent Prize. He has a PhD in Metabolomics from 2013 and is continuing building the Foodomics…

WHALE SHARK DNA

2016.11.21

Whale shark genetics revealed by water samples

How many whale sharks can fit into a liter of water? From just a few water samples collected off the coast of Qatar, scientists at the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the Qatar Ministry of Environment and…

FOOD-Health

2016.11.11

New interdisciplinary research group at FOOD sees food science as a path to better health

In recent years, the Department of Food Science (FOOD) at the University of Copenhagen has had an increased research focus on how food affects human health. This focus cuts across department disciplines, so FOOD has…

FOOD-Health

2016.11.11

Food scientists hunting for biological “blood trail” left by muscles

Already at the age of 50, we begin to lose muscle mass (called sarcopenia), which increases our risk for diseases, resulting in a loss of quality of life and costing society dearly. But if we easily can screen all older…

FOOD-Health

2016.11.11

Food research prevents illness in infants

Associate Professor Dereck Chatterton at the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen has spent more than 15 years carrying out research in order to improve infant formula for children who cannot be…

arctic diet

2016.11.08

Earliest greenlanders had whale for dinner

Test pit in the midden at Fladstrand, East Greenland, with bone remains and a clearly visible stratigraphy. Copyright and credits: Jens Fog Jensen (jens.jensen@snm.ku.dk), Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum…

Pancreatitis

2016.11.08

Blood fats equals risk of pancreatitis

New research from the University of Copenhagen shows that mild to moderate levels of blood fats equals an increased risk developing acute pancreatitis. It is far more serious than we previously believed it to be,…

New times

2016.11.07

Danish research centre on threshold of quantum revolution

Within a few decades, quantum physics will reshape society as we know it. This will include the quantum computer, among other things, now being developed by researchers worldwide. The Villum Foundation has provided 30…

Plant life

2016.10.31

Fossils reveal approaching relocation of plants on Earth

Scientists from Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate predict profound changes in the distribution of plants on Earth. The study is based on recordings of fossilized pollen. It is published today in Nature.

Brain research

2016.10.18

New initiative will promote brain research in Denmark

Five of Denmark’s leading researchers on structural biology will collaborate on a project to gain insight into the brain’s functions and diseases. The initiative is called BRAINSTRUC and funded by Lundbeckfonden with up…

Wild astronomical discovery:

2016.10.11

Chaos in cosmos: Stars with three planet-forming discs of gas

Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have discovered a system consisting of two stars with three rotating planet-forming accretion discs around them. It is a binary star where each star has its own planet-forming..…

Biophysics:

2016.10.11

Trust fosters networking and knowledge sharing

A group of researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have examined how a communication network can arise within a new experiment called Expert Game. They discovered that the driving mechanism for...

New top job:

2016.10.06

Robert Feidenhans’l resigns as head of the Niels Bohr Institute

Robert Feidenhans’l, professor and head of the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen has been appointed as the Chairman of the Management Board of the large European research facility XFEL in Hamburg.

food fraud

2016.10.05

Food scientists: We can detect much more food fraud

Researchers from the Department of Food Science (FOOD) at the University of Copenhagen point out that “non-targeted” methods of analysis can reveal far more food fraud than we are currently detecting. The analytical…

Grant

2016.10.04

A million USD for intestinal flora research that could potentially prevent obesity

The Department of Food Science (FOOD) at University of Copenhagen has received 6.3 million Danish kroner (app 1 million USD) from the Danish Council for Independent Research to study whether you can prevent obesity by…

Genes

2016.09.30

Genes affect birth weight and risk of lifestyle diseases

Researchers have identified 60 genes that are essential for babies' birth weight and can also predict whether a child is at risk of developing lifestyle diseases later in life. Danish researchers involved in the study…

Genetic diversity

2016.09.29

Animals in human altered areas have higher risk of extinction

Human activity has already transformed the surface of the Earth. A just published Science paper shows that it also seems to reduce genetic diversity within animals - putting them at higher risk of extinction. The…

Climate:

2016.09.27

Tracking the amount of sea ice from the Greenland ice sheet

By analysing ice cores drilled from deep inside the Greenland ice sheet, researchers have started to calculate how much Arctic sea ice there was in the past. The results have just published in the research journal…

Climate

2016.09.19

Acidity in atmosphere minimised to preindustrial levels

New research shows that human pollution of the atmosphere with acid is now almost back to the level that it was before the pollution started with industrialisation in the 1930s. The results come from studies of the…

Ghost particles:

2016.08.08

The long hunted sterile neutrino cannot be traced

Some of the most abundant particles in the universe are the so-called ghost particles, neutrinos, which travel through virtually anything on their journey through the universe. Researchers have identified three types…

Breakthrough:

2016.08.02

Gentle cancer treatment using nanoparticles works

Cancer treatments based on laser irridation of tiny nanoparticles that are injected directly into the cancer tumor are working and can destroy the cancer from within. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute and the…

Quantum physics:

2016.07.15

Optical magnetic field sensor can detect signals from the nervous system

The human body is controlled by electrical impulses in, for example, the brain, the heart and nervous system. These electrical signals create tiny magnetic fields, which can be used to diagnose various diseases.

Biophysics:

2016.07.14

Bacteria avoid age defects through collective behaviour

As they age, more and more defects arise in most organisms. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have discovered that microorganisms like bacteria can keep a colony young by practicing a common strategy...

Climate:

2016.06.27

Warning from the past: Future global warming could be even warmer

Future global warming will not only depend on the amount of emissions from man-made greenhouse gasses, but will also depend on the sensitivity of the climate system and response to feedback mechanisms.

Innovation

2016.06.09

Novozymes rewards students for environmentally friendly ideas

A small gadget that can protect us against food poisoning and reduce food waste. Organic dyes which bond properly to the fabrics during manufacture, rather than being flushed out with the waste water and contaminating…

food science

2016.06.08

New Professor in Dairy Process Technology

Lilia Ahrné has since 1 April been a full professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Food Science. In this interview she shares her thoughts on the position and the areas she will focus on. For example…

Food Award

2016.05.27

Head chef of Nordic Food Lab wins Sardinian Prize

Roberto Flore, head chef of Nordic Food Lab at University of Copenhagen, won the Sardinian award “Manos in Pasta” for sending a message about true Sardinian gastronomic heritage to the rest of the world.

Education

2016.05.25

When greenhouses bring education to life

The use of hands-on course sessions in the greenhouses has proven to be a useful tool when teaching in plants and environment. Both students and teachers find inspiration and improved abilities in these living class…

Microalgae

2016.05.20

Modified microalgae converts sunlight into valuable medicine

A special type of microalgae can soon produce valuable chemicals such as cancer treatment drugs and much more just by harnessing energy from the sun. The team of scientists from Copenhagen Plant Science Centre at…

Professor

2016.05.11

New Professor Thomas Günther-Pomorski breaks it all apart...

…just to build it up again. According to the recently appointed Professor, that is the key approach to understanding the complex membrane dynamics he and his team are dealing with. In doing so, there is scarcely anythin…

Marine life

2016.05.10

Coral mass spawning triggered by seasonal rises in ocean temperature

Scientists have discovered rapidly rising seasonal sea temperatures are the likely trigger for coral reproduction allowing them to predict when mass spawning will occur.

Sleep Research

2016.04.29

Salts in the brain control our sleep-wake cycle

Danish research is behind a new epoch-making discovery, which may prove decisive to future brain research. The level of salts in the brain plays a critical role in whether we are asleep or awake. This discovery may be o…

Vaccine

2016.04.26

Danish researchers behind vaccine breakthrough

A Danish research team from the University of Copenhagen has designed a simple technique that makes it possible to quickly and easily develop a new type of vaccines. The simple and effective technique will pave the way…

Quantum technology:

2016.04.26

Superfast light source made from artificial atom

New research results from the Niels Bohr Institute show that light sources can be made much faster by using a principle that was predicted theoretically in 1954. Superfast light sources can be used, for example, in lase…

zinc

2016.04.11

Researchers find key to zinc rich plants to combat malnutrition

The diet in many developing countries is lacking zinc, but researchers have just solved the riddle of how to get more zinc into crop seeds. The discovery has been published in Nature Plants, and the research was led by…

GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH

2016.03.30

For the first time scientists can observe the nano structure of food in 3D

Scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland have, for the first time, created a 3D image of food on the nanometer scale. The method the scientists used is called…

Easter

2016.03.18

Easter can be calculated with greater accuracy using new ‘old’ astronomical method

Easter can fall early and late, in fact, the timing can fluctuate by an entire month from late March to late April. Using a new astronomical method of calculation, the date of Easter would be better defined as the first…

plant protection

2016.03.17

Breakthrough: Microbes protect plants with plant hormones

Researchers from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at University of Copenhagen have for the first time demonstrated that the production of a plant hormone by a beneficial microbe is protecting a plant…

Climate

2016.03.16

Climate variations analysed 5 million years back in time

When we talk about climate change today, we have to recognise the natural variations to be able to distinguish them from the human-induced changes. Researchers from the NBI have analysed the natural climate variations…

climate change

2016.03.03

Professors in The Lancet: We need an analysis of the consequences of climate change beyond 2050

What if there is good reason to believe the greatest risks of climate change lie beyond 2050? This question is asked in a comment in the medical journal The Lancet by Professor Alistair Woodward, Head of Epidemiology an…

Cell treatment

2016.03.02

Cancer treatment on a cellular level

The most common treatments for cancer are radiation and chemotherapy. However they have side effects and also damage healthy tissues. Researchers at NBI are therefore working to develop a gentler treatment that ‘tricks’…

Marie Curie

2016.03.01

Mapping the unknown: what is the function of non-coding RNA in plants?

Non-coding RNA could play an important role in plants’ ability to cope with temperature changes and be the key to developing for example cold resistant crops. Post doc Peter Kindgren from Copenhagen Plant Science Centre…

Life on Earth

2016.02.15

Oxygen was present in the atmosphere much earlier than previously assumed

Reconstructing the emergence and evolution of life on our planet is tightly linked to the questions as to when and to what extent Earth’s atmosphere became oxygenated.

Nature

2016.02.09

Experts urge extreme caution on “rewilding” to save wild places

Efforts to “rewild” the landscape have become increasingly popular, but a new paper led by the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate states that the scientific evidence supporting the potential benefits of this…

CERN

2016.02.09

The universe’s primordial soup flowing at CERN

Researchers have recreated the universe’s primordial soup in miniature format by colliding lead atoms with extremely high energy in the 27 km long particle accelerator, the LHC at CERN.

Ecology

2016.02.03

Hummingbirds provide insight into food specialisation across the Americas

The mapping of food specialisation in hummingbird communities across the Americas, has led to a rare documentation of a large scale ecological pattern.

Climate change

2016.02.03

Will climate change make the koalas’ diet inedible?

The koala could soon be even more endangered than at present, if it turns out that climate change alters the nutritional value of the only food it can eat – Eucalypt leaves. Assistant Professor Elizabeth Neilson from th…

New planet

2016.01.26

The solar system’s ninth planet in sight

Two American researchers believe that they have found evidence that there is still a giant planet in our own solar system that we have never seen. It has long been known that the small dwarf planet Sedna moved in a…

Tropical diseases

2016.01.21

A predictive risk map for the nematode parasite Mansonella perstans in Uganda

Infection with the nematode parasite Mansonella perstans is one of the most neglected of the neglected tropical diseases. A team of researchers have mapped areas of high risk of M. perstans infection in Uganda and…

Mars discovery

2015.12.17

Very high silicon content surprises Mars researchers

New results from the Mars rover Curosity show that some rocks in Gale Crater have a high content of the element silicon. Since the accumulation of silica typically require a combination of both heat and water, this plac…

chemistry research

2015.12.11

Promising cancer therapy advanced by chemical explanation

Researchers at the Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, have discovered an unknown reaction for cancer battling Hadron therapy...

Jurassic climate

2015.12.11

Knowledge gap on extreme change in temperature elucidated

New study by geologist Christoph Korte from IGN, provides documentation to explain a previously not understood major change in temperature during the Jurassic.

Historic astronomy

2015.12.08

Astronomy archaeology – finding 120-year-old observations

In the basement under the Niels Bohr Institute building on Juliane Maries Vej in Copenhagen they have found astronomical observations that go more than 120 years back in time. The observations were recorded on thin…

Intestinal bacteria

2015.12.02

Intestinal bacteria are affected by antidiabetic drugs

Intestinal bacteria change their composition and function when diabetic patients are treated with the drug metformin.

Protein

2015.12.01

Pioneering crops for future generations

By 2050, the global population is expected to increase to 9.6 billion people. The world will need more nutritious, affordable, and environmentally sustainable food - exactly what the EU funded project PROTEIN2FOOD has…

Diabetes

2015.11.30

Diabetes treatment increases survival in women, but not men

New Danish research shows significant difference in the effect of diabetes treatment between men and women. While women's survival is increased by providing tailored treatment, the same does not apply to men. The…

CERN

2015.11.25

CERN collides heavy nuclei at new record high energy

The world’s most powerful accelerator, the 27 km long Large Hadron Collider (LHC) operating at CERN in Geneva established collisions between lead nuclei, this morning, at the highest energies ever.

Birds

2015.11.20

The cuckoo sheds new light on the scientific mystery of bird migration

The cuckoo is not only capable of finding its way from unknown locations; it does this through highly individual decision making, shows new research from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate.

Climate change

2015.11.09

The past shows how abrupt climate shifts affect Earth

New research shows how past abrupt climatic changes in the North Atlantic propagated globally. The study, led by researchers from The Niels Bohr Institute, shows how interaction between heat transport in the ocean and…

Astronomy

2015.11.06

Swift satellite detects 1000th gamma-ray burst

The NASA satellite, Swift, has now detected its 1000th gamma-ray burst. Since the launch of the satellite in 2004, it has revolutionised research into gamma-ray bursts.

Climate

2015.11.04

The most vulnerable countries miss out on climate change knowledge

Collaborations on climate change research are divided into separate regions of the world with little knowledge exchange between them. The most vulnerable countries of the world are largely disconnected from the…

Climate

2015.11.04

The Greenland ice sheet contains nutrients from precipitation

New research shows that the ice sheet on Greenland contains the nutrient phosphorus, which was carried by the atmosphere across the country, where it fell with precipitation. This new knowledge is important for...

food security

2015.11.03

The role of plant science in food security

Plant science has a necessary but not sufficient role to play in meeting the global food security challenge, conclude the Dr. John S. I. Ingram from University of Oxford and Professor Dr. John R. Porter from University…

Climate

2015.11.02

Bugs collected on rooftop for 18 years reveal climate change effects

Study of insects on the roof of Zoological Museum has revealed local insect community turnover due to climate change.

EARLY PANDEMIA

2015.10.23

Plague Infected Humans Much Earlier Than Previously Thought

However, it was at least another thousand years until the bacterium that causes the disease, Yersinia pestis, acquired key changes in virulence genes, allowing it to spread via fleas and evade the host immune system. “W…

Birds

2015.10.21

European birdwatchers unravel how birds respond to climate change

New details on how birds respond to climate change have been revealed by volunteer bird watchers all over Europe.

Collaboration

2015.09.21

Shared workdays to strengthen and stimulate collaboration between researchers and businesses

The Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences invites businesses to benefit from the department’s expertise and facilities, and anticipates that shared workdays will be a fertile ground for innovation and…

RESEARCH

2015.09.18

UCPH scientists well represented in Nature and Science

The University of Copenhagen has joined the ranks of the top 50 research institutions that publish the highest number of articles in two of the world’s most acclaimed and influential scientific journals.

The right tree

2015.09.08

The right tree for the right place in Africa

A new version of vegetationmap4africa makes it easier to select species for agroforestry and land restoration via web, smart phone and Google Earth…

Climate

2015.09.08

Copepod migrations are important for the ocean’s uptake of CO2

Zooplankton no bigger than grains of rice play a much larger role in the transport and storage of CO2 in the ocean than previously thought.

Life in the soil

2015.09.02

Biodiversity belowground is just as important as aboveground

Most of the world’s biodiversity is below ground, but little is known about how it affects ecosystems or how it will be affected by climate change. A new paper by CMEC demonstrates the importance of soil biodiversity fo…

Conservation

2015.08.20

The Sumatran rhino is extinct in the wild in Malaysia

The future survival of the wild Sumatran rhinos now depends entirely on the less than 100 individuals estimated to live in Indonesia and the nine rhinos in captivity.

Chemistry research

2015.08.11

Danish breakthrough brings futuristic electronics a step nearer

first-year nanoscience students publish breakthrough in self-assembling molecular electronics

Quantum technology

2015.07.27

Quantum networks: Back and forth are not equal distances!

Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have discovered a new type of photonic channels, where back and forth are not equal distances! Such a system has been a missing component for building quantum photonic circuits…

Emigration

2015.07.21

The population history of Native Americans

There is archaeological evidence of modern humans in the Americas by approx. 15 thousand years ago (KYA). However, there is still debate over exactly when and how many times the ancestors of present-day Native Americans…

Climate

2015.07.08

Volcanic eruptions are important for world climate

Large volcanic eruptions release huge clouds of ash and acid into the atmosphere. These clouds spread across the globe and block out the Sun, resulting in a colder climate for decades afterwards. Climate researchers hav…

Astronomy

2015.07.08

Super-bright supernova with extreme burst of gamma radiation

Astronomers from NBI have observed a super-bright supernova association with a very unusual long lasting gamma-ray burst. Gamma-ray bursts are in rare cases observed in connection with supernovae, which are the

EUROPEAN LANDSCAPES

2015.07.01

EU-project prepares “Roadmap” for the sustainable use of European landscapes

What will European landscapes look like in 2040? Researchers from IGN has gone through this question with partners from the EU.

NEW PhD PROJECT

2015.07.01

Do children with ADHD benefit from nature?

A new PhD project seeks to investigate whether time in nature can be an effective supplementary treatment for children with ADHD.

Nano technology

2015.06.24

Nanowires could be the LEDs of the future

The latest research from the Niels Bohr Institute shows that LEDs made from nanowires will use less energy and provide better light. The researchers studied nanowires using X-ray microscopy and with this method they can…

NATIVE AMERICAN ORIGINS

2015.06.18

Kennewick Man: solving a scientific controversy

When Kennewick Man was discovered in 1996 initial cranial analysis suggested that he was a historic-period Euro-American. Later radiocarbon dating of the bones revealed an age of ca. 8,000-9,000 years BP making him…

Sea level rise

2015.06.18

Risk of major sea level rise in Northern Europe

Global warming leads to the ice sheets on land melting and flowing into the sea, which consequently rises. New calculations by researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute show that the sea level in Northern Europe may ris…

Ice core drilling

2015.06.17

New Greenland ice core drilled through the Renland ice cap

An international research team led by the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen have drilled an ice core through the ice cap on the Renland peninsula in the Scoresbysund fjord in Eastern Greenland in…

BRONZE AGE GENETICS

2015.06.10

When modern Eurasia was born

Modern European and Central Asian peoples are genetically speaking not more than a couple of thousand years old.

Savannas effect on CO2

2015.05.22

Savannas affect the level of CO2 in the atmosphere

In an article posted in Science, Guy Schurgers from IGN has taken part in research on the impacts of the atmospheric CO2 level.

UNDERGROUND CHANNEL

2015.04.20

World’s first geoscience video channel

Today sees the launch of the world’s first online video channel focusing on the geosciences.

Liquid water on Mars

2015.04.13

Mars might have liquid water

Researchers have long known that there was water in the form of ice on Mars. Now, new research from NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity shows that it is possible that there is liquid water close to the surface of Mars.

Ice on Mars

2015.04.07

Mars has belts of glaciers consisting of frozen water

Mars has distinct polar ice caps, but Mars also has belts of glaciers at its central latitudes in both the southern and northern hemispheres. A thick layer of dust covers the glaciers, so they appear as surface of the…

Quantum physics

2015.03.30

Super sensitive measurement of magnetic fields in swinging atoms

There are electrical signals in the nervous system, the brain and throughout the human body and there are tiny magnetic fields associated with these signals that could be important for medical science.

Disturbed Ecosystems

2015.03.26

Increased sensitivity to climate change in disturbed ecosystems

Plants are particularly sensitive to climatic changes in early life stages and even small climatic changes can cause vegetation shifts.

Habitable planets

2015.03.18

Planets in the habitable zone around most stars, calculate researchers

Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets in our galaxy, the Milky Way. By analysing these planetary systems, researchers from the Australian National University and the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen have…

Research collaboration

2015.03.17

Quantum link between QDev in Denmark and QuTech in Holland

The Center for Quantum Devices, QDev at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen and QuTech at Delft University of Technology in Holland have therefore entered into an international partnership in the…

Physical chemistry

2015.03.13

Copenhagen chemists discover an unlikely connection

As with magnets and alternating current, positively charged molecules never aim for one another. Or so chemists used to believe...

LHC restarts

2015.03.12

CERN starting the LHC accelerator up again to solve new mysteries

The 27 km long subterranean particle accelerator, the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) at CERN is ready to start up again. The LHC is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world. After a break of two…

Tooth fillings

2015.03.10

New research into materials for tooth fillings

Tooth decay is a serious health problem and it is often necessary to repair cavities. Today they often use a composite filling material made of acrylate compounds, as it resembles the colour of the teeth and is…

Research collaboration

2015.03.09

Chemistry at the heart of new Danish-Qatari partnership

Faculty of Science Dean John Renner Hansen recently signed an agreement with Qatar University’s College of Arts and Sciences. It is an agreement that Hansen hopes will make it easier to develop the current collaborative…

2015.03.09

Poorly preserved DNA from African slaves reveals their origins

An analysis of DNA extracted from the tooth roots of three 17th century slaves reveals that they hailed from Bantu-speaking groups in northern Cameroon and non-Bantu speakers living in present-day Nigeria and Ghana.

Atomic clock

2015.03.06

Quantum mechanic frequency filter for atomic clocks

In an atomic clock, electrons jumping from one orbit to another decides the clock’s frequency. To get the electrons to jump, researchers shine light on the atoms using stabilised laser light. However, the laser light ha…

Rare cosmic sight

2015.03.05

Astronomers observe four images of the same supernova using a cosmic lens

Astronomers have for the first time observed a supernova multiply-imaged due to gravitational lensing. The light from the supernova is seen in four different images due to a cosmic phenomenon that causes light to be…

Early Universe

2015.03.02

Astronomers find dust in the early universe

Dust plays an extremely important role in the universe – both in the formation of planets and new stars. But the earliest galaxies had no dust, only gas. Now an international team of astronomers, led by researchers from…

Eliteforsk award

2015.02.26

Biophysicist receives EliteForsk Award 2015

Biophysics professor Lene Oddershede of the University of Copenhagen's Niels Bohr Institute at the Faculty of Science will receive an EliteForsk Award - Denmark's largest public research award - on Thursday, February 26…

rising sea level

2015.02.20

Greenland is melting – the past might tell what the future holds

A team of scientists lead by Danish geologist Nicolaj Krog Larsen have managed to quantify how the Greenland Ice Sheet reacted to a warm period 8,000-5,000 years ago.

Conservation

2015.02.09

World’s governments are failing on protected areas for nature

A new study has found that while governments are making progress in expanding Protected Area networks, these are failing to provide adequate coverage for nature.

Planetary Boundaries

2015.01.15

Four of nine planetary boundaries now crossed

Four of nine planetary boundaries have now been crossed as a result of human activity, says a team of 18 researchers including professor Katherine Richardson from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate. The…

NEW MUSEUM

2014.12.17

Christmas present of the year: 550 m from private foundations ensures new museum of natural history.

Through generous donations from VILLUM FONDEN, The Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Obel Family Foundation and the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansens Foundation, the University of Copenhagen is now able to build the new Natural…

Diversity

2014.12.11

International team maps "Big Bang" of bird evolution

The genomes of modern birds tell a story of how they emerged and evolved after the mass extinction that wiped out dinosaurs and almost everything else 66 million years ago.

GREEN CAMPUS

2014.12.10

New green strategy puts UCPH in the sustainability Champions League

The University of Copenhagen has set out ambitious new targets for sustainability designed to make UCPH one of the world’s most sustainable universities. With “Green Campus 2020: A Strategy for Resource Efficiency and…

Ants

2014.12.08

Fungus-growing ants selectively cultivate their crops

Ever since agriculture evolved ca 10.000 years ago, plants have been artificially selectedto become the fast growing and highly productive varieties we know today. However, humans were not the first to see merit in…

Nature’s ingenious systems:

2014.12.08

Celldivision induces tissue ordering

If there is a blood clot preventing blood from flowing across the endothelial cells, they begin to divide actively. New research from NBI demonstrates that cell division is very ordered and create a dynamic movement…

Christmas trees

2014.12.04

Cloned Christmas trees can help reduce pesticide use

A new method makes it possible to clone Nordmann firs – the Danes’ Christmas tree of choice. Robust, beautiful trees can now be grown without pesticides or any other form of chemical treatment used to help regulate tree…

The world’s largest telescope

2014.12.04

Green light for construction of the E-ELT

The ESO Council has now decided to start building the new large European telescope E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) on 1 January 2015. This begins the first phase of construction of the world’s largest…

Cosmic distances:

2014.11.26

Using supermassive black holes to measure cosmic distances

One of the major problems in astronomy is measuring very large distances in the universe. The current most common methods measure relative distances, but now research from the Niels Bohr Institute demonstrates that…

POISONOUS LUNCH

2014.11.25

Vultures evolved an extreme gut to cope with disgusting dietary habits

How is it that vultures can live on a diet of carrion that would at least lead to severe food-poisoning, and more likely kill most other animals?

Early European history

2014.11.06

Ancient genomes show the European meta-population

DNA recovered from a 36,000 year old fossil skeleton found in Russia shows early divergence of Eurasians once they had left Africa, and the deep shared ancestry of Europeans.

Climate changes

2014.11.05

New professor is going to take part in uncovering the consequences of climate changes in the Arctic

1 December 2014 Per Ambus will commence as professor in arctic isotope geochemistry at Center for Permafrost.

Nanoscopy

2014.11.03

At the forefront with Nobel Prize winning microscope

The invention of super resolution microscopy won this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry - a revolutionary technique that literally has made the impossible possible. Thanks to a group of researchers at the Center for…

SUSTAINABILITY

2014.10.24

Global boom in hydropower expected this decade

This could reduce the number of our last remaining large free-flowing rivers by about 20 percent and pose a serious threat to freshwater biodiversity.

Geophysics

2014.10.23

Danish scientist elected as Fellow of Geological Society of America

Professor in Geophysics Hans Thybo, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at University of Copenhagen has been elected as Fellow of Geological Society of America.

SUSTAINABILITY

2014.10.23

New policymaking tool for shift to renewable energy

Multiple pathways exist to a low greenhouse gas future, all involving increased efficiency and a dramatic shift in energy supply away from fossil fuels.

Green advice

2014.10.20

Top universities create green guide for universities

Ten of the world's top universities now release the Green Guide for Universities at the international conference Making Universities Sustainable Conference that takes place in Copenhagen this week. The guide makes it…

Sea level:

2014.10.13

Rising sea levels of 1.8 meters in worst-case scenario

The climate is getting warmer, the ice sheets are melting and sea levels are rising – but how much? Now researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute and their colleagues have calculated the risk for a worst-case scenario.…

Congress

2014.10.08

Sustainable trends give businesses new opportunities

Companies need to pay close attention if they want to be frontrunners in technological development: University of Copenhagen brings together experts from more than 50 countries to discuss solutions to global challenges…

Biodiversity targets

2014.10.03

More investment needed to reach international biodiversity targets by 2020

Despite some progress, more needs to be done to reach the internationally agreed set of biodiversity targets by 2020. New Science study out today.

Genes

2014.09.19

Size at birth affects risk of adolescent mental health disorders

New research from the Copenhagen Centre for Social Evolution and Yale University offers compelling support for the general evolutionary theory that birth weight and -length can partially predict the likelihood of being…

Medicinal Chemistry

2014.09.15

Protein courtship revealed through chemist's lens

Staying clear of diseases requires the proteins in our cells to cooperate with one another. But, it has been a well-guarded secret how tens of thousands of different proteins find the correct dancing partners as they…

New quantum technology:

2014.08.29

Breakthrough in light sources for new quantum technology

Future quantum circuits are photonic circuits, i.e. circuits based on light (photons) instead of electrons. Now scientists at the Niels Bohr Institute have succeeded in creating a steady stream of photons emitted one at…

PREHISTORIC MIGRATIONS

2014.08.28

New DNA study unravels the settlement history of the New World Arctic

We know people have lived in the New World Arctic for about 5,000 years. Archaeological evidence clearly shows that a variety of cultures survived the harsh climate in Alaska, Canada and Greenland for thousands of years…

Civilization's impact

2014.08.15

Human pressure on land is increasing shows world map

During the past two decades, 64 % of the Earth’s land-based area has experienced an increase in human pressure, shows a new map. It is part of a research study that also reveals agriculture and human settlement to be…

Climate change

2014.05.27

Climate warming favours light-coloured insects in Europe

Butterflies and dragonflies with a lighter shade of colour do better in warmer areas of Europe. This gives them a competitive advantage over the darker insects in the face of climate change. Changes in Europe’s insect…

Nutrition

2014.05.15

HIV patient nutrition more vital than once assumed

Access to HIV medication has significantly reduced the number of AIDS related deaths in Africa. Yet in a number of African countries one in four HIV infected still dies within the first few months of commencing…

Polarbears

2014.05.09

Genome gives clues to how polar bears rapidly evolved to cope with high-fat diet

A comparison of the genomes of polar bears and brown bears reveals that the polar bear is a much younger species than previously believed, having diverged from brown bears less than 500,000 years ago.

Climate change

2014.05.01

Multiple dimensions of climate change reveal unappreciated impacts on biodiversity

Shrinking ice sheets and melting ice caps are well known consequences of climate change. But a new study reveals that impacts on biodiversity will be just as severe in other regions of the world. These results expose th…

climate fiction

2014.04.23

Fiction prepares us for a world changed by global warming

Climate fiction – or simply cli-fi – is a newly coined term for novels and films which focus on the consequences of global warming. New research from University of Copenhagen shows how these fictions serve as a mental…

ANIMAL WELFARE

2014.04.10

Experts disagree on horses with incoordination

At least one in 100 horses at some point in its life will lose the ability to control of its gait as a result of developing the neurological disorder ataxia. Once diagnosed with ataxia, the horse is often put down, or…

Medicinal chemistry

2014.03.10

New sugar-test to reduce false-positive cancer diagnoses

The world’s most widespread test for ovarian cancer reports false-positives in 94 of 100 diagnosed cases. Now, chemists at the University of Copenhagen working with clinical researchers at University College London have…

AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT

2014.03.05

3D scans map widespread fish disease

Seventy-five per cent of antibiotics in Danish fish farms is used to treat fish with enteric redmouth disease.

Environmental chemistry

2014.02.27

Danish chemist cracks code for cloud creation

Atmospheric chemists at the University of Copenhagen have now revealed an important factor in the formation of clouds. They have demonstrated how gaseous emissions from trees and other plants can develop into particles…

TEAM SPORT

2014.02.21

Team sport compensates for oestrogen loss

When women enter menopause, their oestrogen levels taper. This increases their risk of cardiovascular disease. New research from University of Copenhagen shows that interval-based team sport can make up for this…

Medicinal chemistry

2014.02.19

Chemist gets US patent for solution to resistance problem

A chemist based at the University of Copenhagen has just taken out a patent for a drug that can make previously multidrug-resistant bacteria once again responsive to antibiotics.

COLONIZATION

2014.02.12

Americas only Clovis skeleton had its genome mapped

They lived in America about 13,000 years ago where they hunted mammoth, mastodons and giant bison with big spears. The Clovis people were not the first humans in America, but they represent the first humans with a wide…

GUT CONTENT

2014.02.05

A "smoking gun" on the Ice Age megafauna extinctions

It was climate that killed many of the large mammals after the latest Ice Age. But what more specifically was it with the climate that led to this mass extinction?

DNA

2014.01.26

Blue eyes and dark skin, thats how the European hunter-gatherer looked like 7,000 years ago

A 7,000 years old individual from the Mesolithic Period, whose remains were recovered at La Braña‐Arintero site in Valdelugueros (León, Spain) had blue eyes and dark skin.

Resources

2014.01.24

Mining no shortcut for Greenland

Greenland would benefit most by permitting a limited number of mines, operational for a limited number of years, in a limited number of areas, concludes a new report compiled by the University of Copenhagen and…

Climate research

2014.01.22

Climate change research is globally skewed

The supply of climate change knowledge is biased towards richer countries - those that pollute the most and are least vulnerable to climate change – and skewed away from the poorer, fragile and more vulnerable regions o…

New cooperation

2014.01.13

Demand for improved insulation materials spawns new collaboration

Better insulation materials are a money and energy saver for all. A new collaborative project is set to address the need, and involves ROCKWOOL International A/S, a major producer of insulation materials, and the…

Immune systeme

2013.12.16

Fish skin adding new knowledge about the immune system

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have studied immune responses in fish skin and mapped changes in mechanisms that occur in connection with immune diseases in humans and animals. The findings have been…

CHRISTMAS PRESENT OF THE YEAR

2013.12.13

Misty the Dinosaur comes to Denmark

Now the Natural History Museum of Denmark can reveal that it received the Christmas present of the year thanks to a donation from the Obel Family Foundation. The 17-meter-long dinosaur belongs to the species Diplodocus.…

Research

2013.12.13

Snail fever expected to decline in Africa due to climate change

The explanation is that the parasite’s host snails stand to lose suitable habitat due to climate change.

Food security

2013.12.12

Scientists map food security and self-provision of major cities

Wealthy capital cities vary greatly in their dependence on the global food market. New research have mapped the food systems of capital cities, an essential insight for future food security if population growth, climate…

Atmospheric chemistry

2013.11.26

Chemist gets environmental prize for inventing fresh air

Atmospheric chemist Matthew Johnson is awarded one of the largest environmental prizes in Denmark, ”Miljøprisen 2013” of DKK 250.000 for research in methods to ensure cleaner air

DNA

2013.11.18

Bacteria recycle broken DNA

Researchers from Denmark and Norway have now shown that bacteria can take up small as well as large pieces of old DNA from the environment and include it in their own genome. This discovery may have major consequences…

INTERDISCIPLINARITY

2013.10.07

Ten top-universities behind congress on global challenges and sustainable solutions

The congress invites experts across disciplines to break down academic barriers and jumpstart a broader collaboration on sustainable solutions relevant for society. Also targeting businesses and policy makers, the…

NANO-SCIENCE

2013.10.03

Great potential for faster diagnoses with new method

The more accurately we can diagnose a disease, the greater the chance that the patient will survive.

Oxygen

2013.09.26

Earth's history to be rewritten

Until now, science has believed that oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere has been around for roughly 2.3 billion years, or roughly half way back along our planet's 4.6 billion year timeline. However, new research results…

New rat genus

2013.09.20

New rat genus discovered in the birthplace of the theory of evolution

A new genus of rat which has been discovered in Indonesia. The international team of zoologists was led by the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense in Indonesia and the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the…

Chemistry breakthrough

2013.09.16

Chemistry magic promises better medicine with fewer side-effects

A gentler new chemistry promises cleaner and subsequently far safer pharmaceuticals. The ground-breaking method, was published by a chemistry research group at the University of Copenhagen

THE ARCTIC STATION

2013.08.14

University of Copenhagen invites collaboration in the Arctic

UCPH is seeking to bolster its presence in Greenland and invites closer national and international collaboration at the Arctic Station.

Killer fish

2013.08.12

Danish swimmers escape waters fearing killer fish

The capture of a fish with long sharp teeth has caused Danish swimmers to leave the water fearing an invasion of Piranhas.

Climate

2013.07.28

New knowledge about permafrost improving climate models

New research findings from the Centre for Permafrost (CENPERM) at the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, document that permafrost during thawing may result in a…

Endangered spicies

2013.07.21

Current efforts will not save the world's most endangered cat

The Iberian lynx is likely to go extinct within 50 years because the current management plans do not account for the effects of climate change.

World class

2013.06.26

University of Copenhagen set for neutrons and X-rays

Two new research facilities, the X-ray source MAX IV and the neutron source European Spallation Source are being established in the Oresund Region.

Insulin resistance

2013.06.26

New research provides insights into the ability of muscles to take in glucose

New studies conducted by a research group from University of Copenhagen have identified a molecule which can explain why blood sugar regulation functions poorly in patients with type 2 diabetes and why exercise increase…

A genome world record

2013.06.26

A 700.000 year old horse gets its genome sequenced

Scientists at the Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark (University of Copenhagen) have sequenced the genome from a 700.000 year-old horse.

stem cell

2013.06.06

Rewinding development: a step forward for stem cell research

Research discovery at University of Copenhagen has the potential to shed new light on placenta related disorders that can lead to problematic pregnancies and miscarriages.

Whales

2013.04.09

They swam north to survive

Many of the large land mammals, such as mammoths and woolly rhinos, didn’t survive the last ice-age. In contrast ocean mammals such as the bowhead whale, which with a lifespan of 200 years is the world’s longest living…

Sustainable Chemistry

2013.04.09

New centre to focus on harvest and storage of solar energy

Paint which combines the properties of solar cells and batteries is the ultimate goal for chemist Morten Brønsted Nielsen, who has just been promoted as a so-called ”fyrtårnsprofessor” (lighthouse professor) at the…

Evolutionary chemistry

2013.04.02

Darwinian Evolution of new Chemistry and Nano-Medicine

An entirely new way of thinking about pharmaceuticals – this is the goal of Morten Meldal , one of two new ‘Lighthouse Professors’ in chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. Meldal, 59, has been appointed by UCPH’s…

DNA

2013.03.20

Monster from the deep hits the surface

The giant squid is one of the most enigmatic animals on the planet. It is extremely rarely seen, except. But now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen leading an international team, have discovered that no matter…

Marine environment

2013.03.13

Volunteer divers benefit marine research

Many volunteer SCUBA divers collect data on the marine environment every year. Now research shows that the divers do not have to use traditional, scientific methods to make a valuable contribution to science. A more…

PARTNERSHIP

2013.03.01

Experts to calculate potential of Greenlandic mineral wealth

A joint Greenlandic and Danish university committee will seek to identify how best to use Greenland’s geological resources in order to develop the country and its relationship with Denmark.

SPIN-OUT

2013.02.14

Scientists make racehorses fertile

Ten percent of mares have difficulties conceiving. Professor Anders Miki Bojesen and veterinarian Morten Rønn Petersen have discovered what the trouble is and produced a product to help such horses become pregnant.

2013.01.15

Grants attract top researchers to Copenhagen

Two international researchers have each been awarded a Novo Nordisk Foundation Laureate Research Grant of DKK 40 million (€ 5.36 million). The two professors will now move their research to University of Copenhagen.

2012.12.28

Groundbreaking air-cleaner saves polluting industrials

An aircleaning invention from the University of Copenhagen has proven its ability to remove difficult air pollution. And in the process they have helped a business in the Danish city of Aarhus improve relations to angry…

2012.12.21

A new centre to analyse future disasters

A new centre at the University of Copenhagen and CBS will equip relief aid organisations, authorities, media and politicians to better manage future disasters.

2012.12.20

Wallace's century-old map of natural world updated

Until today, Alfred Russel Wallace's century old map from 1876 has been the backbone for our understanding of global biodiversity. Thanks to advances in modern technology and data on more than 20,000 species, scientists…

2012.12.19

Common house plant threatened by climate change

The purple flower African violet is a popular house plant in most of the world. Scientists from the University of Copenhagen have now revealed that the original wild population is seriously threatened by future climate…

2012.12.06

Drought in the Horn of Africa delays migrating birds

The drought last year in the Horn of Africa caused the extremely late arrival into northern Europe of several migratory songbird species, a study from University of Copenhagen published today in Science shows.

2012.11.15

International research team become the first to map pig genome

Together with an international team of scientists, researchers from the University of Copenhagen are the first to map the genome of pigs.

2012.11.02

Solar system's birth record revised

New research suggests that our solar system is not quite as special as once believed.

2012.10.25

The modern view of nature has religious roots

All over the planet, people are fighting to save animals and plants from extinction. In a new book, University of Copenhagen theologian Jakob Wolf takes up this aspect of the climate debate in the context of a religious…

2012.10.21

Danish researchers release ground-breaking knowledge about calcium pumps in cells

Researchers have now shown that calcium pumps in the cell’s outer membrane adjust the pump speed very accurately to the calcium concentration.

2012.10.02

New research into species extinction under climate change

Nine researchers from University of Copenhagen are awarded the prestigious Sapere Aude grant.

2012.09.28

Ancient stinging nettles reveal Bronze Age trade connections

A piece of nettle cloth retrieved from Denmark's richest known Bronze Age burial mound may derive from Austria, new findings suggest.

2012.09.26

New simulation method produces realistic fluid movements

What does a yoghurt look like over time? The food industry will soon be able to answer this question using a new fluid simulation tool.

2012.09.04

New Danish fungal species discovered

A new fungal species has been discovered in Denmark during a mushroom-hunting tour headed by postdoc Jacob Heilman-Clausen from the University of Copenhagen.

2012.09.04

The mystery of dark matter may be near to being deciphered

With the latest observations from the Planck satellite, researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, may be closer than ever to a solution to the origin of the mysterious dark matter

2012.09.04

Botanical Garden - renewed and beautified

From 2009 to 2012 the Botanical Garden in Copenhagen has been transformed, and now it appears more beautiful and attractive than ever before.

2012.08.30

New DNA-method tracks fish and whales in seawater

Danish researchers at University of Copenhagen lead the way for future monitoring of marine biodiversity and resources by using DNA traces in seawater samples to keep track of fish and whales in the oceans.

2012.08.29

Sweet building blocks of life found around young star

Life is made up of a series of complex organic molecules, including sugars. Astronomers from NBI have now observed a simple sugar molecule in the gas surrounding a young star

2012.08.06

Successful landing on Mars

"It has succeeded, it has landed”, it sounds from head of the Danish Mars research group, Morten Bo Madsen, who is reporting from NASA’s control centre in Pasadena, California

2012.08.05

New technology eliminates plant toxins

A team of researchers has developed a method to hinder unwanted toxins from entering the edible parts of plants such as the oilseed rape, which will make it suitable for animal feed.

2012.08.03

Warming and melting on top of the Greenland ice sheet

On top of the approximately 3 km thick ice sheet in Greenland the temperature is normally around minus 10-15 degrees C in the summer. This year, researchers from NBI observed temperatures above zero

2012.08.02

Aerial photos reveal dynamic ice sheet

Despite the current and rapid melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet, it remains far from certain just when we will have reached a point when scientists will be able to predict its disappearance.

2012.08.01

Gene technology helps deceive greedy pest insects

New research has helped develop a method to deceive the greedy diamond-back moth, which could help cabbage farmers worldwide.

2012.07.23

Rise in temperatures and CO2 follow each other closely in climate change

New research from the Niels Bohr Institute indicates that, contrary to previous opinion, the rise in temperature and the rise in the atmospheric CO2 follow each other closely in terms of time.

2012.07.12

The Clovis First Theory is put to rest at Paisley Caves

New international research shows that people of another culture were present concurrently or even previous to those of the Clovis culture.

2012.07.04

Breakthrough - the Higgs is found

So there it is – the Higgs, the mysterious particle that causes all things to have a mass. After 45 years of intense searching, researchers at CERN have now detected the existence of the mysterious particle

2012.07.02

Denmark can triple its biomass production and improve the environment

Scientists have published an extensive report that shows how we can increase the production of biomass by more than 200% in an environmentally friendly way.

2012.06.24

Discovery of material with amazing properties

Normally a material can be either magnetically or electrically polarized, but not both. Now researchers at NBI have studied a material that is simultaneously magnetically and electrically polarizable.

2012.06.22

South African daffodils may be a future cure for depression

Scientists have discovered that plant compounds from a South African flower may in time be used to treat diseases originating in the brain – including depression.

2012.06.13

Planets can form around different types of stars

New research from NBI, among others, shows that small planets can form around very different types of stars – also stars that are relatively poor in heavy elements. This significantly increases the

2012.06.07

Breaking the limits of classical physics

Researchers from NBI have made a simple experiment that demonstrates that nature violates common sense. The experiment illustrates that light does not behave according to the principles of classical physics...

2012.06.01

New understanding of terrestrial formation has significant and far reaching future implications

While plate tectonics can shed light on processes up to 3 billion years ago, the theory isn’t sufficient in explaining the dynamics of the earth and crust formation before that point.

2012.05.31

Blanch your weeds

PhD project shows that six treatments throughout the summer with either boiling water, steam or flaming will dispatch even the hardiest of unwanted plants.

2012.05.29

Old aerial photos supply new knowledge on glaciers in Greenland

New research shows that the glaciers in Southeast Greenland can actually recuperate within a short timeframe if temperatures are to drop.

2012.05.16

Baby galaxies grew up quickly

Baby galaxies from the young Universe more than 12 billion years ago evolved faster than previously thought, shows new research from the Niels Bohr Institute. This means that already in the early history of the Universe

2012.05.08

Particle physics professor appointed dean

John Renner Hansen, Head of the Niels Bohr Institute, will become the new dean of the Faculty of Science.

2012.04.24

Dietary changes help some children with ADHD

Researchers have just completed an extensive report that shows there are potential benefits in changing the diets of children with ADHD, but key knowledge in the area is still lacking.

2012.04.24

Leeches are DNA bloodhounds in the jungle

Researchers have developed a new and revolutionary, yet simple and cheap, method for tracking mammals in the rainforests of Southeast Asia.

2012.04.04

New forage plant prepares farmers for climate changes

Researchers have developed a new type of the corn-like crop sorghum, which may become very significant for food supplies in drought-prone areas. Unlike the conventional drought-resistant sorghum plant, which is an…

2012.03.16

Glacier-fed river systems threatened by climate change

As glaciers vanish due to global warming, so will those species dependent upon the icy runoff. The alarming new findings can be found in the journal Nature Climate Change.

2012.03.14

New Danish centre to explore the Earth's interior

To solve the mantle plume mystery Professor Hans Thybo and colleagues will lower advanced seismographic equipment much deeper within the Earth than before - down to 500 and 1000 kilometers.

2012.03.09

Sustainability threatened by rising demand for livestock products

A major new European research project aims to identify and develop innovative solutions and technologies to handle and utilise the huge quantities of animal waste from livestock production.

2012.03.05

The Blue Planet's new water budget

Researchers from University of Copenhagen and Stanford have examined 3.8 billion year old minerals from Greenland and determined that liquid water was also in existence upon the young Earth, billions of years ago.

2012.03.01

Sturdy Scandinavian conifers survived Ice Age

New research shows that some Scandinavian conifers survived the inhospitable ice age climate likely for several thousands of years.

2012.02.22

Birds sing louder amidst the noise and structures of the urban jungle

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Aberystwyth have discovered that besides noise, the physical structure of cities also plays a role in altering the birds’ songs.

2012.02.21

Promising new compound for treating stroke

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have designed, produced and patented a new chemical compound for the possible treatment of brain damage caused by stroke.

2012.02.20

Rainforest plant combats multi-resistant bacterial strains

Researchers have discovered a natural substance in a Chilean avocado plant that is active in combination treatment with traditional antibiotics.

2012.01.22

Cooling semiconductor by laser light

Researchers at the NBI have combined two worlds – quantum physics and nano physics, and this has led to the discovery of a new method for laser cooling semiconductor membranes

2012.01.19

The biodiversity crisis: Worse than climate change

University of Copenhagen leaves imprint on new UN panel in effort to preserve world nature.

2012.01.12

Research prevents eco-fraud

In recent years, the growing demand for organic food products has led to the faking of food and fraud. Headed by the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, a European research project will now develop methods…

2012.01.11

A wealth of habitable planets in the Milky Way

Astronomers from the Niels Bohr Institute have discovered that most of the Milky Way’s 100 billion stars have planets that are very similar to the Earth-like planets in our own solar system – Mercury, Venus, Earth and…

2012.01.10

Niels Bohr Institute gets top researcher from Harvard

A grant of 38 million from the VILLUM FOUNDATION paves the way for a brand new professorship at the Niels Bohr Institute for world-leading researcher in the field of quantum physics, Professor Charles Marcus.

2011.12.21

New research platform paves way for future bio-based society

The Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation is donating DKK 112 million for a new platform bringing together Denmark’s leading players within the sustainable use of biomass.

2011.12.21

Discovery of the first planet the size of Earth

Astronomers from the NBI have participated in the first discovery of a planet the size of Earth. Using the Kepler satellite, astronomers have observed a solar system with five planets of which one is the size of the…

2011.12.20

Breastfeeding promotes healthy growth

A PhD project from LIFE – the Faculty of Life Sciences – has shown that breastfed children follow a different growth pattern than non-breastfed children.

2011.12.19

Scientists turn to protein clues to recreate mammoth DNA

For the first time ever scientists have been able to work backwards by using 126 proteins from a 43,000-year-old bone to recreate the genes of a mammoth.

2011.12.15

University of Copenhagen creates new super faculties

University of Copenhagen has decided to merge four of the University’s eight faculties into two. This is done to create better synergy between research and education.

2011.12.13

Robert Feidenhans'l receives 20 million for food product research

Professor Robert Feidenhans'l has received a large grant of almost 20 million kroner from the Danish Council for Strategic Research for a project on groundbreaking new X-ray scanning of food products.

2011.12.12

Extra weight loss from dietary fibres extracted from seaweed

A new research project conducted shows that dietary fibres from brown algae boost the sensation of satiety, thereby making people eat less and lose more weight.

2011.12.11

A lake fauna in a shot-glass

Danish research team leads the way for future biodiversity monitoring using DNA traces in the environment to keep track of threatened wildlife.

2011.12.08

Danish mushroom inspires cancer researchers

Researchers have explored the active principles of a Danish mushroom and found that some of the substances it contains are particularly toxic towards cancer cells.

2011.12.02

Chemistry student working for climate-friendly fridges

Coolants used in refrigerators have been revealed to be disruptive to earth climate. Now a student of chemistry will investigate replacement compounds that will not heat the planet.

2011.12.01

Mysterious Christmas star explosion

Christmas Day 2010 the Swift satellite observed a very strange gamma-ray burst in the distant universe. Gamma-ray bursts are extremely powerful bursts of radiation predominantly associated with massive stars that die in…

2011.12.01

New research project to examine the transatlantic slave trade

A new research project will bring together an unprecedented range of young researchers to examine the history of the transatlantic slave trade and explore its long-term effects.

2011.11.16

Predicting future threats for global amphibian biodiversity

New research shows that amphibian populations are declining worldwide, and their declines far exceed those of other animal groups.

2011.11.15

Ancient stars shed light on the prehistory of the Milky Way

Some of the oldest stars in the Milky Way – a kind of stellar fossils contain abnormally large amounts of heavy elements like gold, platinum and uranium. Researchers at the NBI have with recent observations concluded ho…

2011.11.14

Billions in savings in health costs through reduced air pollution

Air pollution causes people to get sick, and illness costs society money. A report from CEEH shows that there would be significant savings for society in a fossil free Denmark, around 2-3 billion kroner annually through…

2011.11.07

Research in cellular memory

Associate Professor Anja Groth has received an ERC Starting Grant and has been selected for EMBO's Young Investigator Programme. Her research deals with how cells know what to become and how they sustain this memory…

2011.11.03

Nano-tech makes medicine greener

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen are behind the development of a new method that will make it possible to develop drugs faster and greener. This will lead to cheaper medicine for consumers.

2011.11.02

Unraveling the causes of the Ice Age megafauna extinctions

Was it humans or climate change that caused the extinctions of the iconic Ice Age mammals? University of Copenhagen researchers are unravelling the mystery.

2011.11.02

Giant star explosion casts light on distant galaxies

Astronomers including members from the NBI have used light from a distant gamma-ray burst to investigate the composition of matter in distant galaxies. Surprisingly, it turns out that some galaxies in the early universe

2011.10.28

Two giant grants from the EU to the Niels Bohr Institute

The Niels Bohr Institute has received two large research grants totalling 35 million kroner from ERC. The two recipients are Eugene Polzik, professor and head of Quantop and Jan Ambjørn, professor with...

2011.10.20

Tracing the first North American hunters

An astonishing new chapter has been added to North American prehistory with research showing that the hunt for large mammals occurred 1,000 years before previously assumed.

2011.10.19

Sea levels will continue to rise for 500 years

Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have calculated the long-term outlook for rising sea levels, and predict that by the year 2500 the sea will have risen by two meters.

2011.10.13

Polar bears ill from accumulated environmental toxins

Industrial chemicals are transported from the industrialised world to the Arctic via air and sea currents - causing diseases in polar bears.

2011.10.09

Small molecules can starve cancer cells

Researchers from BRIC have found that a small molecule in our cells can block autophagy in cancer cells making them more sensitive for treatment.

2011.09.22

Aboriginals get new history

New reserach from the Willerslev group show, that the Aboriginal Australians were the first explorers.

2011.09.20

Deans present rough outline for larger faculties

The University of Copenhagen Board has given Rector Ralf Hemmingsen and the University’s deans a mandate to explore the possibilities to reduce the number of faculties.

2011.08.17

Moon younger than previously thought

Analysis of a piece of lunar rock brought back to Earth by the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 has shown that the Moon may be much younger than previously believed.

2011.08.02

Large variations in Arctic sea ice

For several thousand years, there was much less sea ice in The Arctic Ocean – probably less than half of current amounts. This is indicated by new findings from researchers at the University of Copenhagen.

2011.06.09

African bulbous plant can help HIV patients

The South African plant, Tulbaghia can soothe oral fungal infections, which HIV/AIDS patients often suffer from. But the plant's bad smell threatens to increase stigmatization of the patients, now a Master Student at th…

2011.05.12

CO2 makes life difficult for algae

New research shows that coccoliths, which are an important part of the sea environment, are dissolved when sea water is acidified.

2011.05.11

Change is the order of the day in the Arctic

Climate change in the Arctic is occurring at a faster and more drastic rate than previously assumed, according to experts attending the AMAP conference in Copenhagen.

2011.04.26

Novel ash analysis validates volcano no-fly zones

Nanotech gives aviation authorities fact-based tool for air space risk assessment when volcanoes erupt.

2011.03.24

Green sludge can protect groundwater from radioactive contamination

Naturally occuring green rust could encapsulate and contain nuclear waste. This discovery should influence how and where radioactive waste is disposed

2011.03.16

Denmark's university hospital for animals opens its doors

Denmark now has one of Europe’s most well-equipped animal hospitals when The Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) officially opens on 17 March. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital will be a…

2011.03.03

Major grant to support development of cancer vaccine and genome mapping

The University of Copenhagen and three other Danish universities are part of the largest grant ever awarded by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation.

2011.01.10

Astronomers discover Earth-sized exoplanet

A solid planet approximately 1½ times the size of the Earth has been observed outside our solar system. It is the smallest planet found so far in the hunt for planets in our galaxy, the Milky Way and researchers from th…

2010.11.24

Dietary recommendations no cure for obesity

Large European diet study recommands high protein diet with low glycemic index

2010.11.04

Strategic focus on plant science

The University of Copenhagen is strengthening plant sciences and gathering researchers from three faculties in one new collective Copenhagen Plant Science Center at the Faculty of Life Sciences.

2010.10.20

Dopamine model could play role in treating schizophrenia and drug addiction

Researchers have succeeded in creating a model of the way the brain releases dopamine, an important chemical involved in transmitting signals between nerve cells.

2010.10.07

Bacteria to blame in asthma attacks in children

Doctors have long known that viral infections can bring about asthma attacks and the shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing associated with them. But while viral infections cannot be treated, scientists at the…

2010.09.29

New invention saves energy, health, climate

A new invention could cut energy use in buildings by 25 percent by creating a better indoor climate. The "CleanAir" invention was recently patented by a researcher in atmospheric chemistry at the University of…

2010.09.24

Stress-factors can control our genes

Researchers from University of Copenhagen document that external stress-factors can control our genes. The results have just been published in the renowned international journal Molecular Cell.

2010.09.07

A new centre is attracting researchers worldwide

Today, DNA researcher Professor Eske Willerslev and his team open the doors of their new Centre for Geogenetics, the first of its kind anywhere in the world. Even prior to its opening the centre has attracted great…

2010.08.19

New molecular signaling cascade increases glucose uptake

Scientists from Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Copenhagen have in collaboration with colleagues at Harvard University in Boston discovered a novel molecular pathway which is activated in…

2010.08.05

Important step towards quantum communication

For the first time, researchers from Harvard University and the Niels Bohr Institute have succeeded in connecting information from light to a solid state atom. It is an important step towards quantum communication over…

2010.08.03

Tropical forests wiped out at alarming speed

The forests around Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanzania are rapidly being reduced. Researchers from 12 different organisations in Europe have observed the development in the area for the past 20 years. The timber line is now being…

2010.07.28

Bedrock of Greenland Ice Sheet reached

Bedrock has been reached at the deep ice core drilling site NEEM on the Greenland Ice Sheet at the depth 2537.36 m. The Eemian is the last interglacial period, when climate was warmer than today, and sea level 5 meters…

2010.07.14

The ant queen's chemical crown

New research in ants has tracked down the elusive queen pheromone for the first time and revealed that workers are capable of developing ovaries in preparation for laying eggs in absence of pheromones.

2010.06.30

Niels Bohr Science Park: The future home of science research

Ramboll Denmark won the international project competition for the design of the new buildings for the brand new Niels Bohr Science Park at the University of Copenhagen. The science park will house the University of…

2010.06.07

The Earth and Moon formed later than previously thought

The Earth and Moon were created as the result of a giant collision between two planets the size of Mars and Venus. New research shows that it happened much later than previously though – perhaps up to 150 million years…

2010.05.25

Massive resources now directed at sustainable animal waste technology

The production and use of commercial fertilisers and animal waste is contributing significantly to global warming and the pollution of our aquatic environment. Yet global food and bioenergy supplies are highly dependent…

2010.05.20

The fight is on to save Kenya's green lung

"If the Mau Forest is destroyed, Kenya will die." This is the stark message of the scientist and Nobel Peace Prizewinner Professor Wangari Maathai from the University of Nairobi. Poverty and climate change are…

2010.05.19

Link between 'climate footprints' and mass mammal extinction

An international team of scientists have discovered that climate change played a major role in causing mass extinction of mammals in the late quaternary era, 50,000 years ago. The study, published in Evolution, takes a…

2010.04.28

The Russian President Medvedev visits Green Lighthouse

President Dmitry Medvedev visits Green Lighthouse at the University of Copenhagen. In connection to the official Russian state visit, the University of Copenhagen signs an exchange agreement with the Russian university…

2010.04.19

Brain connections for stress - lessons from the worm

Did you ever wonder how you are able to perform complex tasks - even under stress? And how do emotions and memories mould your ability to live your everyday lives? The answer is just beginning to be understood and lies…

2010.04.06

Permafrost soil and laughing gas

Laughing gas (N2O) is 300 times worse than carbon dioxide (CO2) in connection with the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the depletion of the ozone layer. The nitrogen gas with the amusing name has no…

2010.04.06

New tool developed for DNA research

Novel method discovered by Department of Chemistry PhD could reveal new insights into the workings of DNA.

2010.03.31

Danish researcher unravels one of science's great mysteries

Climate scientists from all over the globe are now able to test their climate models under extreme conditions thanks to Professor Minik Rosing. Rosing has solved one of the great mysteries and paradoxes of our geologica…

2010.03.29

Overkill or Overchill?

15,000 years ago the northern regions of the planet, from the coast of Portugal, right across Eurasia, and into the New World, were inhabited by a diverse group of large mammals. This included now extinct animals such…

2010.03.11

Copenhagen Plant Science Center

New centre puts Danish plant science among world's elite. The University of Copenhagen is investing in a new research facility that will further enhance its reputation and attract the brightest minds.

2010.02.26

Secrets of the pea aphid unveiled

Aphids are serious agricultural pests, not only because they consume plant saps, but also because they transmit plant diseases that destroy all kind of crop plants.

2010.02.25

Plotting and treachery in ant royal families

New research suggests that ant queens are prepared to compromise the welfare of the entire colony in order to retain the throne

2010.02.10

Waking the dead

For the first time an ancient genome has been reconstructed in detail. The innovative technique can be applied to museum materials and ancient remains found in nature and can help reconstructing human phenotypic traits…

2010.02.05

Breakthrough in preventing maternal malaria

For the first time researchers havebeen able to synthesize the entire protein that is responsible for life-threatening malaria in pregnant women and their unborn children.

2010.01.22

Master of Disaster students flown to Haiti

A special postgraduate degree course in disaster management has been run jointly by the University of Copenhagen and University of Lund since 2008. The course was established after the experience of the Indian Ocean…

2010.01.13

Scientists begin search for super Aloe vera

From prehistoric times, Aloe vera has been know for its healing effects - now, using DNA technology, scientists from the University of Copenhagen will set out to trace related plant species with even more effective…

2010.01.07

Exploring planetary atmospheres

Exploring atmospheric reactions so basic, that they go for planets, moons and even our own earth

2009.12.22

New insight in nerve cell communication

New Danish nano research gives important insights in nerve cell communication that will help the fight against nerve pain following amputation and diabetes. Researchers from the Nano-Science Center and the Department of…

2009.12.17

The mammoths' swan song revised

Woolly mammoths and prehistoric horses grazed on the North American plains for several thousand years longer than hitherto assumed.

2009.12.09

Focus on forests' importance to climate

Forest & Landscape will be there when the international Forest Day 3 conference takes a close look at the importance of forests to the global climate.

2009.12.01

Lykke Friis new Minister of Climate and Energy

On Tuesday 24 November, Prorector Lykke Friis was appointed Minister of Climate and Energy by Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

2009.11.30

If he knows where you live, he knows the colour of your lungs

Major cities around the world use the modelling of Ole Hertel, when they want to asses how badly their air is polluted. Hertel has developed two systems to measure and compute air pollution.

2009.11.27

Sustainable monoculture fungus-farming in termite societies

Food production of modern human societies is mostly based on large-scale monoculture crops, but it now appears that advanced insect societies have the same practice

2009.11.12

New global research programme to combat climate change

In the coming years, a large-scale research programme involving international research centres and universities from all over the world will study how global society can be adapted to future climate change.

2009.11.06

Orphaned army ant workers help their neighbours

When the ant queen dies, colonies tend to disappear quickly. This has puzzled naturalists for a long time, but now it turns out that their demise is due to all these orphaned workers joining a neighbouring colony.

2009.11.02

Danish nanowires have great potential

Danish nanophysicists have developed a new method for manufacturing the cornerstone of nanotechnology research...

2009.10.23

New artificial enzyme safer for nature

Perilous and polluting industrial processes can be made safer with enzymes. But only a short range of enzymes have been available for the chemical industry.

2009.10.20

Green Lighthouse is Denmark's first public CO2 neutral building

Green Lighthouse was inaugurated today, 20 October, and is in more ways than one a shining example of the sustainable building industry of the future. The house is not only a fine example of CO2 neutral building for th…

2009.09.21

Nanoresearchers challenge dogma in protein transportation in cells

New data on signalling proteins, called G proteins, may prove important in fighting diseases such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer.

2009.09.09

More oxygen - colder climate

Using a completely new method, researchers have shown that high atmospheric and oceanic oxygen content makes the climate colder. In prehistoric times, the earth experienced two periods of large increases and fluctuation…

2009.09.08

Nobel laureates visit Copenhagen

The Nano-Science Center at the University of Copenhagen is hosting the European Conference on Molecular Electronics 2009 on 9-12 September. The conference, which is world leading within this field of research, is…

2009.09.07

Climate change is man-made shows arctic research

New research shows that the temperature of the arctic region fell

2009.08.26

New questions in the climate change debate - essential ethical and philosophical perspectives

Researchers from within the fields of science, the arts and theology add new perspectives to the climate change debate with the publication of the textbook "Earth on Fire - Climate change from a philosophical and…

2009.08.18

The greenhouse gas that saved the world

Chemistry researchers uncover why the archean world was not frozen solid.

2009.08.17

New material for nanoscale-computer chips

New data shows that organic nanoscale wires could be an alternative to silicon

2009.08.10

Missing link to cloud formation found

New chemical research shows how cloud seedlings form over forested areas

2009.08.06

Live recordings of cell communication

A new advanced method for nano-scale imaging of vesicle-fusion could add to our understanding of diseases of the nervous system and viral infections.

2009.07.29

Bowhead whale: The nightingale of the ocean

It is now generally accepted that the bowhead whale is the longest lived mammal on the planet

2009.07.17

Sensational dinosaur tooth discovery

A fossilised dinosaur tooth discovered on the island of Bornholm has been declared a Danish national treasure

2009.07.01

The least sea ice in 800 years

New research indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now.

2009.06.18

Researchers present newest update on climate change science

A report synthesizing the newest research results relating to climate change and what action can be taken in response to climate change

2009.06.17

Darwin exhibition "The Origin of Cultivated Species" in the Faculty of Life Sciences garden all summer

This year marks 150 years since the publication of Darwin's seminal work On the Origin of Species which revolutionised biology.

2009.06.08

New Protein Center Opens

On June 4, the Faculty of Health Sciences opened the doors of its new research center, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research

2009.05.11

New research shows how oil gets stuck underground

Nano-research on drill cores from the North Sea might help increase extraction rates of oil in Denmark

2009.04.21

Critical turning point can trigger abrupt climate change

Ice ages are the greatest natural climate changes in recent geological times

2009.03.12

Fighting global warming offers growth and development opportunities

Leading economist proposes "Climate Marshall Plan"

2009.03.11

Law students' proposal for a climate protocol will inspire the climate conference

How will the young generation solve the planet's climate challenges?

2009.03.11

New renewables to power 40 per cent of global electricity demand by 2050

With global cooperation and investment, renewables’ share will exceed all previous estimates

2009.03.10

Rising sea levels set to have major impacts around the world

Even the lower ranges of the plausible sea level rise are likely to hit low lying countries hard

2009.03.09

Top climate researchers meet in Copenhagen

Tomorrow, one of the world’s largest ever interdisciplinary conferences on climate change

2009.02.23

An atlas of climate impacts and adaptation priorities

The University of Copenhagen hosts The International Scientific Congress on Climate Change

2009.02.16

Healthy diet could help climate tremendously

An area the size of Russia and Canada combined would be freed from use as pasture and croplands, if people switched from meat to plant-based protein

2009.02.13

Climate catastrophes might be foreseen

There may indeed be a quiet before the storm, when it comes to drastic changes in the climate system shows new research

2009.02.13

World´s oldest swan found dead in Denmark

This unusual example of Denmark’s national bird lived to just past the ripe old age of 40

2009.02.13

Five new research centres

Natural science research at the University of Copenhagen will be strengthened

2009.02.12

New research helps us understand the incredible forces and oil and gas reserves that lie hidden beneath the Earth's surface

It was the geological collision between India and Asia millions of years ago that created one of the world’s most distinctive places: The area around Lake Baikal in Siberia

2009.02.11

Avoiding the Hothouse and the Icehouse

By controlling emissions of fossil fuels we may be able to greatly delay the start of the next ice age

2009.02.04

Danish team in finals of climate competition

The Danish team of law students competing in the Copenhagen Competition can breathe a sigh of relief

2009.01.19

Tick Tock - Time and the stars

The University of Copenhagen will be celebrating the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009

News

New measurements from Northern Sweden show less methane emissions than feared

How plants colonized the land

Scientists discovers new properties of magnetism that could change our computers

Large, economic wheels must be turned to make way for green cars

Hubble spots most distant single star ever seen, at a record distance of 28 billion lightyears

Professor inspired by housewives and schoolchildren

Why the food crisis will pass

Octopus-like tentacles help cancer cells invade the body

Groundbreaking earthquake discovery: Risk models overlook an important element

Ancient ice reveals scores of gigantic volcanic eruptions

Survey: Strong consensus among experts for higher CO2 prices

How new bird species arise

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

Pig grunts reveal their emotions

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

290 million new city dwellers benefit China's climate balance

Insect wingbeats will help quantify biodiversity

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

Researchers make non-alcoholic beer taste like regular beer

Researchers gain a unique view of the inner life of cells

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

Years later, restored wetlands remain a shadow of their old selves

After thousands of years, an iconic whale confronts a new enemy

Millions for research into green transition on the roads

New phenomenon: Forest mammals eavesdrop on messy monkeys

Research project will crack the code behind green neighbourhood communities

We prefer farmed salmon – as long as we don't know what we're eating

New knowledge about our Earth’s most important biochemical reaction: A step towards increasing CO2 uptake in plants

Researchers puncture explanation for largest increase of biodiversity in Earth's history

Danes have reduced meat consumption – but we lag behind other Europeans

The green transition starts in your municipality

Origin of domestic horses finally established

Economics of climate change: One per cent makes a world of difference

Fruit fly metabolism could pave the way for new obesity and diabetes drugs

This is how much Danes are willing to pay to protect nature and prevent noise from motorways

Dinosaurs lived in a warmer and more dynamic climate than previously thought

Researchers: Let crop residues rot in the field – it’s a climate win

Danish researchers find a way to make faba beans safe for all to eat

Danish invention to make computer servers worldwide more climate friendly

Climate report: Home buyers ignore flood risk

Algorithm reveals the mysterious foraging habits of narwhals

Bacteria used to clean diesel-polluted soil in Greenland

Ancient air bubbles speak to a much warmer Antarctica during the ice-age than once believed

10,000-year-old bones reveal earliest goat herders’ practices

Differences between leopards are greater than between brown bears and polar bears

Significantly reducing agricultural CO2 emissions by way of wheatgrass

Beetles that pee themselves to death could be tomorrow’s pest control

New invention can reduce agricultural pesticide use: Distinguishes harmful insects from helpful ones

Thawing permafrost cools Arctic currents: This might affect fish stocks

Letting nature manage itself may lead to the least costs - but EU subsidies remain an obstacle

Climate labeling reduces our CO2 footprint

New documentation: Old-growth forest carbon sinks overestimated

Researchers discover intact plant fossils beneath Greenland’s ice sheet for the first time

LITTLE NINJA protein helps crops grow more side shoots

An epic walk: 15 million years needed for dinosaurs to get from South America to Greenland

How robotics will affect humanity and nature in the future

Researchers discover how to control zinc content in plants: Could help the world’s malnourished

Arctic permafrost releases more CO2 than once believed

We’re more like primitive fishes than once believed

Misguided sense of balance exacerbates climate scepticism

Wood formation can now be followed in real-time - and possibly serve the climate and builders of tomorrow

New study: Which beverages burst with umami potential?

Aphids suck: Invasive aphid found on Danish apple trees

Your organic waste will be upcycled to fertilise fields

How Earth’s oddest mammal got to be so bizarre

We want people to choose green

Droughts, viruses and road networks: Trends that will impact our forests

Can an abundant green mineral solve our climate crisis? Exploring the power of Olivine

Satellite images confirm uneven impact of climate change

From rooftop dweller to vigorous globetrotter: Researchers discover the secret of how moss spreads

Students develop tool to predict the carbon footprint of algorithms

Surprised researchers: Number of leopards in northern China on the rise

Artificial intelligence reveals hundreds of millions of trees in the Sahara

Volcanic eruptions may explain Denmark’s giant mystery crystals

Sprat, mollusks and algae: What a diet of the future might look like

Professor of social data is appointed Prorector

Study delivers new knowledge about what causes thunderstorms and cloud bursts

Tomorrow’s pharmaceuticals could be discovered by quantum simulators

Proven: Historical climate changes occurred simultaneously in several parts of the world