Nature, Numbers & Technology

Cost-benefit analyses

2024.03.08

Economists: Ecosystems have higher monetary value than previously calculated

Current economic practice systematically underestimates the value of nature, according to an international group of economists. Writing in the journal Science, they propose a new calculation formula.

Methane

2024.02.29

Young researcher makes surprising methane discovery in Yukon glaciers: "Much more widespread than we thought"

Global melting is prying the lid off methane stocks, the extent of which we do not know. A young researcher from University of Copenhagen has discovered high concentrations of the powerful greenhouse gas in meltwater…

Foods of the future

2024.02.27

Scientists use blue-green algae as a surrogate mother for "meat-like" proteins

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have not only succeeded in using blue-green algae as a surrogate mother for a new protein – they have even coaxed the microalgae to produce "meat fibre-like" protein strands…

Sustainability

2024.02.26

Robots, monitoring and healthy ecosystems could halve pesticide use without hurting productivity

Smarter crop farming that combats weeds, insect pests and plant diseases by integrating modern technologies like AI-based monitoring, robotics, and next-generation biotechnology with healthy and resilient agricultural…

archaeology

2024.02.19

Birds have been adapting to human activity for millennia

Roughly 14,500 to 10,500 years ago, in the transition from the last glacial period, Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic peoples harvesting vegetation from the wetlands of eastern Jordan created a habitat for birds that would…

CLIMATE CRISIS

2024.02.09

Easy solutions are rarely the answer to society's climate challenges

It can sometimes seem like we're making problems unnecessarily complicated when we, as a society, need to solve the big sustainability challenges. But there are no simple solutions to solving 'wicked problems'.

Wetlands

2024.02.02

Tags Methane CO2 climate mitigation Geography Climate Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management wetlands Facult

Peat bogs store twice as much CO2 as all of the world's forests combined. A new research center at the University of Copenhagen will map Earth’s wetlands and provide important knowledge about the greenhouse gas budgets…

Climate

2024.01.31

New study reports that Greenland is a methane sink rather than a source

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have concluded that the methane uptake in dry landscapes exceeds methane emissions from wet areas across the ice-free part of Greenland. The results of the new study contribut…

plants

2024.01.30

Asparagus and orchids are more similar than you think

How is a beech leaf constructed? What determines the appearance of an asparagus? A new 'encyclopaedia’ created by researchers at the University of Copenhagen helps us learn more about the building blocks of plants. The…

Rain water

2024.01.24

Innovative stormwater solution unveiled to tackle record rainfall in Denmark

Denmark faced unprecedented rainfall in 2023, breaking historical records and posing ongoing challenges with stormwater and flooding of streets and basements. Rather than resorting to expanding CO2-intensive concrete…

Privacy

2024.01.16

Computer scientists makes noisy data: Can improve treatments in health care

University of Copenhagen researchers have developed software able to disguise sensitive data such as those used for Machine Learning in health care applications. The method protects privacy while making datasets…

Computer science

2024.01.11

New study pinpoints the weaknesses in AI

ChatGPT and other solutions built on Machine Learning are surging. But even the most successful algorithms have limitations. As the first in the world researchers from University of Copenhagen has proven mathematically…

biotech

2024.01.10

Breakthrough: Weight loss drug from highly toxic plant can now be produced in yeast

A traditional Chinese medicinal plant has huge potential as a weight loss drug. However, due to the plant’s notorious toxicity, no one has yet succeeded in exploiting it effectively. Researchers from the University of…

Mental health

2023.12.22

AI can spot suicidal tendencies among young people

An increasing number of young people are attempting suicide. While old methods of assessing risk factors have limited effect, artificial intelligence can help spot the most important warning signs. This is according to …

Chemistry

2023.12.18

Researchers invent "methane cleaner": Could become a permanent fixture in cattle and pig barns

In a spectacular new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have used light and chlorine to eradicate low-concentration methane from air. The result gets us closer to being able to remove greenhouse gases…

Investments

2023.12.14

Student creates green investment tool

A student at University of Copenhagen has developed a method for optimizing profit relative to risk while also including sustainability and social responsibility concerns. The tool is relevant to both professional and…

Niels Bohr Institute

2023.12.01

Familiar figure new head of physicists

Professor Joachim Mathiesen will take up his position as the new head of the Niels Bohr Institute from 1 December 2023. He will be responsible for leading a department in rapid national and international development.

artificial intelligence

2023.12.01

Researchers have taught an algorithm to 'taste'

Incorporating human tastes into artificial intelligence makes it easier for wine buyers thirsting for the right wine. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Pioneer Centre for AI have shown that AI can accurately…

Food science

2023.11.29

A delicious surprise: Vertically farmed greens taste as good as organic ones

But the first scientific taste test from the University of Copenhagen and Plant Food & Research, New Zealand shows that respondents rate greens grown vertically and without soil as just as good as organic ones.

resilient crops

2023.11.22

Danish researchers puncture 100-year-old theory of odd little 'water balloons'

Quinoa and many other extremely resilient plants are covered with strange balloon-like 'bladders' that for 127 years were believed to be responsible for protecting them from drought and salt. Research results from the…

air pollution

2023.11.22

Smog from Copenhagen’s Bispeengbuen heads straight into living rooms

A large amount of the heavy automobile pollution from Copenhagen’s Bispeengbuen thoroughfare goes straight into people's homes. This, according to a study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. A sensor…

species

2023.11.13

New beetle species has bottle-opener shaped genitalia: Now that calls for a Carlsberg!

Six new beetle species have been discovered in South America by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. Among them is one with a distinctively shaped sexual organ that has led the researchers to name it after globa…

Climate

2023.11.09

New research: Fivefold increase in the melting of Greenland's glaciers over the last 20 years

In the largest survey of its kind ever conducted, using both satellite imagery and old aerial photos from the Danish National Archives, researchers from the University of Copenhagen firmly establish that Greenland’s…

Quantum sensing:

2023.11.08

Sensing the signature of life

Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) have removed a key obstacle for development of extremely sensitive monitoring devices based on quantum technology.

Food Waste

2023.11.06

Food waste prevention in Europe can generate major footprint savings

New calculations show that the European countries have great potential for reducing the demand for global food resources and the associated GHG footprint. Researchers have estimated the climate footprint savings that ma…