Nature, Numbers & Technology

FOOD HABITS

2022.11.25

Almost every other Dane is trying to cut back on meat

New sociological research shows that almost half of the Danish population is trying to reduce their meat consumption.

THE CLIMATE RESEARCHERS

2022.11.24

Psychology professor: Experiences in Virtual Reality can motivate us to climate action

Most people see the need for a green transition, but our actions do not always follow suit, says professor in psychology Guido Makransky.

The brain

2022.11.23

Major discovery about mammalian brains surprises researchers

In a new breakthrough to understand more about the mammalian brain, University of Copenhagen researchers have made an incredible discovery. Namely, a vital enzyme that enables brain signals is switching on and off at…

Chemistry

2022.11.17

Chemists to capture atmospheric methane with sugar

Can a carbohydrate actually suck methane, a greenhouse gas, directly out of the air? Researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Science are in the process of finding out. Methane gas is 86 times more poten…

Climate

2022.11.16

Arctic vegetation has a major impact on warming

An international team of research scientists, University of Copenhagen researchers among them, has documented the central role of vegetation for Arctic warming for the first time. The new results allow us to make more…

Digital donations

2022.11.08

"I'll pay later!" – People promise the stars and moon to charities, but donations remain unsent

More than half of charitable giving via payment apps is "forgotten" as soon as a fundraiser leaves according to a new University of Copenhagen study. On the other hand, digital solutions make it easier to donate more…

agriculture

2022.11.02

Now we know how plants steer clear of salt

To avoid salt in soil, plants can change their root direction and grow away from saline areas. University of Copenhagen researchers helped find out what makes this possible. The discovery changes our understanding of ho…

FOOD

2022.10.28

Is the future of whipped cream fat-free and made of bacteria and beer waste?

Bacteria-based whipped cream could be the future. Food researchers at the University of Copenhagen have developed a fat-free prototype of the much-beloved substance built using bacteria instead of milk fat – in both…

ERC SYNERGY

2022.10.25

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

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

Coastal protection

2022.10.25

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

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

Clima

2022.10.18

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

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

Nobel Prize

2022.10.06

University of Copenhagen professor wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

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

The Ocean

2022.09.28

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

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

TECH

2022.09.26

Creepy apps cause emotional stress

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

Quantum computer

2022.09.21

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

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

Climate Change

2022.09.15

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

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

Plants

2022.09.09

Two grains, mutual gain: surviving drought through varietal collaboration

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

SPACE TRAVEL

2022.09.02

Martian oxygen factory passes first major test

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

Arctic

2022.08.23

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

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

Nature

2022.08.23

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

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

Pets

2022.08.11

The modern dog fights a lonely battle

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

Endurance

2022.07.22

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

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

Biology

2022.07.21

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

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

Insects

2022.07.15

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

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

Biodiversity

2022.07.13

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

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