News about Biodiversity

An updated floristic map of the world

In Nature Communications by Liu, Y., ..., Borregaard, M.K., ... Rahbek, C. and Wang, Z. (2023)

Diversification of flowering plants in space and time

In Nature Communications by Dimitrov, D., ..., Nogués-Bravo, D., ..., C, Rahbek & Wang, Z. (2023)

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…

Postdoc: We must not forget humans in our effort to protect animals and nature 

The practice of nature conservation has historically oppressed people to protect nature. We need nature conservation to take cultural diversity as well as biodiversity into account, says postdoc Federica Bocchi.

MATRIX annual meeting November 23

Registration is open now

Earth Beyond six of nine planetary boundaries

In Science Advances by Richardson, K., Steffen, W., Rockström, J., et al. (2023)

Brain-altering parasite turns ants into zombies at dawn and dusk

It takes over the brains of ants, causing them to cling to the tops of blades of grass where they can be eaten by cattle and deer. The common liver fluke has an exceptional life cycle as it moves through snails, ants an…

Brain-altering parasite turns ants into zombies at dawn and dusk

It takes over the brains of ants, causing them to cling to the tops of blades of grass where they can be eaten by cattle and deer. The common liver fluke has an exceptional life cycle as it moves through snails, ants an…

Six of nine planetary boundaries exceeded

New study led by Professor Katherine Richardson updates the Planetary Boundary framework and shows human activities are increasingly impacting the planet.

Six of nine planetary boundaries now exceeded

New study led by Professor Katherine Richardson updates the Planetary Boundary framework and shows human activities are increasingly impacting the planet.

Three out of four populations of rare butterflies have been lost

In just 26 years, the distribution of rare butterflies has plummeted by 72% in Eastern Denmark. Several species are threatened with extinction, yet the conservation actions aiming to safeguard species have proved…

Severe impact of past changes in climate and nutrient availability on a lowland tropical rainforest

New study reveals a significant impact of past climate changes and nutrient availability on a lowland tropical rainforest.

Cotton buds reveal biodiversity in rainforests

Cotton buds reveal biodiversity in rainforests. Read about a study from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

Denmark is crawling with the world's most resilient creature

They’re found on Mount Everest, in the deep seas, aboard the International Space Station and thousands of them have even crash landed and been spilled onto the moon. The microscopic water bear has a nearly unfathomable…

Denmark is crawling with the world's most resilient creature

They’re found on Mount Everest, in the deep seas, aboard the International Space Station and thousands of them have even crash landed and been spilled onto the moon. The microscopic water bear has a nearly unfathomable…

Carsten Rahbek invited as speaker at Paris exhibition

Professor Carsten Rahbek was invited by artist Danh Vo to give a talk on the biodiversity crisis as part of the Parisian exhibition Avant l’orage. The talk is now publicly available.

Scientists vacuum animal DNA from air in a Danish forest

Over 60 animal species in three days. That is how many mammals, birds and amphibians researchers found DNA traces from in the air in a Danish forest. The results can pave the way for a new and innovative way of mapping…

Spaghetti-armed egghead strives to move people with facts

Hans Henrik Bruun is an especially active voice of reason in public discourse about the present and future of Danish nature. Whenever engaging, he often greets strong emotions with facts. This year's recipient of…

Spaghetti-armed egghead strives to move people with facts

Hans Henrik Bruun is an especially active voice of reason in public discourse about the present and future of Danish nature. Whenever engaging, he often greets strong emotions with facts. This year's recipient of…

Origins of up to 44 percent of Danish wood is a mystery

In the first ever report of Denmark's total wood consumption, University of Copenhagen researchers conclude that the origin of nearly half of all timber felled in Denmark is a mystery. This is a problem according to the…

New Bachelor Student at UCPH

NEW STAFF Joppe Schutte started as Bachelor Student in Associate Prof. Mette Nicolaisen's group. Read about his project here

Monthly seminars in FutureArcticLives

FutureArcticLIves partners conduct monthly webinars around the 14th of each month, discussing preliminary results and other relevant subjects.

Nature’s future pharmacy in peril

For thousands of years, people have relied on the healing properties of plants – in some places they are still the only freely available remedies to this day. Half of the drugs approved worldwide in the last four decade…

Nature’s future pharmacy in peril

For thousands of years, people have relied on the healing properties of plants – in some places they are still the only freely available remedies to this day. Half of the drugs approved worldwide in the last four decade…