2024

FOOD

2024.11.20

Researchers eliminate the gritty mouth feel: How to make it easier to eat fiber-rich foods

Fiber is something that most of us get far too little of. To change that, we need to actually enjoy eating it. Food researchers from the University of Copenhagen have now invented a "disguise" that solves the problem of…

Eating habits

2024.11.18

The myth of junkfood-eating gamers is actually about social hunger – and gender

Gamers are often associated with unhealthy diets, messy living spaces and at times asocial lifestyles. While the gamer stereotypes first mentioned have some basis in reality, this is not necessarily for the reasons we…

Names

2024.11.15

Nina Rønsted to direct the story of our natural history

With a new Natural History Museum Denmark opening in the coming years, Professor Nina Rønsted will have plenty to be getting on with as she takes up the position of Director of Natural History Museum Denmark at…

Gut bacteria

2024.11.13

Children's gut bacteria may hold the key to diarrhea treatment

Diarrhea claims the lives of 500,000 children each year in low- and middle-income countries. Now, Danish and Ethiopian researchers have linked chronic diarrhea to a specific pattern of gut bacteria, a discovery that…

learning

2024.11.12

Debunked: Children aren’t quicker at picking up new motor skills than adults

Contrary to popular belief, children aren’t better at learning new skills than adults. Indeed, young adults seem to learn faster than kids – but also tend to forget more quickly. Here, better sleep seems to advantage…

Microbiom

2024.11.05

Researchers hope to develop novel drugs for gastrointestinal disorders by fermenting feces

In a new study, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have been cultivating ‘good viruses’ from feces. The goal is to replace fecal capsules now being used in so-called fecal transplants. Their new technique has…

citizen science

2024.10.28

High school students promoted to real researchers

Besides helping to collect samples or spot butterflies for research projects — non-professionals can now conduct actual laboratory work alongside professional researchers. Together with Danish high schools, the…

Biodiversity

2024.10.23

AI can now be our eyes and ears in the forest and beneath the waves

Animal sounds combined with artificial intelligence (AI) can revolutionize biodiversity monitoring both on land and in aquatic settings according to researchers from the University of Copenhagen. By analyzing wildlife…

Animals

2024.10.15

Seven New Frog Species Discovered in Madagascar: Sounds Like Something from Star Trek

An international team of researchers have discovered seven new species of tree frogs that make otherworldly calls in the rainforests of Madagascar. Their strange, high-pitched whistling calls sound more like sound…

Astrophysics

2024.10.11

"Islands" of Regularity Discovered in the Famously Chaotic Three-Body Problem

When three massive objects meet in space, they influence each other through gravity in ways that evolve unpredictably. In a word: Chaos. That is the conventional understanding. Now, a researcher from the University of…

quantum

2024.10.03

Quantum researchers come up with a recipe that could accelerate drug development

University of Copenhagen mathematicians have developed a recipe for upgrading quantum computers to simulate complex quantum systems, such as molecules. Their discovery brings us closer to being able to predict how new…

Prize

2024.10.01

Personable and passionate social scientist named teacher of the Year

Known for her ability to cultivate open and inclusive learning environments at the Department of Food and Resource Economics, Associate Professor Rebecca Leigh Rutt’s engagement and personal style have won students over…

Self-monitoring

2024.09.26

Long-COVID sufferers are conserving strength with a "hack" of their fitness tech

When people suffering from the long-term effects of COVID-19 faced more questions than answers from doctors, they began collecting data on themselves using fitness watches to better understand their disease. University…

2024.09.25

Do you feel eco-guilt or eco-shame? Emotions reveal how much we care about the environment

Green choices related to everyday climate, environment and sustainability decisions are influenced by shame and guilt according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen. And the way one feels hinges upon one’s…

Education

2024.09.12

Scientific jargon, entrenched teaching methods and student roles stifle science engagement

Just as school kids get to test their hands at science in earnest during the sixth and seventh grades, they come face to face with entrenched teaching methods, coded language and a no-error culture. New research from th…

Marine Biology

2024.09.11

The longest-living vertebrate genome

The Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus), an elusive dweller of the depths of the northern Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, is the world’s longest-living vertebrate, with an estimated lifespan of about 400 years. An…

environment

2024.09.11

How toxic are they? Researchers investigate the environmental consequences of new biotechnological pesticides

Biotechnological pesticides are a promising alternative to traditional chemical pesticides. But we have limited knowledge of how toxic they are to other organisms in the environment beyond regulatory assessments. A new…

Grant

2024.09.05

Flea toads, dwarf pygmy goby fish and bumblebee bats: Researcher aims to solve the riddle of miniature animals

Just seven millimetres long, flea toads are among the smallest vertebrates on Earth. Despite their diminutive size, their organs and functions hardly differ from animals a thousand times larger. While examples of extrem…

parasites

2024.09.03

New knowledge about a fungus that turns 60-80% of the flies in your home into zombies

How can a fungus take over a fly's behavior? An international group of researchers with participation from the University of Copenhagen hopes to find out with the help of a new genetic map of a unique fungus that…

Fossil

2024.08.30

Fungus gnat entombed in a 40-million-year-old piece of amber is a rare gem

A Danish amber collector’s find upon a wild North Sea shore in the 1960’s has proved to be of great and surprising significance. After having thoroughly examining the roughly 40-million-year-old piece of amber,…

Clinical innovation

2024.08.28

Common rheumatic disease can be prevented through the gut

The proteins that cause gout can, for some people, be eradicated by adding specific lactic acid bacteria to the gut – so called medical nutrition. Having received a EUR 3,8 mil. EIC Pathfinder Grant, the new 3-year…

Grant

2024.08.26

Historic grant will supply Denmark with the world's best science educators

With excellent international research supported by DKK 125 milion from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University and the University of Southern Denmark will teach us how to best delive…

Protein research

2024.08.13

Discovery of key protein that helps cells maintain their identity

In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers have found that a protein called Mrc1 plays a crucial role in ensuring that cells keep their identity as they divide and grow. The discovery could have significant…

SPORT

2024.07.15

Widespread practice among athletes harms both performance and health

Drastically cutting back on caloric intake to lose weight ahead of competition is commonplace among athletes. However, this type of 'dieting' doesn’t just diminish performances, it can also compromise their immune…

Fishery and tourism

2024.07.04

Fishing boats in the harbour haul tourists into the hotel

The presence of active fishing boats in local harbours is a boon for Danish tourism, according to a research study from the University of Copenhagen. Indeed, the value of Denmark’s commercial fishery shouldn’t just be…

Food

2024.07.03

New study on children and food: Fruit chunks in yogurt are a turn off for one age group in particular

It’s no secret that kids aren’t crazy about having too many seeds, pulp or chunks in their food. But six-year-olds in particular definitely can’t stand lumps, according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen…

nature

2024.07.02

Spotted apex predator being pressured by spotted pack hunters – and it's our fault

Leopards, who are already in decline, can’t keep up with hyenas when people are around. As we humans move into the their territories more and more, we are helping to disturb and unbalance ecosystems. This has been shown…

Mars

2024.07.01

Organic material from Mars reveals the likely origin of life’s building blocks

Two samples from Mars together deliver the "smoking gun" in a new study showing the origin of Martian organic material. The study presents solid evidence for a prediction made over a decade ago by University of…

Names

2024.06.26

Bo Jellesmark Thorsen to continue as head of department

For the past eight years, Bo Jellesmark Thorsen has been at the helm of the Department of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen. He will continue in this role in the coming years, as Dean Katrine…

Artificial intelligence

2024.06.26

AI successfully helps detecting more breast cancers around Danish capital

AI has helped to detect significantly more cases of breast cancer and reduce radiologist workloads. These are among the main conclusions of a new evaluation study from the University of Copenhagen and Capital Region of…

Names

2024.06.20

New head of the Department of Plant and Environmental Science

Professor Morten Petersen has been appointed new head of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, bringing with him extensive research and leadership experience.

Plastic

2024.06.18

Researchers invent one hundred percent biodegradable "barley plastic"

A biofriendly new material made from barley starch blended with fibre from sugarbeet waste sees the light of day at the University of Copenhagen – a strong material that turns into compost should it end up in nature. In…

Artificial Intelligence

2024.06.12

AI method reveals millions of dead trees hidden among the living before California’s historic 2020 wildfires

University of Copenhagen scientists may have found a new explanation for the California wildfires of 2020. Applying AI to detailed aerial photos, they created a unique dataset detailing mortality down to single trees fo…

artificial intelligence

2024.06.06

Popular chatbot is a politically left-leaning EU supporter

LlamaChat, a popular AI chatbot alternative to ChatGPT, leans left and holds pro-European views. This is demonstrated by a University of Copenhagen study in which researchers tested the model on EU policy issues.…

sustainability

2024.06.03

Avocados are 'bad' and vegans are ridiculous: How we justify eating too much meat

Those of us who find it difficult to eat less meat for the sake of climate tend to apologize or justify ourselves in social contexts. And… shaming vegans isn’t off limits. This, according to a new University of…

fødevarer

2024.06.03

Greenhouses cover more and more of Earth’s surface

Greenhouse cultivation is booming globally, especially in the Global South – and across one country in particular. This is revealed in a new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen that deploys detailed…

Ice sheet

2024.05.30

Local bright spot among melting glaciers: 2000 km of Antarctic ice-covered coastline has been stable for 85 years

A whaler's forgotten aerial photos from 1937 have given researchers at the University of Copenhagen the most detailed picture of the ice evolution in East Antarctica to date. The results show that the ice has remained…

The universe

2024.05.23

Birth of universe’s earliest galaxies observed for first time

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, University of Copenhagen researchers have become the first to see the formation of three of the earliest galaxies in the universe, more than 13 billion years ago. The sensational…

Proteins

2024.05.22

New weapon against dementia: "In just minutes, the AI solves a challenge that would take neuroscientists weeks."

The clumping of proteins is at the root of a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders that affect the brain such as Alzheimer's and dementia. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have developed a new tool that…

Astrophysics

2024.05.21

Complete Stellar Collapse: unusual star system proves that stars can die quietly

University of Copenhagen astrophysicists help explain a mysterious phenomenon, whereby stars suddenly vanish from the night sky. Their study of an unusual binary star system has resulted in convincing evidence that…

Plants

2024.05.15

Now we know, what gets roots to grow: Can help in future droughts

A biological mechanism familiar to people who fast helps plant roots grow strong. The discovery by University of Copenhagen scientists provides an answer to a long-unanswered question and a deeper understanding of the…

Quantum Sensing

2024.05.02

Young researcher has created a sensor that detects errors in MRI scans

Hvidovre Hospital has the world's first prototype of a sensor capable of detecting errors in MRI scans using laser light and gas. The new sensor, developed by a young researcher at the University of Copenhagen and…

sustainability

2024.04.26

Fixin’ to be flexitarian: Scrap fish and invasive species can liven up vegetables

Greening the way we eat needn’t mean going vegetarian. A healthy, more realistic solution is to adopt a flexitarian diet where seafoods add umami to “boring” vegetables. University of Copenhagen gastrophysicist Ole G.…

Atoms

2024.04.22

Superradiant atoms could push the boundaries of how precisely time can be measured

Superradiant atoms can help us measure time more precisely than ever. In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen present a new method for measuring the time interval, the second, mitigating some of th…

CLIMATE

2024.04.18

Increased CO2 emissions from world’s tundra surprise researchers

As they warm, Arctic tundra environments will probably release 30% more CO2 than they do today – an increase that is nearly four times more than previously estimated. This is the conclusion of a large international stud…

Quantum Data

2024.04.15

Internet can achieve quantum speed with light saved as sound

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute have developed a new way to create quantum memory: A small drum can store data sent with light in its sonic vibrations, and then forward the data with…

species

2024.04.12

Iconic savanna mammals face genetic problems due to fences and roads

Wildebeest migrations have become a rarer sight in Africa as humans continue to interrupt their historic migratory routes with roads, fences, cities, livestock and farmland. This has led to genetic decay in those herds…

poverty

2024.04.11

Economist: Tens of billions of dollars in forest products are being overlooked

Are we missing the forest for the trees? More than timber grows in forests – including products worth many tens of billions of dollars. Because these goods go unrecorded in official trade statistics, their economic valu…

Marine Biology

2024.04.09

Mediterranean marine worm has developed eyes “as big as millstones"

Scientists are amazed at the discovery of a bristle worm with such sharp-seeing eyes that they can measure up to those of mammals and octopuses. The researchers from University of Copenhagen and Lund University suspect…

Diversified farming

2024.04.05

Major study reports that people and environment both benefit from diversified farming, while bottom lines also thrive

Mixing livestock and crops, integrating flower strips and trees, water and soil conservation and much more: Massive new global study led by the University of Copenhagen and University of Hohenheim, has examined the…

Quantum Particles

2024.04.04

“It’s ultimately about predicting everything” – theory could be a map to hunted quantum materials

A breakthrough in theoretical physics is an important step towards predicting the behavior of the fundamental matter of which our world is built. It can be used to calculate systems of enormous quantities of quantum…

artificial intelligence

2024.04.03

Computer scientists show the way: AI models need not be SO power hungry

The development of AI models is an overlooked climate culprit. Computer scientists at the University of Copenhagen have created a recipe book for designing AI models that use much less energy without compromising…

Quantum physics

2024.03.26

Scientists on the hunt for evidence of quantum gravity’s existence at the South Pole

University of Copenhagen team contributes to an Antarctic large-scale experiment striving to find out if gravity also exists at the quantum level. An extraordinary particle able to travel undisturbed through space seems…

Virtual Reality

2024.03.26

Virtual reality matches real reality for med-student examination

Medical students can learn almost everything from books. Just not to recall their training in the chaos of a clinical situation. University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet usually test this skill in effective but…

animal production

2024.03.21

Researcher: Seven billion newly hatched chicks are killed every year – but a ban is not the solution

Annually, the global egg industry kills seven billion day-old male chicks because they don’t lay eggs and aren’t worth raising for meat. While several countries have banned the practice, neither bans nor other current…

Geology

2024.03.21

New geological study: Scandinavia was born in Greenland

The oldest Scandinavian bedrock was 'born' in Greenland according to a new geological study from the University of Copenhagen. The study helps us understand the origin of continents and why Earth is the only planet in…

AI

2024.03.13

Straightening teeth? AI can help

A new tool being developed by the University of Copenhagen and 3Shape will help orthodontists correctly fit braces onto teeth. Using artificial intelligence and virtual patients, the tool predicts how teeth will move, s…

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…

Elite Research Prize 2024

2024.02.26

Award-winning researcher dreams of stellar explosions and strives for equity and inclusion in academia

She studies the giant explosions of dying stars and dreams of experiencing and extracting data from a supernova close to Earth. Professor Irene Tamborra from the Niels Bohr Institute also tirelessly promotes equity and…

Wetlands

2024.02.02

World Wetlands Day: Bogs hold an important key to the climate crisis

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…

Protein Research

2024.01.31

Bringing order to disordered proteins

In the biological world, proteins are the molecules that make things happen. The conventional view is that proteins are molecular machines with rigid moving parts that are essential for their operation. This view is…

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…

Learning

2024.01.18

Physical exercise boosts motor learning – and remembering what one has learned

Violinists, surgeons and gamers can benefit from physical exercise both before and after practicing their new skills. The same holds true for anyone seeking to improve their fine motor skills. This is demonstrated by ne…

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…