Society & culture - Sciencenorway.no

Did you know that you can lend money to the government?

Lending money to the government is not for everyone. But you can if you want to, by buying a government bond.

Sex for the first time: Norwegian teens are postponing their sexual debut

A fear of unclear boundaries and a lack of control in intimate encounters may contribute to young Norwegians postponing the onset of sexual intercourse.

Researcher believes bitcoin may become as important as the internet

All the bitcoins in the world are worth no more than a third of the Norwegian Oil Fund. But researcher Svein Ølnes believes that the currency will take over the world.

In the old days, people used rune staffs like this to count down to Christmas

The rune staff had no dates. Nevertheless, it kept track of many important days throughout the year, especially at Christmastime.

The Norwegian Research Council saved: End of year grant deletes debt and ensures funding for next year

The severe cuts of research funding in Norway made international headlines and sent shock waves through the Norwegian research community. Today the government announced that it will cover the bill for the remaining deficit.

Three guys with torches have found almost 600 new rock carvings in their spare time

A group of friends has revolutionized the hunt for rock art in Norway.

Researcher accused of running Putin’s errands when the war broke out: "I have never before experienced such difficult times”

When Russia went to war against Ukraine in February, the war also crept into research circles.

Boys who spend all their time gaming: A huge social experiment with unknown consequences

Even boys with good grades in high school spend almost all their free time gaming. They’re pretty relaxed when it comes to homework, a new study shows.

Ground rent: Norway’s new salmon tax turns economic textbook models into reality

The Norwegian Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum believes the introduction of a salmon tax will equalize differences between Norwegians. But some economists warn against unintended consequences.

Norwegian academics must be more vigilant against espionage, says intelligence expert

Universities need to improve their background checks on visiting researchers in Norway.

Shipwreck discovered at the bottom of Norway’s largest lake – possibly 700 years old

Marine archaeologists believe the ship dates to sometime between 1300 – 1850. It was found at the bottom of the lake Mjøsa, at 410 metres.

Fewer and fewer girls play video games

While nine out of ten boys between the ages of 9 and 18 play video games, only six out of ten girls play games, according to a new survey from the Norwegian Media Authority.

This is how DNA analysis has been revolutionized over the last decade

A number of technological advances enable forensic geneticists to detect tiny amounts of biological material that a perpetrator has left at a crime scene.

More than 70 per cent of Ukrainian refugees struggled to find the right information, report shows

“I think this is the first time the authorities have been interested in how refugees themselves experience their first encounter with Norway,” says researcher.

Meet Tora, 65 years old. She lived during the Middle Ages

Researchers have created a model of a medieval woman from Trondheim in Norway, based on analysis of her bones.

What exactly are interest rates and where do they come from?

The sting from increased interest rates is something people have felt as early as ancient Mesopotamia.

Why am I at my best when it doesn't matter?

When a lot is at stake, things tend to go awry. In terms of evolution, it doesn't make sense. Why aren't we at our very best when we need it most?

Norwegian companies with English names make more money

Researchers have taken a closer look at what characteristics successful start-ups share.

Is it cruel to keep your cat indoors?

Or can cats live inside and be walked on a leash like dogs?

Ötzi-museum does not believe there are so many more ice mummies out there

What happens to artifacts in ice patches in the Norwegian mountains is not necessarily transferable to the Alps and the Ötzi-find-site, according to Andreas Putzer from the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.

A ski from the Viking Age melted out of the ice in 2014. A few years later the second ski in the pair appeared

The skis are the best-preserved pair from prehistoric times in the world. But who was trying to cross a mountain pass during winter in the 8th century, and why did they lose their skis? More clues may yet melt out of the ice to tell the story.

New research on 5300-year-old Ötzi suggests there could be more ice mummies out there

The 31-year-old find of the ice man from the Alps, has been studied again. While Ötzi is unique, the conditions that preserved his body are not, say the researchers.

Should Norway give away the billions of dollars made in profits from the war in Ukraine?

Never before has Norway made as much money from gas and oil exports as now.

Wait out the stock market crisis if you can, one professor says

“If you can afford it and have faith in the company, then it's just a matter of staying calm and waiting,” advises Professor Kjell Jørgensen.

Suspected Russian spy in Norway does not agree to being interrogated

The guest researcher now suspected of being a Russian spy has changed his mind and does not agree to interrogation, says the man’s defense attorney Marijana Lozic.

Men of the forest: What was it like to be a lumberjack?

Lumberjack attire and a full beard are today associated with hip and urban parts of modern cities. Professor of history Ingar Kaldal argues that loggers working deep in the forests back in the day, were in fact also modern, for their time.

Man suspected of being a Russian spy in Norway participated in training to find weaknesses in the handling of hybrid threats

One of the scenarios discussed during a conference he participated in was sabotage of gas pipes, writes Norwegian newspaper VG.

One Viking’s lost silver treasure discovered by metal detector enthusiast

46 pieces of silver from the Viking age were recently discovered in a field in mid-Norway. “It’s an exceptional find,” says archaeologist.

Man suspected of being a Russian spy arrested in Northern Norway

A Brazilian citizen was arrested this Monday on his way to work at the University of Tromsø in Northern Norway. The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) suspect that he is Russian and is in Norway using a false identity.

Is there any hope of reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change?

OPINION: Believing that we can achieve the Paris Agreement is not naïve, idealistic, or utopian, according to professor Karen O'Brien.

Digital misogyny on the rise: This is what we know about the incel community

Research shows that misogynist online communities have increased in numbers and become more extreme in the past decade.

“High inflation leads to savings”

Inflation is at the highest it’s been in a long time. Does that mean we should stop paying off our loans and let inflation take care of it?

Girls think more about how they present themselves on social media than boys

Some people compare themselves more to others.

If you were rich in medieval Norway, you were also tall and had strong bones

Researchers have studied remains in burial grounds found around Norway.

Six decades after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the use of nuclear weapons is again part of the war game

The world has never been closer to nuclear war than when Soviet missiles were installed on Cuba in 1962. Putin is now deliberately unclear about the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

What’s the truth about the Communist resistance in Norway during the second world war?

Few topics are as controversial in the history of WWII in Norway as the Communist sabotage actions and conflicts with the Norwegian Resistance. Recently, the foremost historians in the field met for a debate.

How do you build a Viking ship? These woodworkers are joined by researchers on their third Viking ship project

The prow of a Viking ship rises over Vikingodden in Tønsberg, Norway. The ‘Gokstad ship’ is being rebuilt.

The number of sex offenders serving time in Norwegian prisons has doubled

The road back to society is difficult: “I can't get a job and I feel like I'll never finish serving time”, says a former convicted sex offender.

Girls injure themselves twice as often as boys on e-scooters

Is it because they are clumsier? Or is it simply because they spend more time with friends?

Who is best at getting refugees into the workforce — Norway, Sweden or Denmark?

Wail Kadem, a refugee, an employee at the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, and a student from Iraq, has a clear answer as to which country is best.

Very few actually have climate anxiety

The term is often used by journalists and researchers. But a new study suggests that climate anxiety is not very widespread.

Norway is the country where you get the least return in terms of income from getting a higher education

People with a higher education level from university or college in Norway earn 19 per cent more than individuals with an upper secondary school diploma.

Military expert: Norwegian pipelines may already be exposed to sabotage

The government is dragging its feet in securing critical infrastructure, according to military expert Tor Ivar Strømmen. He thinks there could already be explosive charges on Norwegian pipelines.

7,000 year old fish traps discovered in the Norwegian mountains

Stone Age folks in the Norwegian mountains didn’t just hunt reindeer. A unique find from this summer reveals that they had also developed extensive fish traps in the lakes.

Gas leaks in the Baltic Sea: An observatory in southern Norway has recorded an extreme increase in the amount of methane in the air

“We have never seen anything like it,” says researcher from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research.

Male artists dominate galleries and museums

And it doesn’t look like this will change anytime soon, a survey shows.

In the shadow of the war, Russia is tightening its grip in the Arctic

OPINION: The Russian Duma is considering new legislation to ban foreign naval vessels in the Northern Sea Route. Norway must prepare to defend its rights.

These are the most common negative life experiences that people go through

Statistics Norway has investigated which serious life events people go through. Life can be hard on all of us at some point, but negative life events do not affect all groups in society equally.

Every Viking owned a stone like this - and they traded massive quantities of them too

Whetstones are one of the most common finds from the Viking Age. What looks like a simple stone however, tells the tale of extensive trading systems - and perhaps even the reason for why the Vikings started raiding overseas.

Should we have let more companies go bankrupt during the pandemic?

Norway is an incredibly rich country, with large and powerful labour organisations that like to join forces to demand money from the state. But are we then able to adapt and become more efficient?

Developing a robotic georadar to make archaeological surveys easier

Surveys using ground-penetrating radar have helped archaeologists in Norway discover among other things a Viking ship and a Viking longhouse. An automated version now promises to make these surveys even more efficient.

Far-right violence and terror in Western Europe is dropping

New findings challenge reports in the media that far-right violence and terror are on the rise.

“Putin can lose all of Ukraine but present it as a victory”

Ukraine's offensive is a headache for Vladimir Putin's army, which is now openly criticised on TV. The invading army can crumble, expert says. What will Putin do then?

Working-class men disagree the most with well-educated women

They represent opposite points of view in many questions about equality, a new Norwegian report shows.

Do Putin’s religion and homophobia tactics rally support for him?

Researchers conducting an international research project at the University of Oslo are far from convinced.

Fewer Norwegians than before are members of a religious community

Many Norwegians belong to religious or life stance communities outside the Church of Norway, which last year lost a record number of members.

Why don't more people become angry and violent?

Many people in the world have a thousand reasons to be angry. Nevertheless, only a small minority actively embraces radical, violent ideas, says researcher Morten Bøås.

Almost all the students who received top grades in maths have parents with a high level of education

Although the gap has narrowed somewhat in recent years, differences in academic performance due to family background persist.

Cross stitch against German occupation: Is this Norway's first guerilla embroidery?

Caroline Moe embroidered. Astrid Løken spied. Women participated in resistance work during the Second World War, but are not mentioned in the history books.

Found a Viking sword in the backyard

It wasn't a couple of pieces of an old rusty plow. It was a Viking sword.

Those with the lowest incomes have also had the lowest wage growth in recent years

An increasing number of employees in Norway work in low-wage occupations and the differences in pay are growing.

Biden calls Trumpism semi-fascism – he’s right, says Norwegian researcher

"The USA is by no means protected against fascism," says Norwegian researcher. He warns against dangerous polarization and a potential democratic collapse.

Have Norwegian youth become more tolerant of the use of political violence?

A new study indicates that an increasing number of young people have become more willing to support violence to create awareness about an issue or to change our society.

The last person who touched this three-bladed arrowhead was a Viking

“We have never found an arrowhead like this before”, the glacial archaeologists from Secrets of the Ice in Norway recently reported on their Facebook-page.

This is what an ancient Mary and Jesus statue would have looked like 800 years ago

An ancient statue in Norway has been recreated. It shows us how Jesus and Mary may have looked when the statue came to Norway 800 years ago.

Women with young children lose interest in politics

Four years later, women are still less interested than before they had children. Does the same happen to the partner?

The coming-out stories are still important: “We need queer life stories”

“I am surprised that the stories are still so important, and that coming out is so stressful and difficult for young people also today,” researcher says.

Science fiction tells us we are destroying the world we live in. Can it also help us save it?

Films and books of this genre contemplate the future but are also useful for understanding our present, according to researcher.

Randi – aged 15 – was the youngest to be sentenced to death in Norway

She was beheaded 244 years ago.

Many immigrants in Norway are overqualified for their jobs

Around 40 per cent work in occupations with lower competency requirements than their education dictates.

People are deceived by Internet fraud daily. Police are often unable to help

“As long as 1 in 10,000 falls for the scam, it pays off for the criminal,” professor Petter Gottschalk says.

Children's school results are more related to parents' income than before

“This may indicate that kindergartens and schools in Norway are not able to even out social differences well enough,” researcher believes.

No decriminalisation of drugs in Norway yet: Being caught with a joint can still have major consequences

There was a historic drop in reported drug offenses last year, as well as a sharp reduction in penalties. “Some people probably think that drugs have been decriminalised in Norway. This is not the case,” says researcher Katrine Holter.

More than half of us may end up without descendants

A new study based on data from the 19th century gives insight into how few of us can expect to have grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

We accept tax evasions more during times of crisis - for low-income earners

Only two per cent of Norwegians accept that others evade taxes. But during the Covid pandemic, we had a greater understanding of low-income earners evading taxes to compensate for lost income.

New Viking Age jewellery find delivered to archaeological museum on a platter

The typical Viking Age women’s jewellery had been collecting dust in somebody’s living room for decades. Until last week, when it was all of a sudden delivered by an anonymous source at the Museum of Archaeology in Stavanger.

Climate expert: Norwegians do not understand how dangerous these heat waves are

The heat waves that have occurred in recent summers create extremely dangerous conditions that are difficult for Norwegians to understand, according to climate researcher Tore Furevik.

Prisoner of war Roar Antonsen smuggled letters and shoes out of Grini prison camp during World War II

Two pairs of children's shoes tell the incredible story of one man's dream of living in freedom, with his wife and the twins he has never met, and about resistance work at Grini, Norway's largest prison camp during World War II.