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Is cold water swimming in the winter healthy?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Winter swimming has become popular in Norway. But what does the research have to say about this?

Do you stay up late because you need time for yourself?

Sleep researchers have long known that many people go to bed late. In Chinese, the term “revenge bedtime procrastination” has become popular. It’s used to describe people with little personal time who choose to sleep less so they can unwind at night.

Does being outside when it's really cold make you more exhausted — even if you don’t do anything tiring?

ASK A RESEARCHER: The answer depends on whether you start to freeze or not.

Vaccine resistance is nothing new. What can we learn from sceptics of the past?

In order to get married in the 19th century, Norwegians had to present a certificate showing that they had received the smallpox vaccine. In the UK, the vaccine requirements were enforced even more strictly.

High prices should not be a barrier to combat the COVID-19 pandemic

OPINION: Here are four principles which could ensure equitable access to COVID-19 tools and health products, particularly for low and middle-income countries.

Does lying on your stomach after giving birth help your uterus contract?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Does the uterus need help contracting postpartum? Is there any point to speeding this up? And does it really help to lie on your stomach, as some women are advised to do after giving birth? We've asked the experts.

A blood test can detect Alzheimer's five years before symptoms appear

The new Swedish blood test is described as a breakthrough in Alzheimer's research.

New model could explain old cholesterol mystery

Saturated fats increase cholesterol. And high cholesterol is linked to heart disease. But why are researchers unable to show that saturated fat actually leads to heart disease?

Emotions shape how we perceive health information

Many people have trouble understanding health information. It’s not just differences in people’s knowledge of health issues that are the cause of the problem, says Professor Pål Gulbrandsen, who studies communication between doctors and patients.

Our hearing's gotten better in the last 20 years, here's why

Quieter workplaces and fewer ear infections might be why we have better hearing today than the people who came before us, according to a new study.

All Norwegians above 18 may be vaccinated against Covid-19 by September

Three new vaccines will need to be approved to make it happen.

Financial worries gave Norwegians symptoms of PTSD when the pandemic hit the country

Worrying about losing your income is extremely stressful, says researcher.

COVID-19 vaccines pave the way for new types of medication

Patients suffering from cancer, heart attacks, haemophilia or a torn meniscus might soon be treated using RNA.

Is it really true that if you have a low resting heart rate, you’re really fit?

Many athletes have a very low resting heart rate, but that doesn’t mean that a low resting heart rate in itself means that you are in good condition, says a professor at the Norwegian School of Sports Science.

We eat candy to deal with the pandemic

63 per cent of women and 43 per cent of men used food to deal with their feelings during the lockdown last spring, according to a new survey of Norwegians.

Premature babies have a higher risk of dying from chronic disease as adults

Those that were born prematurely had a 40 per cent higher risk of dying from chronic disease than the rest of the population, according to a new study.

Promising results for colon cancer screening

Almost 400 people were diagnosed with colon cancer at an early stage in a Norwegian pilot project. Soon screening will be available for everyone in Norway.

Tuberculosis and cholera gave us sewage systems and posters against spitting. What will the coronavirus leave us with?

Will we ever be able to hug again?

Skipping lunch break can be bad to your health

Skipping your lunch break at work increases the risk of physical and mental exhaustion, according to a new study from the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Previous strokes connected to an increased risk of Covid related death

Older age, previous strokes, metastatic cancer and being a man are all characteristics connected to an increased risk of dying with Covid-19, according to a Norwegian study.

Norwegians get happier as they age, but the richest 25 per cent of the population is still the happiest

One in every four Norwegians is very happy with their life, according to a new survey. The young are less content than the old.

Study on Lightning Process-course for CFS/ME patients raises controversy

“Our intent is simply to check whether the method works,” says NTNU project manager Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair. “A dangerous study,” says head physician Kristian Sommerfelt.

Pain after nerve damage can cause severe memory impairment

Many people with chronic pain from nerve damage have far poorer cognitive function than fibromyalgia patients and healthy individuals, according to a new study. The discovery is deemed important ground-breaking work.

Nurses from EU-countries were poorly prepared to work in Norway

Nurses from countries like Poland, Lithuania and Spain are unprepared for the expectations and the large amounts of responsibility that nurses have in Norway.

Pupils rarely transmitted COVID-19 to others, according to Norwegian study

Children in primary school very rarely pass the virus on to others, according to a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

The first Covid-19 cases took infection prevention advice less seriously

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: What are the differences between those who were first infected with COVID-19 and the rest of the population? If they had less respect for the virus or were less careful with limiting contagion, this may give us a clue as to how we should fight pandemics.

Can beta-glucans from the health food store become a weapon in the fight against cancer and deadly infections?

Forty years ago, two Norwegian professors saw cancerous tumours shrink and disappear. They saw laboratory animals survive deadly infections. And all because of a special substance found in nature. But the rest of the research community wasn’t that impressed. Why did this substance end up in health food stores, and never as a drug developed in Norway?

Child abuse went under the radar during the pandemic

Several studies show that fewer cases of child abuse were reported during the pandemic. 15 per cent of young people in Norway were hurt or abused when schools were closed during the lockdown.

Higher risk of bone fractures among vegans

People who strive to eat a 100 per cent plant-based diet have to familiarize themselves with the nutrient profile of foods and make nutritious choices, says Norwegian researcher.

Professor receives royal award for work on cancer vaccine

Professor Bjarne Bogen has received this year's King Olav V's Prize for Cancer Research for his contributions in the creation of a personalized cancer vaccine.

Sex, Covid and archaeology. Here’s what you enjoyed reading the most in 2020.

Health and archaeology are the clear winners in our list of top ten most read articles last year.

Your genes, not your blood type, are important in determining how you’ll respond to a COVID-19 infection

Ten minutes. That’s how long it took for a Norwegian billionaire to decide to fund a major international study on COVID-19. Now the research results are rolling in.

Quiet people suffer without being seen

A surprisingly large portion of the population may suffer from a personality disorder that very few have heard of.

Elderly patients in institutional care in Norway pleased with how society has tried to protect them against COVID-19

Protecting vulnerable elderly people is one of the primary purposes of Nowegian corona measures. A new Norwegian study has looked at how a group of elderly patients at a psychiatric nursing institution experienced the pandemic.

Economist: Vaccination most effective in areas with the fewest infections

We’ll get the greatest benefit from each vaccine dose if the vaccine is first given in areas with little infection, says researcher. Norway, for example, is in a far better situation than the United States to get the maximum utility from each vaccine dose.

Much lower use of antidepressants in Norway compared to the rest of Europe

“We have a more realistic view of what antidepressant drugs can actually do today”, says researcher.

Is it possible to train the immune system to help in the fight against COVID-19?

Many experts have stated that we can’t do anything to improve the immune system's ability to cope with COVID-19. But research actually shows that training an ancient part of the immune system is possible. Could this be useful in future pandemics?

Nine out of ten had eight different plasticizers in their urine, study finds

A number of different chemicals from food, cosmetics, shampoo and skin care products pass through our bodies daily, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health finds. Further analysis is needed to determine the potential health risk.

Norwegian Health officials are working around the clock to prepare for the COVID-19 vaccines

"But we can't approve vaccines based on press releases", says one official.

A mother’s postnatal depression can be passed on to the father

Depression before and after birth can be contagious. Particularly in relationships that experience a lot of uncertainties.

New Staphylococcus bacteria discovered in Norway

Researchers at the Arctic University of Norway UiT discovered the new species of bacteria by chance.

Overly enthusiastic 70-year olds messed up study on physical activity

The researchers wanted to find out if exercise prolongs life and protects against disease. But a disobedient control group gave them trouble. They exercised more than they were supposed to.

Nature or nurture? Here’s what researchers found out when they studied children with depression

Genes can affect the next generation through the environment the parents create, according to a large study of Norwegian families.

Risk of running out of ventilators for COVID-19 patients in Norway significantly reduced

The risk that Norway might need more than 500 ventilators for corona patients has been reduced from 99,5 per cent to 5,5 per cent, according to the most recent calculations from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, NIPH.

Violence and abuse in childhood linked to more stress hormones in pregnancy

New findings may help explain how the effects of traumatic events are passed on from one generation to the next. One psychologist says the findings are extremely interesting, but also very disturbing.

Fewer suicides during the first months of COVID-19 in Norway

Financial support packages and good mental health services may have made a difference, according to professor.

Taxi drivers and health workers are among the most exposed to the coronavirus

Bartenders, waiters, drivers, nurses and dentists. People with occupations that require contact with customers and patients are more exposed to the coronavirus.

What determines whether you have a good sex life as an older adult?

If you had an active sex life when you were young, the same will probably be true as you age.

Preliminary data suggest that cod liver oil users have lower risk of getting COVID-19

But is it because cod liver oil protects against COVID-19, or do those who take a daily dose have other lifestyle factors that lower their risk of infection?

The spread of the coronavirus can almost be stopped in eight weeks, one research group says

The researchers have calculated that strict measures coordinated by the WHO in a number of global hot spots, could reduce the spread of the virus by 90 per cent in eight weeks. Other experts question whether the strategy can actually be implemented in real life.

Why are fewer men becoming fathers than before?

One in five men haven’t had children of their own by the age of 50. Fewer and fewer men are becoming fathers. What’s happening to Norwegian men?

The French man who forgot about fruit shows us how the language we speak is pre-coded in our brains

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: A dog is not an apple. And this is perhaps why one man after a stroke no longer knew what an apple was.

Brain researcher: It’s difficult to separate the physical and mental when it comes to our brains

Emotions, mental ailments, brain diseases: Everything happens in the brain. Technological advances have given us new perspectives on how the brain works, according to Norwegian brain researchers.

Norwegians almost three times as likely to suffer from symptoms of depression after the lockdown in March

As several countries in Europe prepare for new lockdowns, studies are emerging on the effects of the first wave.

The coronavirus spreads more in low temperatures

Reseachers at Nord University in Northern Norway have confirmed what other researchers have also found: The virus may spread more when the weather gets colder.

Surviving cancer in the Nordics: Norwegians with lung cancer live longer than in neighbouring countries, but are more likely to die from melanoma

While mortality due to melanoma has been stable in the rest of the Nordic countries, it has increased somewhat in Norway . “It’s important to go to the doctor early,” says Tom Børge Johannesen from the Cancer Registry of Norway.

Does smoking protect against the coronavirus? Nordic researchers aim to answer this question.

Early studies from China pointed toward a mysterious tobacco paradox. Smoking or nicotine seemed to protect against infection, and at the same time make those infected more ill. Nordic researchers are now going to solve this mystery.

Fibromyalgia: More men diagnosed with new critiera

Director of the Norwegian Fibromyalgia Association hopes the new criteria will make the disease a little more recognized among doctors.

90 per cent of Syrian refugees in Norway have had life-threatening experiences

Had been in life-threatening danger before they fled the country or during their attempts to reach safety, according to a new report.

New Norwegian biotechnology could pave the way for development of more efficient drugs

The now patented technology goes under the name “Super Albumin” and is based on the human protein albumin. 15 years of studying this substance may now yield concrete results.

Mercury, bloodletting and animals were weapons in the fight against the shameful epidemic of the 18th century

Sexually transmitted diseases spread through Norway in the 1700s. But was sex their only means of transmission?

This tiny sensor placed under the skin will measure the blood sugar levels of people with diabetes

The Norwegian sensor is to be coupled with Italian technology that administers insulin automatically. “If this is successful it will make life a lot easier for patients with diabetes”, says Norwegian doctor.

Smokers and people who are overweight should be among the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine, researchers believe

There is a strong and clear link between obesity and getting seriously ill from COVID-19. The same goes for smoking. A new Norwegian-British study confirms these links.

Epidurals do not in themselves improve birth experiences

OPINION: Epidurals may slow down a birth and are associated with lower levels of satisfaction with the birth experience. While sometimes necessary, we are skeptical of the extent to which they are offered and used.

Why do we condemn, blame and stigmatize people who have experienced something traumatic?

OPINION: Some trauma victims are met with negative social reactions when they tell others about what they have experienced. Why does this happen?

Norwegian COVID-19 patients: Physicians surprised by length of stay on ventilators

At the onset of the pandemic, Norway created a new coronavirus registry for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Here’s what we know about them so far.

Menstrual capitalism: A lot of people profit from your monthly menstruation

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Menstruation presents an endlessly renewed commercial opportunity for period-product manufacturers, who are finding new ways to infiltrate wider markets in an era when taboos are being chipped away. But issues remain that products can’t solve.

A Norwegian's discovery paved the way for the coronavirus tests we use today

But the Nobel Prize went to an American who figured out how the discovery could be used.

Women are protected against cervical cancer 12 years after getting the HPV-vaccine, according to large Nordic study

The once controversial vaccine appears to have a much longer effect than what has been documented so far.

Here’s how more precise radiation can reduce side effects for cancer patients

Statisticians in Bergen have developed a more personalized approach to radiation therapy that over the long run will reduce side effects in cervical cancer, rectal cancer and prostate cancer.

Cheaper diet soda weakened sales of sugary soda

People choose diet soda over soda with sugar more often if the price is lower and diet soda is the most accessible, according to a new study. Marketing professor says stores will keep putting products with the highest profit margins in the best locations.

No, a woman’s hymen does not reveal whether she has had sexual intercourse or not