Tag: natural sciences

Can fish drown?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Fish can actually drown both on land and in water.

Trying to make assisted fertilization work for pigs

Researchers want to put Norway on the pig embryo map. Animal rights activists are critical.

This shark postpones having sex until it is over 100 years old

Not that strange perhaps, now that we know how long the mysterious Greenland shark can live.

New Norwegian land could emerge from the Atlantic Ocean

Many active volcanoes can be found on the seabed within Norway's maritime borders. Some are now only a few metres below sea level.

Why do some Norwegian fjords turn green?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Images from space can reveal the secrets behind the colours of the fjords.

The last Ice Age excavated bedrock equivalent to 500 times Mount Everest

Researchers have calculated how much volume the last Ice Age eroded in Norway and northern Europe.

World's oldest DNA: Scientists discover 2-million-year-old remains of plants and animals

Genetic material from the elephant relative mastodon, cedar and spruce has now been discovered in a warmer Greenland of yore. It is the oldest DNA ever found.

The plan was to renovate a laundry room. But then bones from a 12 000 year old polar bear showed up

This is the story of how the best-preserved Ice Age polar bear in the world ended up at the Museum of Archaeology in Stavanger in the 1980s. Norway's first Stone Age people may have lived alongside this polar bear.

Norway could make Europe less dependent on critical minerals from China

Norway has large deposits of some rare earth metals that are important for the green shift. The Fen Complex fields in Telemark probably constitute a world-class deposit.

What happens if we can’t buy critical metals from the Chinese?

The green shift makes us even more dependent on metals China has a near-monopoly on.

Here are 12 of the most exciting prehistoric animal discoveries

Palaeontologist Jørn Hurum takes us through the highlights of dinosaurs and other extinct animals over the past 20 years.

Ongoing negotiations on wildlife trade and why this matters now

Faced with catastrophic biodiversity loss, it is essential that countries agree on protecting the most vulnerable species from unsustainable trade.

Why can't mountains on Earth get much higher than the ones that are here now?

If you've ever wondered why there are no mountains higher than Mount Everest, you can find the answer here. But there are mountains of completely different sizes elsewhere in the solar system.

The beauty of getting lost in the loss cone

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Everyday untold trillions of particles, mainly protons and electrons, are bouncing back and forth between the Northern and Southern hemispheres along the Earth’s magnetic field.

New spacecraft to solve mystery: Why is the Sun's atmosphere a hundred times hotter than its surface?

Norwegian scientists will help create a spacecraft for NASA, which aims to solve one of the deepest mysteries in physics.

There’s a tiny little continent wedged between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates

It's called Jan Mayen, and it's a microcontinent topped by a rather small island of the same name – the Norwegian volcanic island Jan Mayen – which sticks up above the sea surface.

Record-hot summer in Svalbard

This year's summer in Svalbard is the hottest ever recorded. The previous record from 2020 only lasted two years.

Radioactivity still found in Norwegian nature - 36 years after the Chernobyl disaster

Even though it has been 36 years since the Chernobyl disaster, scientists are still finding radioactive contamination in wild plants in Norway.

A volcanic catastrophe off the Norwegian coast likely explains dramatic global warming 55 million years ago

Never since has the climate on Earth warmed up so quickly — or been so hot. Researchers believe that the explanation for the rapid warming may lie off the coast of Norway.

Necropsy report following Freya’s euthanasia: Was healthy and died instantly

According to the walrus Freya's necropsy, she was in good health. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute's report also shows that she died instantly when she was put down.

Results from a Norwegian instrument on the Mars rover provide new hints about water

“It was a bit of a surprise,” says Professor Svein-Erik Hamran.

Should you help injured birds?

A little duckling has injured its foot. Should you help, kill it or do nothing?

Freya's skeleton will be stored at the Natural History Museum in Oslo

Although her skeleton will not be exhibited to the public, it may eventually be made available for research

The Arctic is heating up much faster than expected

Temperatures in the Arctic have risen almost four times faster than on the rest of the planet, according to a new study. Svalbard is warming up even faster.

Norwegian fjords gave researchers the idea of how a desert landscape in Namibia came to be

The desert in southern Africa is actually a fjord landscape created by glaciers, researchers suggest.

Seagulls have found safety in cities, but can this save them?

They bother those of us who reside in these cities but the seagulls have moved here because life at sea is too rough.

Norway's largest ‘fjord’ is only a few hundred thousand years old

The Norwegian trench is a giant underwater ‘fjord’ formed by an enormous glacier.

Walrus Freya creates chaos in Oslo. Researcher responds: “I don’t like what I see”

Walrus expert Rune Aae asks people to stay away from the celebrity walrus Freya, who has recently caused a stir in Oslo.

Why do you see waves, colours and lights when you rub your eyes?

These visions come from something scientists call phosphenes.

World's oldest tree still growing near the Norwegian-Swedish border

The nearly 10 000-year-old spruce tree is only five metres tall, but it began to grow just after the last ice age ended.

Here’s why Rattus norvegicus has taken over Europe

The black rat spread across Europe in two waves, first in Roman times and then in the Middle Ages. But today it has had to cede Europe to the ‘Norwegian’ brown rat.

Researchers and the media need to stop crying ‘wolf’ about the Gulf Stream

There are many, many things we should worry about when it comes to global warming. But worrying that the Gulf Stream will stop is not one of them, says one Norwegian oceanographer.

The blade of this knife is from space

Can you imagine how that can be?

Norway's only dinosaur find was a complete accident

“And it’s a world record,” Norwegian paleontologist says.

Here’s how to get rid of black spots on the apples in your garden

You can do a lot to get rid of apple scab on this summer’s apples, but you have to act now, in May.

No, oil does not come from dinosaurs

“This myth must be debunked,” says Norwegian geologist

The key to understanding the surface of Mars is stored in Oslo

A mineral collection in Oslo will help us understand the surface of Mars. But now the Mars rover that was to be sent to Mars in September will be postponed until 2028.

What is a hypersonic weapon?

They move very, very fast, but that's not the most important thing about these weapons.

We can close our eyes and mouth. Why can’t we close our ears?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Wouldn't it be nice if you could close your ears underwater or when you’re in noisy surroundings?

How often do asteroids and comets hit the Earth?

From shooting stars to boulders that can destroy a country — what actually happens when the Earth is struck by objects of different sizes?

Wind erosion has created a sculpture park in Antarctica

Hundreds of thousands of years’ worth of wind have created a unique rock sculpture park near the Norwegian research station Troll in Antarctica.

Is it really possible to find water with dowsing rods?

For physicist Arnt Inge Vistnes, dowsing is in the blood. He is one of the few researchers who has studied the phenomenon.

Mammoths and other large animals survived in the north much longer than previously believed

New DNA research indicates that the climate, not humans, led to the demise of these large creatures.

Calves not allowed to stay with their mother are more stressed and grow less well

Consumers of milk and cheese want cows and calves to stay together.

Researchers tracked a bluefin tuna’s 15 000 kilometre swim across the Atlantic and back

A 250 kilo Atlantic bluefin tuna had a satellite tag attached to its back in the autumn of 2020. A year later, the researchers located the same tuna again outside Florø, Norway’s westernmost town. It had swum the equivalent of more than a third of the way around the equator.

Ancient skeletons are a bit like puzzles

It can take many years to put them together. And scientists can make mistakes putting the pieces together, too.

This is how the ice age turned quick clay into a Norwegian problem

Norway, Sweden and parts of North America are the world's worst quick clay areas.

Seabed methane release follows the rhythm of the tides

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Methane is constantly being released from the seabed into the ocean. A recent study in the Arctic Ocean shows that this release follows pressure changes in the sea level related to daily lunar cycles.

Company plans to fully charge electric cars in 17.5 minutes

The technology company Beyonder has been given millions of euros in support from the EU to lead a European research project that will provide faster charging of electric cars, and take pressure off the power grid.

The benefits of probiotics could change the impact of dangerous bacteria in oceans

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Bacteria are everywhere. In a world hidden from our eyes, they are the major influencers in the environment and our body. Let’s dive deeper into bacteria roles and benefits.

Journey across the Polar Front

During the first two days in the Barents Sea, we completed our first crossing of the Polar Front, all the way from the warm, saline Atlantic waters in the south, to the cold and fresher Arctic waters in the north to map the location of the Polar Front.

If horses hadn’t made it out of North America, they probably wouldn’t exist today

Ancient horses similar to the ones we know today evolved in North America. From there they spread to Asia and Europe.

Why doesn’t all our air disappear into space?

ASK A RESEARCHER: The atmosphere may be leaking more than you think, but luckily we still have enough air down here.

Life at the seabed: studying bottom-dwelling fish and invertebrates across the polar front

It is said that we humans know more about the surface of the moon than the surface of our planet’s seafloor. If you knew how much we’re missing out! So much life and beauty can be found near the seabed.

In the footsteps of Nansen

Meet the tribe working on the RV «Kronprins Haakon».

The famous Jutulhogget canyon was created by a megaflood

The megaflood, which occured 10,400 years ago, must have been a disaster for the first people living in the area.

Serving up edible kelp to Michelin restaurants and supermarkets

An entrepreneurial company called Seaweed Solutions is now harvesting more than 100 tonnes of nutritious kelp from a seaweed farm off the coast of central Norway. The seaweed is being sold to food producers in Europe. “This industry will be big,” says an independent researcher.

Departure into the known unknown

We left port in Tromsø on May 14th. Finally, after 10 days in isolation and meeting other cruise participants only as small faces on a video screen, we were released onto Helmer Hanssen, our home for the next nine days.

First experience onboard the RV "Helmer Hanssen"

For the first time in my life I am going to experience Phytoplankton blooming in Arctic. The vessel is soon ready to take us on board, and we are currently sitting in isolation at beautiful Sommarøy. My thoughts now are on the journey. How will it be?

Let’s talk dirty

The seabed and the animals living there are collectively called, the benthos and it is one of the largest and most diverse habitats on the planet.

Now researchers know what’s underneath Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier in continental Europe

Jostedalsbreen represents perhaps the largest unknown area in the region. Recently, geologists have mapped the glacier using georadar.

Nansen Legacy Q2 Scientific divers sample ice algae and zooplankton below sea ice

Spring, a biologically critical time window in the Arctic

During the Nansen Legacy cruises we work together with joint forces towards an improved holistic understanding of the marine systems in the Arctic and the Barents Sea.

Wolf packs don’t actually have alpha males and alpha females, the idea is based on a misunderstanding

The researcher who introduced this term tried to clear the confusion up two decades ago, but the myth still lives on.

The lonely Algae

From the last time we collected water, I took a drop to check under a microscope, to get an insight into what is hiding. But no, no universe here. Nothing that swam, floated or hovered. No signs of spring bloom. But then, suddenly, in one corner of this drop I found something. A solitary microalgae, alone in this vast drop universe.

Lost and (not always) found: The ups and downs of sediment trap deployments

Some days you win, some days you lose. Your car keys. A single sock out of your favorite pair. A 200-metre long rope worth hundreds of thousands of kroner in equipment and samples. No? Just us?

Tiny Arctic wildlife matters

Hello from another fine day from the largest research vessel in Norway - Kronprins Haakon. After having a delicious pizza lunch on board today, I came up to the 7th deck (yes that’s right, this boat has 10 decks), to write this blog in the conference room – a nice, cozy room with a great view. How is a girl from the south of India where winter is 20 degrees, surviving up here in the Arctic, you ask?

Five myths about the Big Bang

Where did the Big Bang happen, and what was going on around it? Two physicists take us through the most common misunderstandings of what the theory is about.

The hunt for the hidden life in water

Life on board a research vessel has its own and unique rhythm. Time operates a little differently here, both because days are a bit intense with sample collection and analysis, but also because the ship simply has its own time zone.

Excitement onboard the RV "Kronprins Haakon"

Why do animals hibernate?

ASK A RESEARCHER: All kinds of animals go into hibernation. Some hibernate all winter, while others "turn off" their bodies for just a few hours.

Ice Age algae bloom on Andøya

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Algae blooms are not only due to modern pollution. Scientists at Tromsø University Museum have discovered that, when most of Fennoscandia was covered by ice, a large algae population thrived in a small ice-free refugia just north of the Lofoten.