SNORW-tag

Norway’s practice of blowing up WWII sea mines is deadly for marine mammals

OPINION: Norway should stop detonating naval mines in sensitive sea areas. Instead, it could promote the use of alternative and cost-effective mine clearance techniques that have minimal effects on the marine environment.

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.

Nanocarriers are the Trojan horses of antibiotics

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: There is a new kid in town. He is a nanocarrier loaded with antibiotics, and he can trick bacterial biofilms into opening its strongly guarded gates for him. Antibiotic resistant bacteria better beware.

The food processing technologies we fear the most

OPINION: For the most part, there are some types of food processing technologies that we accept, while we are more sceptical towards others. Why is this, and what does it mean?

How to market food processed with new technologies

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Marketing researchers have developed a guide for food producers who sell products that have been processed using new technologies.

LGBT rights and the Oslo terror attack: This is about whether or not to accept human rights at all

OPINION: The terror attack directed at the LGBT community in Oslo is an important reminder of how vulnerable we all are to hate and violence. At the same time, it once again shows how important LGBT rights are to us all. Because they concern the most basic human rights.

Climate change: One year of warm currents fundamentally changed Spitsbergen’s sea ice coverage

OPINION: When meteorologists report fine weather on Svalbard, it's the air temperature they talk about. But when it comes to global warming, ocean temperature is the big joker.

Ukraine: How can we protect animals when we can’t even protect humans?

OPINION: Ukraine may be a game changer for pets and animal protection rules, and for how we understand pets as a humanitarian protection problem.

The Viking Ships can’t wait

OPINION: Each day that construction is delayed, valuable time in the race to preserve this cultural heritage is wasted. The government should not mess about at this point - it should guarantee steady progress of the project.

Hit them where it hurts: Producers of fast fashion should pay the most

OPINION: How best to deal with the negative environmental impact of the clothing industry? The writers behind this opinion suggest a system in which those who sell large volumes of clothes that don't last pay the most.

Ukrainian women engage in resistance and should be in the peace talks

OPINION: Despite both women’s agency and victimization in Ukraine, they have not been included in peace talks so far. A recent survey finds that Ukrainians believe they should be.

War in Ukraine could last for months

OPINION: The war in and over Ukraine has already lasted nearly two months. There is little reason to assume that it will be over anytime soon.

What the evolution of the hero in Norwegian fabulations can tell us about ourselves

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: How has the Norwegian fantastic hero changed over time, and what can this tell us about ourselves?

Are Russians more macho?

OPINION: Is it Russian propaganda alone that provides the basis for support for the war in Ukraine, or is there a need for dominance in the Russian people's soul?

Survey from besieged Ukraine:Will Russian terror deter or motivate Ukrainian resistance?

OPINION: The Russian forces have turned to terrorizing ordinary citizens, hoping that Ukrainians will lay down their arms. It may have the opposite effect.

Norwegian geographers: "We cannot be members of the same association as Putin"

OPINION: We distance ourselves from the close relationship between science and power in totalitarian Russia, write Norwegian geographers.

Putin may fall

OPINION: We can be pretty sure that the likelihood of both a coup and a revolution in Russia is significantly higher today than it was a couple of months ago.

Supporters of Ukraine may decide to restrict supplies of arms that Ukraine wants

OPINION: Compared to direct deployment of military forces, arms supplies are often seen as relatively uncomplicated and low cost means to assist a friendly or allied state. That's not always the case, argues Nic Marsh.

What motivates soldiers to fight?

There is reason to doubt that Russia’s military leaders could have made a more accurate estimate of the Ukrainians’ resilience and battle morale. The only way to assess an enemy’s willingness to fight is to actually engage in combat.

Afghans are starving. The USA and others must cooperate with the Taliban

OPINION: The UN warns of a risk that a million Afghan children will die. In this situation, there is no way of avoiding cooperation with those in control of the country, namely the Taliban.

For the first time, Russia has lost the information war

OPINION: Russia’s federal government has blocked or forced offline virtually every remaining independent news outlet in the country. Journalism as we normally know it hardly exists in Russia anymore.

Will Taiwan be the next Ukraine?

OPINION: A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be more likely to ignite World War III than the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Women who wish to travel are forced to share irrelevant and intimate details about their private lives

OPINION: There is a lack of cultural awareness and gender equality in the travel industry.

How different governments communicated during coronavirus

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Poor communication will significantly undermine national responses to a pandemic.

Why does Poland welcome Ukrainian refugees but not others?

OPINION: More than a million people have fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the country’s borders to neighbours in Central and Eastern Europe. In a context of war in Europe, and the human suffering it brings,here are some rough reflections on mobility and inequality, but also solidarity.

Survey: Ukrainians do overwhelmingly not want to be part of Russia

OPINION: But views are different in the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics.

The Russia-Ukraine war is stuck. Putin may resort to desperate manoeuvres

OPINION: Wars rarely go according to plans. This one, however, never had a chance to register a success.

Would you drive a car built from recycled materials?

Norwegian industry is shifting towards a greener future. But what does the transition to a greener economy really mean for industry and for consumers?

The Nansen Legacy Winter Gaps Cruise

In the Barents Sea

From burial urns to surfboards – wool can be used to make just about anything

OPINION: There’s no such thing as bad wool, only bad use.

Rationalising Extremism

Extremists, such as far-right nationalists, ISIS, and QAnon conspiracy theorists, are often considered to hold irrational beliefs. By drawing on recent, but underexplored ideas from academic philosophy, Finlay Malcolm will identify three ways by which extremist beliefs might be irrational and suggests how some of these ideas might be useful for research and policy on deradicalisation.

Who cries more in the Olympics?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Our results suggest that emotional tears are not only a biological feature that relate to gender or age, but also a cultural phenomenon.

Beijing Olympics 2022: The controversies posing hidden risks for China and the IOC

OPINION: The International Olympic Committee risks alienating democracies who expect the organization to live up to its values instead of serving modern autocracies’ economic and nationalistic interests.

It’s a male, male world: rise and fall of ‘the Male State,’ a far-right misogynistic organization in Russia

The Russian far-right activist Vladislav Pozdnyakov is largely seen as a marginal character by far-right scholars. However, Elizaveta Gaufman argues that Pozdnyakov and his now banned organization “the Male State” need to be examined more closely as they represent yet another example of a global misogyny trend on par with the incel movement.

Liberal democracy is not dead

Liberal democracy is under pressure, and illiberalism remains a threat across the globe. Cas Mudde argues that key events in 2021 should be a wake-up call to those who think illiberalism is the inevitable future, and emphasizes the crucial need for consistent, genuine, and inspiring liberal democratic politics.

Hunting moorings in the dark

– fieldwork in the polar night

The violence continues, even though the mother leaves the father. Are politics of gender equality to blame?

OPINION: Having to organise contact between the children and their father may result in continued exposure to violence for mothers – even after they leave a violent partner.

A strong breeze and chance of storms: How we used pollen to create a wind forecast from 10,000 years ago

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Pollen can travel far through the air, allowing scientists who find them to trace the winds of the past. Maaike Zwier writes about her new study from South Georgia, where ancient pollen may reveal shifts in the dominating westerlies.

Is green growth possible?

OPINION: Increases in economic growth contribute to one-for-one increases in carbon emissions. Energy system decarbonization and economic productivity gains are the most effective carbon emissions mitigation mechanisms for sustainable economic development.

The Polish Independence March 2021 – nationalized nationalism

The Independence March passed through Warsaw once again. This time, no flat was burnt, no shops were vandalized, no squat or embassy attacked, and no freshly planted trees were torn out. According to Przemyslaw Witkowski, this is a worrying development, as it signals that nationalists are gaining political power in Poland and beyond.

A new round of hunting for instruments in the dark polar night

It is november, polar night, and almost winter – must be time for a cruise to the Arctic Ocean to collect instruments and equipment for our project!

Patient activism is not behind the British guidelines for CFS/ME

OPINION: The patients, like NICE, want scientific, rigorous research.

The British guideline for CFS/ME is the result of activism, not research

OPINION: Unfortunately, the recommendations made in the new NICE guidelines for chronic fatigue were not based on the published research. This means that the Norwegian Directorate of Health can be confident in ignoring their suggestions.

Political myths and the making of fascism

In a recently published book, Nathaniël Kunkeler compares the political cultures of the Swedish National Socialist Workers’ Party (Nationalsocialistiska Arbetarepartiet, NSAP) and the Dutch National Socialist Movement (Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, NSB). Central to the analysis is the construction of political myths: myth-making or mythopoeia of the largest fascist parties in these countries, neither of which ever came close to seizing power in the 1930s.

Transformation of the Far Right: What can protest event analysis tell us?

The far right today is a global and diverse phenomenon, that encompasses a wide range of different actors and organizations. Tamta Gelashvili argues that scholarship on the far right would benefit from the use of Protest Event Analysis (PEA) to analyze and compare far-right mobilization across cultural contexts and over time.

Was there such a thing as a female Viking warrior?

OPINION: Are the changing answers to this question a direct result of our own changing views on gender?

Small pieces and large pictures in Arctic marine science

Arctic marine research is really exciting, and one could make blockbuster movies, or a tv-series based on research expeditions, such as those within the Nansen Legacy project.

Microplastic research needs a common language

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: With increased knowledge about microplastics in the environment comes new challenges. Researchers see significant challenges in maintaining the quality of knowledge that is shared, and how it is used further.

Would more games between attractive teams increase attendance?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Football authorities might have something to learn from economic theory.

The COP26 plastic uniforms are a disaster for the environment

OPINION: Recycled plastic clothing will never save the climate.

From grassroots to government: far-right threats to academic freedom

In recent years, and particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, far right forces have increased efforts to systematically undermine the principles of academic freedom. Léonie de Jonge, Iris Beau Segers and Cathrine Thorleifsson highlight the urgency of defending academic freedom against governmental interference and protecting researchers from threats and intimidation.

Lega East? A close look at AfD’s electoral strength in eastern Germany

The electoral showing of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD, Alternative for Germany) at past Sunday’s general election in Germany highlights once again that it is essential to scrutinize the party’s strength in eastern Germany, writes C-REX Postdoctoral Fellow Manès Weisskircher.

Do not let the fear of terror rule. Other dangers threaten democracy

Right-wing terrorists do not pose the greatest far-right threat to liberal democracies, according to C-REX scholar Jacob Aasland Ravndal.

The less a manager interferes in idea development, the better

OPINION: Only very few companies succeed consistently in developing new ideas. But those that do have one factor in common. The boss doesn’t interfere.

Could Isaac Newton show us the way into the Green Shift?

Climate change, loss of biodiversity, and degraded ecosystems: we're in trouble and something needs to be done. We need to change, and we know what to do. But we probably need some help on how to proceed. Maybe we can be inspired by Isaac Newton’s three laws?

Claiming a terrorist is ‘one of us’ is highly problematic

OPINION: The phrase ‘He was one of us’ has become entrenched in Norwegian public rhetoric after the far-right terrorist attack on 22 July 2011. This poses a threat to a more tolerant society.

An effective ban on foreign fighting? Wider implications of the Czech policy towards foreign (terrorist) fighters

“Foreign terrorist fighters” (FTFs) are commonly understood as being synonymous with jihadists. But what if we were to be faced with a foreign terrorist fighter, who is not a jihadi and is hardly ideologically motivated at all? C-REX Postdoctoral Fellow Kacper Rekawek discusses the recent conviction of three Czech foreign fighters involved in the conflict in Ukraine, who fall into that category. Their cases differ substantially from their jihadi counterparts and offer a fascinating insight into how different Western states approach the issue of their citizens or inhabitants deploying to foreign wars.

Afghanistan crisis: Is cooperation with the Taliban a recipe for disaster or a new way forward?

OPINION: Whilst we wait for the Taliban to meet international human rights standards, it would be wrong to withhold humanitarian assistance as the harsh winter draws in. Humanitarian action will build confidence on both sides whilst providing critical aid.

Hardcore science

On the JC2-2 cruise we are visiting the deep basins of the Arctic Ocean. The goal of my team is to conduct experiments with animals from the bottom of those basins, which means keeping deep, Arctic animals alive. If deep-sea diving is an extreme sport, then this is definitely extreme science.

Ephemeral landscapes

Have you ever watched the colors of the sunset over the sea – then suddenly the beautiful moment is gone, and darkness surrounds you. Arctic sea ice is like that - a temporary and beautiful landscape constantly presenting moments that are suddenly gone, if you dare to blink.

High Skies and Far-Away Emperors: The Pitfalls of Digital Environmental Governance in China

OPINION: Throughout history, the Chinese central government has had only limited knowledge about local realities. Digital technologies now promise to make regulation and supervision more targeted and effective. But will the central government ever be on top of things?

The Transpolar Drift current

The largest Arctic river - transports materials into the central Arctic Ocean from Siberian Shelf across the North Pole

The tiniest do the heavy lifting

– Who are they and what do microbes do in the Arctic Ocean?

Stable trends in unstable times: Right-wing terrorism and violence in Western Europe in 2020

Right-wing terrorism and violence in Western Europe in 2020 was not significantly influenced by COVID-19 nor by the activism of the Black Lives Matter movement. Instead, the RTV report recently published by C-REX shows that 2020 represents a continuation of previous trends.

The Arctic Ocean blender system

The Arctic Ocean is composed of different layers organized on the vertical, and these layers have different temperature and salinity properties. A cold and fresh surface layer caps a warm and salty layer of Atlantic Water. The heat contained at depth (about 300m) in the warm and salty Atlantic Water could melt the entire Arctic sea ice cover if it reached the surface. It does not happen because the cold surface layer caps this Atlantic layer quite well and keeps it at depth. However, in some regions, such as north of Svalbard, sea ice melts in summer even though it is -30 outside. How is that possible?

The Central Arctic Ocean: No longer the once forgotten no man’s land

Large trawlers are pulling tons of fish out of the deep Central Arctic Ocean. Our cell phones are powered with rare earth elements from the seafloor underneath the North Pole. The ice-free Arctic allows much shorter delivery time of shipped goods from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Coast guard ships dot the vast Arctic coastline and fleets of submarines survey the chilly waters. Will these scenarios soon be a reality? To some extent some of them already are.

On the ideological and cultural diversity of current antisemitism

In May this year, the latest round of hostilities in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict set in motion a wave of antisemitic attacks targeting Jews in Europe and the US. A closer look at these incidents demonstrates the ideological and cultural diversity of current Jew-hatred. In order to understand this diversity, a broader historical perspective is helpful.

Will the future Arctic Ocean become greener?

On land grass and other plants provide ecosystems with food and play an essential role in binding CO2 from the atmosphere. Microscopically small plants called algae fulfill this role in the world’s oceans.

Cracks in the cooking pot lid

The point of putting a lid on a cooking pot is to prevent the transfer of heat and moisture between the boiling contents and the air above. When you remove the lid from a boiling pot, heat and water vapour flow upward into the air, along with chemical compounds filling your kitchen with the (hopefully) promising smells of an upcoming meal.

Where food is delivered only once a year

Imagine living at a place where food is available for only a few short weeks each year. What sounds impossible is reality for hundreds of different animal species thousands of meters beneath the ocean surface.

Viagra can potentially save the lives of people with severe hypothermia

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Viagra works in both hot and cold situations.

Healthcare workers are raising the alarm: We need zero-carbon healthcare

OPINION: Last year, England launched a zero-carbon health system strategy, inspiring a global movement. With an election on the horizon, it is time for Norway to decide whether we are in or out.

From your home to the lab: Household items in the life of a marine scientist

What do a spoon, colander, garbage bag and stocking have in common?

Poor studies on long Covid are sensationalized by the media

OPINION: The media are overdramatising poor studies concerning the long-term effects of Covid-19.

Into the deep unknown central Arctic Basin

Our scientific crew of 35 people for the Nansen Legacy cruise JC2-2-Arctic Basin will spend five weeks onboard the Norwegian icebreaker and research vessel Kronprins Haakon, with departure on Thursday 24th August 2021. Cruise leaders are Agneta Fransson (NPI) and Bodil Bluhm (UiT).

Three good reasons to visit the Arctic Basin in 2021