Tag: society and culture

Working from home inhibits innovation. But researchers know how to fix it

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: When you work from home, you tend to communicate more with the members of your own team. This is good for implementing ideas. On the other hand, you also communicate less with other groups, which does not encourage the creation of new ideas. But all this can be fixed.

We are still surrounded by the Middle Ages

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Historical events from the Middle Ages are often used – and misused – in political argumentation in our time. A current example is how Vladimir Putin misuses the Middle Ages to deny Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent nation.

This is how people would go to the toilet in the past

The flush toilet didn't come until the 20th century, so what did people do before that?

Can't we just stop travelling by air for business?

We’re encouraged to fly less. But what if your company keeps sending you on trips?

War causes high inflation, a pandemic does the opposite

Pandemics and wars affect the economy in very different ways, researchers find. If not for the war in Ukraine, the pandemic could have resulted in many years with little or no price increases.

The Norwegian flag was designed by a 10-year-old

It could have looked completely different.

New studies are upending our ideas about Viking shields

The shields from the Gokstad Viking ship were not only made for burial rituals and as decorations. Evidence indicates that they were used in battle, according to a Danish archaeologist.

This cotton spool changed Norway

Hundreds of young women have the same goal at 6 o’clock one early morning in 1846.

Has digitization destroyed our ability to read long and complicated texts?

Experts disagree about whether something has happened to our ability to read for a long time. In any case, it is entirely possible to learn to improve your concentration, says one researcher.

Archaeologists had to destroy nearly all of the medieval ‘King’s Wharf’ soon after they excavated it.

Remains of a massive foundation for a wharf were recently uncovered during excavations in Bjørvika, east of Oslo’s centre. It might have been the King's Wharf during medieval times. But no sooner had the wharf been found than it was gone again.

Is there a correlation between the number of homicides in a country and the number of firearms owned by civilians?

The USA, Serbia, Yemen, Finland, and Norway have the highest number of firearms per capita.

Experts warn against war fatigue in the West

Ukraine's planned spring offensive is a significant risk both militarily and politically, according to experts. They warn that support from the West may dry up.

Here's what archaeologists found under the floor of the 12th century Stavanger Cathedral

Crawling around here in pitch darkness in 1967, an architect bumped into bones and skeletons.

Can the metaverse become a reality?

“The metaverse really peaked in 2021. It was at the same time as the crypto bubble,” Hanne Sofie Lindahl says. Will there ever be an internet you can experience being inside of?

New video footage shows what could be the oldest known shipwreck at the bottom of Norway's largest lake

The researchers managed to catch a glimpse of the wreck before the underwater robot ran out of power.

King Charles will be protected by two small wood shards from the cross of Jesus on coronation day

We cannot know that they are real, but that’s not the most important thing, says one historian. Here is the story behind the True Cross.

Mandatory measures during the pandemic had a greater effect in large cities

Researchers have analysed people’s movement patterns in Norway during the pandemic to map out whether they complied with the authorities’ advice and restrictions.

Many young people think there is too much advertisement on social media

45 per cent of the posts from the most popular influencers were advertisements.

The Vikings in Greenland imported timber from North America, according to a researcher

What kind of timber did the settlers in Greenland use, and where did the different types of wood come from?

Norwegians eat 120 sausages a year

Although sausages have existed in Norway since the Middle Ages, it wasn’t until the 1950s that we got the wiener sausage.

Norwegians are divided on whether to punish those who use cannabis

Punishments for sexual offenses and drug offenses are undergoing changes, but in very different ways. Researchers have now taken a deep dive into what people think and believe about law, justice, and punishment in these areas.

Let’s not vilify our students over chatGPT

OPINION: With the advent of ever-more capable artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as chatGPT, we once again have an opportunity to choose a rational, humane future over clinging to an irrational, suspicious past.

Norwegians spend around 4 hours a day on the internet

The average time spent on the internet has increased on all weekdays and in all age groups to approximately four hours a day.

This brooch became high fashion during the late Viking and Middle Age

The number of Urnes style brooches found in Norway have more than doubled in the past decade, most likely due to an increase of metal detectorists.

No reason to divide into boys' and girls' teams, says researcher

Why do we create separate teams for boys and girls?

New discovery of a Viking ship in Norway

A 20-metre-long Viking ship has been discovered using georadar on a mound previously believed to be empty. “This is a spectacular find which sheds light on the earliest Viking kings”, says archaeologist Håkon Reiersen.

People in the 17th century feared war, death and the end of the world as we know it, a songbook reveals

Peder Rafn's songbook gives us insights into what people were concerned with in the past.

More and more female hunters in Norway

More women are choosing to get a hunting license in Norway. The number of female hunters has increased by over 50,000 people in the last 20 years, according to figures from Statistics Norway.

Will Iranian women succeed in overthrowing the regime?

Half a year after the protests in Iran started, people harbour both faith and doubt as to whether the revolution will succeed.

These are the European countries with the most labour strikes

Why is Norway one of the tops in Europe when it comes to strikes?

Shy children are more likely to be sad and more anxious than other children

Children who find it particularly difficult to get close to others are often sad, says the researcher behind a new Norwegian study.

What did children really understand about the Covid-19 pandemic? Researchers examined children's drawings

We can learn a lot by studying how children draw, according to researcher.

Nina lives in the coldest city in the world

“Here they use down jackets in spring,” researcher says.

Fewer suicides in Europe. But not in Norway

A new study finds a decrease of 20 per cent.

Racism impacts men and women differently

“Men get compared to animals and have animal sounds shouted at them, while girls and women are more likely to encounter contempt because of their appearance,” Cora Alexa Døving says. She is the editor of a new book about racism in Norway.

100 years ago, all Norwegians had to get surnames

It made it easier to keep track of people.

A book with great images and a quiet, comfortable place shape how reading in families is done

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: The overall benefit of shared book reading is lower than previously thought, but still remains a key activity for advancing children’s literacy.

Popular children's books from the 1950s contribute to Norway's special view of crime, study says

Thorbjørn Egner's stories about Cardamom town and Huckbucky forest are not just light entertainment for children. The narratives reinforce Norway’s ideals of crime and punishment, forgiveness and change, one study says.

Why overconsumption must be understood as a societal challenge

OPINION: Norwegians are world champions in consumption, but most of us feel our levels of consumption are completely normal. This is one of the reasons why sustainability transformations cannot be left to the consumers alone.

Our IQ is steadily declining

Should you be worried?

Microplastics or microfibers: Does anyone really get what this is about?

OPINION: What we do know, is that all synthetic clothing and materials, sooner or later, will become microplastics, a «time-delayed» pollution bomb. And thus, they will ultimately become a problem for seabirds, and us.

We may never reach 9 billion people

In November last year, we reached 8 billion. However, population growth may peak at 8.5 billion, two Norwegian researchers conclude in a new study.

Survey: Muslims in Norway are more religious than Christians

More people who identify as Muslims in Norway say they believe in God compared to those who identify as Christians.

There are now more dictatorships than democracies in the world

There are now more people living under dictatorships than in democracies. At the same time, there are bright spots — several countries have moved away from authoritarian rule.

Exam answers from ChatGPT were only detected in 6 out of 10 cases

Researchers at the University of Agder have investigated how well ChatGPT can answer exam questions. Only 60 per cent of the answers were detected as robot texts.

Living with both parents after a break-up is becoming the norm

Roughly 56 per cent of Norwegian parents who have separated in the last two years choose this solution.

Boys don’t need to get as good grades as girls

Boys’ grades, on average, are lower than girls’. But researchers found some good reasons they don't need to be as concerned about good grades as the girls.

Divorces have doubled amongst the elderly

Amongst younger married couples, the proportion of divorces has decreased.

This is what a Norwegian boy looked like 8,000 years ago

The Stone Age boy has now been reconstructed using DNA analysis and modern forensic techniques.

What did children eat as sweets in the old days?

Viking children chewed on plants. During World War II, children were not given any sweets at all.

Over 55 and looking for a job? Here are one researcher's tips for succeeding

Researcher Anne Grethe Solberg has interviewed mature job seekers. She clearly sees what works and what doesn't work in getting a new job.

A gold coin that changes history: Oldest known reference to the Norse god Odin found in Denmark

Norwegian and Danish researchers have found the god Odin's name on a gold coin from the beginning of the 5th century. Norse mythology must therefore be dated 150 years earlier than before.

This is why we celebrate International Women's Day today

Why is it important to celebrate this day?

Record low fertility rates in Norway in 2022

The total fertility rate in Norway was measured at 1.41 children per woman in 2022. This is the lowest that has ever been measured.

Half of those who live in nursing homes are lonely

According to a new Norwegian study, nurses make the elderly less lonely. “When staffing is low, there is only time for the routines,” one nurse says.

Oil and gas produced an extreme profit for Norway last year

Increased export revenues from energy resulted in a trade balance surplus of roughly 162 million USD in 2022. This is a level that has never been observed before.

The supplier of display cases for the new Viking Age Museum is being sued by another museum. Then NASA got involved

Fragile objects are safe in the new displays, the Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property (Statsbygg) and the National Museum assure us. The latter already uses display cases from this supplier.

Almost one in four Norwegian women have experienced rape during their lifetime

According to a new study, a total of 23 per cent of Norwegian women and 4 per cent of Norwegian men say they have been raped at least once.

The Vikings traveled a lot. How did they manage to talk to people?

How did they communicate without learning languages in school or having access to dictionaries?

Did pirates really fly the Jolly Roger?

ASK A RESEARCHER: We asked a professor who has researched pirates.

Zombie fungus controls ants like they’re puppets. Could it make the leap to humans like in ‘The Last of Us’?

In the popular TV series, a fungus has gained the ability to infect people.

Vikings tagged the great lion in Venice with runes

Hundreds or thousands of Norwegian and Swedish Vikings went to the Mediterranean for ‘summer jobs’ as mercenaries. They left behind graffiti.

Archaeologists surprised when 3,500 year old arrowheads made of shells melted out of the ice in the Norwegian mountains

Unique arrowheads made of freshwater pearl mussel have melted out of the ice in the mountains in Jotunheimen in Norway. Arrowheads like this have not been found anywhere else in the world, according to archaeologist.

How often do you need to use your clothes to be «sustainable»?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: The functional unit for a winter coat is 100 days of use. But what does it mean?

Why are highly educated people taller?

The taller you are, the more likely it is that you are highly educated. But folks with less education are catching up, according to a new study.

The building of a new Museum of the Viking Age in Oslo has officially begun

Ola Borten Moe, Minister of Research and Higher Education in Norway, did the honours of putting the first shovel – or rather excavator – in the ground.

The Vikings likely brought horses and dogs with them on their voyages to England

“Very nice to get some archaeological flesh on that bone,” says Professor Jan Bill.

The art of making a living: How to survive as an artist

Not giving up is more important than being the best. That was the advice Marius Johnsen received as a young art student. A new book deals with artistic life in Norway today.

Refugees must participate in decision making that affect their own lives

OPINION: Many refugees from Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya reside in the Kyangwali refugee settlement in Western Uganda. In 2021, the population of Kyangwali was 125,039.

Researchers have discovered that there’s something not quite right with Norway's finest Baroque art from the 17th century

For a long time, the wrong person has been given the credit for much of the art.