Improving weather forecasts in the Arctic SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: A fisherman may risk his life, and an ambulance airplane may compromise safety by taking off in bad weather. More accurate weather forecasts in the arctic can save lives.
Wasting water in Norway has consequences for the environment Norwegians use almost twice as much water as the Danes. These wasteful habits come at a cost.
No more online voting in Norway Norwegian voters tested an online voting system for both local elections in 2011 and parliamentary elections in 2013, with overwhelmingly positive feedback. This year, however, Norwegians didn't have the option to vote on the internet.
Speed cameras save lives but are politically contentious Norway has the fewest traffic deaths in Europe when calculated on a population basis. While the government wants to raise speed limits and set up fewer speed cameras, it is precisely these measures that have helped cut traffic fatalities, research shows.
Uncertain future for fraudsters Fraudsters who cheat on their taxes, launder money or con insurance companies are facing uncertain times. New statistical methods are increasing the likelihood that they will be caught.
Avoids ship disasters with advanced statistics The chance of major ship disasters at sea can be reduced by statistical methods. The trick is to interpret the large amounts of data streaming in from the many sensors in the ship, making it possible to sound the alarm on time.
Scientists are removing CO2 from the air to make new products Scientists are experimenting with a kind of artificial photosynthesis to replace oil in manufactured goods.
Researcher wants to teach children to program robots Some researchers think children should be spending more time learning about robots instead of being afraid of their development.
Can we really electrify the entire world? Yes, but we will need to recycle crucial elements like lithium if we are to meet demand and avoid destruction of vulnerable ecosystems in Latin America.
Two-year-olds benefit from playing games on tablets The use of electronic media by young children has an undeserved bad reputation, a new study suggests. Mothers are better at interacting with their two-year-olds when playing online games than when they are watching TV together or engaged in regular play.
VR doesn’t measure up to nature Virtual reality can provide nature experiences for some people, but so far the technology isn’t very satisfactory. “Going for a walk" with VR glasses made study participants cyber sick.
Heavier cars can make traffic more dangerous The probability of being killed or severely injured in a traffic accident is about 40 percent lower if you drive a new car. But new cars are often more massive and pose a greater threat to other road users.
Researchers get phone data to chart drug abuse in Oslo Researchers have for the first time used anonymous data from mobile telephones together with analyses of wastewater to quantify use of illicit drugs in and around Norway’s capital.
Pensioners unknowingly subsidise groceries for young and wealthy High-income families in Oslo get cheaper food at the expense of those in rural areas who are unable to use apps or unwilling to disclose their consumer habits. Apps that give discounts create new economic disparities.
Eleven rockets set to reveal the mysteries in the Earth's atmosphere In cooperation with NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, scientists at the University of Oslo are now set to reveal the mysteries of physics in the atmosphere by launching eleven rockets.
How inspiring are science festivals? Norwegian research might not corroborate any effect of science festivals, but the rectors of two prominent Norwegian universities are convinced that the Starmus Festival in Trondheim has inspired future scientists.
Norwegian researchers are making super-efficient solar cells In the future, solar cells can become twice as efficient by employing a few smart little nano-tricks.
Driverless busses coming to a street near you Tests are underway in Stavanger, but new laws have to be drafted and passed before self-driving busses can actually take to the streets. The Norwegian Government will probably give them the green light this year.
Finding mushrooms with your mobile phone Advanced image recognition can scan the forest floor looking for good mushroom locations. And it’s not just a fantasy, say two Norwegian NTNU students.
Safer with or without a steering wheel in autonomous vehicles? Taking manual control in critical situations in dangerous. The car has to win passengers' confidence, say Norwegian researchers.
Why Norwegian drivers are slowing down Norwegian drivers have been reducing their speeds year by year. Not surprisingly, baby-boomers and their older brothers and sisters are getting the blame. Researchers hit the roads to look into the matter.
This drone will obey a winking eye Video: Watch the underwater drone that can be guided by facial expressions.
Finding predictability in car brand loyalty Car brand loyalty involves more than customer satisfaction, it turns out. A new study examines the past purchases of 9000 Norwegian car owners for buying patterns.
The challenge of keeping everything charged Can the power grid support the rapid increase in electric cars and buses? Hydrogen may be an important wild card in the power equation.
Watch the past happen Warships sailed in Norwegian fjords in 1940. You can now go back in time and follow them through your mobile.
3D artists find inspiration in a bone yard Morphing long-abandoned whalebone piles into plastic and cardboard art
What’s the sun screen of the future? We could be downing pills rather than smearing ourselves with creams and lotions in a few years. Or we could count on bacteria from a deep fjord to protect us from the harmful rays of the sun.
Charting sores and bruises in multiple colours Detailed nuances in colour can reveal the age of bruises or detect when sores are not healing properly.
No more recycling blues Many Norwegians help recycle by placing all their household plastic refuse in special blue plastic bags they get for free from their municipalities. In Romerike, a district on the outskirts of Oslo, smart new machines are making this individual effort obsolete.
Spying on seals with videocams and sensors Researchers are equipping seals with cameras and sensors to find out exactly what they do down in the deep blue sea.
Diagnosing arthritis with a colour scan An easily used screening tool shines new light on how to detect arthritic inflammations.
Small steps toward the colonisation of space Norwegian scientists will cultivate food plants on the Space Station
Lengthy can-do list for colour camera Nuances of colour reveal environmental toxins, precious minerals or missing persons. Hyperspectral cameras are a niche product with multiple functions.
Mobile apps without programming In the Norwegian Armed Forces, a new tool makes it easy to create training apps. Civilians will also have access if the military scientists get their way.
Tracking the Earth’s magnetic field in Northern Lights Physicists are keen on solving the mysteries of the Earth’s magnetic field. Their curiosity has a practical side – when solar storms that create the aurora are bent by the magnetic field, it can affect technologies that modern civilization depends on.
Brain-controlled prosthetic arm connected to nerves A just-published study in Science Translational Medicine describes the success of a new kind of prosthesis, used by a Swedish truck driver for more than a year. The researchers say the device moves us one step closer to more natural control of artificial limbs.
Plans underway to power up with kites Flying generators running on wind power can revolutionise the green energy sector. A Norwegian project has made a lot of headway.
Norwegian satellite gets its orbital twin AISSat-2 is a newcomer in space that will provide even better surveillance of maritime traffic in the High North.
Teaching tomorrow's computer programming methods Students do not learn the programming methods the industry needs, says a Norwegian researcher. He has developed learning tools that provide quick feedback and encourage progress.
Yards stay on scene by planning lean To nudge ahead of Asian competitors, Norwegian shipyards overlap various stages – simultaneously designing vessels, acquiring materials and constructing the ships.
Print shops search for a survival scheme As printed news media lose their readers, printing plants need to find alternative sources of income. Technology places strong limits on their options.
Wresting more power from wind turbines Offshore floating wind farms require some highly advanced and novel controls to be both long-lasting and productive.
Flipped classrooms don’t need to flop New technology will forge ahead in classrooms whether we like it or not, according to experts. This poses a challenge for educators who prefer traditional techniques.
Apps open new urban dimensions Architecture is more than building design. The project YoUrban uses digital technology to reveal layer upon layer of action, interaction and future visions.
Smartphone app battles trauma from abuse Victims of abuse could soon find help from an app under development that will include tests, information about symptoms and useful local initiatives.
Radar detects heartbeats Advanced software sees heartbeats through the skin as well as enemies through walls.
Locating shipwrecks along the Norwegian coast Robotic subs are honing in on uncharted sea floor, searching for wrecks.
Taking silicon for a spin Scientists sling it outwards in centrifuges, or whip it up like hot hailstones. They are finding novel ways to make super pure silicon quickly and efficiently.
Machines are better than people at sorting household trash Novel technology makes it unnecessary to sort trash at home for recycling. But Norwegian authorities want us to keep doing it anyway.
Paper beats computer screens People comprehend what they're reading on a sheet of paper far better than when they read those same words on a computer screen.
A silicon sprinkle for electric cars The driving range of electric vehicles can be increased by 25 percent if silicon replaces graphite in their batteries. A new manufacturing method creates nanopowder sprinkles that can do the job.
An 8th grader’s multitasking goes awry Teens are good at multitasking, but learn less while they’re doing it.
Bright future for solar energy in the north Many Nordic regions have potentials for exploiting solar energy matching that of the solar giant Germany.
The Arctic Ocean is not an important shipping route – yet OPINION: Ten ships navigated the Northeast Passage last year, while 18,000 transited the Suez Canal. It will be a long time before the Northern Sea Route becomes an important navigational route, but the development must be followed closely.
Harvesting energy from all forms of sunlight By simply cutting UV photons in two, we could get twice the amount of energy from sunlight.
Identification chips are vulnerable to attacks Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips can identify people, animals and objects from a distance of several metres but the technology is susceptible to misuse and hacking.
Lasers catching the wind in rough seas Wind gauges that use laser beams will soon be tested offshore where gigantic wind farms will operate.
Space radars see pirate loggers Loggers can get away with felling single trees here and there in rain forests, you might think. Not so – they can be caught by radars in space.
Bronze Age people with a mine of their own Copper mining has a long history in Norway, with mines being established from late 15th century onwards. But the industry might be a lot older - stretching all the way back to the Bronze Age.
Robot care: cold comfort? It's furry and cosy, with big eyes and gentle whistles - miles away from the traditional perception of steel-clad imposing robots. Meet PARO, a fake seal but a real robot, with a mission to comfort the elderly in care homes.
How vinyl got its groove back Has digital sound in CD and PC killed the soul of music? Or are there other reasons why vinyl records are experiencing a steady increase in sales?
Space eyes on ocean traffic Not spaceships, but ships monitored from space. Norwegian hardware on the International Space Station monitors traffic on the seven seas. A new Norwegian satellite is soon on its way to help police the oceans.
3D radar study of northern lights The atmosphere is electric high above us. Now scientists want to see the stream of particles that make up the Aurora Borealis – in 3D.
The gentle drone Not all un-manned aircraft are prowling military predators. Drones can also be deployed to chart ice fields and pollution, or locate people who’ve fallen overboard from ships.
A murky glass mystery Discovered by accident, it's useful as a window coating. When the sun shines, this compound gets darker. But why? Scientists have yet to find out.
Northern biolab for rent If you have some good bio-tech ideas but no place to test them, you might consider a travel to the far North.
New material for solar cells The raw materials are abundant, cheap and environmentally friendly. Metal hydrides can represent the next breakthrough for solar power.
How to see through rock It’s costly to drill deep into the ground for thermal energy. So you may want to know what’s going on down there. Mathematicians can help.
Mobile taggers Somebody is tagging. Not with spray-paint, mind you, but with microchips. Cell phones are learning to listen, talk and pay at a short distance.
Egocentric mapping collaboration Internet, GPS and maps on cell phones make it easy for wheelchair users to share information about the best routes from A to B, but users might have a tendency to keep the information to themselves.
When electricity converts to heat – and the reverse Thermoelectric materials can provide simpler and more reliable heat pumps. Heat from the Earth’s core and waste heat from power plants can be turned directly into electricity.
Highlighting hydrogen cars in Oslo An EU-financed project aims to turn Oslo into a display window for fuel-cell cars.
Harnessing the heat below The deeper you drill, the hotter it gets. This video shows an example of how to recover geothermal energy from hot bedrock.
A chapter of oil history An engineering model of a 1970s oil platform can still be fascinating. Digital 3D software has long since replaced intricate scale models like this.
From oil city to energy city Oil city Stavanger is looking for a new label more suited to a post-petroleum era. The search for a new moniker is part of the south-western coastal city’s long history of identity shaping.
Could take the lead at the bottom Norwegian researchers want to develop new technology and establish observatories in the depths of the Norwegian Sea. Deep Norwegian sea beds are attracting international interest.
