Thu, 06 Nov 2025 11:00:08 +0000Press releases/article/lund-archaeologist-awarded-erc-synergy-grantThu, 06 Nov 2025 11:00:08 +0000/article/lund-archaeologist-awarded-erc-synergy-grantArchaeologist Peter Jordan has together with colleagues from the UK and the US received the prestigious ERC Synergy Grant. The research aims to shed new light on the demography of hunter-gatherer societies, potentially shifting our understanding of human history over the past 10,000 years entirely./article/researcher-challenges-myth-plant-based-food-saferThu, 06 Nov 2025 08:51:09 +0000/article/researcher-challenges-myth-plant-based-food-saferCurrent knowledge of food safety is based on traditional foods that include animal products. Corresponding knowledge of plant-based foods lags behind. “There is a naive belief that plant-based food is safer than animal-based food. Unfortunately, this is not the case,” says Jenny Schelin, a researcher on food safety at Lund University in Sweden. /article/decade-paris-agreement-brings-progress-and-setbacksMon, 03 Nov 2025 09:06:54 +0000/article/decade-paris-agreement-brings-progress-and-setbacksTen years have passed since the countries of the world signed the Paris Agreement. Political scientist Fariborz Zelli sums up the surprises – both positive and negative – in climate policy over the past ten years and also looks ahead./article/warmer-nordic-springs-double-incidence-avian-malariaThu, 23 Oct 2025 10:13:11 +0000/article/warmer-nordic-springs-double-incidence-avian-malariaA unique long-term study, in which biological samples were collected from the same population of blue tits over a 30-year period, shows that rising spring temperatures have doubled the incidence of avian malaria in southern Sweden./article/researchers-take-step-towards-improved-antibody-therapyTue, 14 Oct 2025 12:39:25 +0000/article/researchers-take-step-towards-improved-antibody-therapyAntibody-based drugs often become too thick to be injected at high concentrations. Now, new research can explain why this happens—knowledge that could eventually lead to easily injectable medications./article/hidden-highways-sky-mappedTue, 07 Oct 2025 13:55:16 +0000/article/hidden-highways-sky-mappedHigh above us, the atmosphere is teeming with life. Birds, bats and insects share the airspace, but divide it into different lanes of traffic. New research from Lund University in Sweden reveals how the atmosphere is an ecosystem, with complex ecological processes that affect how animals move between different altitude levels. /article/solar-fuel-conundrum-nears-solutionTue, 23 Sep 2025 09:24:54 +0000/article/solar-fuel-conundrum-nears-solutionSolar energy stored in the form of fuel is something scientists hope could partially replace fossil fuels in the future. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden may have solved a long-standing problem that has hindered the development of sustainable solar fuels. If solar energy can be used more efficiently using iron-based systems, this could pave the way for cheaper solar fuels./article/hostile-hoots-make-robins-eat-less-nightMon, 22 Sep 2025 13:29:40 +0000/article/hostile-hoots-make-robins-eat-less-nightThe sound of tawny owls makes young European robins eat less during their southward migration. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows how the threat from nocturnal predators affects the birds’ behaviour – and by extension their survival./article/researchers-pinpoint-exact-pace-helps-nightingales-long-journeyFri, 05 Sep 2025 09:58:33 +0000/article/researchers-pinpoint-exact-pace-helps-nightingales-long-journeyA new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that migratory birds fly at peak efficiency at a medium pace – precisely the speed they use during their long journeys across the continents./article/uniquely-preserved-artillery-offers-clues-european-colonisationFri, 22 Aug 2025 09:07:34 +0000/article/uniquely-preserved-artillery-offers-clues-european-colonisationLund University archaeologists have revealed details of late medieval artillery from the wreck of the royal Danish-Norwegian flagship, Gribshunden. The shipwreck is the only known example of its kind from the medieval period – as both ship and weapons are nearly identical to those of the early Spanish and Portuguese explorers. The new study tells the story of how early modern maritime adventurers were equipped to start the process of dominance and colonisation across the world./article/moths-use-stars-and-earths-magnetic-field-compassThu, 19 Jun 2025 06:54:40 +0000/article/moths-use-stars-and-earths-magnetic-field-compassA groundbreaking study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the Australian Bogong moth uses the stars and the Milky Way as a compass during its annual 1,000-kilometre journey to cool inland caves. It also reveals that the Earth’s magnetic field plays an important role in the enigmatic moth’s navigation./article/new-lithium-mines-could-cut-eu-imports-halfFri, 13 Jun 2025 07:17:07 +0000/article/new-lithium-mines-could-cut-eu-imports-halfThe most important mineral in today's electric car batteries is lithium. China completely dominates the market, with no extraction taking place in Europe. However, a new study shows that there is great potential for European lithium production, which would bring improvements in competitiveness, the climate and security. The study also points out that there are complex international trade dependencies that affect supply and demand./article/lund-university-launches-largest-ever-global-recruitment-drive-researchersWed, 11 Jun 2025 11:55:05 +0000/article/lund-university-launches-largest-ever-global-recruitment-drive-researchersThe search is on for 25 researchers from around the world in Lund University’s largest ever international recruitment drive. /article/nocturnal-pollinators-just-important-their-daytime-colleaguesThu, 22 May 2025 11:57:24 +0000/article/nocturnal-pollinators-just-important-their-daytime-colleaguesFor over 60 years, scientists have tried to determine whether plants are pollinated primarily during the day or at night — without reaching a clear conclusion. Now, a major research review from Lund University in Sweden has revealed that nighttime pollinators play just as significant a role as daytime species in 90 percent of the cases studied./article/archaeologist-sailing-viking-makes-unexpected-discoveriesWed, 21 May 2025 10:26:40 +0000/article/archaeologist-sailing-viking-makes-unexpected-discoveriesArchaeologist Greer Jarrett at Lund University in Sweden has been sailing in the footsteps of Vikings for three years. He can now show that the Vikings sailed farther away from Scandinavia, and took routes farther from land, than was previously believed to have been possible. In his latest study, he has found evidence of a decentralised network of ports, located on islands and peninsulas, which probably played a central role in trade and travel in the Viking era. /article/ten-things-research-tells-us-about-global-economic-eliteWed, 14 May 2025 09:21:02 +0000/article/ten-things-research-tells-us-about-global-economic-eliteWho are the people that make up the world’s economic elite – and do they differ between countries? In a new, unique database, an international team of researchers has compiled individual data from 16 countries that together account for a third of the world’s population and more than half of the world’s GDP. /article/higher-success-rate-using-simple-oral-swab-test-ivfTue, 13 May 2025 09:50:50 +0000/article/higher-success-rate-using-simple-oral-swab-test-ivfResearchers at Lund University in Sweden have conducted a clinical study to show how a woman’s genetic profile provides information on which hormone treatment is most effective for in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The researchers have now developed a simple oral swab test that shows which hormone therapy is the best option for IVF treatment/article/simple-medication-can-save-lives-cardiac-patientsTue, 15 Apr 2025 07:03:22 +0000/article/simple-medication-can-save-lives-cardiac-patientsPatients suffering from myocardial infarction who receive early add-on lipid-lowering medication have a significantly better prognosis than those who receive add-on treatment late, or not all. Based on the results of a study from Lund University in Sweden, many new heart attacks, strokes and deaths could be prevented. /article/how-animal-life-exploded-earthWed, 09 Apr 2025 10:51:28 +0000/article/how-animal-life-exploded-earthAbout 540 million years ago, our planet suddenly erupted with life, filling our oceans with a diversity of complex life. This is known as the Cambrian explosion, and for a long time scientists agreed it was triggered by a rise in oxygen levels in the atmosphere. But new research from Emma Hammarlund at Lund University is turning the tables completely on what scientists thought they knew to be true – for decades. How did Hammarlund end up going down an entirely different path?/article/reptiles-are-brightest-open-habitatsMon, 07 Apr 2025 10:17:47 +0000/article/reptiles-are-brightest-open-habitatsReptiles living in open habitats generally have brighter colouration than species living in denser vegetation. This is shown in a new study from Lund University in Sweden. The results suggest that changes in habitat and climate over millions of years have prompted animals to adapt their colouration in order to survive./article/reduced-climate-impact-anaesthetic-gases-worrying-trend-middle-income-countriesThu, 03 Apr 2025 12:31:36 +0000/article/reduced-climate-impact-anaesthetic-gases-worrying-trend-middle-income-countriesGases used in anaesthesia are potent greenhouse gases, and their total global impact has not previously been known. A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health led by Lund University shows that greenhouse gas emissions from anaesthetic gases have decreased by 27% over the last ten years. By swapping out the anaesthetic gas with the highest climate impact, the climate impact of anaesthetic gases could have been reduced by a further 69%. /article/migrating-roach-have-sharper-eyesightThu, 03 Apr 2025 08:19:48 +0000/article/migrating-roach-have-sharper-eyesightRoach that migrate between different lakes and water courses have larger pupils and better eyesight than roach that stay in one place. The adaptation makes it easier for the red-eyed freshwater migrants to find food in murky waters. This is shown in a large study from Lund University in Sweden./article/surprising-number-environmental-pollutants-hedgehogsTue, 01 Apr 2025 08:25:02 +0000/article/surprising-number-environmental-pollutants-hedgehogsLead, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, plastic additives, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals. This is what researchers at Lund University in Sweden found when they collected dead hedgehogs to investigate the environmental pollutants found in urban environments. /article/majority-swedes-are-open-boycotting-american-productsWed, 19 Mar 2025 14:02:54 +0000/article/majority-swedes-are-open-boycotting-american-productsAccording to a new study from Lund University in Sweden, approximately one in five Swedes are already choosing not to buy American brands. The majority would consider boycotting American products such as Coca-Cola in favour of European or Swedish alternatives. /article/lakes-worldwide-are-changing-colour-possibly-due-human-impactFri, 14 Mar 2025 15:16:18 +0000/article/lakes-worldwide-are-changing-colour-possibly-due-human-impactOver the last 40 years, the majority of the world’s lakes have changed colour, according to a new study. The research team analysed 32 million satellite observations from over 67,000 lakes. Major changes in the lake ecosystems are thought to be the cause./article/quantum-state-photoelectrons-measured-first-timeThu, 13 Feb 2025 09:20:35 +0000/article/quantum-state-photoelectrons-measured-first-timeFor the first time, researchers have been able to measure the quantum state of electrons ejected from atoms that have absorbed high-energy light pulses. This is thanks to a new measurement technique developed by researchers at Lund University in Sweden. The results can provide a better understanding of the interaction between light and matter./article/soft-tissue-183-million-year-old-jurassic-plesiosaur-analysedFri, 07 Feb 2025 12:18:20 +0000/article/soft-tissue-183-million-year-old-jurassic-plesiosaur-analysedResearchers at Lund University in Sweden have analysed the soft tissue from a fossilized plesiosaur for the first time. The results show that the long-necked marine reptile had both smooth and scaly skin. This was likely so it could both swim rapidly and move along rough seabeds./article/ai-supported-breast-cancer-screening-new-results-suggest-even-higher-accuracyTue, 04 Feb 2025 08:59:30 +0000/article/ai-supported-breast-cancer-screening-new-results-suggest-even-higher-accuracyNew research results now published from Lund University’s MASAI trial are even better than the initial findings from last year: AI-supported breast screening detected 29 per cent more cases of cancer compared with traditional screening. More invasive cancers were also clearly detected at an early stage using AI. Now the final part of the research study will focus on breast cancer missed by screening./article/key-takeaways-latest-research-gut-bacteriaFri, 31 Jan 2025 15:21:33 +0000/article/key-takeaways-latest-research-gut-bacteria/article/fermenting-seaweed-could-boost-consumptionMon, 20 Jan 2025 11:47:46 +0000/article/fermenting-seaweed-could-boost-consumptionFermented seaweed? Those who have tried it think it is much tastier than it sounds, and researchers at Lund University in Sweden are now hoping that acidified seaweed, rather than today’s dried version, will signify a major breakthrough for seaweed as a food source. /article/climate-change-plans-include-unrealistic-land-demands-area-larger-usWed, 11 Dec 2024 15:26:44 +0000/article/climate-change-plans-include-unrealistic-land-demands-area-larger-usFor the first time, an international team of scientists have calculated the total land area that the countries of the world have included in their individual plans for climate action, known as nationally determined contributions. The results show a big divide between the countries' expected land use and the actual potential of land to mitigate climate change./article/unexpected-discovery-revives-abandoned-breast-cancer-treatmentWed, 04 Dec 2024 13:19:45 +0000/article/unexpected-discovery-revives-abandoned-breast-cancer-treatmentA new study led by Lund University in Sweden has solved a years-old mystery: which patients with aggressive breast cancer are helped by a targeted cancer treatment that had been under development but was shelved. The study is important since it brings hope that the development of the drug can continue and that it will make it all the way to these patients./article/pandrug-resistant-bacteria-war-ukraine-are-extremely-pathogenicMon, 25 Nov 2024 14:41:23 +0000/article/pandrug-resistant-bacteria-war-ukraine-are-extremely-pathogenicNew study shows that the bacterium “Klebsiella pneumoniae, which is resistant to all antibiotics, is also particularly aggressive and dangerous./article/new-gps-system-microorganisms-could-revolutionise-police-workThu, 07 Nov 2024 11:12:22 +0000/article/new-gps-system-microorganisms-could-revolutionise-police-workA research team led by Lund University in Sweden has developed an AI tool that traces back the most recent places you have been to. The tool acts like a satellite navigation system, but instead of guiding you to your hotel, it identifies the geographical source of microorganisms. This means you can use bacteria to determine whether someone has just been to the beach, got off the train in the city centre or taken a walk in the woods. This opens up new possibilities within medicine, epidemiology and forensics./article/heart-transplant-patients-need-support-managing-severe-symptomsThu, 07 Nov 2024 10:45:02 +0000/article/heart-transplant-patients-need-support-managing-severe-symptomsWhen a patient with heart failure has received a new heart and survives – the transplantation is deemed a success. However, healthcare overlooks heart recipients who suffer from long-term and often severe symptoms, such as pain and fatigue. New research at Lund University in Sweden shows that simple support in symptom management can make a considerable difference to the patients’ wellbeing./article/professional-ice-hockey-depressive-symptoms-and-burnout-linked-more-concussionsFri, 25 Oct 2024 14:26:53 +0000/article/professional-ice-hockey-depressive-symptoms-and-burnout-linked-more-concussionsElite ice hockey players with a history of concussion report heightened mental health symptoms, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. In addition, one in five female hockey players suffered symptoms of burnout, and both sexes reported an alcohol consumption at a risk-level. /article/successful-experiment-paves-way-new-elementThu, 24 Oct 2024 10:39:50 +0000/article/successful-experiment-paves-way-new-elementScientists have found an alternative way to produce atoms of the superheavy element livermorium. The new method opens up the possibility of creating another element that could be the heaviest in the world so far: number 120./article/extinct-brittle-stars-named-after-death-metal-bandsMon, 14 Oct 2024 12:51:28 +0000/article/extinct-brittle-stars-named-after-death-metal-bandsResearchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered thirteen new species of extinct brittle stars on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The fossils were dug out of rocks from the Silurian Period (around 444 to 419 million years ago). The species have now been named after several famous hard rock musicians and bands./article/defective-sperm-doubles-risk-preeclampsiaFri, 11 Oct 2024 07:38:52 +0000/article/defective-sperm-doubles-risk-preeclampsiaFor the first time, researchers have linked specific frequent defects in sperm to risk of pregnancy complications and negative impacts on the health of the baby. The study from Lund University in Sweden shows that high proportion of father’s spermatozoa possessing DNA strand breaks is associated with doubled risk of preeclampsia in women who have become pregnant by IVF. It also increases the risk of the baby being born prematurely. /article/early-interactions-between-europeans-and-indigenous-north-americans-revealedSat, 28 Sep 2024 10:25:17 +0000/article/early-interactions-between-europeans-and-indigenous-north-americans-revealedBy examining ancient walrus DNA, an international research team led by Lund University in Sweden have retraced the walrus ivory trade routes of the Viking Age. They found that Norse Vikings and Arctic Indigenous peoples were probably meeting and trading ivory in remote parts of High Arctic Greenland, several centuries before Christopher Columbus “discovered” North America. The study is now published in Science Advances./article/grazing-zooplankton-severely-impacted-nanoplastic-particlesThu, 26 Sep 2024 11:20:16 +0000/article/grazing-zooplankton-severely-impacted-nanoplastic-particlesResearchers at Lund University in Sweden have studied how nanoplastic affects aquatic organisms in lakes and rivers. The results are surprising and the researchers are the first to show that some species are being wiped out, while others – such as cyanobacteria that contribute to algal blooms – are completely unaffected./article/cutting-out-sugar-and-starch-effective-ibs-current-recommendationsTue, 17 Sep 2024 10:15:57 +0000/article/cutting-out-sugar-and-starch-effective-ibs-current-recommendationsSymptoms for patients with the gastrointestinal disease IBS improved as much by eating less sugar and starch as for those who followed FODMAP – the diet currently recommended to patients. The results, presented in a new study from Lund University in Sweden, also show that weight loss is greater and sugar cravings are reduced among those who follow the starch and sucrose-reduced diet. /article/no-benefits-24-hour-compared-15-hour-oxygen-therapyThu, 12 Sep 2024 16:07:10 +0000/article/no-benefits-24-hour-compared-15-hour-oxygen-therapyThere were no differences in quality of life, symptoms, hospital admissions or mortality between a group of patients with pulmonary disease and low oxygen levels in the blood that received oxygen therapy at home for 24 hours a day, and a group that received the same therapy for 15 hours a day, according to a study from Lund University in Sweden./article/how-trump-turned-elections-wrestling-matchThu, 12 Sep 2024 11:28:44 +0000/article/how-trump-turned-elections-wrestling-matchDonald Trump’s background in professional wrestling paved the way for his political career. By using the wrestling concept “kayfabe” – the art of making staged events seem real – Trump embodies the message that politics was always fake, while masquerading as authentic. This has tapped into an already existing disillusionment with the American political system. It can also explain why playing the villain isn’t necessarily a bad thing, according to Religious Studies scholar Aaron James Goldman. /article/researchers-discover-space-oddity-exoplanet-moving-mysterious-waysThu, 05 Sep 2024 09:55:12 +0000/article/researchers-discover-space-oddity-exoplanet-moving-mysterious-waysA research team led by Lund University in Sweden has discovered a small planet that displays peculiar orbital motion. The shimmying planet, located 455 light-years from Earth, shows that planetary systems can be considerably more complex than researchers have previously thought. /article/organic-farms-had-doubled-plant-diversity-only-over-timeMon, 02 Sep 2024 14:08:17 +0000/article/organic-farms-had-doubled-plant-diversity-only-over-timeIt takes a long time, up to several decades, before the benefits of organic farming take full effect on land that was previously cultivated conventionally, a new study from Lund University suggests. After thirty years, the plant species richness around the cultivated crop had doubled on organic farms compared to conventional farms. /article/injectable-heart-stimulator-emergency-situations-1Tue, 27 Aug 2024 14:11:03 +0000/article/injectable-heart-stimulator-emergency-situations-1By injecting a solution of nanoparticles around the heart, a temporary heart stimulator self-assembles, which can correct heart arrhythmia in emergency situations with the help of an external power source. After treatment, the electrode spontaneously disappears from the body. The study was conducted on animals./article/socioeconomics-shape-childrens-connection-nature-more-where-they-liveFri, 23 Aug 2024 10:02:50 +0000/article/socioeconomics-shape-childrens-connection-nature-more-where-they-liveThe income and education levels of a child’s environment determine their relationship to nature, not whether they live in a city or the countryside. This is the finding of a new study conducted by researchers at Lund University, Sweden. The results run counter to the assumption that growing up in the countryside automatically increases our connection to nature, and yet the study also shows that nature close to home increases children’s well-being. /article/groundbreaking-alzheimers-blood-test-proves-highly-effective-primary-healthcareSun, 28 Jul 2024 11:15:15 +0000/article/groundbreaking-alzheimers-blood-test-proves-highly-effective-primary-healthcareA commercially available blood test has now been trialled in routine healthcare. “The blood test showed about 90% reliability even in primary care. This may have major implications for all those individuals who seek help for memory loss and suspected Alzheimer’s,” say the researchers at Lund University in Sweden behind the study./article/new-diseases-tropical-swedenSun, 09 Jun 2024 20:14:57 +0000/article/new-diseases-tropical-swedenGlobal warming has meant that diseases such as West Nile fever, NTM infections, and new tick-borne viruses are on their way or have already taken hold in Sweden. People are being affected by new diseases, and challenges for the health system are increasing. Among other things, everything is prepared to start screening blood donors for West Nile fever in Region Skåne in southern Sweden./article/possible-association-between-tattoos-and-lymphoma-revealedFri, 24 May 2024 10:58:09 +0000/article/possible-association-between-tattoos-and-lymphoma-revealedA new study from Lund University in Sweden suggests that tattoos could be a risk factor for cancer in the lymphatic system, or lymphoma. Now, the researchers underline the need for more research on the topic.