Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:58:25 +0000Science/article/hulk-lizard-knocks-out-ancient-colour-paletteWed, 21 Jan 2026 08:58:25 +0000/article/hulk-lizard-knocks-out-ancient-colour-paletteA myriad of colours that survived millions of years of evolution have disappeared in a short period of time. The culprit? A bright green, aggressive, and sexually dominant wall lizard that has wiped out several colour variants within its species./article/can-europeans-still-dream-about-white-christmasFri, 12 Dec 2025 11:31:32 +0000/article/can-europeans-still-dream-about-white-christmasGiven the current warming climate, many of us have wondered if snow around Christmas time is slowly becoming a thing of the past. We asked Alex Vermeulen, Director of the ICOS Carbon Portal at Lund University, what Europeans can expect going forward. Only one thing seems certain: the weather will change in unpredictable ways, with more extreme weather likely./article/new-technology-reveals-migratory-birds-stunning-precision-flightThu, 11 Dec 2025 10:14:52 +0000/article/new-technology-reveals-migratory-birds-stunning-precision-flightRed-backed shrikes fly thousands of kilometres to reach Africa – and they do so with astonishing precision. Aided by new technology, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have been able to track the birds’ journeys in detail. It turns out that they may have a more complex genetic migration programme than researchers have previously been able to show./article/honeybees-crowd-out-bumblebees-even-flower-rich-heathlandsWed, 10 Dec 2025 13:31:46 +0000/article/honeybees-crowd-out-bumblebees-even-flower-rich-heathlandsWhen the late summer sun falls over Ireland’s Wicklow Mountains, the slopes turn purple with blooming heather. Honeybees are moved to the heathlands for the sought-after heather honey, but their presence affects wild bumblebees./article/three-lund-university-researchers-awarded-major-eu-grantTue, 09 Dec 2025 11:00:07 +0000/article/three-lund-university-researchers-awarded-major-eu-grantThe evolution of eyesight, how not to disrupt animal flight, and immunotherapies in cancer treatment. Biologists Michael Bok and Cecilia Nilsson, along with medical researcher Paul Bourgine, have been awarded the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant to further study these topics./article/conference-breaking-barriers-climate-solutionsFri, 05 Dec 2025 15:35:38 +0000/article/conference-breaking-barriers-climate-solutionsClimate solutions exist – so why isn’t more happening? On 9 December, researchers from University of Cambridge and Lund University will gather in Lund and online to try to find answers to how we can accelerate the climate transition./article/new-study-challenges-idea-humans-innately-nature-lovingThu, 04 Dec 2025 10:35:14 +0000/article/new-study-challenges-idea-humans-innately-nature-lovingNature is a source of well-being and recovery for many people. However, research shows that there is also a growing number of individuals who experience negative emotions, such as fear, discomfort, or even disgust, toward nature. The phenomenon, called biophobia, is now highlighted in a new study from Lund University./article/new-guide-making-biggest-climate-differenceMon, 01 Dec 2025 20:04:37 +0000/article/new-guide-making-biggest-climate-differenceA new interactive guide identifies the most effective actions you can take for the climate. The interest has been so great that the server hosting the guide crashed temporarily. /article/decision-new-grain-stuck-eus-regulatory-systemMon, 01 Dec 2025 09:03:11 +0000/article/decision-new-grain-stuck-eus-regulatory-systemThe EU’s approval process for a novel perennial, eco-friendly grain with the potential to fundamentally change Europe’s agriculture has dragged on for more than six years. This delay, according to researchers at Lund University, is due to an outdated regulatory system. /article/old-air-samples-hint-effects-climate-changeWed, 26 Nov 2025 10:03:42 +0000/article/old-air-samples-hint-effects-climate-changeThrough the DNA analysis of old air samples collected by the Swedish Armed Forces, researchers at Lund University in Sweden can show that spore dispersal of northern mosses has shifted over the past 35 years. It now starts several weeks earlier, revealing how quickly nature’s calendar can reset in line with a warmer climate./article/dog-diversity-thousands-years-older-we-thoughtWed, 19 Nov 2025 11:56:36 +0000/article/dog-diversity-thousands-years-older-we-thoughtWe tend to attribute today's zoological menagerie of dog breeds to Victorian gentlemen with a penchant for selective breeding. The truth, however, goes back much further. An international study shows that the rich morphological variety among dogs began to take off 11,000 years ago – long before nineteenth century kennel clubs./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/new-eye-universe-opens-chileTue, 21 Oct 2025 13:55:58 +0000/article/new-eye-universe-opens-chileA new instrument on the four-metre VISTA telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile has recently captured its first starlight. This marks the beginning of a new era in astronomy, as researchers prepare to map the sky in unprecedented detail./article/new-study-reveals-innermost-secrets-spaghettiFri, 17 Oct 2025 07:45:32 +0000/article/new-study-reveals-innermost-secrets-spaghettiWhat keeps spaghetti from disintegrating in boiling water? The answer, according to new research, is gluten. The amount of salt in the water also has an unexpected significance./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/secondary-forests-could-be-key-factor-climate-management-if-we-protect-them-timeFri, 26 Sep 2025 09:37:16 +0000/article/secondary-forests-could-be-key-factor-climate-management-if-we-protect-them-timeBy analysing over 100,000 field measurements as well as environmental data, an international research team has created maps that show how and when naturally regrowing forests bind most carbon. /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/scientists-solve-astronomical-riddleThu, 18 Sep 2025 10:48:18 +0000/article/scientists-solve-astronomical-riddlePacked tightly together like twinkling stellar beehives, these globular clusters are made up of hundreds of thousands of stars. Now, for the first time, a team of scientists can reveal how the ancient and mysterious star systems actually form./article/innovative-ideas-and-pioneering-solutions-lund-university-celebratedWed, 10 Sep 2025 13:37:04 +0000/article/innovative-ideas-and-pioneering-solutions-lund-university-celebratedAn innovative IVF test and a methane detector – these are some of the future innovation stars developed at Lund University. /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/surprise-discovery-leads-treatment-common-infectionThu, 04 Sep 2025 13:18:45 +0000/article/surprise-discovery-leads-treatment-common-infectionEach year, one in four women suffers from bacterial vaginosis, something that is currently treated with antibiotics. However, recently a gentler, antibiotic-free alternative has been authorised for sale in the EU. The chance discovery behind the innovation was made by a group of researchers from Lund University in Sweden. /article/ancient-giant-marine-reptile-relied-stealth-while-hunting-darknessWed, 16 Jul 2025 17:39:52 +0000/article/ancient-giant-marine-reptile-relied-stealth-while-hunting-darknessInvestigation of a metre-long front flipper, uniquely preserved with fossilized soft tissues, has revealed that the giant ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus was equipped with flow control devices that likely served to suppress self-generated noise when foraging in dimly lit pelagic environments about 183 million years ago. Thus, this visually guided megapredator relied on underwater stealth—or ‘silent swimming’—while hunting under the cover of darkness, much like owls on land today./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/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/unicellular-green-algae-may-carry-giant-virus-dna-their-genomeWed, 07 May 2025 14:22:22 +0000/article/unicellular-green-algae-may-carry-giant-virus-dna-their-genomeHumans and animals are not the only ones affected by viruses. Unicellular organisms can also be attacked. In a new study, scientists establish that green algae can carry latent giant virus DNA in their genome./article/living-air-scientists-enlist-arctic-bacteria-fight-climate-changeThu, 24 Apr 2025 13:53:36 +0000/article/living-air-scientists-enlist-arctic-bacteria-fight-climate-changeWhat if we could fight climate change using bacteria that live on air? That’s the vision behind a newly funded international research project led by scientists from Lund University, the University of Tromsø, and Harvard Medical School. With support from the prestigious Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), the team aims to explore how an Arctic microbe that can feed exclusively on methane could become a powerful tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions./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/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/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/titanium-and-mysterious-jet-streams-discovered-extreme-exoplanetThu, 27 Feb 2025 12:07:50 +0000/article/titanium-and-mysterious-jet-streams-discovered-extreme-exoplanetUsing the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, astronomers have made detailed observations of the mysterious exoplanet WASP-121 b. The discoveries of the element titanium and jet streams challenge our understanding of the winds and chemistry found on ultrahot planets./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/virgin-birth-beyond-biblical-legendFri, 20 Dec 2024 12:42:29 +0000/article/virgin-birth-beyond-biblical-legendNow that Christmas is just around the corner, thoughts inevitably turn to an expectant Mary in the stable. However, she is not alone in the sphere of life-giving without the involvement of both sexes. In the animal kingdom, there are many species that engage in immaculate conception./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/five-lund-university-researchers-receive-erc-consolidator-grantsTue, 03 Dec 2024 10:55:56 +0000/article/five-lund-university-researchers-receive-erc-consolidator-grantsPer Augustsson, Enrico Ronchi, Mikkel Brydegaard, Andreas Nord and Yafa Shanneik have each been awarded the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant. /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/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/anne-lhuilliers-year-science-rockstarThu, 03 Oct 2024 08:45:41 +0000/article/anne-lhuilliers-year-science-rockstarA year has passed since Anne L'Huillier became Lund University's first Nobel laureate. Since then, she has tried to use the attention to revive interest in research. But she has also had to come to terms with the oddity of becoming a science rock star asked for selfies all over town. /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/beetles-cooperate-tricky-dung-movesThu, 19 Sep 2024 08:28:36 +0000/article/beetles-cooperate-tricky-dung-movesDung beetles are among the strongest animals in the world. They also possess an exceptional ability to cooperate. Research shows that female and male spider dung beetles together are able to move large dung balls across difficult obstacles. However, same-sex attempts to do the same always ended in aggressive fights./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/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/bumblebees-sense-direction-rivals-humansWed, 14 Aug 2024 11:17:13 +0000/article/bumblebees-sense-direction-rivals-humansBumblebees have a great capacity to navigate despite their small brain size. This is borne out of new research conducted at Lund University in Sweden, among others. The research results can potentially benefit the development of navigation robots in crisis situations where GPS does not work, for example./article/conferences-make-scientists-climate-transgressorsTue, 14 May 2024 10:44:24 +0000/article/conferences-make-scientists-climate-transgressorsClimate researchers often emphasise the fact that reducing carbon emissions is in everyone’s best interest, and should involve all of us. But how good are they at minimising their own carbon footprint? A new study carried out jointly by Lund University in Sweden and the University of Lausanne in Switzerland shows that some of them use up half their annual carbon allowance in a single week. There are ways to cut these emissions, however, the authors behind the study say./article/incredible-hulk-lizard-provides-clues-understanding-evolutionMon, 29 Apr 2024 09:36:34 +0000/article/incredible-hulk-lizard-provides-clues-understanding-evolutionBody shape, colour and behaviour often evolve together as species adapt to their environment. Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have studied this phenomenon in a specific type of large, bright green and aggressive common wall lizard found near the Mediterranean. They discovered that a unique cell type might have played a key role in this joint evolution./article/two-lund-researchers-receive-prestigious-eu-grantThu, 18 Apr 2024 10:58:16 +0000/article/two-lund-researchers-receive-prestigious-eu-grantQuaternary geologist Raimund Muscheler and physical geographer Thomas Pugh have been awarded the ERC Advanced Grant by the European Research Council. They will receive EUR 2.5 million each over a five-year period to study historical solar storms and the rate at which trees grow and die around the world.