Introducing the poison that inspired Van Gogh and almost killed James Bond: Digoxin The otherwise innocent-looking flower Digitalis contains the poison that can make your heart stop. That unfortunate effect is also the reason why the poison has been used for treating heart ailments for more than 200 years.
No polar cod – no polar bears? At the great Arctic show, polar bears, belugas and narwhals are the uncontested stars, but in the backstage, a huge team of small fish make it all possible.
When poison takes flight: these birds might kill you – if you eat them Snakes, mushrooms, frogs and some plants – but not birds, right? Well actually yes: here is what we know about the poisonous chirpers.
Why are fences so provoking? Fences are not only a convenient tool for structure. Fencing also tells a story about power, exclusion and social dynamics.
Gps-signal, fridge and gardening: The many weird features of animal venom What does the shrew, the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, and the Tawny Crazy Ant all have in common? They use venom in weird and unique ways.
Heading towards mushroom wonderland The cultural role of psychedelic mushrooms and how they affect the body.
Cell death and vomiting: This happens in your body, if you eat poisonous mushrooms Toxic mushrooms can be found in Danish forests. But what makes them so poisonous?
The brain acts like boiled spaghetti - a trait that can help us better understand brain diseases New images of the brain's communication cables is a step on the way to earlier diagnosis of brain diseases and tailor made, patient-specific treatment
A 60 billion tweet study of anti-vaccine misinformation Provaxx profiles often refer to news media and science sites, while antivaxx profiles much more often refer to YouTube.
Pioneering ocean seafloor – new Greenlandic maps can make fishing more effective and sustainable The novel seafloor maps show what’s hidden at the ocean bottom with a precision of 1 meter and allow the fishers to avoid dangerous rocky cliffs.
Extreme variation in snake venom: no two bites are the same Snake venom is affected by many factors and therefore varies to a degree that makes it almost impossible to find broadly effective treatments.
Living human brain in petri dishes provides unique insight into old mysteries For the first time in Denmark, researchers are examining living pieces of human brain in a laboratory.
Want to improve your concentration? There is no magic pill, but science does offer some tips and tricks Brain training apps are not the answer to your concentration troubles. Plenty of sleep, exercise and lifelong learning are better allies.
Stress and shame are closely linked – understand why Read about new methods for managing stress in working life.
How do you research 'global mobility' during a pandemic when travel is highly restricted? Two researchers tell the story of how the pandemic completely altered their research topic and how they dealt with it.
What our online lives can tell us about how much we value nature Most people like spending time in nature. But how important is it to our wellbeing? A new research project comes a few steps closer in answering that.
How can we save dissidents from persecution? Public intellectuals are on a global scale being terrorized by those in power. A Danish project examines their conditions and methods to help them.
How smart antibodies can lead to superior treatments Antibodies are the garbage trucks of the human body. They take the stuff we do not want in our system and drive it off to the waste dump. This system is smart, but it can be improved.
Urgent – your digital twin needs your help Organisations are becoming increasingly skilled at predicting and ultimately influencing our thoughts and actions. Researchers here offer an idea about how to take control of your own data.
Myth: The adult brain is hardwired and unchangeable On the contrary, your brain changes with every new skill you learn and the brain can form new connections throughout your life.
Myth: The left and the right brain hemisphere are fundamentally different The differences between right vs. left brain have been blown completely out of proportion.
Myth: We only use 10 percent of our brain The myth pervades is often repeated by self-improvement gurus and Hollywood movies. But 'wasting' 90 percent of brain tissue would run contrary to all evolutionary principles.
Do robotic lawn mowers hurt hedgehogs? Dr Hedgehog has the answer Are robotic lawn mowers really dangerous to hedgehogs? An important question I decided to investigate, and the answer depends entirely on which model of robotic lawn mower that runs in your garden.
Research and social media: A dangerous cocktail or winged messenger? OPINION: Social media plays a huge part in the process of scientific publication. Is this a good or a bad thing? How do we ensure, that science stays trustworthy under the influence of social media?
How are galaxies formed? Astrophysicist Peter Laursen takes you on a step-by-step journey through galaxy formation – from primordial collapse to the formation of spiral arms.
What is a galaxy? What are they made of and how many different types are there? Astrophysicist Peter Laursen explains.
How hiring multi-ethnic employees could increase Danish exports COMMENT: Danish companies that are not inclusive towards migrant workers and multi-ethnic Danes are making unnecessarily heavy weather of navigating the current coronavirus crisis.
Nanobodies – a smaller and better version of antibodies? Nanobodies, a protein derived from the camel’s immune system, can prove very helpful in combating a variety of diseases and ailments. But what are they exactly and how far has the current nanobody research come?
Spurs, furs, and vampires: The science of venomous mammals The platypus, the slow loris and the vampire bats are all unique and fascinating creatures with one curious thing in common. Venom.
Modern managers must demonstrate that they care about work tasks and employees’ internal lives This article is based on the book 'Magt og omsorg i det eksistentielle lederskab' (Power and care in existential management) by Camilla Sløk, published by the Danish Psychological Association.
Two young researchers: Ground-breaking discovery was a coincidence Their research project went up in flames. But two young Danish researchers found something in the ashes that led to a surprising discovery about anticoagulants.
Epidemics in the cradle of civilization Social distancing and isolation were present as means to combat epidemics then as now.
Do you easily gain weight? It might have something to do with the calories in the toilet Our bodies do not take up all the calories we ingest. New research indicates that certain people are protected from weight gain simply because a significant part of their calorie intake ends up going down the toilet drain.
Why has the Danish welfare model remained so strong against Covid-19? A CBS researcher has developed a ‘butterfly model’ that she believes can answer precisely that question – and help prepare the rest of the world for similar crises.
Who came first, sponges or comb jellies? A Danish biologist has gone through more than 1,000 articles in an attempt to find morphological characters, which could help to settle the debate about which of the two groups forms the most basal branch on the evolutionary tree of the animal kingdom.
How your immune system combats infections like COVID-19 Your immune cells can be found everywhere in your body and without hesitating they will fight against any intruder to ensure your well-being. But how much do you know about your immune system and the way your immune cells handle infections like COVID-19?
How can Denmark better detect children 0-5 years with developmental and behavioral problems? COMMENT: The first years of life are crucial for the rest of life. Still, too many infants and toddlers are largely not periodically screened to measure their communication, motor, cognitive, social and emotional skills in Denmark, and therefore you might not be swiftly identifying the children who deserve extra help, writes an American pediatrician.
Is the Danish west coast disappearing? COMMENT: Is climate change causing people’s houses to fall into the water? The answer, as it turns out, is not that straight-forward.
Sibling studies: Nature's own randomised trials? COMMENT: Why do some people get sick while others remain healthy? We can learn more about that by comparing siblings to one another. But it is a delicate balancing act to perform such studies.
Researchers: Western ideas of Africa are hypocritical fantasies COMMENT: Africa is corrupt, absurd, dangerous and wild. Or is it? Danish social scientists severely criticise our Western delusions about the continent and its people.
The future map of the world is all about power and money – and it risks making the world more unequal COMMENT: Future maps of roads and cities will be made by an artificial intelligence that may very well have only seen a small part of the world. This can result in a geo-cultural bias that can make the world more unequal.
Water channels in the brain can determine how deeply you sleep COMMENT: A new study has found a possible link between deep sleep and cleansing of the brain, which may prove to be the next step in understanding why we sleep.
Evolutionary mystery divides scientists: Did the nervous system evolve twice? A number of new studies suggest that the evolutionary history of the nervous system is not as straightforward as previously thought.
What is the point in having a nervous system? Can some animals really exist without a nervous system? Trichoplax, an animal that evolved about a billion years ago, might give us an answer.
Satellite data can help us studying Earth’s water cycle and understand droughts Microwave satellite systems can see through clouds and provide valuable insights to the drought prone Senegalese Sahel.
H. C. Ørsted discovered aluminium, but he did not take his discovery seriously Ørsted, the great physicist, was also a great chemist. In 1825, he was the first to discover the element aluminium, but it was not until 100 years later that his discovery was recognised.
Researcher: Universities have become assembly lines that make us dumber than we need to be COMMENT: Scientific ideals have been replaced by market mechanisms. Knowledge has become a commodity, and the university is like any other profit-driven company, a researcher writes.
Chance separates the strongest from the weakest COMMENT: Studies show that an element of luck and contingency determines whether actions are considered intelligent – both in a computer's algorithms and in executive offices.
Coronavirus: Schoolchildren and parents emerge unscathed from being guinea-pigs Many parents feared sending their children back to school midway through a global pandemic. Fortunately, that fear has so far proved unfounded, reveals a new report from CBS.
The future of renewable energy targets in Europe in the era of the Green Deal OPINION: The EU as a whole has committed to ensure that 32% of its energy consumption comes from renewable sources by 2030 but individual targets for member states towards this goal are not binding. Still, there are other ways for the EU to ensure compliance by member states.
The medicines of the future are hiding in Nature's treasure trove Researchers at the University of Copenhagen are studying bioactive molecules in fungi to find the medicines of tomorrow.
Conspiracy theories in the age of corona: How they flourish, and why they are a problem COMMENT: The uncertainty of coronavirus leaves room for alternative explanations, but conspiracy theories’ mistrust of experts and authorities could potentially weaken democracy.
What’s funny about coronavirus? The internet abounds with corona jokes. But why are we laughing at something gravely serious?
Venus has no moon, yet this moon was discovered in the 1700s BOOK: How can one discover something that does not exist? Here's the story of the non-discovery of the Venus moon and the planet that never was, Vulcan.
Computers must learn to make mistakes As human beings, sometimes we do not know enough to make a decision. And, when it comes to computer systems, we actually ought to develop the same uncertainty.
AI: This is how researchers make computers that can think Deep learning is susceptible to bias. Therefore researchers are working to develop new methods to teach computers to think about their decisions.
The pandemic demonstrates that facts are not just facts COMMENT: The pandemic has done more for science than years of laborious research. This is not least the case concerning the importance of 'facts', the question of how science actually comes about and the value of interdisciplinary science.
Are we getting enough out of PhDs? Universities invest millions in educating PhD's, but many of them do not continue in a career in research. How do we ensure the best return on this investment for society?
When epidemics change the world: Can we learn anything from the third plague pandemic? Around the year 1900, the third plague pandemic raged. This paved the way for several major changes in society and interacted with developments that were already underway. Perhaps this will also be the case with the present crisis, a history researcher writes.
Quinoa is a super crop that can resist future climate change Quinoa is exceptionally nutritious and robust – it even withstands extreme conditions of drought and salinity. A large new research project wants to uncover the mechanism that makes quinoa so resilient. This is meant to create the basis for future improvement of this unique plant.
Why the words we use to describe the coronavirus matter Is the coronavirus just a 'little cold'? Or are we 'at war' with an 'invisible enemy'? Our choice of metaphors has consequences in pandemic times.
Why are men hit hardest by COVID-19? COMMENT: To answer that and many other questions, we need to examine how coronavirus is related to gender – and not just the biological one. This knowledge would also be helpful in the prevention and handling of future pandemics.
Science is more than applied statistics – can we be freed from p-value tyranny, please! COMMENT: It is nice when complex things can be reduced to something simpler. But sometimes you lose more than you gain – such as, for example, when scientific studies are violently shoehorned into two simple boxes: ‘significant’ and ‘nonsignificant’.
What is the use of moral philosophy? New advanced doctoral thesis questions whether traditional moral theories are of any use to us at all.
Suicide and ship hijacking: Join the Asian Company on a dramatic journey to India in the 1700s Dive into the Asian Company's extensive archive packed with exciting and detailed descriptions of life aboard the huge ships.
Corona isolation puts our existential state to the test The coronavirus is a biological phenomenon that affects our social world. But what about the existential alterations? Søren Kierkegaard can help us understand fear and anxiety during pandemic isolation.
Is the world going to run out of water? In many places the answer is yes – if we continue as we have done. The rest of the world could learn a lot from Denmark, one of the few countries to have reduced its water consumption.
The H-index turns 15: but is it a good idea to put a number on researchers' performance? The H-index is an attempt at measuring the productivity and impact of researchers. This is an illustration of the universities’ shift from trusting researchers towards micromanagement, efficiency and competition.
Psychological Strategies Can Reduce Your Cravings Your uncontrollable craving for a bar of Snickers bar is real enough – but it is probably not because your body lacks chocolate or sugar. A health psychologist offers you tips on how to prevent cravings from turning into eating.
Researcher: Denmark's world-record level of trust is helping us in the fight against corona COMMENT: The vast majority of Danes are showing 'community spirit'. This is due, fundamentally, to the fact that we trust each other and the authorities.
Coronavirus puts world’s religions under pressure Prayer assemblies are defying restrictions and spreading the virus — but faith may also be a coping strategy. Religious studies researcher discusses the role of religion in times of disasters and pandemics.
Brain researchers want to know how you take care of your brain One in three will develop a brain disease in their lifetime, and we know that lifestyle influences brain health. Find out how you can help researchers understand what motivates people to take care of their brain.
Professor: Physical activity may prevent cancer risk American researchers have given concrete estimates as to what extent physical activity is able to reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer. The goal is that doctors will one day prescribe physical activity to patients the same way as they do regular medication. However, Danish researchers are more hesitant.
How do we promote gender equity in computing? Computing society needs to promote more gender equity and better ways at working together. We present our experiences on trying to do so.
Hospitals fear a new, deadly fungus – How big is the threat and what can we do? Drug-resistant infections are increasing globally. One new member of the superbug family has already caused severe illness in hospitalized patients. Here is what you need to know.
Mathematical models can predict animals’ risk of extinction It’s not easy to predict whether a species will die out. However, scientists from Syddansk Universitet are on the case using statistics to save endangered animals.
Does your ‘private’ data picture meet the beauty standards of society? COMMENT: Private companies and public sectors collect our data every day and minute. In a democratic society, we need to teach children to become critically aware and understand how data processing and digital technologies really work.
God's own weapons: Danish foreign fighters tell why they are fighting for jihad A Danish scientist has followed six Danish foreign fighters to try to understand, what makes people leave security and safety in Denmark to go to war in the Middle East.
