Today’s generation shocked they might have to care for their parents Pushing a pram gives a young middle-class man status in Scandinavia. But when will it be just as cool to push your old father around in a wheelchair?
Babies can show signs of autism early in life Babies who were just 10 months old and who later received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder took less initiative than other children to communicate with adults.
Dogs mirror owner’s stress level New research suggests that long-term stress is transmitted from human to dog.
Scientists discover brain mechanism that regulates body weight A neurotransmitter in the brain affects whether we gain or lose weight, a new study in mice suggests.
What the Swedes learned from the terrorist attack in Stockholm Five people were killed and ten injured when a terrorist drove a truck into the crowd in central Stockholm on 7 April 2017.
Snoring prevents the body from repairing damage to the pharynx Snoring triggers a vicious cycle that can cause sleep apnoea and difficulty swallowing, according to Swedish research.
Wolves, but no dogs, in Scandinavian wolf population’s heritage There is no evidence that Scandinavia’s wolf population has been influenced by dog-wolf hybrids, new research shows.
Written in the blood: Researchers detect signs of cancer risk years in advance of disease Some serious cancers have been linked to an increase of certain proteins in the blood as early as 15-25 years before a person becomes ill, a series of Swedish studies shows.
Anxiety and depression high among undocumented migrants in Sweden Half say they often go hungry and few have permanent places to live, according to a survey of 88 migrants.
No link between MMR vaccine and autism Another study confirms that the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella does not lead to autism.
Crosswords, knitting and gardening lower the risk of Alzheimer's Physical activity can prevent dementia in the elderly. But activities that stimulate the brain, such as reading, going to concerts or weeding the garden, also lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease regardless of how much physical activity the person does, a Swedish study says.
Warrior buried in a Swedish Viking grave was actually female When archaeologists excavated a Viking grave in the late 1800s and found weapons, they realized they’d found a warrior’s burial place. But it turned out that warrior was a woman.
Older Swedes drink more — and are more prone to accidents, disease Twenty-seven per cent of 75-year-old Swedish men and 10 per cent of 75-year-old Swedish women are considered to be hazardous drinkers, a new report says. Elderly people are more sensitive to alcohol than younger people and therefore are more at risk from drinking-related problems.
Healthiest to limit sugar, but not cut it completely It’s OK to eat a little sugar, but stay away from sugary soft drinks. Still, Swedish researchers are not sure how sugar affects our general health.
Grandsons' health at risk if grandpa ate well in his youth This odd connection may be due to our genes being affected by the world around us.
Finding eco-friendly alternatives to cotton — in the forest Finnish researchers are now making fabric from trees, cardboard and old newspapers as a possible alternative to cotton.
Eat your spinach, it’s good for your heart If you want to take care of your heart, you may want to eat more spinach or other greens. But eat it raw.
Danish children are reaching puberty earlier A new study shows that Danish children start puberty earlier than their parents did.
Slow motion bats are the secret to next generation drones Swedish researchers are studying how bats manoeuvre to create next-generation drones.
Just one sleepless night can tell your body to start storing fat Sleep is one of those physiological necessities that continues to puzzle researchers. But a new study illuminates how missing one single night of sleep can initiate a series of physiological changes, and not necessarily for the better.
Tax havens can drive environmental degradation A new study from Sweden shows how the use of tax havens is indirectly linked to illegal fishing as well as deforestation in the Amazon.
Double the number of children born to women over the age of 45 Scandinavian women are waiting longer to have children. Last year in Norway, 138 women over age 45 had children – twice as many as ten years earlier, according to figures from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway.
Why you shouldn’t bring your mobile device shopping If you want to save money after your holiday, leave your mobile phone at home when shopping. Consumers who used their phones in the grocery store ended up with fuller shopping carts.
Swedish youth prescribed more anxiety medications Use of medications for anxiety, insomnia and epilepsy has increased significantly in Sweden among children and adolescents, a new study shows.
How necessary is the world’s most common shoulder operation? Patients who received surgical treatment for shoulder impingement fared no better than patients receiving placebo treatment.
A visit to Rome using centuries-old guidebooks "There were big differences in what people thought was important and noteworthy, beautiful or ugly," says Anna Blennow.
Girls experience sexting more negatively than boys A new study finds that Swedish boys and girls have very different reactions to sexually explicit texts. One researcher thinks this is very disheartening.
Fathers with more education more likely to take paternity leave Swedish doctors and lawyers take twice as much parental leave as their less well-educated peers. But the trend is the opposite for well-educated women.
Autoimmune diseases more often affect people with stress disorders A major study shows an association between stress-related disorders and subsequent autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, celiac disease and type 1 diabetes.
A tiny dragonhead illuminates life in a Viking trading town This little head dates from the Viking Age and was produced in unique style.
Fear of reprisals muzzles Swedish police The consequences of working in a culture of fear can be serious.
New research may explain why some people become alcoholics Several studies suggest that a brain function related to the handling of emotions and stress may be abnormal in people who are addicted to drink.
1600-year-old evidence of beer brewing in Sweden And there’s every reason to believe that people in the Nordic countries have been brewing beer much longer than that.
Here’s why firefighters don’t get burned out In spite of encountering stressful situations, firefighters have good coping strategies that keep them healthy and protect them from burnout, a new study shows.
Is it bad to sleep in on the weekends? A large study suggests that a few extra hours of sleep on the weekend are probably not detrimental to your health.
Fake researcher fabricated finding that HPV vaccine causes cervical cancer A research article alleging that HPV vaccines can cause cancer has now been withdrawn. "Extremely serious," says Karolinska Institutet.
Can birth control pills make teens depressed? A Swedish study shows that hormone-based contraceptives are associated with an increased use of antidepressants among young girls.
Evidence uncovered of a 1500-year-old massacre in Sweden The remains, discovered by researchers, appear to have been left in the same places where they had been slaughtered.
What’s the best place to hang a birdhouse? If you go to all the trouble to hang a birdhouse, you definitely want to put it in the right place. But which is better: Sun or shade?
Nordic Stone Age diet was dominated by fish Red meat seems to have been less important in Northern European Stone Age diets than previously thought.
Family life makes Nordic men happy But this is not necessarily true for men elsewhere in Europe, a new study shows.
Turning around boy culture in the classroom Dominant cultural norms result in boys doing worse than girls in school, according to new Swedish doctoral research. But it's possible to turn it around, says the researcher.
Gaming doesn’t prevent Swedish teens from having friends Young Swedish gamers seem to do just fine with friendships, researchers have found.
More than just hot flashes — menopause has its positive side Only one in three women has problems during menopause, when women’s oestrogen levels plummet and menstruation stops. One Danish physician says many women experience this as a positive time in their lives.
Handling extreme ideas in the classroom The classroom should be a safe place for students to openly voice their opinions. But how far should a student with intolerant or extremist ideas be allowed to go before a teacher does something?
Can a baby’s smell help with depression? A newborn’s head has a distinctive smell. Could it be harnessed to treat mental illness? A team of Swedish scientists thinks the idea has promise.
Nature + nurture = genetic nurture Sequences of our parents’ genes that are not handed down to us can still shape our lives, according to new Icelandic research.
Can you trust “safe periods” as a form of birth control? It’s a well-known phenomenon that a woman’s body temperature can help predict when she is least — or most —likely to become pregnant. Swedish researchers have studied this phenomenon and are selling a mobile phone app as a form of natural birth control. Their efforts are not without controversy.
Traumatic brain injuries linked to dementia risks A person who has suffered a brain injury is more likely to develop dementia. The worse the injury the greater the risk, shows a new Swedish study.
Palaeolithic diet gives slightly more weight reduction A Swedish study shows that elderly women who stuck to a Palaeolithic diet achieved more health benefits than those who followed the dietary recommendations of Nordic country nutritionists.
Sexual harassment is about masculine power The #metoo campaign has shown that sexual harassment in the workplace is a large-scale societal problem. Now, researchers want to change focus from spicy stories to constructive debate on sexuality and power.
Saunas are just as healthy as light workouts Don’t feel like working out in a gym? Finnish researchers have a good suggestion for keeping in shape in the New Year. They assert say a half hour in a sauna is as good for the heart as a workout in a gym.
Strength training isn’t enough Older women gained noticeably stronger muscle mass from resistance training. But that wasn’t enough to prevent falling.
First Scandinavians came from north and south Scandinavia has been a melting pot of cultures ever since the first people arrived after the last ice age, new DNA analyses show.
Swedish women less trusting of researchers Norwegian women seem to trust researchers and research more than Norwegian men do. Next door in Sweden, it’s the opposite.
How does a newt make a new tail? Scientists have found the genes that are linked to the regrowth of body parts.
Dogs and cats are big business in Sweden Just how many jobs do pets — and their loving owners — actually create? Swedish researchers have now provided some numbers to answer that exact question.
These are the fruits and vegetables we waste the most Seven vegetables and fruits represent about half of all produce that goes to waste in supermarkets, according to a Swedish study. A focus on these can cut costs and help the environment.
Ailments contribute to low life expectancy after first suicide attempt People who have attempted suicide tend to live shorter lives than others, even though their deaths are mostly caused by disease.
Scientists are making smoothies with potato milk A Swedish food scientist has made a milk substitute out of potatoes. This is said to be more neutral in taste than soya or oat milk.
Substance from garlic combats chronic infections A molecule found in garlic inhibits the defence mechanism of bacteria, boosting the power of antibiotics and the human immune defence, according to a Danish study.
New treatment for irritable bowel syndrome? A new study might bring hope of treatment for persons plagued by irritable bowel syndrome.
Breastfeeding does not prevent asthma and allergies A Swedish study shows that breastfeeding does not lower the risk of allergies, hay fever and asthma.
Traumatic childhood experiences pass down to next generation Thousands of Finnish refugee children were evacuated to foster homes in Sweden during WWII. Many of their descendants continue to struggle psychologically with the trauma that caused.
If it sounds and smells good, it helps us buy Customers lingered longer and bought more based on the atmosphere in the store.
Rising number of Swedish women suffer recurrent miscarriages A new Swedish study indicates that a rising number of women have experienced three or more miscarriages in a row. The medical researchers are uncertain as to the cause.
Those who feel their own heartbeats are more generous A new study shows an association between kind-heartedness and detecting one’s own heartbeats.
Bowel disease in childhood raises cancer risks People who suffered Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis before the age of 18 have twice the risk of developing cancer, according to a Swedish study.
Babies can estimate likelihood Infants are remarkably good at using information around them to figure out the likelihood of an event, according to a new study.
Is your cat unhappy? It might have arthritis Osteoarthritis is a common problem among cats but the symptoms can be hard to diagnose. A new pressure mat could make it easier to determine when a cantankerous cat is suffering from painful joints.
Phosphorescence aims to frighten A new Swedish study determines a reason behind sparkling ocean bioluminescence.
Society scorns fat people says sociologist We often speak of a worldwide obesity epidemic. A Swedish researcher calls it a stigmatization of fat people.
No, we are not swimming in psychopaths Swedish researcher Karolina Sörman thinks some of us display a morbid curiosity about psychopaths.
Young jobless males might expect poorer health in adulthood A link between lack of work and health has been seen in Swedish men, even among those who later find employment.
Devious bacteria can cause multiple cavities Some people are prone to getting cavities no matter how much care they take in brushing their teeth. A particularly harmful caries bacteria can be their problem, according to a Swedish study.
Humanoid robot takes over as teacher Studies show that robots need to look and act like people if they’re to replace teachers. Then kids are fine with having a robot teach them.
Fungi found 740 metres deep in Swedish bedrock Deep continental bedrocks contain no oxygen and few nutrients, but there are still signs of life.
Should teens’ school day start later? A longer morning in bed can make teens more attentive in school. "We should shift the start of the morning for them," says one Swedish sleep researcher.
