VIEWPOINTS

Saying no to all gene technology is an ethical short-circuit

Conventional breeding techniques result in major and uncontrolled modifications to the genetic material of plants and animals. If arguments based on the ‘precautionary principle’ are used as blindly on this issue as in the gene technology debate, then we are condemning the world to starvation.

You may soon be making coffee powered by your car battery

Power cuts can be caused by heavy snow and icing, as well as lightning strikes and strong winds bringing down power lines. Together with more extreme weather events, Norway is also facing a major power supply deficit. So, what can we do to avoid a total electricity crisis?

Small snail looking to be big business

Researchers have succeeded in nurturing a small snail called periwinkles in the laboratory for the very first time and are hoping that this French delicacy might be the launch pad for a new, Norwegian aquaculture business.

xxx

Professor wants to involve children in work

“A sense of community between generations will be key to ensuring sustainable coastal communities. The importance of children’s learning through work is underestimated,” says Professor Anne Trine Kjørholt.

Locking CO2 captured from seaweed in biocoal

Seaweeds cultivated in the sea off the coast of Trøndelag, Norway will be converted into biocoal and used to improve agricultural land. A new method for carbon capture and storage is now being trialled by Norwegian researchers.

VIEWPOINTS

Winter salting caused the crash – not the steel

Speciality steels made the headlines in 2021 following a serious car accident. Normally, alloys of this type corrode very slowly, but they must not be used to construct barriers along roads that are salted in winter. At other places on the road network, the same steels offer long lifetimes and cost savings.

How do our nerve cells work together?

How can we explain to school students how our nervous system works? An NTNU researcher has created a building kit designed to make our brain’s activity easier to understand.

Lots to learn from the Norwegian Public Sector’s IT success

There’s been no lack of scandals in the IT industry. When NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, experienced difficulties in the middle of a major project, they changed their methods – and came up with a successful solution.

World’s food production footprint on climate and environment

Cattle farming has often been portrayed as having the most detrimental environmental impact because it takes the most grazing land, uses a lot of water and has large methane emissions. But it’s not the worst. And is locally produced food always best for the environment?

Are the youngest children in class overmedicated?

The youngest children in a school grade are diagnosed with ADHD almost twice as often as the oldest in the class. The most widespread use of ADHD medication is among children who were born prematurely.

Robots can identify and remove space junk

There is a lot of space junk orbiting the Earth. Norwegian researchers believe that in the future, there will be a market for its removal and have developed an entirely new type of robot vision that will make this possible. This has stimulated the interest of the ESA.

Hydrogen production and carbon capture – in a single step

A team of Norwegian researchers has succeeded in producing hydrogen using a far more efficient method than is currently in use. The technology was ready as early as in 2017. The team has also demonstrated that the process can be scaled up for commercial application.

Depression, illustrational photo shows a depressed younger boy.

Hope for children at risk of relapse in depression

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in adolescence and is found in children as young as kindergarten age. Unfortunately, the disorder often lasts into adulthood, but an NTNU study gives cause for optimism.

New treatment leads to much less overeating

Patients with morbid obesity experienced improvement in their quality of life and distinctly fewer episodes of overeating after ten weeks with a new treatment method developed at NTNU.

illustration photo, pregnant woman lying in bed. Photo:colourbox

Immune system can detect disease during pregnancy

Researchers at NTNU have surveyed how a mother’s immune system changes during the course of pregnancy. This knowledge can help detect disease and complications, and give the foetus a better start in life.

Is it too late to save the planet?

Code red for humanity, says the IPCC. Fortunately, there’s still a lot we can do, but we have no time to lose, says NTNU climate researcher Edgar Hertwich.

nyfødt barn

Preemies at greater risk for mortality in adulthood

The risk of dying from heart disease, chronic lung disease or diabetes in adulthood is twice as high for preemies —premature infants — as for the general population. Even those who were born just two to three weeks before term have a slightly increased risk.