Skip to content

Topics: Science, technology

  • The blue colours show regions where isolated events are most common, the red ones show where co-occurring events are most common. The left map shows present day, and the right map shows the future with medium-high emissions. Photo: Gabriele Messori

    Multiple extreme climate events at the same time may be the new normal

    Heatwaves, droughts and forest fires are some of the extreme climate-related events that are expected not only to become more frequent but also to increasingly strike at the same time. This finding emerges from a new study led by Uppsala University, in which researchers have mapped the impact of climate change in different regions of the world.

  • Art history and cultural analysis methods. Photo: Azul Tarazona Machicao (Image from SciFest, not connected to the institute)

    Major donation to new research institute for culture and creativity

    Anders Sandrew Foundation donates SEK 50 million over five years (possible extension of a further five) to establish a brand new institute – the Anders Sandrew Institute for Culture and Creativity, and a Chair in Digital Art History. It will concentrate the University’s research in the broad field of culture and creativity, and show the importance of culture for social and community cohesion.

  • Karl Berglund and Johan Svedjedal have written a book which analyses stylistic differences between Selma Lagerlöf, Karin Boye, Henning Mankell and other famous authors. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt/Katharina Leibring

    New book charts stylistic patterns in Swedish novels

    What are the stylistic differences between well-known Swedish authors? And is it possible to distinguish a prestigious writer from a more popular one? The answer is that there seem to be many different ways for authors to capture their audience. This is the conclusion reached by Karl Berglund and Johan Svedjedal, who have used computer-aided analysis to map 20th century Swedish literature.

  • The antechamber in the University Main Building. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

    "A unique position in Swedish architecture"

    Uppsala University’s Main Building is one of the few well-preserved intact milieus from the 1880s and has a unique position in Swedish architecture. This applies to both the façade and the entire interior, where the colour scheme, decoration, artworks and furniture have largely remained exactly as they were when the building was inaugurated, writes curator Anna Hamberg in her new thesis.

  • Schematic figure of the fusidic acid resistance “stop-motion” movie.

    New molecular movie reveals how antibiotic resistance to fusidic acid works

    Researchers from Uppsala Antibiotic Center, Uppsala University and SciLifeLab describe a fundamental mechanism of antibiotic resistance. What happens in a bacterium that is resistant to the antibiotic fusidic acid? With a stop-motion movie at the atomic level, they can show that the resistance protein FusB works nearly like a crowbar. Article published in Nature Communications

  • The combination of claw marks and the shape of the feet suggests that the tracks were made by a primitive reptile. The image shows a reconstruction of the reptile. Illustration: Marcin Ambrozik.

    355 million-year-old footprints rewrite the history of backboned land animals

    Newly discovered fossilised footprints with long toes and claws have been found in a rock slab from Australia. The discovery pushes the origin of reptiles back by 35 million years and overthrows the established evolutionary timeline of backboned land animals. The study, led by researchers at Uppsala University, has been published in the journal Nature.

  • Jonathan Cedernaes, physician and docent in Medical Cell Biology at Uppsala University. Photo: Juliana Wolf Garcindo/Hjärnfonden

    Lack of sleep can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

    Even a few nights with insufficient sleep increases promote molecular mechanisms linked to a greater risk of heart problems. This has been shown in a new study in which the researchers investigated how sleep deprivation affects biomarkers (in this case proteins) associated with cardiovascular disease. The study was led from Uppsala University and is published in the journal Biomarker Research.

  • “By recognising patterns from previous patients, the model can determine whether a patient has the relapsing-remitting form or whether the disease has transitioned to secondary progressive MS.", says Kim Kultima. Photo: David Naylor

    New AI model improves MS diagnostics

    To provide the right treatment for MS, it is important to know when the disease changes from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive, a transition that is currently recognised on average three years too late. Researchers at Uppsala University have now developed an AI model that can determine with 90 per cent certainty which variant the patient has.

  • Blue light reduces starch accumulation, while red light increases starch storage.

    Controlling starch levels in algae could reduce greenhouse gases

    High-starch algae are important in biofuel production, as a feed supplement in agriculture and as an efficient way to bind carbon dioxide. Researchers have now found a new method to control starch storage in algae - a finding with potential applications in areas such reducing greenhouse gases.

  • "May contain relatively high levels of cholesterol-elevating substances". Photo: Uppsala University

    Cholesterol-elevating substances in coffee from machines at work

    The coffee from most of the coffee machines in workplaces contains relatively high levels of cholesterol-elevating substances. There is a big difference in comparison to coffee made in regular paper filter coffee makers, which filter out most of these substances.

  • Our study shows that it may be that some women simply do not want to have children, says Cerisa Obern, intern physician and doctoral student at Uppsala university. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

    New study: Fewer women want to have children

    More and more young women are hesitant about having children. New research from Uppsala University shows that one in four are either unsure about or do not want to have children at all – a big increase compared to 2014, when only one in ten felt this way. The same study also shows that fewer are using condoms and that a large proportion perceived consent when sexual activity was initiated.

  • Lobate shape of mammalian lymphatic endothelial cells. Photo: Hans Schoofs

    Unique cell shape keeps lymphatic vessels and plant leaves stable

    The cells that make up the walls of the finest of all lymphatic vessels have a lobate, oak leaf-like shape that makes them particularly resilient to changes in fluid volume. A similar cell shape also supports mechanical stability in plants. This has been shown by researchers from Uppsala University in a new article published in the journal Nature.

  • Researcher Sten Svantesson has identified five new species in the fungal genus Piloderma, including the "shy" old-growth forest species Piloderma fugax, shown here under the microscope. Photo: Kristina Stenmarck/Sten Svantesson.

    New ‘shy’ fungus found in old-growth forest

    Although fungi of the genus Piloderma are common, scientists have now discovered five previously unknown species. One of these is one of the most widely distributed species in Northern Europe, while another is found only in old-growth forests. The discoveries show that diversity in this genus is much greater than previously thought.

  • BioArctic’s co-founder Lars Lannfelt and CEO Gunilla Osswald receive the Uppsala University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award together with co-founder Pär Gellerfors. Photo: Simon Hastegård/Bildbyrån and BioArctic

    Trio behind Alzheimer’s drug receives Uppsala University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award

    The drug that slows down Alzheimer’s disease is already being used by more than 20,000 patients in 10 different countries – and could soon be available in Europe too. The success story is down to the two founders of BioArctic Lars Lannfelt and Pär Gellerfors and the company’s CEO Gunilla Osswald. Their achievement is now recognised by the Uppsala University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award.

  • Patrik Johansson took up his role as new battery professor on 1 March 2025. He was previously Professor of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology. Photo: The European Commission

    World-leading battery researcher joins Uppsala University

    Professor Patrik Johansson is the new director of the flagship project Battery 2030+. He has led many large international research projects and was most recently director of the EU research programme the Graphene Flagship.

  • Initiative for research on conflicting objectives in sustainable development

    Initiative for research on conflicting objectives in sustainable development

    Uppsala University inaugurates a new research institute, UUniCORN, aimed at identifying, analysing and navigating conflicting objectives in sustainable societal transition. The new institute is set up on the initiative of Vice-Chancellor Anders Hagfeldt as part of Uppsala University’s ambition to be a more active partner in creating an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable society.

  • Structure of the protein OGG1 (colour: purple, left) and one of the molecules that inhibit the activity of the enzyme (colour: yellow, middle and right). Image: Andreas Luttens

    New method searches through 10 sextillion drug molecules

    A recent study shows that computer algorithms can be used to find molecules that can be developed into anti-inflammatory drugs. In the article, the researchers also describe how the same strategy can be used to search through 10 sextillion alternatives to identify the best drug candidate.

  • Reticulated giraffes (pictured) were one of three species studied by the researchers. By sequencing DNA from faecal samples, they were able to determine both the bacterial composition of the gut and which plants wild giraffes had eaten.

    Unexpected discoveries in study of giraffe gut flora

    The gut bacteria of giraffes are not primarily determined by what they eat, but by the species they belong to. This is shown in a new study from Uppsala University and Brown University in which researchers have analysed the link between diet and gut flora in three giraffe species in Kenya. The study also provides new knowledge that can help secure the food supply of endangered giraffe species.

  • A Fulani woman with tent poles and part of her household on a donkey in central Mali. Photo: Viktor Černý

    New study unravels the history of the largest pastoral population in Africa

    Researchers have uncovered the ancestral origins and genetic diversity of the Fulani, one of Africa’s largest pastoral populations. The study reveals a complex genetic ancestry with influences from both North and West African groups, shaped by historical migrations that have left a lasting impact on their genetic landscape.

  • Daniel Kane, Professor of American literature who has written a new book about Joe Brainard. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

    Joe Brainard’s surprising letters

    The American artist and author Joe Brainard (1942–1994) stood out with his strikingly unique style of writing, manifested among other ways in his many years of correspondence with other well-known artists and writers. Selections from his letters have now been published in a new volume with comments and analyses by Daniel Kane, professor of American literature at Uppsala University.

Show more