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Topics: Science, technology

  • One in five UK doctors use AI chatbots

    A survey led by researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden reveals that a significant proportion of UK general practitioners (GPs) are integrating generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, into their clinical workflows. The results highlight the rapidly growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare – a development that has the potential to revolutionise patient care but also raises concerns.

  • Cow slime can help disc herniation patients after surgery

    Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a gel inspired by cow slime for patients suffering from disc herniation. By adding the mucin gel immediately after surgery, it is possible to create a protective barrier around the discs to prevent the immune system from attacking their nucleus pulposus. This keeps the discs intact and reduces the risk of further damage.

  • Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture with Rena Lee and Jan Egeland

    On 16 September two Dag Hammarskjöld Lectures will be held in Uppsala. Rena Lee, Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law will talk about ‘From Sea to Shore: Multilateralism and the Value of International Law’. Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, will talk about ‘The Lesson from Hammarskjöld for Conflict Resolution Today’. The lectures are open to the public.

  • Charles XV’s Norwegian Landscape painted in Romsdalen

    King Charles XV (1826–1872) was known for his paintings, but elements of his artistic output have remained obscure until now. A researcher at Uppsala University has now discovered great similarities between one of the king’s most famous works, Norwegian Landscape, and that of the painting from Romsdalen by Norwegian artist Thomas Fearnley (1802–1842) .

  • Promising treatment for rectal cancer confirmed in major study

    A new treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer shows favourable results in that surgery can sometimes be avoided completely. It also reduces the risk of recurrence. The method has been confirmed as effective in a comprehensive study conducted at Uppsala University and published in eClinicalMedicine.

  • Brain biomarker in blood sample predicts stroke

    Researchers at Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala University have demonstrated that a simple blood test that reflects brain health can predict which people are most at risk of suffering a stroke. The discovery could contribute to more individualised treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. The study has been published in the journal Circulation.

  • AI can speed up drug development

    Artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify molecules that could serve as new drugs for mental health disorders. AI can be used to predict the three-dimensional structures of important receptors and thereby speed up the development of potential drugs. This is the result of a new study from Uppsala University published in Science Advances.

  • Genetic signatures provide prognostic information in colorectal cancer

    Using a unique collection of genetic and clinical data for colorectal cancer, researchers at Uppsala University have revealed genetic new alterations and developed of a new molecular classifier of tumour variants. The finding could lead to improved possibilities for individualised therapies. This is shown in study recently published in the journal Nature.

  • Krill provide insights into how marine species can adapt to warmer waters

    Krill in our northern waters show how key marine species can adapt genetically to cope with climate change. This is the discovery made by researchers at Uppsala University in collaboration with an international research group. According to the researchers, their study, published in Nature Communications, provides important knowledge that can help protect marine ecosystems when the climate changes.

  • Greater attention needs to be paid to malnutrition in the sick and elderly

    As many as half of all patients admitted to hospital, other healthcare facilities are malnourished. This has serious consequences for the individual in terms of poorer quality of life and mortality. Providing nutrients can alleviate these problems, but not enough attention is paid to this knowledge, writes researchers from Uppsala University and the University of Gothenburg published in the NEJM.

  • Consensus is far from the whole story

    20th century Swedish labour market policy was not solely shaped by inter-class cooperation, but also by tough conflicts. Industrial rationalisation and investments in new technology were met with protests from workers. A new doctoral thesis reveals parallels between technological changes during 1920-1950 and the transition we face today with, for example, artificial intelligence and automation.

  • Potential long-term volcanic activity on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula

    Given the volcanic activity on Iceland over the last three years, researchers from six universities anticipate recurring, moderately sized eruptions of similar style in the coming years to decades. They therefore stress the need for preparedness in view of the risks posed to local populations and critical infrastructure. Their study was recently published in the scientific journal Terra Nova.

  • From pets to pests: how domestic rabbits survive the wilderness

    Rabbits have colonised countries worldwide, often with dire economic and ecological consequences, but their secret has before been a mystery. In a new study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, an international consortium of scientists sequenced the genomes of nearly 300 rabbits from three continents to unveil the key genetic changes that make these animals master colonisers.

  • Ancient polar sea reptile fossil is oldest ever found in Southern Hemisphere

    An international team of scientists has identified the oldest fossil of a sea-going reptile from the Southern Hemisphere – a nothosaur vertebra found on New Zealand’s South Island. 246 million years ago, at the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, New Zealand was located on the southern polar coast of a vast super-ocean called Panthalassa.

  • UCDP: record number of armed conflicts in the world

    Never before have there been so many armed conflicts across the globe. This has been shown by new statistics from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, UCDP, at Uppsala University. In 2023, the number of conflicts involving states totalled 59, the highest number ever since the data collection’s starting point in 1946. Previous peaks were seen in 2020 and 2022, each with 56 conflicts.

  • Women vulnerable in peace processes

    New research: Post-war peace processes are a dangerous period for women, who are forced to live close to men who committed serious abuse during the war, which can be stigmatising. Women safety is not a political priority after war. There is great potential for improvement, if the UN were to start making more space for women’s perspectives, writes peace- and conflict researchers in PLOS One.

  • New mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance

    Two newly discovered mechanisms in bacteria have been identified that can contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. Changing the number of copies of resistance genes in bacteria increases antibiotic resistance. These two mechanisms, along with a third known mechanism, can occur independently of each other, even within the same bacterial cell. (published in Nature Communications)

  • Robots' sense of touch could be as fast as humans

    Research at Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet could pave the way for a prosthetic hand and robot to be able to feel touch like a human hand. Their study has been published in the journal Science. The technology could also be used to help restore lost functionality to patients after a stroke.

  • Return of a cermic child sarcophagus to university museum Gustavianum

    Uppsala University Museum Gustavianum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have reached an agreement on the return of an ancient Egyptian ceramic child sarcophagus, dated to the 19th Dynasty (1295–1186 BC). The sarcophagus belonged to a boy named Pa-nefer-neb.

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