Grazing zooplankton, daphnia, which are an important source of food for fish, were found to be particularly vulnerable. Photo: Erik Selander/Lund University. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have studied how nanoplastic affects aquatic organisms in lakes and rivers. The results are surprising and the researchers are the first to show that some species are being wiped out, while others – su

https://www.science.lu.se/article/grazing-zooplankton-severely-impacted-nanoplastic-particles - 2025-08-23

Brittle stars clinging to mussels. These specimen are about the same size as the Silurian echinoderms named after metal bands. Photo: Lea D. Numberger-Thuy. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered thirteen new species of extinct brittle stars on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The fossils were dug out of rocks from the Silurian Period (around 444 to 419 million years ago). The spec

https://www.science.lu.se/article/extinct-brittle-stars-named-after-death-metal-bands - 2025-08-23

SHREC the detector is inspected by Pavel Golubev. Photo: Dirk Rudolph. Scientists have found an alternative way to produce atoms of the superheavy element livermorium. The new method opens up the possibility of creating another element that could be the heaviest in the world so far: number 120. The search for new elements comes from the dream of finding a variant that is sufficiently stable to be

https://www.science.lu.se/article/successful-experiment-paves-way-new-element - 2025-08-23

Illustration: Inger Ekström/Pixabay. A research team led by Lund University has developed an AI tool that traces back the most recent places you have been to. The tool acts like a satellite navigation system, but instead of guiding you to your hotel, it identifies the geographical source of microorganisms. This means you can use bacteria to determine whether someone has just been to the beach, got

https://www.science.lu.se/article/new-gps-system-microorganisms-could-revolutionise-police-work - 2025-08-23

The concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to rise. Photo: Marcin Jozwiak, Unsplash. Physical geographer Alex Vermeulen, who leads the work on the ICOS Carbon Portal, was the editor of a new publication on greenhouse gas flows that has received significant international recognition. It was recently presented at the UN Climate Summit in Baku. Alex, you've been working with th

https://www.science.lu.se/article/researcher-draws-attention-dark-report-greenhouse-gases - 2025-08-23

Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Lund University and the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) are establishing a joint hub, focusing on water. The initiative will strengthen Lund University’s connection with the UN, and also offer a unique UN track for students. The new hub will be called Water in a Changing Environment (WICE). The initiative will run for five

https://www.science.lu.se/article/lund-university-start-new-un-collaboration-focusing-water - 2025-08-23

Andreas Nord. Andreas Nord, a researcher at the Department of Biology, will receive EUR 2 million to study how warm-blooded animals are affected as the climate becomes warmer and more unpredictable. As part of the project, he will study different species of birds to determine how quickly heat tolerance could evolve and what will happen to our bird populations if tolerance fails to adapt. In the fi

https://www.science.lu.se/article/researcher-receive-erc-consolidator-grant - 2025-08-23

Now that Christmas is just around the corner, thoughts inevitably turn to an expectant Mary in the stable. However, she is not alone in the sphere of life-giving without the involvement of both sexes. In the animal kingdom, there are many species that engage in immaculate conception. What we refer to as virgin birth means that an unfertilized egg can develop into a new individual. The technical te

https://www.science.lu.se/article/virgin-birth-beyond-biblical-legend - 2025-08-23

Reconstruction of the new plesiosaur with scales on the flipper and smooth scale-less skin along the body as informed by this new plesiosaur fossil. This is a significant update to how we reconstruct plesiosaurs (Image: Joschua Knüppe) Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have analysed the soft tissue from a fossilized plesiosaur for the first time. The results show that the long-necked marine

https://www.science.lu.se/article/soft-tissue-183-million-year-old-jurassic-plesiosaur-analysed - 2025-08-23

The ultra-hot exoplanet's atmosphere is so hot that it can melt iron (Illustration: Bibiana Prinoth) Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, astronomers have made detailed observations of the mysterious exoplanet WASP-121 b. The discoveries of the element titanium and jet streams challenge our understanding of the winds and chemistry found on ultrahot planets. Just

https://www.science.lu.se/article/titanium-and-mysterious-jet-streams-discovered-extreme-exoplanet - 2025-08-23

Kristina Holmin Verdozzi wants to strengthen the faculty's position along the so-called knowledge corridor on Sölvegatan. A study center, a unified library, a student café, and an office for faculty management—plus a towering venue for events. Project manager and library director Kristina Holmin Verdozzi has grand visions for the Astronomy Building, which is set to undergo a complete transformatio

https://www.science.lu.se/article/she-wants-create-space-scientific-curiosity - 2025-08-23

Satellite image of Lake Yamzho Yumco in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China – one of the lakes that, thanks to minimal human impact, has not undergone major colour changes. (Photo: Google Earth) Over the last 40 years, the majority of the world’s lakes have changed colour, according to a new study. The research team analysed 32 million satellite observations from over 67,000 lakes. Major changes

https://www.science.lu.se/article/lakes-worldwide-are-changing-colour-possibly-due-human-impact - 2025-08-23

Among other things, the researchers were surprised to find that the hedgehogs contained so many different environmental toxins and such high levels of lead. Photo: Istockphoto/Maren Winter. Lead, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, plastic additives, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals. This is what researchers at Lund University in Sweden found when they collected dead hedgeho

https://www.science.lu.se/article/surprising-number-environmental-pollutants-hedgehogs - 2025-08-23

Roaches that migrate between watercourses have sharper vision than their stationary counterparts. Photo: Aron Hejdström Roach that migrate between different lakes and water courses have larger pupils and better eyesight than roach that stay in one place. The adaptation makes it easier for the red-eyed freshwater migrants to find food in murky waters. This is shown in a large study from Lund Univer

https://www.science.lu.se/article/migrating-roach-have-sharper-eyesight - 2025-08-23

A Bornean pit viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus) thrives in the undergrowth of a tropical forest near Kubah National Park, Malaysia. (Photo: Jonathan Goldenberg) Reptiles living in open habitats generally have brighter colouration than species living in denser vegetation. This is shown in a new study from Lund University in Sweden. The results suggest that changes in habitat and climate over milli

https://www.science.lu.se/article/reptiles-are-brightest-open-habitats - 2025-08-23

The Atlas research group in Lund. Back: Samuel Kattaya & Lennart Österman. Centre: Georgios Floros, Joey Staa, Hannah Herde & Else Lytken. Front: Xintong Yu, Frank Fielder, Nairit Sur & Lara Calic. Photo: Johan Lindskoug. The global scientific community celebrates a major achievement as CERN’s four flagship experiments—ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb—receive the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental

https://www.science.lu.se/article/cerns-breakthrough-physics-prize-highlights-lund-universitys-global-impact - 2025-08-23

A new grant from the Kamprad Family Foundation supports research on artificial reefs to help the Baltic cod. Image: Viviane6276 Anders Persson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Biology, will receive SEK 2.8 million from the Kamprad Family Foundation. The grant will support research on artificial reefs aimed at helping the endangered Baltic cod.Congratulations on the grant, Anders – how does it

https://www.science.lu.se/article/biologist-receives-million-sek-grant-support-baltic-sea-cod-stocks - 2025-08-23

Researchers Maria Svensson Coelho and Hannah Blossom perform winter sampling of the green alga Chlamydomonas in Lake Krageholmssjön. (Photo: Karin Rengefors) Humans and animals are not the only ones affected by viruses. Unicellular organisms can also be attacked. In a new study, scientists establish that green algae can carry latent giant virus DNA in their genome. Biology researchers at Lund Univ

https://www.science.lu.se/article/unicellular-green-algae-may-carry-giant-virus-dna-their-genome - 2025-08-23

Photo: Mostphotos/KASPER NYMANN For over 60 years, scientists have tried to determine whether plants are pollinated primarily during the day or at night — without reaching a clear conclusion. Now, a major research review from Lund University in Sweden has revealed that nighttime pollinators play just as significant a role as daytime species in 90 percent of the cases studied. Most of us know how i

https://www.science.lu.se/article/nocturnal-pollinators-just-important-their-daytime-colleagues - 2025-08-23

The Bogong butterfly is the first invertebrate capable of navigating the starry sky. Photo: Ajay Narendra A groundbreaking study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the Australian Bogong moth uses the stars and the Milky Way as a compass during its annual 1,000-kilometre journey to cool inland caves. It also reveals that the Earth’s magnetic field plays an important role in the enigmatic mot

https://www.science.lu.se/article/moths-use-stars-and-earths-magnetic-field-compass - 2025-08-23