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Lund University Articles
Giant curtain aids cloud forests study
A researcher from Lund University in Sweden has managed to install a huge curtain in a remote cloud forest in South America. The aim is to study how these valuable forests are affected if clouds are elevated due to global warming. The world’s cloud forests are facing the threat of rapid climate change, as global warming may lead to clouds being pushed higher up in the sky. If the lowest level of clouds, known as the cloud base, is rais...
Towards personalised treatment for lung cancer
Research aims to identify and characterise resistant lung cancer stem cells, and develop a model to customise drugs that can eradicate all cancer cells of an individual patient. This is the goal of researcher Mattias Magnusson, who received SEK 6 million from the Sjöberg Foundation to conduct this research project. Every year, close to 4 000 people in Sweden develop lung cancer. It is the fifth most common form of cancer in the country ...
Billions to be invested in AI and quantum technology
Developments in quantum technology and artificial intelligence, AI, are predicted to transform research, as well as business and society as a whole. The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation is awarding a total of SEK 1.6 billion over ten years to these promising fields, in two separate research projects involving several Swedish higher education institutions. Together with other funding, the budget amounts to well over SEK 2 billion.
Research shows location of earliest signs of Alzheimer’s
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have for the first time convincingly shown where in the brain the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s occur. The discovery could potentially become significant to future Alzheimer’s research while contributing to improved diagnostics.
Electric road offers flexible charging
In recent years, electric roads have emerged as potential alternatives to the heavy and expensive batteries currently needed in electric road vehicles. Now researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed an even smarter technology – that doesn’t require digging up stretches of road to install the system. Instead, a small conductive rail is laid on top of segments of the road.
Fusion gene class may affect the development of cancer
A fusion gene occurs when a chromosomal break brings two separate genes together into a new functioning gene. So far, the research has focused on protein-coded fusion genes. However, human genes consist not only of protein-coded components but also of components that lack this ability. The latter have not attracted any interest so far, argues Carlos Rovira, cancer researcher and associate professor of oncology at Lund University.
Equation unveils the characteristics of quantum chaos
Researchers have now succeeded in formulating a mathematical result that provides an exact answer to the question of how chaos actually behaves. The researchers have analysed chaotic states at the atomic level.
Faster test response with popular and flowing technology
It began with the inkjet printers in the 1950s but is now rapidly developing in the medical technology industry. It's about the art of controlling and influencing extremely narrow fluid flow, also known as microfluidics, which will lead to more detailed information about our health. An international conference on the subject in Lund will be held on 5-6 September. When fluids flow in micrometers, they begin to behave differently, which resear...
How Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain at different ages
Alzheimer’s disease can lead to several widely divergent symptoms and, so far, its various expressions have mainly been observed through the behaviour and actions of patients. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now produced images showing the changes in the brain associated with these symptoms – a development which increases knowledge and could facilitate future diagnostics and treatment.
Lund University opens research programmes within brain research
During the Science Week The Amazing Brain from 4 to 10 September (link to programme on lunduniversity.lu.se), Lund University will invite the public on an exciting trip into our mental universe! New ways of studying the brain are continually being developed, thereby also broadening the research field, which currently spans many disciplines.
An improved analysis of kidney cancer
Every year, just over 1000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer in Sweden. The three most common variants are clear cell, papillary and chromophobe renal cancer. Researchers compare the gene expression in tumour cells from a kidney cancer patient with cells from healthy tissue to figure out in which part of the kidney the cancer began and what went wrong in these cells.
Four lifestyle choices that most reduce carbon footprint
A new study has identified the four actions that would have the greatest impact on an individual’s greenhouse gas emissions: eating a plant-based diet, avoiding air travel, living car free, and having fewer children. The comprehensive study analysed 39 peer-reviewed articles, carbon calculators and government sources to quantify the most high-impact personal lifestyle choices in developed countries.
Substituting floating plastic for floating houses
Architect student Ludvig Hofsten wanted to address the issues of rising sea levels and plastic waste in the ocean. He designed Villa Nemo, a project that sees the potential of living on water in the future; with both lifestyle and environmental benefits. ”Our cities are becoming fairly dense, and there’s less space to build new houses. Quite a lot of cities are starting to look at the possibility of building on water”, says...
Robots and ETs: How new life will challenge humankind
We should start thinking about how we define life, according to Lund University researchers. An army of intelligent robots is growing in front of us, but also opportunities to alter people’s DNA, create super babies and, perhaps, to encounter life in space. The researchers argue that this definition is central to the exploration of new forms of life. It has to do with the ethical/moral, legal and practical issues that we as individuals...
Cholesterol is a key player at the lung surface
The zone in the lung where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place between the body and the air we inhale are called the alveoli. Now, in a joint study, researchers in chemistry and medicine at Lund University have more closely examined the thin film of proteins and fats that stabilises and protects the alveoli. This film, known as surfactant, also affects the transport of various molecules between the air and the body&rsq...
Test method predicts allergenic potency of chemicals
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a method which determines not only whether a chemical or substance is allergenic, but also how strong its potential for causing hypersensitivity is. This will aid in the establishment of so-called threshold values – or how much of a substance is safe to use in a product. Until now, the only way of achieving similar results has been through animal testing.
Neurons can learn temporal patterns
Individual neurons can learn not only single responses to a particular signal, but also a series of reactions at precisely timed intervals. This is what emerges from a study at Lund University in Sweden.
Mobile phone could help reveal radiation exposure
In accidents or terror attacks which are suspected to involve radioactive substances, it can be difficult to determine whether people nearby have been exposed to radiation. But by analysing mobile phones and other objects which come in close contact with the body, it is possible to retrieve important information on radiation exposure. This has been shown by a new thesis from Lund University in Sweden.
Perovskite increases efficiency of solar cells
Researchers from Lund University in Sweden and from Fudan University in China have successfully designed a new structural organization using the promising solar cell material perovskite. The study shows that solar cells increase in efficiency thanks to the material’s ability to self-organise by standing on edge.
Defence mechanism against bacteria discovered
Researchers in dermatology at Lund University in Sweden believe they have cracked the mystery of why we are able to quickly prevent an infection from spreading uncontrollably in the body during wounding. They believe this knowledge may be of clinical significance for developing new ways to counteract bacteria.