Published 6 February 2023 Photo: Harald Ris. Since antiquity, humans have been fascinated by birds’ intercontinental migratory journeys. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that two areas in their genome decide whether a willow warbler flies across the Iberian Peninsula to western Africa, or across the Balkans to eastern and southern Africa. Researchers have long known that the behavi

https://www.science.lu.se/article/genes-decide-willow-warblers-migration-routes - 2025-07-05

Published 10 February 2023 Urban great tits prefer native trees for breeding. Photo: Caroline Isaksson. Small passerine birds, such as blue and great tits, avoid breeding in urban areas where there are many non-native trees. Chicks also weigh less the more non-native trees there are in the vicinity of the nest. This is shown in a long-term study from Lund University, Sweden. City trees contribute

https://www.science.lu.se/article/urban-birds-prefer-native-trees - 2025-07-05

Published 13 February 2023 Maria Blasi Romero took her strong drive and engagement to the UN Conference of the Parties on Biodiversity, COP15, in Montreal. Photo: Kennet Ruona. We need to prioritise nature even if there are other conflicting interests – biodiversity is essential to all of us on the planet and ultimately to our health and wellbeing. The statement comes from Maria Blasi Romero, rese

https://www.science.lu.se/article/young-scientists-eager-influence-policy-makers-biodiversity - 2025-07-05

Published 7 March 2023 A Bombus terrestris queen, one of the bumblebees that usually fly earliest in spring. Photo: Maria Blasi Romero. With the arrival of spring, bumblebee queens take their first wing beat of the season and set out to find new nesting sites. But they are flying earlier in the year, as a result of a warmer climate and a changing agricultural landscape, according to new research f

https://www.science.lu.se/article/earlier-take-could-lead-fewer-bumblebees-and-less-pollination - 2025-07-05

Published 23 March 2023 Markku Rummukainen. Photo: Kennet Ruona. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a synthesis report summarizing the reports of recent years. Markku Rummukainen, Sweden's contact person for the IPCC and also Professor of Climatology at the Center for Environmental and Climate Science at Lund University, answers five question about the new repor

https://www.science.lu.se/article/new-climate-report-near-term-action-crucial - 2025-07-05

Published 3 April 2023 A dunnock. Photo: Kathy Blücher/Pixabay. Exercising too much and not getting enough rest is bad for your health. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the same is true for migratory birds. They need to rest not only to renew their energy levels but also in order to boost their immune system. After a period of physical exertion, vertebrates, including humans,

https://www.science.lu.se/article/migratory-birds-take-breaks-boost-their-immune-system - 2025-07-05

Published 3 April 2023 Sara Linse. Photo: Johan Joelsson. Sara Linse, Professor of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant worth 2.5 million euro. Chemistry professor Sara Linse’s research project, CHAPLIN, is to investigate the thermodynamic basis for how a group of chaperone proteins work. This applies to chaperone proteins that increase other proteins’ solubi

https://www.science.lu.se/article/chemist-receives-prestigious-grant-european-research-council - 2025-07-05

Published 19 April 2023 Photo: Johan Nilsson. Seeds and fat balls do more than just fill small birds’ stomachs. New research from Lund University in Sweden shows that feeding during the wintertime causes birds to be healthier, since they do not have to expend as much energy fighting infections. A small change in body temperature can be fatal for humans. Small birds, meanwhile, lower their body tem

https://www.science.lu.se/article/bird-feeding-helps-small-birds-fight-infection - 2025-07-05

Published 24 April 2023 Photo: Charlie Cornwallis. By studying green algae in Swedish lakes, a research team, led by Lund University in Sweden, has succeeded in identifying which environmental conditions promote multicellularity. The results give us new clues to the amazing paths of evolution. The evolution of multicellular life has played a pivotal role in shaping biological diversity. However, w

https://www.science.lu.se/article/algae-swedish-lakes-provide-insights-how-complex-life-earth-developed - 2025-07-05

Published 26 April 2023 Illustration: Bibiana Prinoth. The rare metal terbium has been found in an exoplanet’s atmosphere for the first time. The researchers at Lund University in Sweden have also developed a new method for analyzing exoplanets, making it possible to study them in more detail. KELT-9 b is the galaxy’s hottest exoplanet, orbiting its distant star about 670 light years from Earth. T

https://www.science.lu.se/article/scientists-discover-rare-element-exoplanets-atmosphere - 2025-07-05

Published 9 May 2023 Photo: Anders Hedenström. Small bats are bad at converting energy into muscle power. Surprisingly, a new study led by Lund University reveals that this ability increases the faster they fly. The researchers have studied the efficiency of migratory bats – a species that weighs about eight grams and is found in almost all of Europe. Efficiency, in this case, is the ability to co

https://www.science.lu.se/article/bats-ability-convert-energy-muscle-power-affected-flight-speed - 2025-07-05

Published 29 May 2023 Using samples from all across Europe, the researchers were able to show that microorganisms in soil can adapt to changes in temperature. Photo: Carla Cruz Paredes. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to climate warming will slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil. In the study, researchers collected soil samp

https://www.science.lu.se/article/microorganisms-climate-adaptation-can-slow-down-global-warming - 2025-07-05

Published 29 May 2023 A Weevil. Photo: Pixabay. Insects heavily rely on bacteria for essential nutrients that are lacking in their diet. This has allowed insects to access a wide variety of food, leading to remarkable species diversification in some cases, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. Insects are crucial for biodiversity and among the most successful species on the plan

https://www.science.lu.se/article/bacteria-are-vital-diversity-and-survival-insects - 2025-07-05

Published 19 June 2023 Photo: Pixabay. Great tits in urban environments have lower levels of stress hormone than those living in woodland habitats. This according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. Certain animals are able to adjust well to environments that have been created or altered by human activity. We live in an age in which urbanisation is proceeding at an ever-faster rate, som

https://www.science.lu.se/article/urban-great-tits-less-stressed-their-countryside-cousins - 2025-07-05

Published 11 August 2023 Photo: Ulrika Ervander. The dry summer of 2018 hit Swedish forests hard - and hardest affected were the managed secondary forests. This according to a new study from Lund University. Northern boreal forest ecosystems are predicted to experience more frequent summer droughts in the future. The majority of Swedish forest are secondary forests that are managed commercial fore

https://www.science.lu.se/article/secondary-forests-more-sensitive-drought - 2025-07-05

Published 29 August 2023 Group A streptococci growing on a blood agar plate. Photo: Fredric Carlsson. Why are certain people more severely affected than others by invasive streptococcal infections? According to a new study from Lund University in Sweden, the answer lies in our genome. Carriers of a certain variant of the STING gene are at greater risk, particularly if they encounter the bacterial

https://www.science.lu.se/article/why-killer-bacteria-affect-some-people-more-severely - 2025-07-05

Published 30 August 2023 Alfred Larsson assembles an electrochemical cell at the instrument "The Swedish Materials Science Beamline P21.2" at the PETRA III particle accelerator in Hamburg. Photo: Jinshan Pan. Corrosion-resistant metallic materials are required in applications such as rocket engines, nuclear power stations and chemical industry. An alloy of nickel, chromium and molybdenum is often

https://www.science.lu.se/article/researchers-reveal-deficiencies-corrosion-resistant-metallic-materials - 2025-07-05

Published 5 September 2023 Photo: Caroline Isaksson. A new study conducted by researchers in Europe shows that urban great tits have paler plumage than their countryside counterparts. Since the yellow pigment of the breast feathers of great tits comes from the food they eat, the paler yellow plumage of urban birds indicates that the urban environment affects the entire food chain. As urban areas e

https://www.science.lu.se/article/urban-great-tits-have-paler-plumage-their-forest-living-relatives - 2025-07-05

Published 6 September 2023 The ERC Starting Grant is aimed at younger researchers. Milda Pucetaite and Colin Olito were two of four researchers from Lund who received the starting grant. Photo: private. Two researchers at the Department of Biology, Milda Pucetaite and Colin Olito, have been awarded starting grants from the European Research Council, ERC. The research projects aim to advance method

https://www.science.lu.se/article/two-biology-researchers-receive-generous-starting-grants-european-research-council - 2025-07-05

Published 3 October 2023 Anne L'Huillier, Professor of Atomic Physics at the Department of Physics, is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2023. Read more about Anne L'Huillier: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 | Lund University's main website

https://www.science.lu.se/article/nobel-prize-lund - 2025-07-05