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Many claim that people too easily anthropomorphise animal behaviour. But what’s the story regarding laughter – is it something unique to humans? Cognitive scientist Peter Gärdenfors explains why we often overlook the laughter of a parrot and why slapstick is a type of humour appreciated by both humans and animals. ”Aristotle thought that it was only humans who laugh, but he was wrong,” says Peter
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/can-animals-laugh - 2026-06-21
In many ways, Swedish industrialisation began in the home. Women spun, wove and sewed clothes for payment in between their daily agricultural tasks, food preparation and childcare. But didn’t all industrial production gradually move into the factories? ‟No, it didn’t. That is a common misconception,” says economic historian Malin Nilsson, who is researching paid home industry work. ‟That is an ove
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/womens-work-home-then-and-now - 2026-06-21
Is it possible to know exactly where to point a microscope in order to capture the precise moment a bacterium or a virus infects a cell? In order to take high resolution microscopic images of living biological material, you need to know exactly where to point the microscope. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now developed a software solution for smart, data-driven microscopy, which mak
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/smart-microscopy-works-out-where-take-picture - 2026-06-21
Lund University archaeologists have revealed details of late medieval artillery from the wreck of the royal Danish-Norwegian flagship, Gribshunden. The shipwreck is the only known example of its kind from the medieval period – as both ship and weapons are nearly identical to those of the early Spanish and Portuguese explorers. The new study tells the story of how early modern maritime adventurers
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/uniquely-preserved-artillery-offers-clues-european-colonisation - 2026-06-21
We usually associate ageing with a shrinking life span, sickness and death. The difficulty of imagining ourselves as old means that we go to great lengths to avoid planning for later life. Yet researchers argue that we have everything to gain by looking at life as a journey where preparations for the future provide opportunities for living a full life – until it really is over. We are all aware th
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/researchers-time-new-approach-ageing - 2026-06-21
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered that sugar beets produce haemoglobin. They now hope that this haemoglobin could serve as a blood substitute – a substance that is currently in short supply. Watch on YouTube: How to produce haemoglobin from sugar beets “Previously, it has been presumed that certain plants produce this iron protein only when stressed, such as in drought or
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/sugar-beets-could-become-blood-substitute - 2026-06-21
The HLF gene is necessary for maintaining our blood stem cells in a resting state, which is crucial for ensuring normal blood production. This has been shown by a new research study from Lund University in Sweden published in Cell Reports. “The study confirms several previous studies that show the HLF gene’s significance in blood formation”, says Mattias Magnusson who led the new study. The result
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/hlf-gene-protects-blood-stem-cells-maintaining-them-resting-state - 2026-06-21
This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Together with his research team, Lars-Erik Wernersson, professor of nanoelectronics at Lund University in Sweden, has developed a technology for smarter transistors which could be used in electronics that operate on low energy, such as sensors for the Internet of Things. Using the new transistors on a large scale coul
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/smarter-transistors-could-be-three-times-more-energy-efficient - 2026-06-21
It takes a long time, up to several decades, before the benefits of organic farming take full effect on land that was previously cultivated conventionally, a new study from Lund University suggests. After thirty years, the plant species richness around the cultivated crop had doubled on organic farms compared to conventional farms. It is well known that organic farming benefits biodiversity and ca
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/organic-farms-had-doubled-plant-diversity-only-over-time - 2026-06-21
This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. A new study from Lund University in Sweden has, for the first time, reconstructed solar activity during the last ice age. The study shows that the regional climate is influenced by the sun and offers opportunities to better predict future climate conditions in certain regions. For the first time, a research team has b
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/suns-activity-influences-natural-climate-change - 2026-06-21
This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Researchers have long sought treatments that can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. Current treatments have for decades been only symptomatic in nature, supplying the neurotransmitter dopamine, which the dying nerve cells can no longer produce. Results from a recent clinical study offer hope that future ther
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/new-growth-factor-indicates-possible-regenerative-effects-parkinsons-disease - 2026-06-21
Feng Zhang, professor at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard visited Lund University at the beginning of March to deliver the annual honorary lecture organised by the Royal Physiographic and Mendelian Societies in Lund. Listen to the interview and hear more about why Feng Zhang wants to introduce a moratorium on genetically-modified babies and where Malin Parmar hopes her stem cell research w
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/honorary-lecturer-feng-zhang-crispr-research-treasure-hunt-nature - 2026-06-21
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have found a new marker in the blood that is associated with an increased risk of heart failure. Surprisingly, the marker is not directly involved in how the heart functions, unlike most of the previously known markers. Instead, the new marker affects processes in the lymphatic system. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump a suff
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/marker-involved-lymphatic-system-connected-heart-failure - 2026-06-21
This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. James Surmeier, professor at Northwestern University, recently visited Lund University where he gave the 2018 Segerfalk Lecture. In this interview, he talks about how technology is helping brain research to advance, about almost giving up research altogether – and the discovery that could slow the progression of Parki
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/exciting-times-brain-researchers - 2026-06-21
How do we create a safe environment in which humans and robots can collaborate on handling hazardous materials? What do those working in the industry need to know about sustainable production processes, re-use and critical raw materials? Companies need to up-skill their employees to have competences for the fourth industrial revolution, industry 4.0, with new technologies mainly in automation, the
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/upskilling-swedens-engineers-through-unique-course-package - 2026-06-21
The interactions between molecules are the foundation of life and how we treat diseases using medicinal drugs. But what does it actually look like when a protein meets another molecule and binds to it? A new research project that has been awarded EUR 8.7 million by the European Research Council now aims to shed light on this elusive process. The research team consists of researchers from Lund Univ
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/erc-synergy-grant-research-dynamic-interactions-between-molecules - 2026-06-21
This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. A group of engineering students at Lund University in Sweden noticed there was a rather lacklustre range of veggie burgers available in supermarkets, despite a growing demand for green products. And sure enough - too many additives, no flavour, and no texture, were common complaints they came across when they asked co
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/how-create-ultimate-veggie-burger - 2026-06-21
A Swedish multi-centre study led by researchers at Lund University shows a link between low fibre consumption and the presence of unstable or high-risk plaque in coronary arteries – the type of plaque that can trigger blood clots and cause heart attacks. The study also links dietary pattern to the composition of the plaques, i.e. how potentially dangerous they are. Using advanced cardiac imaging,
The energy sector is one of the sectors that need to undergo both rapid and far-reaching transformation to limit the effects of climate change. What is the significance of basic research, which investigates new theories and new approaches, in driving development? Solar energy has great potential to become one of our most important energy sources. The energy in the sun’s rays corresponds to more th
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/how-make-solar-energy-more-efficient - 2026-06-21
This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Data from more than 400 000 patients in different countries will be used to increase knowledge and improve treatment of prostate cancer. This is all taking place within the international big data for better outcome (BD4BO) project PIONEER, in which Lund University has a prominent role. Despite intensive research, ther
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/prostate-cancer-questions-could-be-answered-through-big-data-project - 2026-06-21
