Press releases

In an interdisciplinary study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, an international research team has combined archaeological, genetic and stable isotope data to understand the demographic processes associated with the iconic Battle Axe Culture and its introduction in Scandinavia.

There is considerable variations in different countries´ health care systems and professionals in the views on vaginal birth after previous caesarean section (VBAC), according to a European study. However, women’s´ views are more similar in the different countries. Globally there is huge variation in the rate of caesarean section (CS), from a small percentage to […]

On 3-4 October, the EU Arctic Forum will be held with European Union foreign ministers in Umeå. One of the speakers is Professor Peter Sköld, who says that natural resources, climate and communications are high on the agenda. He hopes that the meeting will result in greater aspirations in Arctic-related issues.

Before the French Revolution, family trees were reserved for the feudal upper classes, who used them to consolidate their social status. While feudalism broke down and family trees lost their old roles, the trees gained new functions as scientific models. This is shown by a new thesis in the history of science and ideas.

Giovanni Volpe, associate professor of physics at the University of Gothenburg, has received grants to design artificial “organisms” that will be able to perform tasks in groups. The Active Matter Goes Smart project has been awarded SEK 38 million by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

An international experimental research team led from HPSTAR, China and Uppsala University, Sweden, have used experimental research as well as theory to understand high-pressure structural phase transitions in hydrogen which could give rise to metallisation and could even result in superconductivity. The findings were published this week in the online edition of Nature.

There is a risk of every fourth heart examined for possible donation being dismissed as unusable due to stress-induced heart failure. But this condition, according to new research, has no bearing on the outcome of a transplant. These results open the way for up to 30% more heart transplant. “Systematic utilization of these hearts would […]

Lena Claessonn-Welsh’s researcher group from Uppsala University, has revealed for the first time a mechanism for how new blood vessels are formed and have shown the importance of this mechanism for embryo survival and organ function. The results could be developed to control the formation of new blood vessels in different diseases. The new study is published in the journal EMBO Reports.

In the age of digital communication, Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is more urgent than ever. In her new book, Ulla Carlsson, UNESCO Chair on Freedom of Expression, Media Development and Global Policy at University of Gothenburg, calls for new solutions as a part of a democracy strategy. Around the world, citizens are struggling to […]

In a new study, researchers at Uppsala University have identified a previously unknown mechanism that regulates release of insulin, a hormone that lowers blood glucose levels, from the β-cells (beta cells) of the pancreas. This mechanism is disrupted in type 2 diabetes. The scientists hope this finding will be used to develop new treatments against the disease.