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  • Antibiotics can affect the gut microbiome for several years

    Antibiotic treatments can affect the composition of the community of bacteria living in the gut, known as the gut microbiome, for a long time. A new study shows that certain types of antibiotics can be linked to changes in the gut microbiome as long as four to eight years after treatment. The findings have now been published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.

    Tove Fall is holding one of the stool samples analysed in the study.
  • Different paediatric brain tumours originate from the same type of cell

    Researchers have discovered that severe brain tumours in children that appear to be completely different actually arise from the same type of cell. This cell type can give rise to tumours in the pineal gland, the retina and the cerebellum. The discovery that these tumours are related may make it possible to treat them in similar ways.

    Miao and Fredrik sitting in front of a fume cupboard in the lab.
  • Faith as a driver of climate commitment

    The climate crisis is not just a physical but also an existential challenge. A new thesis in theology shows how religious faith can complement climate science. While the science often gives rise to climate anxiety, faith offers hope, meaning and motivation for continued action. The study is based on interviews with activists in Sweden and South Africa, from pastors to climate strikers.

  • High-fibre diet linked to reduced risk of heart disease in night shift workers

    People who work at night have a higher risk of coronary artery disease, a type of heart disease. A new study suggests that a higher fibre intake in the diet may help reduce this risk. The study included over 220,000 adults in the UK and is published in the European Journal of Epidemiology.

    Portrait of Christian Benedict
  • Screening improves early detection of colorectal cancer

    More cases of colorectal cancer are detected at an early stage with screening. This is according to new research based on data from over 278,000 60-year-olds, who were randomly selected to undergo one of two interventions or no screening at all (usual care). The study, which is a collaboration between Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet, has been published in Nature Medicine.

    Portrait of Marcus Westerberg
  • Family relationships identified in Stone Age graves on Gotland

    In a new study, researchers at Uppsala University have clarified family relationships in four graves from a 5,500-year-old hunter-gatherer culture at Ajvide on Gotland. DNA analyses suggest that the people were well aware of family lineages and that relationships beyond the immediate family played an important role.

    A grave showing one extended skeleton and another lying in a pile.
  • Generative AI has seven distinct roles in combating misinformation

    Generative AI can help fight misinformation but can also worsen it by creating convincing, hard‑to‑detect manipulations that spread quickly. A new study identifies seven roles AI can play in the information environment and examines their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks.

  • Researchers want to change the way we warn about natural disasters

    With extreme weather events, fires and floods growing increasingly common, general warnings are no longer adequate. Researchers at Uppsala University, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization and others, now call for change – from mass mailings to personalised warnings that actually persuade people to act.

    A portrait of Giuliano Di Baldassarre
  • Traumatic brain injury can lead to higher probability of work disability

    People affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI) have an increased risk of work disability that can recur even years after the injury, regardless of its severity. This has been shown in a new national registry study from Uppsala University in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet (KI) and is based on close to 100,000 people with a traumatic brain injury.

    Elham Rostami in blue scrubs in an operating theatre.
  • 11 genetic variants affect gut microbiome

    In two new studies on 28,000 individuals, researchers are able to show that genetic variants in 11 regions of the human genome have a clear influence on which bacteria are in the gut and what they do there. Only two genetic regions were previously known. Some of the new genetic variants can be linked to an increased risk of gluten intolerance, haemorrhoids and cardiovascular diseases.

  • Diagnosis of cardiomyopathy is on the rise

    The number of patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathy has increased substantially over the past two decades. This is the finding of a new study from Uppsala University that mapped all cases of cardiomyopathy in Sweden. Despite identifying this increase, it is still unclear whether this is due to more people developing cardiomyopathy or to healthcare becoming better at diagnosing it.

  • Increased morbidity − but equally good quality of life for prematurely born adults

    Individuals with a birth weight of less than one kilogram have an increased risk of cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Nonetheless, they rate their quality of life as high as individuals with normal birth weight. This finding emerges from a new study of 201 adults who were born prematurely and followed from birth to the age of 26–29 in Sweden.

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