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Topics: New publications

  • New light-tuned chemical tools control processes in living cells

    A research group at Umeå University has developed new advanced light-controlled tools that enable precise control of proteins in real time in living cells. This groundbreaking research opens doors to new methods for studying complex processes in cells and could pave the way for significant advances in medicine and synthetic biology.

  • The science behind Christmas trees: How conifers brave winter's worst

    As the festive season approaches, evergreen conifers adorn homes worldwide. But while Christmas trees bring warmth and joy into our lives, they endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth in their natural habitats. Most people take it for granted that they maintain their needles lush and green in freezing winters but now scientists can unwrap the science behind conifers’ winter survival.

  • Mixed forests reduce the risk of forest damage in a warmer climate

    Forests with few tree species pose considerably higher risk of being damaged and especially vulnerable is the introduced lodgepole pine. This is shown in a new study by researchers from Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Uppsala. The results can be useful for preventing forest damages and financial losses related to the forest industry.

  • Research on calcium transport can fight bacteria and provide safer food

    Researchers at Umeå University have revealed details on how bacteria use calcium to regulate vital processes, in a way that differs from human cells. This breakthrough is significant in the fight against antibiotic resistance and for increasing safety in food production.

  • Antibiotic usage can damage the protective mucus layer in the gut

    Researchers at Umeå University and Tartu University have found that a history of repeated antibiotic use causes defects in the normally protective mucus barrier of the gut, due to antibiotic-driven alterations in the microbiota. In a further study in a different collaboration, the researchers found a bacteria-independent mechanism through which antibiotics can damage the mucus barrier directly.

  • Discovery explains the chemistry behind the cell's energy molecule

    An international research team led by Umeå professor Magnus Wolf-Watz has discovered how the magnesium atom directs the chemistry that catalyzes the production of the energy molecule ATP in a cell. ATP is a vital driving force in the cell. The study is published in the journal Science Advances.

  • The world's first AI-controlled forest machine trained on supercomputor

    For the first time, scientists have succeeded in creating a self-driving forest machine controlled by artificial intelligence. In a research study at Umeå University, Sweden, an AI system was developed that can operate the 16-ton machine without human intervention. The study has been carried out in collaboration with Skogforsk and Algoryx Simulation.

  • Clues from the ice age can help restore Swedish streams

    Human intervention has destroyed critical habitats for salmon and trout in Swedish streams. Researchers at Umeå University have discovered crucial clues to help restore the streams to their natural state. "To understand the processes that shape them, we need to think more about how glaciers function, rather than streams,” says Lina Polvi Sjöberg.

  • Uptake of methylmercury by phytoplankton is controlled by thiols

    Methylmercury is one of the chemicals that poses the greatest threat to global public health. People ingest methylmercury by eating fish, but how does the mercury end up in the fish? A new study shows that the concentrations of so-called thiols in the water control how available the methylmercury is to living organisms.

  • Conifer needles consume oxygen when times are hard

    Plants give us oxygen through photosynthesis - this is commonly taught in school. An international research team have now shown that particularly in early spring when low temperatures coincide with high light, conifer needles consume – not produce – oxygen by using an ancient mechanism. The results were published in Nature Communications.

  • Physics and the Artistic Imagination – New book from Bildmuseet

    Featuring works by contemporary international artists, essays about physics and art, as well as extracts from conversations between physicists and artists, the book Entangle: Physics and the Artistic Imagination is an introduction to how particle physics is inspiring the work and practice of contemporary artists.