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Topics: Sustainability/CSR

Pascal Milesi, Associate Professor of Plant Ecology and Evolution, Uppsala University

Adaptability of trees persists after millions of years of climate change

Seven of the most common forest trees in Europe have been shown to be able to shelter their genetic diversity from major shifts in environmental conditions. This is despite their ranges having shrunk and the number of trees having fallen sharply during ice age cycles. These are the findings of a study jointly led by Uppsala and Helsinki Universities, published in Nature Communications.

Oskar Lindgren, doctoral student, Climate Change Leadership Group, Department of Earth Sciences. Photo: private

Support for meat rationing to protect climate

Rationing of goods such as meat and fuel can both effectively and fairly reduce consumption with high climate impact. Almost 40 percent of the public say they could accept such measures. These are the findings of new research from the Climate Change Leadership Group at Uppsala University.

Increased access to water a threat to nomadic livestock farmers

Increased access to water a threat to nomadic livestock farmers

Increasing access to water in extremely arid parts of sub-Saharan Africa can help nomadic livestock farmers in the short term. However, in the long run it may lead to serious consequences for their livelihoods. This is shown by new research from Uppsala University, published in Nature Climate Change.

The Plains Lark, Corypha kabalii, is one of the least-known lark species in the world. Photo: Per Alström

New larks revealed in Africa

Researchers at Uppsala University have studied the relationships between five closely related species of larks that occur in Africa south of the Sahara. They propose that the two species be split into seven. Some of them haven't been observed for decades, so the researchers analysed DNA from museum specimens, some of which were over 100 years old.

Sverker C Jagers has extensive experience of studying environmental policy and environmental political governance. Photo: Emelie Asplund, University ofGothenburg

Sverker Jagers new Zennström Professor of Climate Change Leadership

Sverker C Jagers, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Collective Action Research at the University of Gothenburg, will hold Uppsala University's fifth Zennström Visiting Professorship in Climate Change Leadership. The ten-year visiting professorship, through which a new professor is invited every year or every other year, is funded by an earlier donation to Uppsala Univ

The polymer dots in the black solution (inset image) can absorb more light, and show better photocatalytic properties, than the single-component polymer dots in the coloured solutions. Photo: P-Cat

Producing more sustainable hydrogen with composite polymer dots

Hydrogen for energy use can be extracted in an environmentally friendly way from water and sunlight, using photocatalytic composite polymer nanoparticles developed by researchers at Uppsala University. In laboratory tests, these “polymer dots” showed promising performance and stability alike. The study has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Genome sequencing paves the way for more sustainable herring fishery

An international team of Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Irish scientists has used whole genome sequencing to characterise 53 herring populations from the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea. They have developed genetic markers that make it possible to better monitor herring populations and avoid overfishing. The study is published in the journal eLife.

Photoelectrochemical cell that is used in the study to investigate semiconductor performance under rays of simulated sun. Photo: Sascha Ott

New semiconductor coating may pave way for future green fuels

Hydrogen gas and methanol for fuel cells or as raw materials for the chemicals industry, for example, could be produced more sustainably using sunlight, a new Uppsala University study shows. In this study, researchers have developed a new coating material for semiconductors that may create new opportunities to produce fuels in processes that combine direct sunlight with electricity.

BATTERY 2030+ – large-scale European initiative for battery research starts up

The European research initiative BATTERY 2030+ is now getting going. The ambition is to make Europe a world-leader in the development and production of the batteries of the future. These batteries need to store more energy, have a longer life, and be safer and more environmentally friendly than today’s batteries in order to facilitate the transition to a more climate-neutral society.

Building on ancient protein structures, it is possible to create enzymes for new chemical reactions and use bioinformatic computation to improve them. Credit: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/sc/d0sc01935f

Ancient enzymes can contribute to greener chemistry

A research team at Uppsala University has resurrected several billion-year-old enzymes and reprogrammed them to catalyse completely different chemical reactions than their modern versions can manage. The method can be used to develop sustainable solutions within biotechnology, such as for enzyme bioreactors or to chemically degrade environmental toxins.

Anti-ageing treatment for smart windows presented in a new study

Electrochromic windows, so-called ‘smart windows’, share a well-known problem with rechargeable batteries – their limited lifespan. Researchers at Uppsala University have now worked out an entirely new way to rejuvenate smart windows which have started to show signs of age. The study, published in the distinguished science journal Nature Materials, may open the way to other areas of application.

Zennström climate professorship to Doreen Stabinsky

​Climate researcher Doreen Stabinsky will be Uppsala University’s first holder of the Zennström Visiting Professorship in Climate Change Leadership. She is to take up the position on February 1st and contribute to the establishment of an environment that will be unique, both in Sweden and internationally.

Better Water Purification with Seeds from Moringa trees

Seeds from Moringa oleifera trees can be used to purify water. Uppsala University leads a research group which has discovered that seed material can give a more efficient purification process than conventional synthetic materials in use today.

Uppsala University - quality, knowledge, and creativity since 1477

Founded in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest university in Sweden. With more than 50,000 students and 7,500 employees in Uppsala and Visby, we are a broad university with research in social sciences, humanities, technology, natural sciences, medicine and pharmacology. Our mission is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to society on a long-term basis. Uppsala University is regularly ranked among the world’s top universities.

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