Press releases

Environmental damage in the Baltic can have negative effects on the important species bladderwrack (kelp) and thereby on the entire ecosystem. This in turn would have a severe economic impact on fishing. This is shown in a study presented by Mid Sweden University in Sweden.

“There’s a great deal of interest being shown in working across boundaries by research scientists wanting to bridge the gap between basic research and patient-oriented research,” says Mats Lekander, acting director of the centre. “And we have known for a long time that there is considerable public interest in complementary medicine and in more holistic approaches to healing.”

Leonid Kuzmin, a doctoral candidate at Mid Sweden University, has found that recreational cross-country skiers should forget about waxing their skis to improve their glide. In many cases even ski racers would also do better if they competed on unwaxed skis.

How do you maintain a sense of human dignity when you have been deprived of all the conventional preconditions for being what you and others regard as “a decent human being”? This is the main question in a doctoral dissertation on homelessness in post-soviet Russia written by the social anthropologist Tova Höjdestrand, Stockholm University.

Swedish research is amongst the best in the world: The 2005 Descartes Prize in Life Science goes to two Swedish research groups at Karolinska Institutet.

In both poor and rich countries, well-educated people are receptive to the knowledge of climate experts. Expert knowledge can make people see climate change as a shared, global problem even though it affects different parts of the world so differently. This is shown in a dissertation by the political scientist Monika Bauhr at Göteborg University in Sweden.

A well-functioning political system requires that the citizens have a certain amount of confidence in their decision-makers and sometimes accept decisions that go against them. The dissertation Democracy’s Infrastructure by Marcia Grimes from Göteborg University in Sweden shows that the structure of the decision-making process plays a role in whether people trust their decision-makers and the decisions they make.

Jan-Eric Sundgren will be leaving his position as President of Chalmers University of Technology and will be moving to AB Volvo, where he will become a member of the Executive Committee with responsibility, for contact with public authorities, universities and colleges.

A concerto pianist can legally use beta-blocker to enhance his or her performance. But an athlete is prohibited to do the same. Wherein lies the logic? Why is genetic enhancement illegal? Is it at all possible to discover and prevent genetic enhancement within sport? Could genetic enhancement be a possible means to the abolishment of sex differences in sport?

Exercise is good for your physical health. We have known this for a long time. We also know that physical activity is good for the brain and alleviates depression and stress. What’s more, training improves both memory and learning capacities. On the other hand, exaggerated exercise, when the body doesn’t have a chance to recover, has a negative effect, with fewer brain cells as a result. This is shown in a dissertation from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University in Sweden. Moderation is best, in other words.