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New findings from Jezero crater reveal how bedrock formed deep within Mars' crust was uplifted, submerged under water in a lake and became altered. The results provide a new piece of the puzzle in understanding the long geologic history of our red neighbour planet. Since NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars' red dusty surface in February 2021, it has collected a wealth of valuable data. As the

https://www.science.lu.se/article/water-world-arid-planet-mars-geologic-history-mapped - 2026-05-13

Swedish old-growth forests store 83 percent more carbon than managed forests, according to a new study from Lund University. The difference is substantially larger than previous estimates and is mainly due to large carbon stocks in the soil. The study, published in the scientific journal Science, is the most comprehensive mapping of how much carbon is stored in Swedish old-growth forests to date.

https://www.science.lu.se/article/old-growth-forests-store-lot-more-carbon-managed-forests - 2026-05-13

When fish from different habitats meet, it’s not always love at first swim. New research from Lund University in Sweden in collaboration with North Carolina State University shows that aggressive females can actively repel males from the “wrong” environment. This behaviour may ultimately contribute to the emergence of new species. Understanding how species evolve is one of the most fundamental que

https://www.science.lu.se/article/aggressive-female-fish-put-stop-mating-may-lead-new-species - 2026-05-13

This year, sixteen mathematicians have been awarded a total of SEK 35 million in research funding through the mathematics programme – a collaboration between the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Three of the recipients are mathematicians at Lund University.Since its launch in 2014, the programme has contributed to strengthening Swedish mathematical re

https://www.science.lu.se/article/three-mathematicians-awarded-major-grants - 2026-05-13

Researchers at the Department of Physics contribute key expertise to two new strategic research areas that the Swedish Research Council has recently recommended the government to establish. The initiatives focus on advanced semiconductor materials and quantum technology. These are two fields that are crucial for the future energy transition, digitalisation and technological development. Advanced s

https://www.science.lu.se/article/research-department-physics-contributes-two-new-strategic-research-areas - 2026-05-13

Every year a small songbird, no heavier than a letter, crosses the Sahara Desert, the Mediterranean and the Arabian Desert on its migration. New research from Lund University in Sweden now reveals how the tiny bird manages this arduous journey: by flying night after night - and doing nothing during the day. The thrush nightingale is a songbird is a long-distance traveller that arrives in Sweden in

https://www.science.lu.se/article/songbirds-extreme-desert-migration-mapped - 2026-05-13

Moonlight determines when the red-necked nightjar feeds, migrates and raises its young. A groundbreaking long-term study from Lund University shows how the migratory bird’s entire annual cycle follows the moon’s rhythm. “… the lovely, melancholy moonlight, which makes the birds dream in the trees…”The French poet Paul Verlaine was seemingly wrong in his famous poem Clair de Lune. Moonlight does no

https://www.science.lu.se/article/nocturnal-migratory-birds-follow-rhythm-moon - 2026-05-13

A lack of phosphorus in forest soil could lead to an acceleration of global climate change. This is shown by new research that has investigated the complex balance between carbon dioxide fertilisation, phosphorus deficiency and tree growth. The world’s forests are vital in the fight against climate change, as they absorb around a quarter of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Trees

https://www.science.lu.se/article/phosphorus-deficiency-may-exacerbate-climate-problems - 2026-05-13

Underground fungi play a central role in the fragile ecosystems of atoll islands. The unique symbiotic relationship between these fungi and rainforest trees is vital for the restoration of nature and ultimately for the survival of coral reefs. New research shows how fungi help nutrients to move between the forest and the sea. Palmyra Atoll is a remote and uninhabited cluster of small islands halfw

https://www.science.lu.se/article/fungi-crucial-recovery-tropical-islands - 2026-05-13

A tiny insect that lives on snow has revealed an unexpected survival trick: it can generate its own heat to withstand sub-zero temperatures. The finding sheds new light on how life endures in extreme environments. The snow fly – a winter-active crane fly – moves across snow at temperatures between 0 and −7°C. Conditions that would be lethal to most insects instead leave this species active, thanks

https://www.science.lu.se/article/snow-fly-beats-freeze-built-heat-pulses - 2026-05-13

Where were the suspects located before a crime was committed? Where was a bomb assembled or a batch of drugs produced? A new technique that analyzes environmental DNA could help provide answers. Geneticist Eran Elhaik at Lund University has developed an AI-based tool designed to support forensic investigations. The technology uses environmental DNA (eDNA) to help determine geographical origin from

https://www.science.lu.se/article/new-dna-technology-could-support-police-investigations - 2026-05-13

A carnivorous fruit fly living in bubbling African streams may sound like a fever dream. However, with the help of DNA analysis of a pinned insect from a museum in Zurich, researchers have managed to draw an evolutionary map of a mysterious species that has not been seen since 1981. Researchers at Lund University have successfully mapped the genome of one of the world’s most unusual fruit flies -

https://www.science.lu.se/article/how-strange-fruit-fly-became-bloodthirsty-underwater-hunter - 2026-05-13

Air pollution does not only harm human health. New research shows that birds also experience measurable biological changes after breathing in soot particles from traffic emissions. While the effects of polluted air are well documented in humans, far less is known about how animals with different physiologies respond. A new doctoral thesis from Lund University provides fresh evidence of how vehicle

https://www.science.lu.se/article/car-exhaust-fumes-linked-dna-damage-and-weakened-immunity-city-birds - 2026-05-13

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Lund University in Sweden has two new honorary doctors in science. One is an entertaining and creative circus artist in the subject of physics. The other is a chemistry professor who is passionate about providing students with an early link to qualified research. The Faculty of Science at Lund University has now annou

https://www.science.lu.se/article/new-honorary-doctors-science-lund-university - 2026-05-13

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. A study by researchers from Sweden and Hungary shows that white, painted stripes on the body protect skin from insect bites. It is the first time researchers have successfully shown that body-painting has this effect. Among indigenous peoples who wear body-paint, the markings thus provide a certain protection against

https://www.science.lu.se/article/body-painting-protects-against-bloodsucking-insects - 2026-05-13

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Using a specially designed camera, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have succeeded for the first time in recreating how birds see colours in their surroundings. The study reveals that birds see a very different reality compared to what we see. Human colour vision is based on three primary colours: red, green a

https://www.science.lu.se/article/unique-camera-enables-researchers-see-world-way-birds-do - 2026-05-13

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Of all nocturnal animals, only dung beetles can hold their course using polarized moonlight. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now shown that the beetles can use polarized light when its signal strength is weak,which may allow them to find their bearings when artificial light from cities swamp natural moon

https://www.science.lu.se/article/dung-beetles-navigate-better-under-full-moon - 2026-05-13

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. A research team that includes researchers from Lund University in Sweden, the University of California Santa Cruz, Cornell University and the University of São Paulo, has discovered that the scent of flowers of the same species can be completely different - despite growing only some10 kilometres apart. The study is no

https://www.science.lu.se/article/scent-flower-varies-locally - 2026-05-13

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Work is going ahead on several new research projects about extreme weather in the light of last summer’s extreme drought. Three of these projects concern extreme weather’s impact on algal blooms, its consequences for bumble bee colonies, and the use of climate models to investigate effects on political, legal and soci

https://www.science.lu.se/article/new-research-extreme-weather - 2026-05-13

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Nearly 100 species of swift are completely adapted to life in the air. That is the conclusion of researchers at Lund University in Sweden after having studied a third species and observing that some individuals did not land for over three months. “They eat and sleep while they are airborne. This is something that rese

https://www.science.lu.se/article/swifts-are-born-eat-and-sleep-air - 2026-05-13