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Can AI think? The short answer is no, at least not in the way humans think. AI does not have incentives, opinions, or empathy. Even two-year-olds possess something that our artificial systems lack – the capacity to think in terms of cause and effect, according to Peter Gärdenfors, professor of Cognitive Science at Lund University. Since ChatGPT was introduced to great fanfare in 2022, the debate a

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/ai-lacks-common-sense-why-programs-cannot-think - 2026-04-27

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Every year since 1999, the Master’s students in Industrial Design at Lund University have done what most design students around the world can only dream of – go to NASA in Houston, Texas, USA and study at the Johnson Space Center. There they design products for an extreme environment – namely, space. “The missions to

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/lund-university-students-collaborate-nasa - 2026-04-27

If you use your tools correctly, they last longer and you will not have to throw them out and buy new ones. Many of us agree with this sustainable and profitable approach. The same applies to manufacturing companies that want to achieve sustainable production and increase their competitiveness. But it is not always easy to get it right – in particular for companies aiming to manufacture new produc

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/optimisation-tools - 2026-04-27

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. This year, Sweden celebrates a century of democracy and fair elections are seen as self-evident. How did our democracy develop and how did we get rid of election fraud? A political scientist at Lund University in Sweden has now examined the country’s election fraud history and its underlying causes – from 1719 to the

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/how-sweden-became-one-worlds-most-stable-democracies - 2026-04-27

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Lars-Erik Wernersson, professor of nanoelectronics, has received an ERC Advanced Grant for the integration of new materials into the high-performance, energy-efficient transistors and circuit solutions of the future. Silicon is the current material of choice for most transistors and other components. The problem is th

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/erc-advanced-grant-research-ferroelectric-transistors - 2026-04-27

Twelve researchers at Lund University have been appointed Wallenberg Scholars, a programme funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation that supports excellent basic research, primarily in medicine, technology and the natural sciences. The total funding amounts to SEK 239 million. The grants, which are for a five-year period, are worth up to SEK 18 million each for researchers in theoretical

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/lund-universitys-wallenberg-scholars-are-announced - 2026-04-27

Apocalyptic beliefs are as old as humankind itself. So, why are we drawn to stories about the finite nature of everything? A group of researchers is trying to get to grips with the issue. “In fact, we have always been as close to or as far from an apocalypse, if by that we mean a global catastrophe that wipes out or radically alters life. The idea that human life is fragile and can come to an abru

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/end-world-nigh - 2026-04-27

What is worth sustaining? Steinunn Knúts-Önnudóttir's research is all about a theatre audience facing themselves with that profound question. "In my work I offer a frame or a situation for my guests to meet their own stories and their values through an encounter with a host in their own surroundings". For 20 years, the Icelander Steinunn Knúts-Önnudóttir has tried to create a meaningful dialogue w

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/no-man-island - 2026-04-27

Many of us have digital maps at our fingertips in our smartphones, but these maps are not adapted to guide us when walking or finding our way in new environments, for example, as tourists in an unfamiliar big city. Creating such maps requires in-depth knowledge about map design which can be further improved by using new technology that can process large amounts of data. “We are collaborating with

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/digital-maps-tomorrow-improve-how-we-find-our-way - 2026-04-27

The new excavations in Uppåkra are at the forefront of cutting edge archaeological techniques. By combining big data, data modelling and DNA sequencing, researchers are currently solving significant parts of a historical puzzle. Perhaps we will learn whether the Justinianic Plague, the forerunner of the Black Death, reached Uppåkra. Until now, this has been uncertain. Torbjörn Ahlström, profes

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/modern-archaeology-reveals-secrets-iron-age-power-centre - 2026-04-27

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. Nicholas Loubere at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, shares some reflections on the major achievements as well as the downsides of China’s reform period ahead of the upcoming conference “Assessing 40 Years of Reform and Opening in China” What have been the major changes in China since the reform and o

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/assessing-40-years-reform-and-opening-china-conference - 2026-04-27

We were all small, newborn infants once. But some of us were perhaps too small as newborns? A child that is born “small for gestational age” means that they have not grown according to their normal curve during the foetal period. By studying the group of small newborns in epidemiological, or register, studies, researchers follow what happens to these infants later in life. This knowledge is of gre

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/even-sprat-can-thrive-being-born-small-gestational-age - 2026-04-27

Art and culture have the capacity to make us aware of our relationship to ourselves and others, our world and our time. Using existential sustainability as an umbrella term, we can investigate new angles and open the way for new collaborations, according to Anna Lyrevik, senior adviser to the Vice-Chancellor, who has broad experience of delivering cultural projects in various forms. “My mission is

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/art-and-culture-bring-us-existential-awareness - 2026-04-27

Does negotiating Sweden's NATO membership mean that the government is prepared to tinker with basic human rights and values? According to two political scientists, there is a risk of this happening. In the summer of 2022, Turkey, Sweden and Finland proposed an agreement that would see Turkey's NATO applications approved. The agreement was signed at a NATO meeting in Madrid. Although Turkey suspend

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/sweden-must-stand-turkey-conflict-over-values - 2026-04-27

Efforts to understand whether someone is lying often focus on how the person talks. New research suggests it could be promising to also examine how someone writes. This is according to Kajsa Gullberg, researcher in general linguistics, who hopes that her thesis can provide insights into people’s complex language skills. Kajsa Gullberg’s research shows that the degree of truth in what you write can

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/how-we-write-can-reveal-lies-new-research-could-be-tool-judicial-system - 2026-04-27

The most important mineral in today's electric car batteries is lithium. China completely dominates the market, with no extraction taking place in Europe. However, a new study shows that there is great potential for European lithium production, which would bring improvements in competitiveness, the climate and security. The study also points out that there are complex international trade dependenc

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/new-lithium-mines-could-cut-eu-imports-half - 2026-04-27

Newborn babies are already being screened for mutations and genetic tests help families with hereditary breast cancer. Genomic-driven precision medicine (GDPM) is an emerging approach for disease treatment. Around 30 Swedish researchers suggest a direction forward in a review article in Journal of Internal Medicine (JIM). "At the moment newborns are screened for a small number of mutations. In the

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/precision-medicine-emerging-approach-complex-diseases - 2026-04-27

Few conflicts today seem as difficult to resolve as the one between Israel and Palestine – a conflict concerning territory, religion and historical claims reaching back a thousand years. The recent violence between Israel and Hamas, the infected question of Jerusalem’s status and an increasing separation between the populations make the journey towards peace seem particularly long. Lisa Strömbom i

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/new-aspects-israel-palestine-conflict - 2026-04-27

Angry children can be a feature of Christmas. The fact is that the disappointment children feel is a great opportunity to train them for challenges later in life. This is according to Elia Psouni, professor of developmental psychology. A friend not turning up on time, a computer crashing in the middle of a game of Fortnite or a Christmas present that just could not be more wrong. “Disappointment i

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/dealing-kids-disappointment-their-christmas-presents - 2026-04-27

This article is over 5 years old, and the information may therefore be outdated. If you have ever sniffed yourself dizzy at a perfume counter, you have perhaps also come across claims that pH values, fragrance notes and pheromones affect the scent. Are these and other claims true? And what is it that actually makes us smell nice – or nasty? Chemistry Professor Ulf Ellervik separates the scents fro

https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/facts-and-fallacies-about-perfumes-and-body-odours - 2026-04-27