https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Norwegian University of Science and Technology Clinical psychologists work closely with people who are struggling in order to prevent, assess and treat their mental health disorders. To this end, they need to be skilled at interacting with other people. A new study from the NTNU research group "RISKIT" (Research on Interpersonal Skills in Therapists) suggests that observing experienced therapists at work can help psychology students improve their ability to talk with patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-experienced-therapists-psychology-students-extra.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:40:01 EDT news694779902 A major problem with quantum computers is memory, as the information they contain can be quickly lost. Quantum computers are not yet fully reliable—they are far too unstable. However, all around the world, people are trying to improve them—some of whom are based in Norway. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-quantum-memory-problem.html Computer Sciences Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:00:01 EDT news694354592 The stockpile of German ammunition left in Norway in 1945 could have been cleared and dismantled by the Germans. Norway declined the offer and began dumping it in Lake Mjøsa and other lakes instead. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-huge-quantities-german-ammunition-bottom.html Environment Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:40:05 EDT news694192501 Different forms of motivation affect how pupils perform in upper secondary school, a recent NTNU study shows. Pupils who believe they can improve through practice enjoy their subjects more and achieve better academic outcomes. The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Education. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-believing-grit-students-grades.html Education Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:40:04 EDT news693757982 Type 2 diabetes is often triggered by a sedentary lifestyle or poor diet. At the same time, however, some people have genes that make it much more likely they will develop the disease. In other words, they are far more susceptible to developing diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-widespread-temptations-bad-news-people.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:20:01 EDT news693572341 Researchers have built a drone that runs on hydrogen, to replace battery-powered drones that are too heavy and have too short a range. This technology could help fix power outages faster and replace dangerous helicopter missions with the new drones. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-swapping-batteries-hydrogen-drones-range.html Robotics Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:30:04 EDT news693051842 Climate change, population growth, conflict and humanitarian crises are putting increasing pressure on the world's water resources. That is why Norwegian researchers are looking into whether atmospheric water generators can become part of the solution. This type of water generator extracts moisture from the air using moisture-absorbing materials and converts it into drinking water. But they need to become more efficient. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-material-safe-air.html Polymers Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:30:01 EDT news692956374 If your great-grandparents ever saw "The Scream," they probably experienced a slightly different painting than the one we see today. Edvard Munch used materials that make his paintings vulnerable to the ravages of time. A new digital tool now shows how much "The Scream" may change over the next 300 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-edvard-munch-years.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 17 Mar 2026 20:00:03 EDT news692956392 Do you want to know how much noise there is on a construction site? You want to measure the sound of the excavator or the hammer drill, but you don't want to measure seagulls, traffic noise or a helicopter flying by. Now a new sound measurement service can do just that—with the help of artificial intelligence. But that intelligence is not a given, says Femke B. Gelderblom, a SINTEF senior research scientist. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-microphone-noise-site.html Engineering Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:00:05 EDT news692538662 Some of the smallest marine species are actually the most important because all other life depends on them. Phytoplankton are probably the most important, but just above them in the food chain are zooplankton. In Norway's cold Atlantic waters, the zooplankton in question is generally a small copepod called Calanus finmarchicus. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-tiny-marine-stressed-warmer-arctic.html Ecology Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:50:02 EDT news692536405 Touching your tongue to frozen metal must be a rite of passage if you're a five-year-old boy from a cold place. It's possibly more irresistible than hopping in mud puddles or sampling a newly frosted cake. But is it dangerous? Anders Hagen Jarmund knows all about this particular temptation. Yes, he's gotten his tongue stuck. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-tundra-tongue-science-cold.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 08:40:06 EST news691922041 Their job is to protect, promote, and restore human health and lives, but health care workers believe that their own use of alcohol and illegal drugs reduces the quality of care they provide to patients. A recent study suggests that more doctors and nurses struggle with substance use than we are aware of. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-doctors-nurses-substance-affects-patients.html Addiction Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:00:04 EST news691759283 Over the course of their lives, up to 220,000 Norwegians will pick at their skin or pull out their hair to an extent that can be considered a mental health disorder. They pull out their hair until bald spots appear, or pick at their skin until it becomes sore. "People feel a lot of shame and embarrassment. Not just because there is no hair there, but also because it is self-inflicted," said Benjamin Hummelen, project manager from Oslo University Hospital (OUS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-shame-world-hair-skin-disorders.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:20:03 EST news691236782 When researchers studied Norwegians who thought tick bites caused their chronic health problems, they found no objective evidence linking the symptoms to ticks. The same study finds that health problems reported by participants were associated with little physical activity and low labor force participation. The research is published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-evidence-persistent-borne-infection-people.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:00:04 EST news691235761 Four of five Norwegians use digital maps when they are in the outdoors. In just a few years, our mobile phones have gone from being a practical navigation aid to a virtual compass in your backpack. The more we rely on digital navigational tools, the more important it is that technology actually points us in the right direction. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hikers-backup.html Other Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:23:21 EST news690805381 Many physicists are searching for a triplet superconductor. Indeed, we could all do with one, although we may not know it yet—or understand why. Triplet superconductors could be the key to achieving the most energy-efficient technology in the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-triplet-superconductivity-physicists-link-quantum.html Superconductivity Thu, 19 Feb 2026 12:40:01 EST news690724882 How will a warming Arctic affect plant growth on Svalbard? Researchers encased plant plots in a thick layer of ice during the winter and used little greenhouses to heat up those plots in the summer. The surprise? The plants that got the harshest treatment did just fine. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-blocks-ice-future-svalbard-communities.html Plants & Animals Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:30:01 EST news690641520 Researchers have developed a solar cell system that uses mirrors to concentrate solar energy. In addition to electricity, it produces heat for a plant that will capture carbon from industrial emissions. The solar cells in the large pilot plant are a full 5 meters high and consist of many mirrors that are angled toward the solar cells to concentrate sunlight. They make it possible to collect the sun's rays into concentrated solar energy, as well as heat that supports a plant designed to capture CO2. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-special-solar-cell-electricity.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:40:07 EST news690640746 It's time for the Winter Olympics, and people across the globe will sit in front of their TVs with the hope that their country brings home lots of medals. But why does this make us happy? Why do we get so excited when the person we support is doing well in sports? After all, we're not the ones who are actually winning anything. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-happy-sports-favorite-odds.html Social Sciences Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:00:14 EST news690465601 The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework states that plastic pollution must be eliminated by 2030. So why haven't we enacted measures that make a real difference? https://phys.org/news/2026-02-polluting-environment-eternity-sand.html Environment Fri, 13 Feb 2026 17:30:01 EST news690201321 Valentine's Day is upon us again. But what does it really take for couples to stay together for a long time? https://phys.org/news/2026-02-stays-life-legged-stool.html Social Sciences Fri, 13 Feb 2026 08:53:18 EST news690195181 For the first time ever, NTNU researchers have identified new characteristics of aggressive prostate cancer. The research lays a foundation for the possibility that aggressive prostate cancer can probably be detected through a few drops of semen or blood in the long term. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-characteristics-aggressive-prostate-cancer.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:26:44 EST news690135962 Building a port on land takes time. On water, the job can be done quickly. Hagbart Skage Alsos and his research colleagues at SINTEF are investigating how to build floating ports. Ports in Northern Europe are full. Offshore wind and other projects need a port for everything that requires transport to those construction sites. Such as when a landslide obliterates and closes a road or railway for a long time. A solution has to be found—and SINTEF researchers think running test scenarios in the fjord is the place to start. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-ports-technology-faster.html Engineering Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:47:15 EST news690130021 Geologic reservoirs that trapped petroleum for millions of years are now being repurposed to store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. New research is improving how we monitor this storage and verify how much CO2 these reservoirs have stored. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-eagle-eye-carbon-ocean.html Earth Sciences Wed, 11 Feb 2026 11:46:30 EST news690032761 Intimate partner violence is violence committed by one of the people in an intimate relationship against the other. Most people naturally think that it is primarily the victims of intimate partner violence who should be met with care and support. However, the manner in which the person who has committed the violence is treated can greatly influence what happens next. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-perpetrators-intimate-partner-violence-prompt.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:37:25 EST news689963821 European coastal areas are under increasing pressure. Researchers are investigating ways to reverse this trend and help communities adapt to climate change. From Arctic fjords to Mediterranean seagrass meadows, centuries of human activity have damaged habitats that were once full of life. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seagrass-french-oysters-fresh-solutions.html Environment Sat, 07 Feb 2026 10:00:03 EST news689443170 Diagnostic tools based on artificial intelligence are now making their way into Norwegian hospitals. AI can independently read X-ray images and detect bone fractures, or assess cancer tumors in both the breast and prostate. "AI tools can take over the detection of simple and clear-cut cases, allowing doctors to spend their time on more complex ones," said Tone Frost Bathen. She is a professor at NTNU and the project manager of an AI-powered analysis tool for prostate cancer called PROVIZ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ai-tool-prostate-mris-biopsy.html Oncology & Cancer Sat, 07 Feb 2026 09:30:05 EST news689442342 Historian and Ph.D. research fellow Andreas Eliassen Grini at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has delved into German soldiers' descriptions of their experiences in Northern Norway. This includes their encounter with the Sami culture. He found a number of unexpected discoveries, showing that the occupying power had a two-sided view of the Sami population and culture. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-norway-sami-population-posed-enigma.html Other Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:01:13 EST news689605261 Bacteria in food can make you seriously ill, which is why it is so important for the facilities that produce your food to ensure proper hygiene in their production lines. A new doctoral thesis from NTNU has investigated how bacterial communities in the chicken and salmon industries change when disinfectants are used. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bacteria-survive-disinfection-food-production.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:21:50 EST news689516461 In her 35 years as a psychologist, NTNU researcher Audrey van der Meer has studied everything from baby swimming to what infants learn before they are born. At the core of her work is the idea that babies are born to learn—and the key to their learning is movement. Her latest findings are published in the journal Neuropsychologia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-babies-born.html Neuroscience Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:40:07 EST news689349462