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The Faculty of Science has appointed American chemist Jannette Carey and British–Australian astrophysicist Jonathan Bland-Hawthorn as this year's honorary doctors. The appointments recognise their groundbreaking research, significant contributions to education and long-standing collaboration with the faculty.Jannette Carey, professor of chemistry at Princeton University, USA, is internationally re

https://www.science.lu.se/article/educational-protein-researcher-and-acclaimed-galaxy-professor-named-new-honorary-doctors-science - 2026-07-07

Alfred Larsson, postdoctoral researcher in synchrotron radiation physics at the Department of Physics, Lund University, has been awarded MAX IV’s 2026 Doctoral Thesis Prize. The award was presented during the MAX IV User Meeting held on 19–21 January 2026. The award recognises the best doctoral thesis with a clear connection to MAX IV over the past two years, highlighting research that combines sc

https://www.science.lu.se/article/alfred-larsson-receives-max-ivs-prize-best-doctoral-thesis - 2026-07-07

Some fungi are wasteful, while others recycle – and this can determine how much carbon is stored in a forest. Researchers at Lund University have now revealed how fungi manage their mycelium, the network that builds the structure of fungus. The results could provide new insights into the carbon cycle and climate. Researchers have investigated how fungi recycle their mycelium when they grow. Using

https://www.science.lu.se/article/recycling-strategies-fungi-can-affect-how-forests-store-carbon - 2026-07-07

Researchers at Lund University have produced the most detailed map of carbon emissions from Swedish forest fires to date. The results show that the largest emissions occur below the ground surface, in peat and organic soils. During the extremely hot summer of 2018, 324 forest fires were reported in Sweden. Using field measurements, models, and data from the Swedish Forest Agency, the Swedish Envir

https://www.science.lu.se/article/large-forest-fire-emissions-are-hidden-underground - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

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 - 2026-07-07

How do some planets end up extremely close to their host stars, despite appearing to have formed much farther away? A new international study, led by the University of Southern Queensland in collaboration with MIT, seeks to answer this question. From Lund University, Judith Korth contributed key dynamical analysis. The study focuses on TOI‑1130b, a mini‑Neptune orbiting a star about 190 light‑year

https://www.science.lu.se/article/when-planets-migrate-lund-researcher-contributes-key-analysis - 2026-07-07

Extreme weather poses a big threat to birds. Yet there is a lack of both knowledge and methods for measuring its negative effects. In a new study, researchers from Lund University in Sweden have identified knowledge gaps and propose practical tools for analysing the risks to birds. Extreme weather has become increasingly common worldwide, often in the form of combinations of heat and drought. Thes

https://www.science.lu.se/article/birds-can-suffer-serious-harm-heatwaves - 2026-07-07

Salem Thawaba, Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at Birzeit University in Palestine, visited Lund at the end of April. He was there to participate in teaching activities and discuss potential collaborations with Lina Eklund from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo). On 30 April, he held a seminar entitled “Colonisation and ever-shifting borders: A Case from the West Bank”

https://www.science.lu.se/article/researcher-highlights-effects-border-changes-west-bank - 2026-07-07