Science Stories

We are used to think about the universe as a structure which started with a Big Bang and then expanded. Sir Roger Penrose, who received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics, has developed an alternative theory of the universe based on Einstein's Theory of General Relativity which is called "Conformal Cyclic Cosmology". In this new model we don't have one single Big Bang, but an iteration of infinite cycles (or aeons) of expansion and cooling, each beginning with a “big bang” and ending in a “big crunch”. Science Journalist Jens Degett interviews Professor Niels Obers, Director of the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA) and professor at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, on Roger Penrose's theory and how much evidence is needed in order to change the general view of a central paradigm which is written in our school textbooks. What if Penrose is right? What consequences or perspectives will it have for us?

This podcast on our living universe is recorded in Danish. We will try to make an English transcription as soon as we we can get a suitable transcription tool. Vores levende univers Der sker i disse år så meget inden for forskning især inden for biovidenskaberne. Vi studerer på livet løs hvordan liv fungerer, men hvad liv egentligt er, det er stadig et godt spørgsmål. Hvis man føler sig hægtet af, så er der en god anledning til at få et overblik over emnet lige nu - for Gunver Lystbæk Vestergård har skrevet en bog, som udkommer på Peoples Press i disse dage med titlen Vores Levende Univers - videnskabens søgen efter rumvæsener og alt livs oprindelse. Hør videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett interviewe forfatter og videnskabsjournalist Gunver Lystbæk Vestergård om hendes bog og hvad der i øvrigt sker med vores erkendelse af liv i universet.

This Is an original interview with one of the great Nobel Laureate who is talking about the development of life in the universe.

One of the most powerful and advanced laser research institutions in the world is situated in Hungary. It is called the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) The Lasers of ELI can generate light pulses so bright that they can capture femtosecond and attosecond events in the molecular and atomic range. This can be used in a number of very different research disciplines from medicine and life science to climate and material research. More than 600 researchers work here, but many more are visiting from all over the world.

More than 100 years ago August Krogh received the Nobel Prize for showing how oxygen is transported from the lungs through the blood into the small capillaries in the muscles. Details of the mechanism and how it is regulated are still central topics of research a hundred years after and understanding respiration is still a matter of life or death. In this interview science journalist Jens Degett had the opportunity to talk to, one of the world's leading physiologists professor Christopher Ellis from the University of Western Ontario (Canada) about how August Krogh's 1920 Nobel Prize greatly influences physiological research even 100 years later. In addition to Nobel Prize class research, August Krogh founded one of the first biomedical companies in Denmark. The company would later become Novo Nordisk, which is now among the world's largest manufacturers of biomedicine and insulin. Photo credit: Jens Degett

DNA and RNA sequence analysis enable researchers to form a total overview of which species of microorganisms and parasites live with humans, animals and plants. It is not just in our gut where microorganisms are playing a role in our digestion. Also on the skin and all mucous membranes, in the mouth and all the way down into the hair follicles, we live together with parasites and microorganisms which help to shape our lives and our development. This knowledge makes it possible to see organisms in a far more holistic perspective, which provides a far better understanding of the factors that have evolutionarily shaped the species as they now appear in nature. In this podcast, Science Journalist Jens Degett talks to Professor Marcus Thomas Pius Gilbert from the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (CEH) at the University of Copenhagen. The center has recently received DKK 67.7 million from the Danish National Research Foundation. Photo credit: Jens Degett

Obesity, mobility, exercise and cancer are in the spotlight for researchers as there is an increasing amount of evidence pointing at the metabolic mechanisms which bind them together. Associate Professor Lykke Sylow from the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Molecular Metabolism in Cancer and Ageing at the Health Faculty at University of Copenhagen Is being interviewed by science journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories about why it is important to be in a good shape, and all the benefits of exercise.

The first quantum computer has arrived. The version of a quantum chip that recently came out of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen is now for sale, but it has already been sold out. The price is cheap according to professor Peter Lodahl from Sparrow Quantum who has recently moved out of the old Niels Bohr Institute to the other side of the street. Not a big move but a quantum leap. Science journalist Jens Degett is talking to Peter Lodahl in this podcast trying to understand what a quantum computer can do, how it works and what purpose it will serve.

Professor Birger Lindberg Møller from Center for Synthetic Biology, Denmark, has always been impressed with the plant world and how plants can act as sun driven biochemical factories which can generate all the substances needed for growth and development of the plant. Plants can defend themselves with poison, they can signalise to each other and protect themselves against being eaten. Humans have domesticated plants for thousands of years. With genetic engineering plants can be developed to produce a large amount of different substances from medicine to food and they can protect themselves better against environmental changes and diseases. But the GMO approach has been controversial since the first GMO plants were launched in the 1990ies. Now Birger Lindberg Møller has another solution. Why not let the plants make their own natural mutations and select those which have the right genetic traits? It is possible to plant thousands of plants and select the very best with modern PCR screening. Photo credit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS.

En af Science Stories hyppige gæster er læge og professor Anders Fomsgaard fra Statens Seruminstitut, som hjalp os igennem COVID pandemien og siden da har bidraget med masser af viden om infektionssygdomme. Anders Fomsgaard skrev for nylig en bog om sit liv som læge. Bogen hedder Syge Historier, og i denne podcast fortæller Anders Fomsgaard historier fra bogen til videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett.

Another year has passed - so welcome to the Science Stories New Year podcast 2025. My name is Jens Degett and as tradition dictates, in this New Year's program, I play soundbites and tell stories about a selected sample of the last year's podcasts from Science Stories. One of our limitations is language. Our podcast in Danish has by definition a very small audience. In the course of the years, we have a total number of podcasts plays on our own portal of more than 400.000 plays since we started. Listeners were mostly from Denmark, the Nordic countries and Greenland. I mentioned last year that we have an increasing audience around Europe and not least in Ohio-USA, and the rest of the world where our podcasts are listened to when they are published in English. As an experiment we have decided to make English the primary language of Science Stories. I cannot guarantee that all podcasts will be in English, but most of them will. If we find support for it we will switch permanently to English. An alternative solution could be that we publish in two languages with an AI translation. In 2024 I received a Maria Leptin Science Journalism Fellowship. I spent two month at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen and one month at EMBL in Heidelberg. There is a lot to talk about and I can really recommend to spend time with the researchers and get closer to the research institutions, There is a lot to tell from 2024 so if you missed it you may go back and find the stories in our archive. Enjoy. Foto kredit: Jens Degett © Science Stories ApS

Researchers all over the world have tried for more than 25 years to make a new type of computer that can solve much more complex problems than traditional computers are capable of. Professor Charles Marcus from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen is one of the leading researchers who have made major contributions to the development of quantum computers. He is giving a profound understanding about what quantum computing is and why it may, or may not be difficult to grasp. He is interviewed about the state of the art of quantum computing by Science Journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories. The interview was made in connection with the first Quantum Computing Applications in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Workshop organized by the Danish Technical University (DTU) Department of Chemical Engineering, Knowledge Hub Zealand and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Diabetes is about hormonal regulation of metabolism in the body. Apart from insulin there are many hormones, organs and receptors involved, but even if it is complicated to understand, it does not mean we should not talk about it or ask questions. In connection with the commemoration of the discovery of insulin +100 years ago, Science Journalist Jens Degett interviewed one of the most experienced diabetes researchers in the world, Professor Sir Stephen O'Rahilly from Cambridge University. The interview was recorded after an “August Krogh on Tour” lecture at the August Krogh Institute in Copenhagen. © Science Stories ApS, Photo by Jens Degett

The year 2020 marked the centenary of August Krogh's Nobel Prize in physiology. August Krogh received the award for showing how oxygen is transported from the lungs through the blood into the small capillaries in the muscles. Details of the mechanism and how it is regulated are still a central topic of research a hundred years after and understanding respiration is still a matter of life or death. In this interview science journalist Jens Degett had the opportunity to talk to, one of the world's leading physiologists professor Christopher Ellis from the University of Western Ontario (Canada) about how August Krogh's 1920 Nobel Prize greatly influences physiological research even today. In addition to Nobel Prize class research, August Krogh founded one of the first biomedical companies in Denmark. The company would later become Novo Nordisk, which is now among the world's largest manufacturers of biomedicine and insulin.

Mitochondria are called the powerhouse of the cells. They convert nutrients into energy, and they may hold the key to reverse aging and cure a large number of diseases. This is why exercise is important. But, can science one day come up with a pill that can reverse the aging of mitochondria? How close are we to solve this fundamental discovery? Professor Zhen Yan from University of Virginia was interviewed by Science Journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories.

What can vi learn from sponges or other primitive animals who have no brain. at all? What are the advantage of spending a lot of energy on maintaining a brain and what can the study of animals with none or very primitive brains teach us about evolution of complex animals with large brains. Professor Dr. Detlev Arendt is explaining to science journalist Jens Degett the advantage of having a small brain for some animals, and circadian rhythms studiet in a small worm has evolved into a very special circadian control mechanism found in advanced animals. This podcast is supported by a Maria Leptin / EMBO Science Journalism Fellowship.

Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, are taking the understanding of cell biology to a new level. Research group leader Alba Diz-Muñoz explains how shape or form, stiffness, rigidity, architecture and tension can make a big difference in your body's reaction to physiology and disease. It is not only hormone signals, DNA and biochemistry which determine the fate of a cell, an organ, or the whole body. Mechanical parameters have to be taken into consideration to understand why cells react to the environment as they do. Science Journalist Jens Degett is interviewing Alba Diz-Muñoz from the EMBL laboratory in Heidelberg. This podcast is supported by a Maria Leptin / EMBO Science Journalism Fellowship.

Science Stories is visiting the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg and asks some of the leading researchers about their work. This week science journalist Jens Degett interviews Dr Anna Kreshuk about how she and her research group is working with algorithms and image analysis to understand fundamentally how life works from the most primitive to the most advanced organisms and how living systems function together from individual organisms to ecosystems. This podcast is supported by a Maria Leptin / EMBO Science Journalism Fellowship.

The LHC is the biggest and most powerful particle accelerator in the World. Senior researcher Troels Petersen from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen is explaning what is going on in Geneva and why the accelerator is producing more results than ever. Science journalist Jens Degett is interviewing Troels Petersen. This podcast is supported by a Maria Leptin / EMBO Science Journalism Fellowship.

Experts from all over the world met four days during the Summer 2024 invited by the Niels Bohr Institute to discuss the available knowledge on the theme: Are we a Unique Species on a Unique Planet? - or are we just the ordinary Galactic standard? A selection of recognised scientist gave their best bid on: - Life on Exoplanets? - Disks and pre-biology - Terrestrial contra alien biology - Future of life and humanity In this podcast science journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories is interviewing Professor Uffe Gråe Jørgensen from Centre for Exolife Sciences at the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen. The Conference was organised by Centre For Exolife Sciences at the Niels Bohr Institute, and the main organiser was Professor Uffe Gråe Jørgensen with support from Carlsberg Foundation, CHAMELEON, Niels Bohr Institute Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and University of Copenhagen Release date: 01.11.2024

Experts from all over the world met four days during the Summer 2024 invited by the Niels Bohr Institute to discuss the available knowledge on the theme: Are we a Unique Species on a Unique Planet? - or are we just the ordinary Galactic standard? A selection of recognised scientist gave their best bid on: - Life on Exoplanets? - Disks and pre-biology - Terrestrial contra alien biology - Future of life and humanity In this podcast science journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories is interviewing Professor Uffe Gråe Jørgensen from Centre for Exolife Sciences at the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen. The Conference was organised by Centre For Exolife Sciences at the Niels Bohr Institute, and the main organiser was Professor Uffe Gråe Jørgensen with support from Carlsberg Foundation, CHAMELEON, Niels Bohr Institute Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and University of Copenhagen

All organisms from fruit flies to humans share the same mechanism for controlling the day and night rhythms also called the circadian rhythms. This mechanism is considered fundamental to all advanced life forms, and it has a surprising feature. It binds us genetically to live on earth. Michael Rosbash received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2017 for the discovery of the circadian rhythms together with Jeffrey Hall and Michael Young. He is a professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Brandeis University. In 2019 he was invited by The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters to give the nineteenth Royal Academy Nobel Laureate Lecture in Copenhagen and was interviewed by science journalist Jens Degett. Photo credit: Chris Heller for Science Stories.

You may have heard about about space telescopes and gravitational wave detectors which are new instruments for the investigation of space and the universe. Now a new instrument is being tested underneath the South Pole. It literally consists of a cubic kilometer large ice cube with detectors that can catch small light emissions from a long distance. This instrument is giving us a new look at the universe very different from the electromagnetic light we can see in a traditional telescope. Science Journalist Jens Degett is interviewing senior researcher Troels Petersen from the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen about the new type of telescope and what it can measure. This podcast is supported by a Maria Leptin / EMBO Science Journalism Fellowship.

Several research groups all over the world are working intensively around the clock driving rowers around and making experiments on Mars. A lot is happening, and we are learning a lot every day. Senior researcher Morten Bo Madsen from the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen explains to science Journalist Jens Degett some of the latest results presented rently. Huge amount of water is detected beneath the surface of Mars. Astrophysicist states that travel to Mars can be done in two weeks with unlimited fuel and power. Stone with organic like materials collected to be sent to Earth. MOXIE a success! If you wonder why the podcast is in English, and not Danish it is because we have an increasing number of listeners whenever we publish a podcast in English. Therefore, we make the experiment the next few months to produce all our podcasts in English. This podcast is supported by a Maria Leptin / EMBO Science Journalism Fellowship.

Life has existed and evolved on earth for almost 4 billion years. Living organisms copy themselves from other life and central for all known life forms is the genetic code. We are used to hear life described by biologists. but physicists have access to tools which can give a different and to some extend deeper understanding of life. Science Journalist Jens Degett is visiting the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, talking with Professor in physics Kim Sneppen. If you wonder why the podcast is in English, and not Danish it is because we have an increasing number of listeners whenever we publish a podcast in English. Therefore, we make the experiment the next few months to produce all our podcasts in English. This podcast is supported by a Maria Leptin / EMBO Science Journalism Fellowship.

About fifty million individuals worldwide are affected by chronic hepatitis C virus. It has been one of the most expensive virus infections to treat, and it is an ongoing threat to global health. Now the virus has revealed a secret to a group of researchers in Denmark after five years of intensive work. Link to article in Nature: Link to article in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07783-5 If you wonder why the podcast is in English, and not Danish it is because we have an increasing number of listeners whenever we publish a podcast in English. Therefore, we make the experiment the next few months to produce all our podcasts in English. This podcast is supported by a Maria Leptin / EMBO Science Journalism Fellowship.

Today's story is a good example of how little we know about biology and life, and how we can use our knowledge to better fight diseases and environmental threats. We are going to talk about bacteriophages or just fages. These are small viruses which attack bacteria. The story is literally about life and death and most organisms on earth are being killed every week. Senior researcher Namiko Mitarai from the biocomplexity group at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen Namiko Mitarai is being interviewe by Science Journalist Jens Degett.

With new astronomical instruments and new knowledge of fundamental physics our understanding of the universe is developing fast. The new understanding of the universe from its Dark Ages, after the Big Bang, to the current acceleration with planets, stars, galaxies and life raises a lot of questions. In this podcast, Science Journalist Jens Degett interviews Associate Professor Darach Watson from the Cosmic Dawn Center at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. The podcast is part of our project "Danish Space Research" supported by Otto Mønsteds Foundation and Thomas B. Thriges Foundation. Photo credit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

Gennem nogen tid har man kunnet høre politikere og meningsdannere tale om at skære ned på uddannelserne, gøre dem kortere og udhule indholdet, så man ikke behøver at kunne så meget. Antallet af studerende skal skæres ned, og det skal være sværere for mange at komme ind på den uddannelse de ønsker sig. Forskerne klager samtidig over at forskningsmidler som udbydes i fri konkurrence er stagneret i gennem de sidste år og helt galt står det til med EU-Midlerne der modregnes i forskningsbudgettet, så når forskerne har success til at hjemtage midler fra EU, så bliver der færre penge til den øvrige forskning. Hvad foregår der egentligt? Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories har talt med har spurgt forskningsordfører fra Radikale Venstre, Stinus Lindgreen om udviklingen inden for uddannelse og forskning. Er der et rationale bag, eller er forsknings og uddannelsessystemet bare meget dårlige til at forklare hvorfor de er vigtige?

Superstrings was a very popular topic among physicists in the 1980ies. They had a renaissance in 1995 but then the researchers changed focus to other things. Now superstrings have gained new momentum in physics again. Professor Niels Obers from the Niels Bohr Institute explains what superstrings and string theory is. He also explains why superstrings are popular among researchers. Science journalists Jens Degett is interviewing.

Midt i sommerferien 2024 afholdt Centre for Exolife Sciences på Københavns Universitet en konference om liv i universet. Konferencen havde været under forberedelse i fire år og omfattede 100 af de førende eksperter i exoplanetarisk liv. Med andre ord - Findes der liv uden for den jordklode vi lever på? Et tidligere interview med to af deltagerne af konferencen har været bragt under overskriften "Exoplanetary life conference 2024" I dette interview taler videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett med professor Uffe Gråe Jørgensen som er idemager og initiativtager til konferencen. Photo credit: Jens Degett Podcasten er støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond.

Senioringeniør Hans Jensen fra Terma fortæller om hvordan den danske elektronik-virksomhed Terma kom med i det internationale rumkapløb tilbage i 1960erne og nu leverer elektronik til nogle af de mest spektakulære missioner i rummet nogensinde. Der er tale om en helt række af missioner, hvor dansk elektronik har spillet en afgørende rolle for meget præcis styring af satellitter over meget store afstande i solsystemet. Den avancerede teknik skal virke fejlfrit inden for minutter selv om satellitten har været 10 år undervejs. Det er vidrnskabsjournalist Jens Degett som interviewer senioringeniør Hans Jensen fra Terma. Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS. Podcasten er en del af vores projekt Historier om Dansk Rumforskning støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond.

Center for Exolife Sciences at the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen organised this week a conference under the theme "Are we a unique species on a unique planet or are we just the ordinary standard?" We may already have detected traces of life in the atmosphere of the distant planet called K2 18b. During four days in Copenhagen 100 researchers were discussing how we interpret signs of life outside our planet. In this podcast science journalist Jens Degett is interviewing professor Nikku Madhusudhan from University of Cambridge on exoplanetary atmosphere analysis. and former NASA Chief Historian and Director of the NASA History Officer Steven Dick on conspiracy aliens in the media. Photo credit: Jens Degett The podcast is supported by Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond

For nylig var det amerikanske tidsskrift Science ude med en artikel om store mængder kulbrinter omkring skive-dannelsen ved en meget lille stjerne. Foto kredit: Jens Degett For at forstå hvorfor det er vigtigt, er videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett taget ind på Niels Bohr Instituttet hvor han taler med Professor Jes Kristian Jørgensen. Podcasten er støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond Læs mere i Science, Reference: Abundant hydrocarbons in the disk around a very-low-mass star https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi8147

This is a story of human ignorance, arrogance, stupidity and greed. If we do not learn from this history, we are just as doomed among the species on Earth as the Great Auk. The Great Auk was once a very common bird in the northern hemisphere. The bird could not fly, it was clumsy on land and was easy to catch for sailors and people who used their feathers. Professor Gisli Pálsson has found the description of how the last Auks were hunted down and killed. This story was written by egg collector John Wolley and ornithologist Alfred Newton, during their visit to Iceland in the summer of 1858, ten years after the Auk disappeared. The story is both a tragedy, but it is also a symbolic story about how greed and ignorance can result in the extinction of important animals with major consequences for the food chain and an ecological balance forever. If this extinction of animals and ecosystems continues, the balance of nature could even threaten man. Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett talked with med professor Gisli Pálsson fra Islands University.

We are used to think about the universe as a structure which started with a Big Bang and then expanded. Sir Roger Penrose, who received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics, has developed an alternative theory of the universe based on Einstein's Theory of General Relativity which is called "Conformal Cyclic Cosmology". In this new model we don't have one single Big Bang, but an iteration of infinite cycles (or aeons) of expansion and cooling, each beginning with a “big bang” and ending in a “big crunch”. Science Journalist Jens Degett interviews Professor Niels Obers, Director of the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA) and professor at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, on Roger Penrose's theory and how much evidence is needed in order to change the general view of a central paradigm which is written in our school textbooks. What if Penrose is right? What consequences or perspectives will it have for us?

When someone begins to study the evolution of the universe and the laws of physics, one easily comes to wonder how strange it is that humans and life exist, and that we are able to observe the universe. If the laws and constants of nature were just a little bit different, the occurrence of life would be unthinkable. However, we can state that we are here, and this raises a number of other issues, such as: Has the universe always been able to sustain life? Will the universe continue to sustain the existence of life in the future ? Are we just one of many universes that exist in parallel? Science Journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories talks to Professor Niels Obers, professor at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. Photo: Jens Degett

Entanglement is here to stay. The podcast was recorded just after the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2022. This Nobel Prize was shared between Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger, which underlines the importance and the recognition of quantum physics and its strange properties. In particular, entanglement is expected to impact our everyday life very soon. But from proof of concept to practical application there is still way to go. Science Journalist Jens Degett interviewed Niels Obers, Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology at the Niels Bohr Institute (UCPH) and Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA), about entanglement and its implications for society.

Professor Eske Willerslev fra Globe Institute på Københavns Universitet har fået en bevilling på 500 millioner kr. fra Novo Nordisk Fonden og 85 millioner kr. fra Wellcome Trust. I en  samtale med videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett  forklarer Eske Willerslev hvordan DNA har særlige egenskaber som gør det muligt at bevare intakte stumper af op til 2 millioner år gammelt DNA og gøre det muligt at kortlægge den flora og fauna, som har eksisteret tilbage i tiden. De indsamlede data skal blandt andet bruges til at forstå hvordan planter og dyr har tilpasset sig forskellige økologiske miljøer i forskellige perioder. Foto kredit: Jens Degett, @Science Stories ApS

For 4 et halvt år siden i januar 2020 lavede jeg en podcast med professor Lone Simonsen fra Roskilde Universitet om Den Spanske Syge. Jeg tænkte, at selv om det var 100 år siden Den Spanske Syge, som skyldtes en influenzavirus, slog mere end 50 millioner mennesker ihjel, så var der stadig en risiko for at helt en ny pandemi kunne blive et problem for verdens sundhed. Meget lidt havde jeg forestillet mig at vi mindre end to måneder efter podcasten blev optaget ville stå i en global pandemi, som ville ændre verden i vores tid. I dag næsten fem år efter, er der stadig næsten hver dag lyttere, som streamer interviewet med Lone Simonsen på Science Stories, og der er noget at komme efter - for forskningen i Den Spanske Syge viser at vi har meget at lære om virus-pandemier. En pandemi kan ændre sig og komme tilbage i nye bølger med virkninger, som man ikke kan forudsige. Selv om der har været flere begyndende skrækscenarier i de senere år med anslag til sygdomme som spreder sig over hele verden, så er vi ikke vant til at infektionssygdomme kan sprede sig med stor hast og ramme tusinder eller millioner af mennesker. Med det seneste coronavirus udbrud er vi blevet opmærksomme på, at et nys i Kina hurtigt kan få global effekt, —også i Europa. Den sidste store globale pandemi, som virkeligt betød noget var den Spanske Syge, som i 1918 dræbte millioner af mennesker verden over. Selv om det er over 100 år siden er der stadig meget vi kan lære af den influenza. Hvor farlige er disse globale infektionssygdomme egentlig? Hvad kan vi gøre for at beskytte os? Og er det rigtigt at militæret har eksperimenteret med virus til biologisk krigsførelse? Jeg stiller om til interviewet med Lone Simonsen som blev optaget i januar 2020 og sendt første gang den 4. februar. Professor Lone Simonsen fra Roskilde Universitetscenter fortæller om de globale pandemier til videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories. Foto kredit: Videnskabernes Selskab

Space rocks from all over the world, including pristine material which has been collected directly from asteroids in our solar system. is being analysed in Copenhagen by Professor Martin Bizzarro. He is Director of Center for Star and Planet Formation at University of Copenhagen and explains what we can learn from the material collected in space compared to meteorites on Earth. Will we have a space mining industry in the future? How old is our solar system really? Do we find traces of life on pristine asteroids in space? Martin Bizzarro is interviewed by science journalists Jens Degett from Science Stories. Photo: Jens Degett The podcast on rocks in space is supported by Otto Mønsted Foundation og Thomas B. Thriges Foundation.

Gravitational waves is a strange phenomena which was predicted already by Albert Einstein. To understand gravitational waves you need to understand gravitation. In this podcast professor Niels Obers describe gravitation in Newtonian terms and in the frame of Einstein's general theory of relativity. Both descriptions are incomplete but due to research with gravitational waves we may reach to a better understanding of these phenomena. Since 2015 where gravitational waves were first detected with certainty, a number of new gravitational wave detectors are being build and researchers are learning more about the ripples in time, space and the fabric of the universe. Science Journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories is interviewing professor Niels Obers from the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen. Gravitational waves is supported by Otto Mønsted Foundation og Thomas B. Thriges Foundation.

Vi bruger rigtigt meget tid og energi på vores arbejdsplads, men hvor meget bliver vi påvirket af stress og dårligt arbejdsmiljø, og hvordan løser man problemerne når det går galt. Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett er taget ud på det Nationale Forskningscenter for Arbejdsmiljø (NFA), hvor han taler med arbejdsmiljøforsker Jesper Kristiansen. Podcasten er produceret med støtte fra DM. Foto: Jens Degett

Seniorforsker Jens Frydenvang har de sidste 12 år brugt en stor del af sin arbejdstid med at køre rundt med en og på det seneste 2 rovere på Mars. Hør om hvad forskerne finder på Mars og hvordan det er at arbejde i sådant et usædvanligt miljø. Jens Frydenvang fra Globe Instituttet på Københavns Universitet bliver interviewet af videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett. Podcasten er en del af vores projekt "Historier om Dansk Rumforskning II" støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond. Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

Máni er navnet på Månen i den nordiske mytologi, men det er også betegnelsen for et af de mest ambitiøse danske forskningsprojekter som hidtil er blevet foreslået. Man skulle tro at Månen var kortlagt og undersøgt i mindste detalje, men det er slet ikke tilfældet. Med moderne teknikker kan man fotografere månens overflade i forskelligt lys og vinkler og skabe tredimensionelle simulationer af overfladens struktur og sammensætning af grundstoffer. Der er rigtigt meget vi ikke ved om månens overflade, som man kunne få klarlagt med denne mission. Seniorforsker Jens Frydenvang fra Globe Instituttet på Københavns Universitet fortæller om Máni projektet til videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories. Podcasten er en del af vores projekt "Historier om Dansk Rumforskning II" støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond. Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

Den danske astronaut Andreas Mogensen er vendt tilbage til jorden efter ca. et halvt år på den internationale rumstation. Nu er Andreas tilbage i Danmark og videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories har interviewet ham, om hvordan det er at opholde sig i rummet gennem længere tid i forhold til den første tur, der kun varede 10 dage. Andreas fortæller om arbejdsklimaet om rumsyge, om mikro tyngdekraft og hvordan det føles at møde den jordiske tyngdekraft, når man har svævet blandt skyerne i lang tid. Podcasten er en del af vores projekt "Historier om Dansk Rumforskning II" støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond. Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

3,7 milliarder år gammelt sediment fra Grønland kan måske være afgørende forklaring på livets udvikling på Jorden. Austin Jarl Boyd fra Globe Institutet på Københavns Universitet har sammen med en række danske og udenlandske forskere udgivet en artikel, der sandsynliggør hvordan pladetektonik har været afgørende for livets udvikling på Jorden. Postdoc forsker Austin Jarl Boyd bliver interviewet af videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett. Vi lægger artiklen på Science Stories hjemmeside. "Historier om Dansk Rumforskning II" er støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond. Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

Debatten om dansk forskning handler stadig om at forskningen er underfinansieret og bevillingerne er bundet op på bundne opgaver. Derfor har vi valgt bringe denne podcast, der har et år på bagen. Det går nemlig knapt så godt som man skulle tro. Vi er vant til at høre rapporter om, hvor fantastisk dansk forskning klarer sig internationalt med banebrydende resultater over en bred kam. I 2012 kaldte den tidligere Sekretær for Det Kongelige Svenske Videnskabsakademi Gunnar Öquist, dansk forskning "et skandinavisk mirakel” og der var ingen ende på de svenske lovprisninger. Men nu har Novo Nordisk Fonden og Villum Fonden bedt to forskere, Jesper Wiborg Schneider og Maria Theresa Norn om at lave en ny undersøgelse af den danske forskningsindsats på baggrund af publikationer i videnskabelige tidsskrifter. Rapporten viser at dansk forskning har gjort store fremskridt i perioden fra 1980-2020. Men de sidste 12 år er det faktisk på flere områder gået tilbage i forhold til de øvrige lande. Så selv om Danmark har klaret sig rigtigt godt, så er f.eks. artikler i de 10% mest prestigiøse tidsskrifter gået tilbage. Derfor var det fristende at spørge Senior Vice President Thomas Alslev Christensen fra Novo Nordisk Fonden hvordan fondene ser på resultaterne af deres rapport, og om det offentlige og de private fonde investerer for lidt i dansk forskning. Vi lægger rapporterne på hjemmesiden. Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett interviewer Thomas Alslev Christensen fra Novo Nordisk Fonden. Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

Novo Nordisk Fonden og Danmarks Eksport- og Investeringsfond, har indgået en aftale med NVIDIA ATOS/ Eviden, om at konstruere en AI-supercomputer i Danmark. Computeren, som går under navnet NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD kommer til at koste over 700.000.000 kr. og vil kunne – ja hvad er det egentlig en computer til en lille milliard kan? Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories har fået Senior Vice President Lene Oddershede fra Novo Nordisk Fonden til at fortælle om den nye supercomputer, der bliver den stærkeste på sit felt i Europa. Vi kan godt afsløre at de 700 millioner kun er en spæd start. Bare driften løber nemt op i 100 millioner om året. Men så får vi også skabt en lille revolution med kunstig intelligens og klima, medicin, sundhed og nye materialer til bygninger, fly og kvanteteknologi.

Forskerne var de første, der advarede mod det stigende CO2 indhold i luften allerede for 125 år siden. Senere kom der flere og flere beviser på, at menneskets forbrug af fossile brændsler førte til en stigning i klodens temperatur og en frygt for at processen kunne løbe løbsk. Den berømte Keeling kurve for CO2 i atmosfæren har vist en stigning hvert år siden omkring 1960. Dengang var niveauet på ca. 315 ppm, og nogle forskere frygtede at det ville gå helt galt hvis den nåede til 400 ppm. Det skete omkring 2016, og kurven fortsatte til det niveau vi har i dag på 420 ppm med en fortsat stigning hvert år på 1-3 ppm. Hvor alvorligt er det? Hvor vigtig er den grønne omstilling, og hvad skal der til for at vores samfund reagerer tilstrækkeligt til at knække kurven. Bioetiker Mickey Gjerris fra Det Naturvidenskabelige Fakultet på Københavns Universitet, taler med videnskabsjurnalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories om hvad der skal til, og hvem der kan redde os? Det ser sort ud, men måske en strofe af et digt af Michael Strunge kan være med til at inspirere os. Podcasten er produceret med støtte fra DM. Foto kredit: Jens Degett, @Science Stories ApS

Hvad er viden værd for samfundet? Investerer vi for lidt eller for meget i forskning, udvikling og uddannelse? Og hvad betyder de afledte effekter af ny forskning og teknologi for samfundsudviklingen? Professor Hans Christian Kongsted fra CBS har dedikeret mange år af sit forskerliv på at studere og måle forsknings betydning for samfundet. I denne podcast bliver han interviewet af videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories. Foto kredit: Jens Degett.