Examples of research - Natural Sciences, Aarhus University

The strong natural science research environments at Natural Sciences are nationally and internationally recognised for providing research of the highest quality. This research is supported by research funding from public and private foundations for the most talented researchers and the best and most visionary research projects.

We have collated a number of examples of research projects, research centres and other major research initiatives at units under Natural Sciences.

New molecule can mimic the effects of fasting and exercise

^{3 October 2024}
Researchers from Aarhus University have developed a molecule that can mimic a major metabolic response to regular and strenuous exercise and fasting by increasing levels of lactate and ketones in the blood, which are associated with several health benefits. The molecule's effect has shown promising results in animal studies, and it could potentially revolutionize the way we achieve physical health.

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Groundbreaking discovery: Zinc can make crop yields more climate-resilient

^{26 June 2024}
Climate change, drought, increased temperature and other stressors challenge agricultural sustainability. Researchers have now made an unexpected discovery: zinc plays a pivotal role in the plant response to abiotic stress. This groundbreaking discovery not only sheds light on the intricate mechanisms of plant growth but also holds promise for revolutionizing crop resilience, especially in legume-based agriculture.

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ENCORE project to transform nylon recycling using enzymatic processes

The ENCORE project aims to transform nylon waste into new nylon products by using bacterial enzymes, reducing the need for fossil fuel-derived materials. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with the Danish Technological Institute as well as partners from Technical University of Denmark and University of Porto (10 July 2024).

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New DNA study describes the dietary habits of wild horses and cattle in Mols Bjerge

Researchers from Aarhus University and the Museum of Natural History have spent a year collecting and analysing environmental DNA from horse droppings and cow pats in Mols Bjerge to see how the diets of feral horses and cattle change with the seasons (8 February 2023).

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Scientists have come up with a technology to recycle used clothes rather than simply burning them

^{8 January 2024}
The new technology can separate out the different fibres in the clothes, so that they can be processed and used again.

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The Shrew's Extreme Resting Heart Rate of 17 Beats Per Second: New Study Reveals how

^{30 September 2024}
Researchers affiliated with Aarhus University have discovered a unique change in a heart protein that explains how the tiny shrew can achieve a resting heart rate that is 10-17 times higher than that of humans.

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ESA Ground-based Facility – now at Department of Physics and Astronomy

Department of Physics and Astronomy's Planetary Environment Facility, also known as the Mars wind tunnel, is now a ESA ground-based facility (20 March 2024).

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Climate change triggered a landslide in Northeast Greenland, causing the entire Earth to vibrate

^{12 September 2024}
Rocks and ice with a total volume of 25 million cubic metres fell into the remote Dickson Fjord in Northeast Greenland in September last year. This created a 200-metre-high tsunami wave and caused tremors that could be measured around the globe.

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The evidence is mounting: humans were responsible for the extinction of large mammals

^{28 June 2024}
Human hunting, not climate change, played a decisive role in the extinction of large mammals over the last 50,000 years. This conclusion comes from researchers at Aarhus University, who reviewed over 300 scientific articles (28 June 2024).

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Student project: MyOceanEye

Check out this cool project by IT Product Development students Mads Kristian Steen Vejrup, Magnus Frisk, and Oliver Due Nielsen. Over the past few months, they have created MyOceanEye—a project aimed at raising awareness about the critical state of our oceans.

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Europe was not covered by dense forest before the arrival of modern humans

^{14 November 2023}
For decades, we believed that outside ice ages Europe was mostly covered by dense forest before the arrival of modern humans. Now, a new study shows that there was far more open and semi-open vegetation than conventionally expected.

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