Latest news from SINTEF - SINTEFuuid:fd4c63a5-b070-43e1-8eb8-45467aaf3b4a;id=69762024-03-29T01:54:54+01:00https://www.sintef.no/favicon.icohttps://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/organs-grown-on-microchips-may-offer-a-quantum-leap-for-womens-health/Organs grown on microchips may offer a quantum leap for women’s healthWomen’s bodies and their health in general have for too long been assigned low priority in the field of research. But an innovative and extraordinary technology may now offer us new treatments for conditions such as endometriosis.2024-03-26T00:00:00+01:002024-03-26T05:00:24+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/froydis_sved_skottvoll-1500x752-1.jpg' />
<p><b>Women’s bodies and their health in general have for too long been assigned low priority in the field of research. But an innovative and extraordinary technology may now offer us new treatments for conditions such as endometriosis.</b></p>
<p>Today, the development of new drugs is a time-consuming and expensive process. It takes on average more than ten years to launch a new drug onto the market. Much of the reason for this is that new drugs still have to be tested on experimental animals, and about 90 per cent never reach the market. The transferability to humans of new and highly promising drugs is simply not good enough....</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/tyholt-towing-tank-re-opens-april-2024/Tyholt Towing tank re-opens April 2024The towing tank at Tyholt, Trondheim, is re-opening this spring after the installation of a brand-new wave maker.2024-03-21T13:20:25+01:002024-03-22T14:28:19+01:00<img src='https://www.sintef.no/contentassets/4259f7c638d6474e8efec7932eb61a26/slepetanktest_fotosinef.jpg?width=500' />
<p><b>The towing tank at Tyholt, Trondheim, is re-opening this spring after the installation of a brand-new wave maker.</b></p>
<p>With the building of the new Ocean Technology Centre , the towing tank has periodically been unavailable for model testing, but from April, the tank will be fully operational until the new laboratories in the Ocean Technology Centre are ready to take on our research. One project that has benefitted from the towing tank’s testing capabilities recently is the collaboration between Bergen’s LMG...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/since-2000-156-fishers-have-died-at-work/Fishers working from small vessels are at the greatest riskFriday 1 March another Norwegian fisherman was drowned while working. He became the 156th Norwegian working in the industry to lose his life since the new millennium. A safety researcher at SINTEF says that this only goes to underline the message delivered in a report recently published by her team.2024-03-21T00:00:00+01:002024-03-22T10:00:14+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/istock_skrei.jpg' />
<p><b>Friday 1 March another Norwegian fisherman was drowned while working. He became the 156th Norwegian working in the industry to lose his life since the new millennium. A safety researcher at SINTEF says that this only goes to underline the message delivered in a report recently published by her team.</b></p>
<p>The fisheries sector is a dangerous profession, and fishers working from small vessels are at the greatest risk. They are often alone on board, working on boats measuring between 6 and 11 metres long. In a recent report Personulykker i den norske fiskeflåten (Accidents involving personnel in the Norwegian fishing fleet/in Norwegian), researchers present a review showing that more than half of t...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/researchers-surprised-by-penned-fish-responses-to-robots/Researchers surprised by penned fish responses to robotsNorway leads the world when it comes to the use of robots in the aquaculture sector. But how do these robots actually impact on the fish? Cyberneticist Eleni Kelasidi is surprised by just how much.2024-03-20T00:00:00+01:002024-03-20T11:00:16+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/fiskemerde_lydforing-resize.jpg' />
<p><b>Norway leads the world when it comes to the use of robots in the aquaculture sector. But how do these robots actually impact on the fish? Cyberneticist Eleni Kelasidi is surprised by just how much.</b></p>
<p>“I thought that it would be quite straightforward to apply the same technology as we use in the oil and gas industry to the aquaculture sector”, says Eleni Kelasidi. “So, my first visit to a fish farm turned out to be a real wake-up call”, she says. Kelasidi had a PhD in the snake robotic technologies that are developed for use in the oil and gas sector before becoming a Senior Research Scienti...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/norway-can-lead-the-charge-in-the-battery-industry/Sustainability is Norway's competitive advantage in the battery raceInvesting in research, local manufacturing and secure access to materials is needed to solidify Norway’s position as a leader in sustainable batteries.2024-03-19T12:31:41+01:002024-03-20T12:39:31+01:00<img src='https://www.sintef.no/contentassets/b8aa1d53018a4d809927d7f49ae8b44a/paul-inge-og-fride.jpg?width=500' />
<p><b>Investing in research, local manufacturing and secure access to materials is needed to solidify Norway’s position as a leader in sustainable batteries.</b></p>
<p>Battery technology is essential to meet Europe and Norway’s zero emission targets by 2050, helping to reduce carbon emissions in the energy and transport sectors across the continent. In Norway, strong battery research communities have flourished for over a decade, attracting growing interest from the industry. The value chain perspective is important when discussing batteries in Norway. SINTE...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/we-cant-allow-google-to-waste-its-surplus-heat/We can’t allow Google to waste its surplus heatThe new Google data centre being built in Skien is in danger of wasting its surplus heat because Norway has no legislation that reduces this risk. We really need to address this issue!2024-03-18T00:00:00+01:002024-03-18T04:00:23+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ntb_ximvphs7fvo-resize.jpg' />
<p><b>The new Google data centre being built in Skien is in danger of wasting its surplus heat because Norway has no legislation that reduces this risk. We really need to address this issue!</b></p>
<p>The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone. The recent news that Google intends to build one of the largest data centres in the world in Skien in Telemark, caused much jubilation among local politicians in the town hall. However, some of the comments that national broadcaster NRK received indicate that far from everyone living in the area is applauding the NOK 6.8...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/smart-choices-when-buying-a-fridge-heat-pump-dryer-or-air-to-air-heat-pump-can-reduce-global-warming/Smart choices when buying a fridge, heat-pump-dryer, or air-to-air heat pump can reduce global warmingWhen you purchase a new refrigerator, tumble dryer, or air-to-air heat pump, you have a chance to positively impact the environment. Research conducted by SINTEF has shown that refrigerants are a crucial factor in the battle against global warming and environmental conservation.2024-03-14T16:08:26+01:002024-03-14T16:08:52+01:00<img src='https://www.sintef.no/globalassets/sintef-energi/bilder/blogg-rtype-1-1260x709.jpg?width=500' />
<p><b>When you purchase a new refrigerator, tumble dryer, or air-to-air heat pump, you have a chance to positively impact the environment. Research conducted by SINTEF has shown that refrigerants are a crucial factor in the battle against global warming and environmental conservation.</b></p>
<p>Synthetic refrigerants were in the crosshairs of environmentalists already in the mid-1980s, because of their destructive effects on the ozone layer. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are now banned for this reason. They were replaced by other fluorinated gases, which function well as refrigerants but have a high global warming potential (GWP). - Fortunately, there are alternatives in natural...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/climate-changes-hydropower/Climate changes hydropowerRainfall patterns, runoff, and temperature conditions also change when the climate changes. This creates both new challenges and opportunities for Norwegian hydropower.2024-03-12T11:04:42+01:002024-03-12T11:05:35+01:00<img src='https://www.sintef.no/globalassets/project/readapt/dsc05156_web_1600.jpg?width=500' />
<p><b>Rainfall patterns, runoff, and temperature conditions also change when the climate changes. This creates both new challenges and opportunities for Norwegian hydropower.</b></p>
<p>SINTEF researcher Ana Adeva-Bustos points to an expected increase in the frequency, duration, and severity of extreme events such as floods, droughts, and high water temperatures. She is the project manager of ReAdapt , a new competence and collaboration project (KSP) in which research institutions and hydropower producers will collaborate to determine how the hydropower system can adapt to a n...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/development-projects-should-be-assessed-according-to-the-cumulative-impact-they-have-on-nature/Development projects should be assessed according to the cumulative impact they have on natureDoes it matter if a small area of rare wetland is lost if a lot more of the same area remains intact? In Norway, it is impossible to say, because no-one can show how many such wetlands are being destroyed elsewhere at the same time.2024-03-12T00:00:00+01:002024-03-17T12:00:16+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ntb_dh9scuozncy-resize.jpg' />
<p><b>Does it matter if a small area of rare wetland is lost if a lot more of the same area remains intact? In Norway, it is impossible to say, because no-one can show how many such wetlands are being destroyed elsewhere at the same time.</b></p>
<p>The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors alone. This article was first published in the engineering periodical Teknisk Ukeblad and is reprinted here with the permission of the magazine. In a series of recent programmes, the Norwegian national broadcaster NRK has demonstrated how Norway is destroying the natural environment, piece by piece, without any overall control of...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/we-use-chemicals-for-more-or-less-everything.-now-we-have-to-find-smarter-ways-of-making-them/We use chemicals for more or less ‘everything’. Now we have to find smarter ways of making themDid you know that the chemical industry supplies products to virtually all other value chains, including the food, construction, health and transport sectors? All these industries are now having to renew themselves as part of the green transition, and SINTEF is working to help them.2024-03-06T00:00:00+01:002024-03-17T13:00:14+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/theresa_foto_torbjornpettersen.jpg' />
<p><b>Did you know that the chemical industry supplies products to virtually all other value chains, including the food, construction, health and transport sectors? All these industries are now having to renew themselves as part of the green transition, and SINTEF is working to help them.</b></p>
<p>The demand for innovative and greener chemical manufacture has been clear for some time and represents a key aspect of the green transition now taking place in Norway and Europe as a whole. The chemical industry is having to undergo radical change, but how will this change take place? Today, the chemical industry supplies products to virtually all other value chains, including the food,...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/precautionary-fundamentalism-is-threatening-norwegian-food-production/Precautionary fundamentalism is threatening Norwegian food productionIf the Norwegian government rejects the majority opinion of the Gene Technology Committee, it will miss a long overdue opportunity to boost food safety, improve animal welfare and promote more eco-friendly pesticides.2024-02-29T00:00:00+01:002024-02-29T11:00:14+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ntb_nv7idd6dsta-resize.jpg' />
<p><b>If the Norwegian government rejects the majority opinion of the Gene Technology Committee, it will miss a long overdue opportunity to boost food safety, improve animal welfare and promote more eco-friendly pesticides.</b></p>
<p>The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors alone. This article was first published in the financial daily Dagens Næringsliv and is reproduced here with the permission of the paper. This is an incendiary issue, and the consultation deadline is fast approaching. Nevertheless, the media has been keeping very silent about the Norwegian public administration committee (NOU) repo...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/bulk-carriers-can-also-be-green/Bulk carriers can also be greenResearch scientists from 16 countries are joining forces to make a bulk carrier climate neutral – all with the help of a new power train.2024-02-28T00:00:00+01:002024-02-29T11:00:14+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/istock-1474410944-e1707748673541-resize.jpg' />
<p><b>Research scientists from 16 countries are joining forces to make a bulk carrier climate neutral – all with the help of a new power train.</b></p>
<p>Long-distance transport by sea accounts for between 80 and 90 per cent of all global trade. The enormous cargoes being transported across the world’s oceans in bulk carriers demand huge volumes of fuel, most of which are fossil fuels. The potential for reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by switching to greener fuels is thus very great. For this reason, the International Maritime...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/how-robots-affect-fish-surprises-researchers/How robots affect fish surprises researchersNorway is world leading in the use of robotics in the fish farming industry. But how does the technical equipment affect the fish? Surprisingly much, says cyberneticist Eleni Kelasidi.2024-02-26T09:33:53+01:002024-03-11T20:41:42+01:00<img src='https://www.sintef.no/contentassets/4832a12c8f1f4a598c3fe68049a5a7af/fisk-og-robot-for-web.jpg?width=500' />
<p><b>Norway is world leading in the use of robotics in the fish farming industry. But how does the technical equipment affect the fish? Surprisingly much, says cyberneticist Eleni Kelasidi.</b></p>
<p>“I thought it would be quite simple and straight forward to use the same technology in aquaculture as in oil and gas, but I got a serious wake-up call during my first visit to a fish farm,” says Eleni Kelasidi. She had a PhD in snake robotics for the oil and gas industry, when she became a researcher at SINTEF Ocean's aquaculture department . “I didn’t really understand how much it changes the...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/you-may-soon-be-making-coffee-powered-by-your-car-battery/You may soon be making coffee powered by your car batteryPower cuts can be caused by heavy snow and icing, as well as lightning strikes and strong winds bringing down power lines. Together with more extreme weather events, Norway is also facing a major power supply deficit. So, what can we do to avoid a total electricity crisis?2024-02-26T00:00:00+01:002024-02-27T09:00:11+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/smartgridlab_henning_maren_gerd-2.jpg' />
<p><b>Power cuts can be caused by heavy snow and icing, as well as lightning strikes and strong winds bringing down power lines. Together with more extreme weather events, Norway is also facing a major power supply deficit. So, what can we do to avoid a total electricity crisis?</b></p>
<p>“Luckily, we don’t experience power cuts very often”, says Gerd Kjølle, who is a Chief Research Scientist at SINTEF Energy Research. “But our supply security is facing major challenges”, she says. In Norway, we have electricity on tap for 99.98 per cent of the time, experiencing blackouts for only two to three hours a year on average. “There are some big regional differences”, says Kjølle. “Ma...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/sustainable-anchor-lines-for-floating-offshore-wind/Sustainable anchor lines for floating offshore windIf Europe is to meet its climate targets, offshore wind has to play a larger role in the energy mix. One thing is to produce all these wind turbines, another is how to attach or moor them. There is currently insufficient production capacity for anchor chains in Europe to only use conventional steel chains.2024-02-22T13:14:49+01:002024-03-11T20:41:41+01:00<img src='https://www.sintef.no/contentassets/8cb9311d5f8f430e807ca53239745549/hav_vindmolle_fk-vegar-johansen_sintef.jpg_web.jpg?width=500' />
<p><b>If Europe is to meet its climate targets, offshore wind has to play a larger role in the energy mix. One thing is to produce all these wind turbines, another is how to attach or moor them. There is currently insufficient production capacity for anchor chains in Europe to only use conventional steel chains.</b></p>
<p>Through the newly started Horizon Europe project ‘Tailwind’, SINTEF will help develop new anchor line solutions for offshore wind turbines . Not only must the anchor line be strong, durable and functional, it must also be sustainable. The plan is to use synthetic materials, such as nylon, polyester, aramid or HMPE. This will hopefully cut costs and ensure functionality. But what about chemical...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/helping-low-income-families-onto-the-housing-ladder/Helping low-income families onto the housing ladderFamilies who obtained help to purchase their homes improved their lives in many ways. But outcomes were not so positive for those renting as part of affordable housing allocation schemes.2024-02-22T00:00:00+01:002024-02-27T09:00:12+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/tilvisningsbolig2-resize.jpg' />
<p><b>Families who obtained help to purchase their homes improved their lives in many ways. But outcomes were not so positive for those renting as part of affordable housing allocation schemes.</b></p>
<p>Our homes are key to our social and material well-being, and not least for our children’s upbringing and social development. But many families with young children are unable to get a leg onto the ordinary housing ladder, either as homeowners or tenants. Many Norwegian municipalities are currently working to identify new housing alternatives for families that for different reasons are unable to...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/a-new-fish-may-soon-be-finding-its-way-onto-fresh-food-counters/A ‘new’ fish may soon be finding its way onto fresh food countersResearch is revealing that a cod-like fish called ‘cusk’ may soon be making a big splash on Norwegian dinner plates. But you will have to search long and hard to find it on sale today.2024-02-20T00:00:00+01:002024-02-27T09:00:12+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/brosmepaagjel.jpg' />
<p><b>Research is revealing that a cod-like fish called ‘cusk’ may soon be making a big splash on Norwegian dinner plates. But you will have to search long and hard to find it on sale today.</b></p>
<p>“Cusk makes for a delicious fish dinner”, says SINTEF researcher Guro Møen Tveit. “Our study shows that many more people would eat this excellent whitefish if it was easier to get hold of”, she says. If you want to buy cusk today, you have to search long and hard along a well-stocked fish counter, or order it online from the home food delivery company Oda. You may also be able to find it served...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/what-researchers-found-out-after-1130-tests-on-norwegian-windows/What researchers found out after 1,130 tests on Norwegian windowsResults from a major study may contribute towards developing windows that can withstand harsher climatic conditions involving heavier rainfall and stronger winds. Because that’s exactly what we can expect in the future.2024-02-19T00:00:00+01:002024-02-27T09:00:13+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/fredrik-resize.jpg' />
<p><b>Results from a major study may contribute towards developing windows that can withstand harsher climatic conditions involving heavier rainfall and stronger winds. Because that’s exactly what we can expect in the future.</b></p>
<p>Torrential rainstorms are becoming a major problem for our buildings. The combination of wind and rain forces rainwater into small cavities and openings and may result in leaks, causing significant damage to building materials. “This problem is exacerbated by climate change, which is expected to result in much more rain and wind than we are experiencing today”, says Lars Gullbrekken, who is a...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/is-it-safe-to-feed-farmed-salmon-with-bristle-worms-raised-on-fish-excrement/Is it safe to feed farmed salmon with bristle worms raised on fish excrement?It is currently prohibited to provide animals with feed derived from the same animals’ own ‘value chain’. But this legislation is not based on science.2024-02-14T00:00:00+01:002024-02-27T09:00:14+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2-e1705932102789.jpg' />
<p><b>It is currently prohibited to provide animals with feed derived from the same animals’ own ‘value chain’. But this legislation is not based on science.</b></p>
<p>Researchers have previously demonstrated that bristle worms can flourish and grow on the sludge derived from farmed fish. Now there is a debate going on about whether these same bristle worms can be fed to farmed salmon. But how safe is it really to allow salmon to feed on bristle worms that have been feeding on excrement sludge derived from the salmon themselves? A research team has been...</p>https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2024/is-there-a-new-deep-sea-fishery-on-the-horizon/Is there a new deep-sea fishery on the horizon?Well, some researchers believe this is possible. Species living at depths between 200 and 1000 metres may be very valuable. However, harvesting them isn’t as easy as it might sound because, when taken on board, valuable catches change rapidly from pure gold to ashes.2024-02-12T00:00:00+01:002024-02-27T09:00:14+01:00<img src='https://norwegianscitechnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/fiskeindustri_havbruk.jpg' />
<p><b>Well, some researchers believe this is possible. Species living at depths between 200 and 1000 metres may be very valuable. However, harvesting them isn’t as easy as it might sound because, when taken on board, valuable catches change rapidly from pure gold to ashes.</b></p>
<p>The world’s oceans contain huge volumes of unexploited resource species living at depths between 200 and 1000 metres in the so-called mesopelagic zone. They have the potential to provide humans with valuable resources such as oils and proteins, and much more. The innovation-driven SFI Harvest research centre, based at SINTEF Ocean, is currently working to find out exactly how these biomarine...</p>