Keyword: University Communications

For the first time, astrophysicists have localised the source of a cosmic neutrino originated outside of the Milky Way. With high probability, the neutrino comes from a blazar, an active black hole at the centre of a distant galaxy in the Orion constellation. The scientists reached this interesting finding by combining a neutrino signal from IceCube with measurements from the Fermi-LAT and MAGIC telescopes as well as other instruments. This multi-messenger observation could also provide a clue to an unsolved mystery: the origin of cosmic rays.

Researchers from the University of Turku, Finland have discovered a new wasp species in the Amazon which has an exceptionally large stinger that surprised even the scientists. The new insect, which is found in the extremely diverse transitional zone between the Andes and the Amazonian lowland rainforest, uses its stinger both for laying eggs and injecting venom.

The Baltic Sea is home to some of the world’s largest dead zones, areas of oxygen-starved waters where most marine animals can’t survive. But while parts of this sea have long suffered from low oxygen levels, a new study by a team in Finland and Germany shows that oxygen loss in coastal areas over the past century is unprecedented in the last 1,500 years. The research was published in the European Geosciences Union journal Biogeosciences.

Finnish researchers have gained new information on brain activity during general anaesthesia by recording changes in the electrical activity of the brain. They discovered that changes in electroencephalogram correlated with the loss of consciousness itself and also by the non-specific effects of the drugs. Nearly all participants recalled dreaming during unresponsiveness and, somewhat surprisingly, words presented during anaesthesia were still processed in the brain even though the participants were unable to recall them later.

The new Gambian Minister of Education Badara A. Joof and Professor and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of the Gambia Pierre Gomez visited the University of Turku and the Helsinki office of Finland University on 18–20 June. The visit was a part of the Gambian delegation’s broader tour to the Nordic countries and their education.

Mr Sakari Alhopuro, (Finnish honorary title of) lääkintöneuvos, has donated €1.5 million to the University of Turku for establishing three professorships. One of the professorships is focused on subarctic ecology, another one on the Archipelago Sea research, and the third on biodiversity.

The Food Chemistry and Food Development unit leads an international research project that aims to enhance global nutrient supply and nutritiousness of food. An Indian research group visited the concluding seminar of the Nutri-Concept project in Finland.

In the modern society, universities have an important role as catalysts for social well-being and the economy. At the same time, digital technologies and information change the ways how research is conducted. Open and available information and technology invites universities to rethink their societal role and create new ways for open collaboration.

Aalto-1 has successfully cleared the difficulties it has faced in orbit. The largest amount of research data has been provided by the RADMON radiation monitor carried by the satellite.

Despite the fact that the shared history of cats and humans is quite long, there has been very little research on cats. Professor of European and World History at the University of Turku Taina Syrjämaa has tackled this issue and, in her research, she sheds light on cats’ lives in Finland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the times have changed since then, the relationship between cat and human is also greatly characterised by continuity and similarity. Already in the 19th century, cats were often considered family members.