University of Copenhagen

It’s hard to piece together the full history of human evolution from piles of old bones. But now, scientists have made use of a new method to study proteins in dental enamel of an 800,000-year-old human species, helping place it in the family tree.

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a new substance that could alleviate the side effects of strong antidepressants, paving the way for safer forms of treatment that can be tolerated by more sufferers of the illness.

Tardigrades are well-known for being one of the hardiest animals on the planet, but even they have their limits. New research has shown that they could be more susceptible to climate change than previously thought.

Under the right conditions, DNA can last for thousands of years. RNA, on the other hand, degrades much more quickly and was thought impossible to recover in older samples. But now researchers have isolated and sequenced the RNA of a 14,000-year-old wolf found frozen in the Siberian permafrost.

​Narwhals and belugas are the only two toothed whales native to the Arctic, and they're often seen in one another's company. You've therefore gotta wonder – could they interbreed? Danish scientists now say the answer is yes, and they've got a hybrid "Narluga" skull to prove it.

A collaboration between physicists and immunologists has provided new insights into ways to optimize the efficacy of oral vaccines. The research is working towards an oral hepatitis B vaccine that is safer, cheaper and more easily administered than the current injectable alternative.

​It seems that the more technology progresses, the easier it becomes to produce convincing counterfeit goods. Scientists at the University of Copenhagen are fighting back, however, with product tags that they claim cannot be replicated – even by an item's legitimate manufacturer.

The immune system is incredibly complex, but most of us would probably assume that ideally it runs very precisely, like clockwork. However, a new study has found that a big dose of chaos is not just present but may be a necessary piece of the puzzle in helping the immune system regulate itself.

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest direct evidence of bread ever found, dating back over 14,000 years. It predates farming, leading researchers to suggest that the realization that cereals can be cultivated might have helped humans transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture.

Food poisoning is no fun, and usually all you can do is just ride out the storm. But soon you might be able to chase a bad burger with a "virus cocktail" loaded with bacteria-hunting viruses (bacteriophages) that will kill off the invading E. coli without harming the beneficial bugs.

Evolution is such a gradual process that it can be easy to think it’s not still happening. Now, researchers have discovered a striking example of natural selection at work in humans: a seafaring population of people with a mutation that allows them to dive deeper and hold their breath longer.

​We know how it is. You want to lose weight by working out, but there never seems to be time to do it. Well, a new study indicates that bicycle-commuting burns just as many calories as high-intensity exercise sessions, resulting in a similar amount of weight loss.