With ample sunshine forecast in the coming days, it’s time for shorts, sandals and sunscreen. Your sunscreen is likely collecting dust in the back of some drawer somewhere. You haven’t needed it for the past eight months, unless you’ve been on holiday somewhere. But instead of digging it out for use, a more favourable idea might be to just buy a new bottle. That’s because consumer association Forbrugerrådet Tænk has found a disturbing ratio of sunscreens on the Danish market that contain substances that are concerning. Forbrugerrådet Tænk tested 27 different sunscreen products and found p ..read more

Two male Xysticus lineatus spiders – AKA the North European crab spider – were recently discovered in a forest in Tisvilde Hegn in north Zealand. Specialists are currently looking for females of the same species to firmly establish the presence of a population on Danish soil. It’s an exciting wait for Frederik Lick Fisher, a graduate biologist from the University of Copenhagen who did his master’s thesis on crab spider sensory physiology, as it could mean he has discovered a species never recorded in Denmark before – a culmination of four years of work. Spiders unlikely to be invasive “Given t ..read more

At a recent high-level meeting with AI experts, Denmark’s first ever minister for digitalisation, Marie Bjerre, expressed no intention to update or develop new regulations concerning the safe use of artificial intelligence in Denmark.  “I have no plans to introduce new legislation for artificial intelligence. The regulations already in place should be sufficient. They only need to be further elaborated,” she said.  “It is essential to have regulations for the area, but it must be done in accordance with the EU’s upcoming AI regulations in the EU, which are expected by 2024. We want t ..read more

Denmark is busy identifying underground areas where it can store CO2, reports DR. For example, the appropriately named Gassum in east Jutland, a village with 414 inhabitants, is one of nine possible CO2 storage facilities identified by GEUS (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland). Gassum “corresponds to Denmark’s CO2 emissions for about 60 years”, enthused GEUS geologist Nina Skaarup – the equivalent of 600 million tonnes – while another project in Stenlille in west Zealand could capture another 500,000 tonnes. Data is still being collected, but it is believed the mapping process will be ..read more

Crown Prince Frederik graced the stage yesterday at an event in Esbjerg inaugurating an experiment in carbon capture and storage (CCS). The technology involves pumping carbon dioxide emissions back into the earth, reports DR. In the sea not far away from the proceedings, a disused oil rig was used to begin pumping the gas beneath the sea. The CO2 was brought there in large containers on a ship. The ship can carry 800 tonnes of the gas in one go. According to DR, this is the equivalent of the emissions of just 70 Danes, prompting questions as to whether they should be eating so much rye bread ..read more

Europe’s food product system accounts for one-third of the continent’s greenhouse gas emissions and has a significant impact on biodiversity and public health. So in order for the EU to attain its lofty climate goals, something needs to be done.  To this end, the comprehensive CLEVERFOOD project has been established to transform Europe’s food system to become more friendly to the climate, nature, biodiversity and public health. Denmark has been tasked with spearheading the charge over the next four years – an effort that will be led by Christian Bugge Henriksen, an associate professor at ..read more

Researchers have come up with a strategy that could significantly reduce the climate footprint of agriculture. By adding Dutch-produced food additive Bovaer to cattle feed, scientists from Aarhus University (AU) have succeeded in cutting methane emissions caused by cow burps and farts by about 30 percent. As part of the project, 30 farmers in Denmark, Sweden and Germany have taken part in the project, in which 10,000 milk cows were given the additive.  “If we are to give our cows these food additives, it will signal a revolution of the Danish use of cattle,” Peter Lund, a professor from t ..read more

Ørsted has applied for permits to build offshore wind projects with a capacity of 15 GW, reports Reuters. Together with existing plans to produce a further 3 GW, the output would be enough to cover more than half the country’s total electricity consumption by 2032. The giant stride for the Danish company, which promises to lower power prices and foster green industries, will dramatically increase Sweden’s offshore wind production, which today amounts to only 0.2 GW. No offshore windfarms have been built in Sweden since 2013. The government does not hold tenders – instead, firms are encouraged ..read more

The discovery of PFAS in the groundwater was a common occurrence last year, but now there is growint concern that the dangerous chemical is also present in much of Denmark’s rainfall. PFAS chemicals, which have been found in the groundwater of a fifth of the country’s municipalities, are highly detrimental to human health. They are carcinogenic, increasing the risk of both kidney and testicular cancer, and do not degrade naturally.  Pressure is accordingly growing on the environment minister, Magnus Heunicke, to initiate an investigation into the presence of PFAS in Denmark’s rainfa ..read more

American and Danish scientists weren’t expecting to make a startling new discovery when they opted to remove the brain of a cadaver by slicing the whole head off. Normally, scientists just remove the brain, but cutting the entire head off revealed a layer of cells not previously detected: a fourth meninge that undoubtedly plays an important role in the brain’s immune system, claims the team from the University of Copenhagen and University of Rochester. “When you want to examine the brain, you usually take the brain out. When doing so, the membrane is destroyed. Therefore, it has not been poss ..read more