Hvordan opstod livet? Hvordan så de tidligste livsformer ud? Hvordan klarede livet sig uden atmosfære? Hvilke faktorer var en forudsætning for højere livsformer? Hvornår krøb livet på land? Er jorden en stor levende organisme?  Hvad ved vi egentlig om disse og mange andre spørgsmål om livets udvikling? 

I denne podcast taler videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories med Professor Emeritus Tom Fenchel om hvordan livet opstod og blev til de livsformer vi kender i dag.

Historien om livets udvikling

Professor Uffe Gråe Jørgensen fra Niels Bohr Instituttet på Københavns Universitet leder et internationalt forskningsprojekt der arbejder med at udvikle metoder til at spore liv i rummet og på andre planeter end jorden. Med nye teleskoper og instrumenter er der store forventninger til at finde spor efter fremmede livsformer. Efter at vi har opdaget tusindvis af exoplaneter ved vi, at der er mange planeter, som ligger inden for den bebolige zone i forhold til derses stjerne.  Men hvad er det man leder efter? Kan vi overhovedet definere liv, og hvordan leder man?  Der er en masse nye redskaber og teknikker i brug, men hvor forventer forskerne at se de første eksempler på fremmede livsformer.

Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories interviewer Professor Uffe Gråe Jørgensen fra Niels Bohr Instituttet på Københavns Universitet.

Podcasten er en del af vores projekt "Historier om Dansk Rumforskning" støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond.

Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

Nye spor efter ekstraterrestrisk liv

Det tog mere end 50 år fra Einstein offentliggjorde sin generelle relativitetsteori, der mulliggjorte en teoretisk forståelse af sorte huller til, at man observerede det første. I løbet af de seneste år har man helt ændret opfattelse af forekomsten af sorte huller, og nu finder man dem i alle galakser, og i virkeligheden er de slet ikke sorte. Den danske PhD studerende Albert Sneppen kan fortælle en masse overraskende nyt om sorte huller. På trods af sin unge alder kom han i gang med at forske i sorte huller allerede fra studiestarten i 2017, og siden hen er det gået stærkt Hans seneste publikation i tidsskriftet Nature om to neutronstjerners kollision har trukket overskrifter verden over.

Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett interviewer Albert Sneppen fra Niels Bohr Institutet på Københavns Universitet om at forstå sorte huller fra et kvantemekanisk såvel som et relativitetststeoretisk synspunkt.

Podcasten er en del af vores projekt "Historier om Dansk Rumforskning" støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond.

Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © ScienceStoriesApS

Sorte huller i en kvanteverden

Charles Darwins evolutionsteori er ofte blevet opfattet som en teori der kunne legitimere den stærkes ret, og er blevet brugt i eksempler på nødvendigheden af konkurrence og, at sortere de svage fra for at styrke arternes evne til at overleve. 

Men hvis man kigger lidt nærmere på den naturlige udvikling, så viser det sig at det er samarbejde mellem forskellige arter, som har givet de helt store succeshistorier i naturen. Evnen til at samarbejde er et vigtigt element i overlevelsen, og meget mere udbredt på tværs af arter, end mange er klar over.

Bioinformatiker, PhD, Peder Worning fra Hvidovre Hospital fortæller, om hvordan naturen overlever ved arternes samarbejde.

Videnskabsjournalist, Cand Scient i Biologi, Jens Degett interviewer.

Evolution er fællesskab

Seniorforsker Jens Frydenvang har de sidste 12 år brugt en stor del af sin arbejdstid med at køre rundt med en og på det seneste 2 rovere på Mars. Hør om hvad forskerne finder på Mars og hvordan det er at arbejde i sådant et usædvanligt miljø. Jens Frydenvang  fra Globe Instituttet på Københavns Universitet bliver interviewet af videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett.

Podcasten er en del af vores projekt "Historier om Dansk Rumforskning II" støttet af Otto Mønsteds Fond og Thomas B. Thriges Fond.

Foto kredit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

Mars kan lære os nyt om hele solsystemet

Gennem nogen tid har man kunnet høre politikere og meningsdannere tale om at skære ned på uddannelserne, gøre dem kortere og udhule indholdet, så man ikke behøver at kunne så meget. Antallet af studerende skal skæres ned, og det skal være sværere for mange at komme ind på den uddannelse de ønsker sig.

Forskerne klager samtidig over at forskningsmidler som udbydes i fri konkurrence er stagneret i gennem de sidste  år og helt galt står det til med EU-Midlerne der modregnes i forskningsbudgettet, så når forskerne har success til at hjemtage midler fra EU, så bliver der færre penge til den øvrige forskning.

Hvad foregår der egentligt?   Videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett fra Science Stories har talt med forskningsordfører fra Radikale Venstre, Stinus Lindgreen om udviklingen inden for uddannelse og forskning. Er der et rationale bag, eller er forsknings og uddannelsessystemet bare meget dårlige til at forklare hvorfor de er vigtige?

Besparelser på uddannelse og forskning koster dyrt

With new astronomical instruments and new knowledge of fundamental physics our understanding of the universe is developing fast. The new understanding of the universe from its Dark Ages, after the Big Bang, to the current acceleration with planets, stars, galaxies and life raises a lot of questions.

In this podcast, Science Journalist Jens Degett interviews Associate Professor Darach Watson from the Cosmic Dawn Center at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

The podcast is part of our project "Danish Space Research" supported by Otto Mønsteds Foundation and Thomas B. Thriges Foundation.

Photo credit: Jens Degett, © Science Stories ApS

[Best of] From the Dark ages to life

The first quantum computer has arrived. The version of a quantum chip that recently came out of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen is now for sale, but it has already been sold out. 

The price is cheap according to professor Peter Lodahl from Sparrow Quantum  who has recently moved out of the old Niels Bohr Institute to the other side of the street. Not a big move but a quantum leap. 

Science journalist Jens Degett is talking to Peter Lodahl in this podcast trying to understand what a quantum computer can do, how it works and what purpose it will serve.

Quantum computing has arrived

Obesity, mobility, exercise and cancer are in the spotlight for researchers as there is an increasing amount of evidence pointing at the metabolic mechanisms which bind them together.  

Associate Professor Lykke Sylow from  the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Molecular Metabolism in Cancer and Ageing at the Health Faculty at University of Copenhagen Is being interviewed by science journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories about why it is important to be in a good shape, and all the benefits of exercise.

Obesity, mobility, exercise and cancer are related

DNA and RNA sequence analysis enable researchers to form a total overview of which species of microorganisms and parasites live with humans, animals and plants. 

It is not just in our gut where microorganisms are playing a role in our digestion. Also on the skin and all mucous membranes, in the mouth and all the way down into the hair follicles, we live together with parasites and microorganisms which help to shape our lives and our development.

This knowledge makes it possible to see organisms in a far more holistic perspective, which provides a far better understanding of the factors that have evolutionarily shaped the species as they now appear in nature.

In this podcast, Science Journalist Jens Degett talks to Professor Marcus Thomas Pius Gilbert from the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (CEH) at the University of Copenhagen. The center has recently received DKK 67.7 million from the Danish National Research Foundation.

Photo credit: Jens Degett

[Best of] Hologenomics - how organisms interact  and evolve

One of the most powerful and advanced laser research institutions in the world is situated in Hungary. It is called the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) The Lasers of ELI can generate light pulses so bright that they can capture femtosecond and attosecond events in the molecular and atomic range. This can be used  in a number of very different research disciplines from medicine and life science to climate and material research. More than 600 researchers work here, but many more are visiting from all over the world.

Extreme Light Infrastructure

This podcast on our living universe is recorded in Danish. We will try to make an English transcription as soon as we we can get a suitable transcription tool.

Vores levende univers
Der sker i disse år så meget inden for forskning især inden for biovidenskaberne. Vi studerer på livet løs hvordan liv fungerer, men hvad liv egentligt er, det er stadig et godt spørgsmål. Hvis man føler sig hægtet af, så er der en god anledning til at få et overblik over emnet lige nu - for Gunver Lystbæk Vestergård har skrevet en bog, som udkommer på Peoples Press i disse dage med titlen 
Vores Levende Univers - videnskabens søgen efter rumvæsener og alt livs oprindelse.

Hør videnskabsjournalist Jens Degett interviewe forfatter og videnskabsjournalist Gunver Lystbæk Vestergård om hendes bog og hvad der i øvrigt sker med vores erkendelse af liv i universet.

Vores levende univers

We are used to think about the universe as a structure which started with a Big Bang and then expanded. Sir Roger Penrose, who received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics, has developed an alternative theory of the universe based on Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity which is called "Conformal Cyclic Cosmology". In this new model we don’t have one single Big Bang, but an iteration of infinite cycles (or aeons) of expansion and cooling, each beginning with a “big bang” and ending in a “big crunch”.

Science Journalist Jens Degett interviews Professor Niels Obers, Director of the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA) and professor at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, on Roger Penrose’s theory and how much evidence is needed in order to change the general view of a central paradigm which is written in our school textbooks. What if Penrose is right? What consequences or perspectives will it have for us?

[Best of] Conformal cyclic cosmology explained

Gravitational waves is a strange phenomena which was predicted already by Albert Einstein.

To understand gravitational waves you need to understand gravitation. In this podcast professor Niels Obers describe gravitation in Newtonian terms and in the frame of Einstein's general theory of relativity. Both descriptions are incomplete but due to research with gravitational waves we may reach to a better understanding of these phenomena.

Since 2015 where gravitational waves were first detected with certainty, a number of new gravitational wave detectors are being build and researchers are learning more about the ripples in time, space and the fabric of the universe.

Science Journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories is interviewing professor Niels Obers from the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen.

[Best of] Gravitational waves

Superstrings was a very popular topic among physicists in the 1980ies. They had a renaissance in 1995 but then the researchers changed focus to other things. Now superstrings have gained new momentum in physics again. Professor Niels Obers from the Niels Bohr Institute explains what superstrings and string theory is. He also explains why superstrings are popular among researchers again. Science journalists Jens Degett is interviewing.

[Best of] Superstrings and string theory

3iATLAS is the third interstellar object or "Interloper" that has been observed in our solar system. The first  object of this kind was Oumuamua  which was discovered on its way out of our solarsystem in 2017.  This time we are more lucky  as the interstellar object 3iATLAS has been observed early in its path through our solar system in the beginning of july.

3iATLAS is a rare guest  and will disappear out of our solar system in a few month. Until then, we may study the object via telescopes and other sensors and discover new scientific secrets about  the development of our galaxy, the universe and maybe even organic material which is needed for development of life  as we know it. There are even researchers who think the new interstellar object is formed by intelligent life, but there are currently no proven signs of that. Professor in astrophysics Uffe Gråe Jørgensen from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen is interviewed by Science Journalist Jens Degett.

3iATLAS

If you look at flight maps you can see small stipulated lines with magnetic field direction - on the  map. The journalist was told that these lines were moving over time, so as a pilot he had to buy new maps once in a while. 
The magnetic lines are not static they are moving. This means that the magnetic north is moving too and in fact there has been a movement of the magnetic North of more than 40 km/year, moving north from Alaska to Siberia.

In this podcast science journalist Jens Degett is asking Professor  Chris Finlay questions on how the magnetic field is created on our earth. Why it may shift or reverse and what importance magnetic fields are protecting our planet from having our atmosphere blown away by the solar wind  particles.
   
There is a lot of interesting stories on how we can use manometers in mobile phones to measure direction and finally Chris Finlay reveal how different the magnetic fields are on other planets. in our solar system and beyond.

Magnetic fields

During the summer particle research at CERN has been speeding up. After the Higgs particle was discovered and analyzed more particles at higher energies are needed to reach new levels of understanding of the universe. The top Quarks and the Di-Higgs particle are examples.
Science Journalist Jens Degett is interviewing Associate Professor Troels Christian Petersen from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen on how success in smashing particles at CERN can change our view of the universe.

Particle research at high speeds

Though we may not hear so much in the media about Mars these days, there is still a lot of really interesting research on the red planet.
The two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance are more than living up to their mission expectation but there are 7 other missions making new discoveries every day and a handful of new missions are on their way. 
Science Journalist Jens Degett is interviewing  PhD Fellow Katrine Wulff Nicolaisen from Centre for Star and Planet Formation at the University of Copenhagen.  She is working on a daily basis with the two rovers on mars and she is also  working on a meteorite called Black Beauty which originates from mars.  



Mars research is  finding new  knowledge

Center for Exolife Sciences at the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen organised a conference under the theme "Are we a unique species on a unique planet or are we just the ordinary standard?" We may already have detected traces of life in the atmosphere of the distant planet called K2 18b. During four days in Copenhagen 100 researchers were discussing how we interpret signs of life outside our planet.

In this podcast Science Journalist Jens Degett is interviewing Professor Nikku Madhusudhan from University of Cambridge on exoplanetary atmosphere analysis. and former NASA Chief Historian and Director of the NASA History Officer Steven Dick on conspiracy aliens in the media.

Follow Science Stories on: Apple Podcast, SoundCloud, Spotify, Spreaker, Google Podcasts, Podimo, and Instagram.

[Best of] Exoplanetary life conference

We are used to telescopes as instruments on Earth looking out on space or instruments in space looking  at even more distant objects in outer space. 
The Einstein Telescope is very different and will be build deep under the surface of the Earth. Over 2,000 researchers participate in the international organisation and there is a competition between different countries about where to build it. 

One of the researchers who are involved is Professor Niels Obers from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. Niels Obers is telling Science journalist Jens Degett what the new instrument is able to reveal when it is finished?
Niels Obers also  describe gravitation in Newtonian terms and in the frame of Einstein's general theory of relativity. Both descriptions are incomplete but due to research with gravitational waves we may reach a better understanding of these phenomena


The Einstein Telescope

June 2025 Marked an important leap in Danish Space History.  A satellite was launched into orbit on 23 June from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. 

The launch was initiated by the Danish and Swedish Defense ministries and several space research industries and research institutions. 
The satellite is called Bifrost. And it has a dual mission. This time Science journalist Jens Degett talking to The Danish Defense specialist Martin Laimonis. In the end of the interview there is lot of information and hints about how satellites are being built and how to get your own project funded.

Bifrost

All organisms from fruit flies to humans share the same mechanism for controlling the day and night rhythms also called the circadian rhythms. This mechanism is considered fundamental to all advanced life forms, and it has a surprising feature. It binds us genetically to live on earth.

Michael Rosbash received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2017 for the discovery of the circadian rhythms together with Jeffrey Hall and Michael Young. He is a professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Brandeis University.

In 2019 he was invited by The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters to give the nineteenth Royal Academy Nobel Laureate Lecture in Copenhagen and was interviewed by science journalist Jens Degett. 

Photo credit: Chris Heller for Science Stories.

Release date:
10 September 2025
[Best of] Circadian Rhythms By Science Stories is

[Best of] Circadian rythms

When something is possible and not too difficult to achieve, We are used to say “This is not rocket science” but today's podcast is literally about rocket science -
and, in a way maybe the most difficult approach to sending people into orbit we can think of.
Copenhagen Suborbitals is the world’s first and only amateur spaceflight program. The Copenhagen Suborbitals is located in Denmark with supporters from across the world. From 2011 until today they have designed and flown 6 rockets from their floating launch site in the Baltic Sea.
Their goal is simple but audacious: to fly an amateur astronaut to space and return him/her safely to Earth – Without Governmental Support
Todays Science Stories guest is Jørgen Skyt from Copenhagen Suborbitals. I am Jens Degett and this is Science Stories,
We will make links and more photos on our website.

Copenhagen Suborbitals

Last week the EU Space Conference 2025 took place in Aalborg as part of the Danish EU-presidency. More than 450 stakeholders from science, policy, industry and media met during the two-day conference. The EU Commissioner for defense and space Andrius Kubilius, the Danish Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund and the former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen were among the speakers.
Already at the opening of the conference, it was clear that the importance of space research and its utilization has changed dramatically. The Minister Christina Egelund announced that Denmark will invest 2,7 billion DKK in space related activities during the next four years.
Science Stories decided to ask one of the top speakers, Stephan Roemer from OHB in Germany, to give an overview of what tendences the conference was showing with Danish and European space industry’s development and give us a perspective of the opportunities and the challenges. OHB is one of the three largest space companies in Europe. It seems in the near future we can expect a dramatic development of space related tools such as satellites will be an integrated part of many fields from research, resource management and agriculture to defense.
Interview is made by Jens Degett,Denmark. Interviewee is Stephan Roemer, Germany

European Space industry is aiming at the sky

DNA and RNA sequence analysis enable researchers to form a total overview of which species of microorganisms and parasites live with humans, animals and plants. It is not just in our gut where microorganisms are playing a role in our digestion. Also on the skin and all mucous membranes, in the mouth and all the way down into the hair follicles, we live together with parasites and microorganisms which help to shape our lives and our development.

This knowledge makes it possible to see organisms in a far more holistic perspective, which provides a far better understanding of the factors that have evolutionarily shaped the species as they now appear in nature.

In this podcast, Science Journalist Jens Degett talks to Professor Marcus Thomas Pius Gilbert from the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (CEH) at the University of Copenhagen. The center received DKK 67.7 million from the Danish National Research Foundation.

[Best of] Hologenomics. How organisms interact  and evolve

Science Stories is visiting the AI in Science Summit 2025 co-organized by the European Commission, The Danish EU Presidency and The University of Copenhagen.
There is full house with 1200 participants, and the topic is all aspects of artificial intelligence.
Science  journalist  jens Degett is trying to  understand artificial intelligence better and has asked Chair of the Summit Steering Committee, Director of the Danish Pioneer Centre for AI, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen Serge Belongie to explain what artificial Intelligence is and why it is important.


Europe’s Win and Worry with Artificial Intelligence

[Best of] From the dark ages to life

The Cost of Underfunding Science
Almost 40 years ago the interviewer  read a paper on how Europe lacked behind in science and  how an economic deficit compared to USA and Japan  was building up year year after year.  In the year 2000 Minister Mariano Gago mobilised the EU Council of Ministers  to agree on an investment scheme  for public research  suggesting a minimum of  1% of GDP . This was followed by a recommendation of 2%   private investment. Further inputs  came with the Sapir Report in 2003  And the establishment of 
European Research Council (2007)
Now Europe is discussing the  Mario Draghi report (2024)  But most European countries are still underspending  in their funding for science.
The interview is with former Head of Communication at  the  European Science Foundation Jens Degett and former President of the European Research Council Jean Pierre Bourguignon.

Europe’s research investment deficit

Today’s story is a good example of how little we know about biology and life, and how we can use our knowledge to better fight diseases and environmental threats. 
We are going to talk about bacteriophages or just fages. These are small viruses which attack bacteria. The story is literally about life and death and most organisms on earth are being killed every week.  
We have covered this topic before but, but in this podcast we will go deeper into the substance and ask one of the current frontier researchers from the biocomplexity group at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen Namiko Mitarai Japan.

[Best of] Phages regulate bacteria growth on earth

Science Stories fortæller historier om videnskab baseret på nysgerrighed og fascination af viden og indsigt, men vi kan også være kritiske og stille spørgsmål ved veletablerede dogmer. Vi stræber efter at forstå grundlaget for viden og sætte den i perspektiv. Redaktionen er uafhængig og ikke underlagt udefrakommende politiske eller kommercielle interesser.

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