News at Linköping University

Alvaro Alarcón, Joakim Argillander and Guilherme B Xavier in the lab at LiU.

A more robust quantum communication

Senior lecturer Guilherme Xavier founded a laboratory of quantum technologies at LiU in 2018. His research group’s new results could make help quantum communication over long distances more robust.

Climate denialism dominated by men

Knowledge about climate change is not enough to stop global warming. One of the LiU Alumni of the Year is Martin Hultman. He leads the world’s first researcher network for the study of climate change denialism.

"Sexual violence is surrounded by wordlessness"

Putting words to one’s experience of violence is a first step in being able to move on in life, explains Cecilia Bödker Pedersen, one of LiU’s Alumni of the Year. She is secretary general of an organisation for people subjected to sexual violence.

Alumni of the year: climate denialism and sexual abuse

Cecilia Bödker Pedersen, general secretary of Storasyster, campaigns for a society free from sexual violence. Martin Hultman, docent at Chalmers, conducts research into why we do not act more forcefully against climate change.

COVID19 / 2019-ncov concept: Nurse applies a mask of the mechanical ventilation machine, which can be seen in the foreground. therapy used for lung breathing, in intensive care.

Covid-19: alpha variant associated with more severe disease

A Swedish study has shown that the alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with more severe Covid-19 disease, and leads to more hospital admissions than previous variants.

Universal basic income can improve mental health

Can a universal basic income be an alternate to benefits for people who have been long unemployed? A new report from Linköping University has examined for official bodies in Östergötland whether such a solution is worth testing.

Student residences blossoming in Colonia

A new student accommodation project is literally blossoming on Campus Valla, Linköping. It includes the first wall of plants on a multi-family building in Sweden, with well-designed apartments, and social areas for both study and relaxation.

Male and female researchers sitting in lab + machine Qpatch 48..

New machine speeds up trials on cells

LiU researchers have used high-throughput electrophysiology experiments with a borrowed machine to see how ion channels in cells are influenced by drugs. A new collaboration with the biotech industry.

Distance democracy during the pandemic

During the pandemic, we have seen how municipalities have held council meetings in sports arenas or outdoors. They have reduced the number of participants through voter offsetting and have transitioned to digital meetings at a record pace.

Humour that makes you think – cat research at LiU

Linguist Robert Eklund shares an Ig Nobel Prize with two other researchers for their work on how cats communicate with humans in different ways. The alternative Nobel Prizes are awarded to research that makes people laugh and then think.

Photo of the flag of the Swedish Church blowing in the wind against a blue sky with small clouds.

How should the church be governed?

The elections for the Church of Sweden will be held on 19 September. This year the focus is on how political the church should be, but the agenda also includes issues such as the environment, economy and education.

LiU’s reputation stronger than ever

Sifo Kantar Public has published its index that measures the reputations of Swedish institutions of higher education. It shows that Linköping University has had the greatest increase in reputation among the general public.

Reluctance to take responsibility threat to democracy

Democracy is a fortunate exception. Rule by the people is threatened by power-hungry strongmen, by conflicts between parties and groups, and by a reluctance to take responsibility. But help can come from unexpected places.

Species in polar regions hard hit by climate change

Many species will become extinct as a consequence of global warming. This is the prediction of a mathematical model developed at LiU. The simulations show that climate change will have a particularly large impact on ecosystems in polar regions.

Local democracy requires brave decision-makers

Every period faces challenges to democracy that must be faced. Threats and internet hate, for example, are serious problems for democracy in municipalities. Even so, local politics functions well, all things considered.

close-up of mobile phone held by a youth.

New method for consultations with young people on sexual ill-health

A procedure that uses written questions to identify visitors to youth clinics who have experienced or risk experiencing sexual ill-health is receiving high praise from personnel and visitors. This is the conclusion of a doctoral thesis from LiU.

Angela Fontan and Claudio Altafini discuss signed network theory.

Forming a government – how long will it take?

Researchers at LiU have used a new method to calculate how long it can take to form a government after a general election. They have also used the method to predict which political coalition is the most probable outcome.

Universal suffrage – not so universal?

When women gained the right to vote, it was not the dawn of universal suffrage in Sweden. The poor and criminals were excluded from the voting system, and even today certain groups remain so.

LiU supports vulnerable scholars

Academic freedom cannot be taken for granted. Linköping University joined the international network Scholars at Risk in June 2021. This network helps scholars who cannot work due to such factors as threats and persecution.

LiU climbs in global ranking list

Linköping University has made rapid progress upwards in global rankings. A newly published global list has LiU in place 283 – more than 100 places higher than in the list published last year.

Who votes in Sweden?

Voting rights and voter turnout are core concepts in democracies. Consequently, how many and which people vote are important indicators of how a democracy performs. Sweden has a high voter turnout but there are differences between groups.

Historical seeds reveal unique barley grown in the Storsjö district

Differences in long-distance trade can have significant effects on genetic diversity in agriculture. A study of 120-year-old seed samples from Jämtland shows that unique local varieties can develop when seed exchange instead takes place locally.

“It wouldn’t be too difficult to model Studenthuset in Lego, but the different sizes of the windows make it a bit of a challenge”, says Albin Hansson.

LiU student competes in Lego Masters

LiU student Albin Hansson (20) is competing this autumn in Lego Masters on TV4. His goal after completing his engineering master’s degree specialising in design and product development is to become a Lego designer.

close-up, the hand of a child in hospital bed.

Existing drug opens new possibilities for treating child leukemia

A new study has shown that the tumour-inhibiting gene TET2 is silenced in a large fraction of cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. The scientists show that the gene can be reactivated by an existing drug.