Lund University Research Magazine | Themes | Is the world becoming a better place?

Human rights under pressure

Human rights are today under pressure in new ways. What can we do in our part of the world where these rights may be taken for granted by many? “There is really little doubt that human rights are today under pressure at a different level and from different aspects than...

Is dying becoming easier?

Do you think about death or dying? Are you worried about what your final moments in life will be like in case your death is not sudden? What if we were ensured a dignified death, regardless of whether it happens at home or in the hospital? Although this is currently...

Men and women are slowly progressing towards equality

Gender equality is fairly easy for a heterosexual couple – until children come along. This has been true for quite a while. ‟But if we look at the statistics, we see that there has actually been a change since 1990”, says Maria Stanfors, professor at Lund University’s School of Economics...

Good luck comes and goes.

On people’s world view in the 1600s. If you visit Läckö castle, you will see a mural from around 1670 depicting Fortuna, the goddess of luck, balancing on one leg on a sphere floating in the sea. In her hands, she holds a sail which is catching the wind. Above,...

What diseases have people suffered and died from through history?

Opinion by Peter M Nilsson, professor of history of medicine, Lund University Throughout their evolutionary development, humans have adapted to new environments, infectious agents and other health risks. Over a very long term perspective, when average human life expectancy was very limited, this meant that the most important causes of...

New book makes society more accessible to the visually impaired

Can people who have never had the sense of sight see things with their inner eye and create mental images? If so, how? In the book Syntolkning – Forskning och praktik (Audio description – Research and practice), cognitive scientists provide in-depth knowledge of how society can become more accessible to...

In narratives of hope, researchers come together for the future of Syria

‟We know from history that no war lasts forever”. These are the words of Mohammad Nesrini, researcher and refugee from Syria and one of the participants in ‟Post Conflict Futures” initiated by Lund University. No one can predict what the most realistic future for Syria is. Well into its sixth...

Is sustainable growth possible?

Opinion by Alexander Paulsson, senior lecturer in Business Administration, who runs the research group Sustainability, Ecology and Economy (SEE) at the School of Economics and Management in Lund and also works at K2, Sweden’s national centre for research and education on public transport. What is required for us to have...