🪙 A man with a metal detector may have just rewritten Danish history. While scanning a field on Tåsinge (an island south of Fyn), Jan Hjort uncovered a small bronze stamp (a patrice) that may link Denmark directly to one of the U.K.’s most iconic royal treasures, the Sutton Hoo helmet. Experts now believe this Danish-made piece could prove that 600s-era Denmark played a much bigger role in European power structures than previously thought. The National Museum calls it a “missing link,” and yes, you can see it for yourself in Copenhagen starting April 1.
🎓 Denmark just scored big in European research. A total of 92 researchers have received a postdoctoral fellowship under Horizon Europe. That’s over 171 million DKK in funding coming to Denmark — a jump from 102 million DKK last year. The fellowships are part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, designed to promote researcher mobility and global careers. With a 20% success rate (well above the EU average), Denmark ranks third in Europe.
📚 Two Danish books are in the running for this year’s Nordic Council Literature Prize, which celebrates the best fiction from across the Nordic countries. The Danish nominees are Dødebogsblade, a diary-novel by Madame Nielsen, and Insula, a novel by Thomas Boberg. Both works explore the complexity of being human in a changing world. The winner will be announced on October 21, with 300,000 DKK and major literary glory up for grabs.
📚 Danish children’s literature just got two new stars. Carsten René Nielsen has won the 2024 Culture Ministry’s Author Award for Knoglebowling, a collection of 15 quirky, poetic tales about kids and their everyday oddities. Charlotte Pardi picked up the Illustrator Award for Op Ned Glad Ked, a playful guessing game of emotions brought to life with charming drawings.
👗 Europeans are buying more clothes than ever, with an average of 19 kilos per person every year, according to the European Environment Agency. Most of it is thrown out soon after and ends up incinerated or shipped to Asia or Africa. The rise of fast fashion, online shopping, and social media is driving the trend. 677 tons of unsold clothes were burned in Denmark last year alone. Experts say there’s no such thing as sustainable materials, only sustainable habits.
📱 “Do it because I said so” doesn’t work so well anymore, especially when it comes to screen time. A new study shows that kids are more likely to follow digital rules at home if adults follow them too. Right now, only 29% of families have shared screen rules for both kids and parents, even though nearly half of children think their parents are on their phones too much. Experts suggest setting limits for everyone and creating phone-free zones, because being a role model beats being a rule maker.
“We see a positive impact every day in how our young people interact with each other and learn”: how getting rid of phones changed the culture in one Danish school.
😬 White nicotine pouches (those small, smokeless alternatives to tobacco) are under fire in both Sweden and Denmark. A new Swedish study links them to gum damage and irritated mouth tissue, possibly worse than traditional snus. The issue? These pouches use synthetic nicotine in high doses and aren’t well regulated. Usage among Danish teens is rising fast, with 17% of young adults now using them. Denmark will ban the sale and possession of illegal nicotine pouches starting July 2025.
🦆 After being overrun by killer slugs last year, Gartnergården near Aarhus is fighting back, with ducks. Their new mobile duck house, “Snegleguffer,” lets the feathered pest patrol be moved to where the slimy threat is worst. It’s no joke; these invasive slugs laid hundreds of eggs and destroyed gardens across Denmark in 2024. While slug season is heating up again, ducks have proven better than knives, coffee grounds, or biofilm. But it’s not without risk. As one farmer said, “The ducks love slugs, but foxes also love ducks.”
🪖 On Bornholm, the local Home Guard is calling in the reserves, not just for sandwiches, but to prepare for serious scenarios. With Russia increasingly seen as a potential threat in the Baltic region, Denmark’s easternmost island is stepping up its defense efforts. Volunteers like Winnie, who are usually on the shooting range, now fill in wherever needed due to a lack of personnel. Meanwhile, former reservists are being asked to rejoin, including Dennis, who returned after 10 years to help protect his island.
