Since around 1890, Icelandic glaciers have been shrinking by around 4 billion tons (Gt) per year, with a total loss in this period of between 410 and 670 Gt. At the same time, glaciers have lost almost 16% of their volume. Around half of this was lost between autumn 1994 and autumn 2019, with the total loss for this period between 220 and 260 Gt – close to 10 Gt per year on average.

"Conspiracy theories about the Nordic countries are more common than most think, and they are usually in one way or another on alleged attempts to extinguish masculinity or radically interfere with children's upbringing," says Hulda Þórisdóttir, associate professor of Political Science at the University of Iceland, and one of the authors of Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries. The book was recently published by the esteemed publisher Routledge and is the first academic account of such theories about, and within, the Nordic countries.

The book, „Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries“, is a collaboration of an interdisciplinary group of research scholars at Nordic and Baltic universities.  Among them are research specialist in the fields of folkloristics, religious studies, anthropology, and history. In addition to Hulda another Icelandic academic is among the authors; Eiríkur Bergmann, professor at Bifröst University.

At the moment, most people probably connect the idea of a prediction model with news about the infection rate in the coronavirus pandemic. One of those working on creating that prediction model is Brynjólfur Gauti Jónsson. This year he completed an MS in statistics from the University of Iceland and is currently doing a PhD in biostatistics.

For his Master's thesis, Brynjólfur researched the methodology behind predictive modelling for age-related mortality rates. This kind of prediction model is used a lot in actuarial science, for example when pension funds calculate people's expected lifespans. 

These statistics are used by pension funds to determine how high monthly pension payments should be. The more accurate the prediction models, the more likely it is that pensioners will receive all the money in their funds. Models also reduce risk for the pension fund.

"The main challenges facing education systems all over the world are defined by increased mobility and cultural diversity. Policy making and research across national borders is particularly important when responding to international challenges such as these."

So says Berglind Rós Magnúsdóttir, associate professor at the University of Iceland School of Education, on her current research, which aims at exploring the circumstances of young immigrants or refugees with regard to democratic education and the development of civic awareness in three cities: Reykjavík, Oslo and London.