05.12.25 NEWS ... A newly published book by University of Tartu doctoral researcher Oskar Poll provides the first ever comprehensive overview of tattoo culture in Estonia during the Soviet era.

04.12.25 NEWS ... On a recent visit to Estonia, Swedish Nobel laureate Svante Pääbo reflected on his family's ties to Estonia, its scientific achievements, and what matters most for the future.

04.12.25 NEWS ... According to an analysis by the Estonian Environment Agency, South Estonia saw the most thunderstorms this year. Overall, there were six more storm days than the 20-year average.

03.12.25 NEWS ... Academic Jaak Aaviksoo said on "Otse uudistemajast" that Estonian universities are too focused on protecting guild-like structures and that academic freedom must also come with responsibility.

03.12.25 NEWS ... Locally grown potatoes cultivated using conventional methods are just as free of pesticides as organic food, according to research by Ave Kutman, a junior researcher at the Tartu Health Care College who analyzed school meals in Tartu. Efforts to further increase the share of organic food may force schools to favor ingredients sourced from afar, which puts a strain on the environment.

02.12.25 NEWS ... The ruling Reform Party on Monday opposed a Riigikogu bill that would have made kindergarten nationwide, despite supporting a similar measure in Tallinn earlier this year.

01.12.25 NEWS ... This week, Svante Pääbo, Nobel Prize winner for sequencing the Neanderthal genome, is visiting Estonia. In an interview with Novaator, Pääbo notes that genetics is often burdened with unrealistic expectations and says fears of humanity's imminent extinction are unfounded.

01.12.25 NEWS ... Nobel prize winner Professor Svante Pääbo gave a lecture titled "About Neandertals, and how they live on in many of us" in English on Monday at the University of Tartu after receiving an honorary doctorate.

29.11.25 NEWS ... School principals say they were surprised to learn the nationwide compulsory school-age limit rose to 18 this fall — not next year, as they had long understood.

28.11.25 NEWS ... A self-sustaining tiny house on the edge of the forest, far from the noise of the city and powered by a wind turbine and solar panels seems to be a dream for many in these fast-paced and uncertain times. But for those accustomed to urban life, achieving that dream can be its own kind of challenge — off-grid living can be very expensive and it's still not quite possible to live comfortably relying solely on sun and wind.

28.11.25 NEWS ... During the Soviet era, a large number of single-family homes — what we now consider private houses — were built across Estonia. Although only a limited number of standard designs officially circulated at the time, homes built using the same project often ended up looking quite different due to widespread shortages, an Estonian researcher points out.

27.11.25 NEWS ... This year's basic school mathematics final exam results continue to show major disparities between schools. While failure rates are virtually nonexistent in central Tallinn and Tartu schools, nearly half of students in outlying areas and certain city districts do not pass the exam.

26.11.25 NEWS ... Birch bark tar found at a site in southwestern Estonia has led to researchers for the first time extracting human DNA, offering a fascinating new insight into the region's more distant past.

24.11.25 OPINION ... Without structural changes to the funding model both at the state and university level, most problems facing Estonia's universities cannot be solved, writes academician and former TalTech rector Jaak Aaviksoo.

24.11.25 OPINION ... Estonia's misfortune is the scientific sector's heavy dependence on European Union funding, which is allocated only for short-term or, at best, medium-term projects, writes Kristina Kallas.

21.11.25 NEWS ... Although new immigrants consider Tallinn a safe city and feel they are adapting well, they find it difficult to form friendships with locals. Employers could help bridge this gap by organizing events and trainings that support language learning, writes Siim Tamme of the Baltic Institute of Social Sciences.

21.11.25 NEWS ... People constantly use calculation and number sense in everyday life, often without even realizing it. For instance, it can come in handy while cleaning — helping to judge where to place additional items and where not to. A doctoral dissertation defended at Tallinn University suggests that highly motivated young people with a strong interest in mathematics perceive numerical relationships even without being explicitly guided to do so.

20.11.25 NEWS ... Antibiotic resistance is on the rise in poorer countries and conflict zones, a new report shows. In Estonia, cases are brought in by tourists and Ukrainian refugees.

18.11.25 OPINION ... We cannot outsource our future. If we remain passive, others will absorb the talent and reap the rewards. But if we act, we will not only strengthen our university — we will accelerate the entire scientific, cultural and economic metabolism of Estonia, finds Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

12.11.25 NEWS ... A "unique in Europe" testing mobile lab for autonomous vehicles opened in Tallinn on Tuesday which allows companies to test self-driving vehicles in real-life situations and bring their solutions to market faster.

10.11.25 NEWS ... Among the nominees for the Heritage Board's annual awards in the "Discovery of the Year" category are the Stone Age site at Sindi-Lodja, Viking-era coins from the village of Sarve on Hiiumaa and a rediscovered settlement site near Muhu stronghold.

08.11.25 NEWS ... A Klooga school's plan to share leftover lunches through a local community fridge was shut down before it could start after the vendor stepped in, citing food safety concerns.

07.11.25 NEWS ... In a €1.6 million bid, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) is seeking media partners to bolster its visibility, credibility and reputation over the next four years.

07.11.25 NEWS ... Estonian artists are visiting Narva schools this week, giving kids in the northeastern border city a hands-on chance to explore contemporary art while honing their Estonian.

06.11.25 NEWS ... Fall is prime time to tackle invasive Spanish slugs and their eggs, gardener Eva Luigas said — before they settle in for winter.

06.11.25 NEWS ... In the late 1970s, a mysterious object dating back to the Early Stone Age was unearthed in Germany. Initially thought to be an oil lamp, the item was later studied in detail by researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark, with Estonian scientists also taking part. Analysis revealed it to be an ancient paint palette bearing the oldest known trace of blue pigment in Europe.

05.11.25 NEWS ... Estonia has no industrial oil reserves due to geological conditions that prevent its formation and accumulation, says University of Tartu professor Leho Ainsaar.

05.11.25 NEWS ... Neuroscientist and AI researcher Jaan Aru discussed recent developments in Estonia's education-focused AI initiative on the talk show "Plekktrumm" and how to navigate the age of artificial intelligence without losing the human ability to think and decide freely.

30.10.25 NEWS ... Estonian students are currently expected to gain religious knowledge incidentally through various school subjects. However, a University of Tartu doctoral thesis suggests this exposure is insufficient. Students themselves tend to view religious education in schools positively.

29.10.25 NEWS ... Teacher shortages in Estonia are a growing problem, mainly due to the lack of a long-term national strategy, a recent study found.

29.10.25 NEWS ... Estonia's average diet takes a toll on both public health and the environment. In his newly defended doctoral thesis at Tallinn University of Technology, Bashir Bashiri offers realistic ways to eat more consciously and sustainably — without giving up familiar foods.

28.10.25 NEWS ... With legal gender changes on the rise in Estonia, expert Kai Haldre says one thing matters most for young people in the process: feeling supported and trusted at home.

28.10.25 NEWS ... Fear and other emotions have become a central axis of modern media and politics — not just reflected, but actively created and amplified, say semioticians from the University of Tartu and Tallinn University.

28.10.25 NEWS ... The transition to Estonian-language learning is moving slowly in former Russian-language schools, as teachers face heavy workloads and uncertainty over teaching methods.

27.10.25 NEWS ... Climate warming may cause peatlands in Estonia and the rest of the Baltic states to shift from vital carbon sinks to emission sources, a study has found.

27.10.25 OPINION ... There has been no public desire in recent decades to remove black stork forests from protection, yet that is exactly what the Environmental Board wants to do conservation expert Renno Nellis writes.

27.10.25 NEWS ... Estonia's high schools no longer have the power to expel pupils below the age of 18, amid efforts to standardize practices and curb rates of dropping out of high school.

25.10.25 NEWS ... Tech teachers from 15 Estonian schools have been learning how to build and use drones in order to pass on that knowledge to their students.

23.10.25 NEWS ... An Estonian fifth-grade history textbook by historian Maarja Merivoo-Parro won top honors at the international Best European Learning Materials Awards (BELMA) in Frankfurt.

23.10.25 NEWS ... Millions worldwide use language-learning app Duolingo to learn more than 40 languages — and officials want Estonian to be next.

22.10.25 NEWS ... Around a quarter of Estonia's pet rabbits, guinea pigs, and rats are overweight, recent research shows.

21.10.25 NEWS ... While some Estonian families got surnames only a century ago, others trace back over 500 years — long before serfdom ended, writes researcher Fred Puss.

17.10.25 NEWS ... Cats often drink water from weird places, and it's usually out of curiosity and instinct. One Estonian vet offers some suggestions to keep your cat safe and happy.

17.10.25 NEWS ... Several distinctive gene variants found in Estonians influence body weight and appetite, many of which are unique to this region and act primarily in the brain rather than the gut.

15.10.25 NEWS ... As of three years ago, nearly a quarter of Estonia's population was obese. A report finds that while semaglutide and bariatric surgery aid weight loss more effectively than lifestyle changes, the current price of semaglutide makes providing it to all Estonians unaffordable for the Health Insurance Fund.

14.10.25 NEWS ... Involving teens early is key to lifelong democratic habits, and Estonia's schools can help inspire them to vote, says Tallinn University junior research fellow Maarja Hallik.

13.10.25 NEWS ... At a staggering six petabytes — or 6 million gigabytes — the National Archives' digital collection now outpaces paper holdings, attracting nearly all visitors online.

13.10.25 NEWS ... People listing Estonian as their native language in Estonia's population register will soon also be able to specify which dialect they speak.

11.10.25 NEWS ... At-home urine test kits are now common in Estonian pharmacies and supermarkets, but doctors warn they're often unreliable and no replacement for a lab test or doctor's visit.

10.10.25 NEWS ... For Qiaoqiao Li, a bachelor's in Estonian wasn't enough — last year, she moved from China to Tartu to tackle one of the language's trickiest features in her master's thesis.