Skip to main menu 04.02.26 NEWS ... When thinking of protests, what often comes to mind is the image of demonstrations, slogans and angry chants. However, a recently defended doctoral dissertation on protest culture shows that protest is not merely a political act of resistance, but a broader cultural phenomenon — a way for society to interpret, express and transform itself.
04.02.26 NEWS ... There is no comprehensive overview of how bats wintering in Estonia are faring as national monitoring does not extend to the basements of private homes. To fill in these gaps, researchers are asking residents for help.
03.02.26 NEWS ... Estonia's new nationwide school admissions system, SAIS3, is behind schedule, forcing 9th graders to apply to vocational and high schools this spring using older platforms.
03.02.26 NEWS ... Stereotypes about groups like arrogant Mulks and jokester Hiiu islanders don't hold up: a unique study of 80,000 Estonians found personalities remarkably similar nationwide.
03.02.26 NEWS ... Transporting critically ill newborns across the city puts lives at risk, pediatricians warn, calling for a maternity hospital next door to Tallinn Children's Hospital.
02.02.26 NEWS ... 2026 in Estonia began with a much colder, drier and sunnier January than usual, ranking among the coldest starts to the year in the past 25 years.
31.01.26 NEWS ... A 12th-century monk's slightly out of left field recommendation to treat iron with pork fat had scientific merit, University of Tartu experiments have proved.
30.01.26 NEWS ... A study based on data from the Estonian Biobank shows that previously unstudied genetic variants may slow the breakdown of medications, leading to their buildup in the body. The risk of side effects is higher for people who take multiple medications at the same time.
30.01.26 NEWS ... Although statistics confirm the undeniable warming of the climate, people's short memory and the volatility of the weather make every sharp cold snap come as a major surprise.
29.01.26 NEWS ... Estonia is moving to make school vaccinations opt-out, not opt-in, as nurses emphasize letting students have a real say in their health-related decisions.
29.01.26 NEWS ... Anthropologist Francisco Martínez hopes his new book, "The Future of Hiding," might help change perceptions about Estonia's oft-misunderstood eastern region Ida-Viru County by giving a voice to those living there, who often go unheard.
28.01.26 NEWS ... Estonia's Defense Forces and TalTech university are working together to see how artificial intelligence can be used in the EDF's logistics chain to reduce existing problems.
28.01.26 NEWS ... Senior researcher at Tallinn University and coastal marine geologist Hannes Tõnisson is forecasting a prolonged cold spell, meaning air temperatures may not rise above freezing before February 24. In the meantime, several cold weather records could be broken.
28.01.26 NEWS ... Students of all ages just competed in Estonia's first-ever drone football tournament.
27.01.26 NEWS ... The first three chapters of the new free B2 Estonian e-learning course have been released online, with more scheduled for the coming months.
26.01.26 NEWS ... A joint Estonian–Latvian project will better track moose movements, helping with managing the populations, Maaleht reported.
26.01.26 NEWS ... Currently, many of the mistakes made during the planning and design stages of urban landscaping have to be corrected later through maintenance. However, it would be possible to create a resilient urban space — rich in biodiversity and suitable for people of all ages — from the outset by making greater use of historical data and digital twins of cities, according to a doctoral dissertation defended at TalTech.
23.01.26 NEWS ... The Ida-Viru County Vocational Education Center has not recorded a single case of students wanting to discontinue their studies after being required take additional intensive Estonian language courses.
23.01.26 NEWS ... For anthropologist-filmmaker Terje Toomistu, living in the U.S. was eye-opening. Estonians abroad are the focus of a new exhibition, memoir and a documentary miniseries.
22.01.26 NEWS ... Narva's population fell by nearly 1,000 last year, pushing leaders in the northeastern border city to plan more school and kindergarten closures as enrollment drops further.
20.01.26 NEWS ... Tallinn University has launched an architectural design competition to unify its mismatched buildings along Narva maantee and create a more cohesive, walkable street presence.
19.01.26 NEWS ... Experts say Estonia's seniors are increasingly facing a flood of media across TV, radio and smartphones, even as public spaces for socializing steadily vanish.
19.01.26 NEWS ... Fewer than 10,000 babies were born in Estonia last year, as young adults are delaying parenthood in light of concerns over finances, housing and finding a suitable partner.
18.01.26 NEWS ... To address learning issues in several schools, the Ministry of Education will begin certifying principals starting March 1, providing feedback and recommendations.
16.01.26 NEWS ... Enrolment numbers on courses at the Ida-Viru Vocational Education Center were much lower than anticipated this winter. The center, which operates in Narva, Sillamäe and Jõhvi, is focusing on facilitating the transition to using Estonian as the only language of instruction.
16.01.26 NEWS ... The Riigikogu's National Defense Committee is weighing whether to extend conscription for those who enter service without sufficient proficiency in Estonian.
16.01.26 NEWS ... St. Olaf's Church has been a Tallinn landmark for centuries. In the 1970s, reports of miracles drew pilgrims from across the Soviet Union — and the eye of the KGB next door.
16.01.26 NEWS ... Researchers say a 14th-century wooden door tucked inside a medieval chapel in Tallinn is Estonia's oldest, predating the previous record holder by more than a decade.
15.01.26 NEWS ... People in Estonia and Latvia whose eyes were on the skies Wednesday evening were treated to the rare but brilliant sight of a bolide meteor.
15.01.26 NEWS ... Last year, astronomy enthusiasts in Estonia had the chance to witness both a total lunar eclipse and the northern lights in the night sky. But what celestial events can we look forward to this year? Mario Mars, astronomer and program director at the Tallinn Observatory, has the answer.
15.01.26 NEWS ... People move to the countryside for its environment and community — not for jobs or municipal services, a new doctoral dissertation from the University of Tartu shows.
13.01.26 NEWS ... A thick blanket of snow may thrill winter sports enthusiasts, but it also gives invasive Spanish slugs a surprisingly warm hideout to survive the Estonian winter.
12.01.26 NEWS ... University of Tartu researchers are conducting a survey of the local population in Ida-Viru County to find out people's opinions about the changes taking place in the region and their expectations for the future.
12.01.26 NEWS ... Estonian polar scientist Priit Tisler said that as the weather plays such a big role in Antarctica, there are two moments at the research station there, which are most special for him: when he first arrives and when he leaves.
12.01.26 NEWS ... While observing the binary star R Aquarii in the constellation Aquarius, scientists at the Tartu Observatory discovered that the system's jets of matter are emitted precisely at the moment when the two stars come into close contact. The accidental discovery confirms a hypothesis proposed years ago.
08.01.26 NEWS ... Most of the schools in Estonia where Russian has, until recently, been the main language of instruction, still do not equip children with sufficient Estonian language skills, Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) said on Thursday.
07.01.26 NEWS ... For the first time in Estonia's nature conservation history, an insect has been chosen alongside the animal, soil and fish of the year. The honor goes to the large poplar longhorn beetle (Saperda carcharias).
06.01.26 NEWS ... Both Tartu and Helsinki have intelligently planned bike rental systems, a study by Estonian researchers shows. While Helsinki's system was initially created just for the city center and gradually expanded citywide over the years, Tartu — roughly seven times smaller — established a citywide network of rental bike stations from the very beginning.
06.01.26 NEWS ... There have been many changes in species classifications in recent decades, which recently led to the removal of three species from the official list of birds found in Estonia. Fortunately, a group of Polish birdwatchers came to the rescue last year when they photographed a sooty shearwater near Sõrve, writes birding enthusiast Sten Lassmann.
05.01.26 NEWS ... In light of the European Commission's new proposal, individuals would only be allowed to poison rats at home — not mice. According to zoologist Joosep Sarapuu of the Estonian Museum of Natural History, mice can be distinguished from rats by their smaller size: a mouse is nearly half the size of a rat.
02.01.26 NEWS ... On New Year's Eve, half of Tallinn's residents were left without water after a rare type of ice blocked the capital's water system when several unfavorable factors coincided. Experts say lessons need to be learned as this situation cannot happen again – but what can be done?
30.12.25 NEWS ... While the Ministry of Social Affairs finds doctors should not prescribe psychotropic medications to themselves, the medical community does not see this as a systemic issue and believes that targeted oversight, rather than a blanket ban, would be a more appropriate solution.
30.12.25 NEWS ... Current research suggests that air pollution particles offset about one-third of the warming caused by human-generated greenhouse gases. University of Tartu Associate Professor of Climate Physics Velle Toll is now investigating whether the interaction between clouds and air pollution might be cooling the planet more effectively than previously thought.
29.12.25 NEWS ... The Estonian Academy of Sciences recommends replacing the currnetly fragmented funding system with integrated block grants to cut bureaucracy and give universities more stability.
23.12.25 NEWS ... In postwar Soviet Estonia, everyday life was heavily politicized. In a climate where authorities were searching for so-called kulaks in every village, a single sentence or rumor could trigger a chain of interrogations lasting for years.
22.12.25 NEWS ... Although the European Union has set a goal to halt the occupation of new natural areas by 2050, the Baltic states are moving in the opposite direction. Analyses by researchers from the Estonian University of Life Sciences and Riga Technical University show that the share of hard-surfaced land is increasing in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — even in regions where the population is steadily declining.
20.12.25 NEWS ... A recently defended doctoral thesis at the University of Tartu has introduced a new, more precise method for assessing groundwater vulnerability. The method identifies areas where groundwater requires greater protection and where it is already naturally well-protected. It also supports efforts to safeguard groundwater on both sides of the national border.
19.12.25 NEWS ... Tallinn University of Technology Rector Tiit Land told "Esimene stuudio" the state has broken its promise, with €40 million still missing from the pledged €130 million.
18.12.25 NEWS ... Researchers at TalTech have concluded that a lack of creatine does not cause heart failure, contrary to previous assumptions. However, their surprising discoveries about heart muscle cells could lead to new methods of treating heart disease.
18.12.25 NEWS ... Since Estonia regained its independence, cesarean sections initially accounted for just 6 percent of all births in the country — a dangerously low figure. Over the past 20 years, however, the proportion of such births has remained at an exemplary level of around one-fifth, in line with World Health Organization recommendations, according to a doctoral dissertation defended at the University of Tartu.
