28.09.26 NEWS ... University of Tartu doctoral student Merilin Jürjo studied what happens in our minds during a theater performance and why some productions resonate with us while others do not.

28.09.26 NEWS ... Under an agreement reached years ago, the state is to spend at least 1 percent of GDP on research and development. However, funding may fall short of that target in the coming years.

27.09.26 NEWS ... In September, the Ministry of the Interior began publishing, as open data, the names, birth and death dates, and personal identification codes of deceased persons. For historians and name researchers, machine‑readable data makes research easier.

26.09.26 NEWS ... A service provider teaching artificial intelligence under Eesti.ai may not receive the full fee agreed in the contract. The Government Office may pay only half the price or not pay it at all if participant feedback from the training falls below the required level or if too few participants provide feedback.

26.09.26 NEWS ... The University of Tartu Library informed users of its e‑bookstore that an external attacker gained access to their online store and most likely downloaded the store's customer data.

26.09.26 NEWS ... As the Russian Empire collapsed, self‑determination became a powerful political tool. It was used to demand autonomy and independence as well as to justify new systems of governance. A doctoral dissertation defended at the University of Tartu examined how and why different political forces harnessed self‑determination for their own interests in the early 20th century.

26.09.26 NEWS ... Researchers at the University of Tartu's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology are testing a solution that makes it possible to determine the cause of pregnancy loss based on a blood test.

26.09.26 NEWS ... 50 years after its publication, the Estonian Maritime Museum has brought Lennart Meri's epic "Silverwhite" journey to life with a new exhibition at Tallinn Seaplane Harbor.

25.09.26 NEWS ... In September, 65 research and development projects funded in the second round of the Thematic Research and Development Programs (TemTA) will begin work. The projects focus on resource valorization, digital solutions, health technologies and sustainable energy.

24.09.26 NEWS ... Estonian municipalities want to get kids reading more. One option may be for school and public libraries to team up more, making it easier for children to access books.

24.09.26 NEWS ... More and more energy communities are emerging in Estonia, following the example of Western Europe. Although they are also waiting for the chance to share their surplus electricity, each such cooperative must solve some local‑level problem, argue community leaders from Estonia and Sweden.

24.09.26 OPINION ... Estonia has no future alternative comparable to nuclear power, which would also provide a security guarantee, two nuclear physicists told ERR.

23.09.26 NEWS ... A 1.4 magnitude earth tremor was recorded on Sunday, Maaleht reported, the second to be recorded in the region this year.

23.09.26 NEWS ... Archaeologists excavating the site of Tartu's planned Siuru cultural center have uncovered centuries-old drainage channels in remarkably good condition.

20.09.26 NEWS ... Researchers in Estonia have developed a portable drug analyzer that can identify both the substance taken and the amount, returning results in as little as 15 minutes.

20.09.26 NEWS ... The European Union is discussing a safe‑internet regulation that includes several restrictions planned for minors' use of social media. While EU plans propose setting a minimum age of 13, Estonian social scientists argue that blunt bans will not solve all problems and may even create new ones.

20.09.26 NEWS ... The garden dormice released on Suur‑Pakri Island this summer to rewild the species have encountered an unexpected co‑inhabitant who may consider the newcomers gourmet food.

19.09.26 NEWS ... In recent weeks, leading figures in the tech world have grown increasingly vocal in warning about the risks posed by the rapid development of artificial intelligence. However, University of Tartu Professor of Artificial Intelligence Meelis Kull says there is currently no existential risk.

18.09.26 NEWS ... Tallinn opened its first drone training classroom on Friday, giving kids and teens in the Estonian capital a chance to learn hands-on skills in a fast-growing field.

18.09.26 NEWS ... This fall, 187 new medical residents began specialist training at the University of Tartu, bringing the total number of residents to a record 891. In recent years, interest and competition have intensified in critical specialties such as family medicine and emergency medicine, the university said.

18.09.26 NEWS ... Although cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in Tallinn and Tartu has improved in recent years, there is no common standard, sustainable mobility experts Melissa and Chris Bruntlett noted

18.09.26 NEWS ... Students catching buses from Kõrveküla Basic School toward Tartu are increasingly being left behind by overcrowding, with no relief in sight before 2028.

17.09.26 NEWS ... The special education field is attracting more university applicants, but schools across Estonia are still struggling to find the support specialists their students need.

16.09.26 NEWS ... A homophobic slur that is still used in Estonian-language media as a direct insult and as a way of policing masculinity has gained an additional function: political labeling, a University of Tartu doctoral thesis has found.

16.09.26 OPINION ... The Ministry of Education plans a study to determine teachers' tasks and the time required for them, with a planned cost of €70,000. Teacher Heleriin Paeoja wrote down how her working time was spent over the course of one week.

16.09.26 NEWS ... Several materials that effectively kill bacteria under laboratory conditions may not work as well in crowded spaces. Their effectiveness is reduced by repeated cleaning as well as changes in humidity, according to a doctoral dissertation defended at the University of Tartu.

15.09.26 NEWS ... Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) says high school admissions should run more smoothly next spring under a unified schedule and revamped system.

15.09.26 NEWS ... More than 800‑year‑old Valjala Church on Saaremaa still contains surprises and discoveries despite the passing centuries. One important find this year is a baptismal basin crafted by a master of exceptional skill.

15.09.26 NEWS ... Listeria bacteria were generally uncommon in ready-to-eat foods studied in Estonia from 2012 to 2016, but contamination was clearly concentrated in certain product groups, particularly cold-smoked and lightly salted fish products, a doctoral thesis found.

14.09.26 NEWS ... Teachers and rescuers gathered outside the Riigikogu in Tallinn on Monday to demand higher public sector wages in the government's 2027 state budget.

13.09.26 NEWS ... Fashion consultant Karolin Kuusik says that although many schools today use uniforms, children's clothing should still reflect some of their own style and personality. Small details can make an outfit look more academic and polished.

11.09.26 NEWS ... Across Estonia, 485 young people remain without a school place after Thursday's deadline, with 245 in Tallinn alone, though officials say technical delays may mean the real figure is lower.

11.09.26 NEWS ... A new study involving Estonian researchers sheds light on the complex history of the Black Death and subsequent plague outbreaks. The plague reached Estonia on multiple occasions and gained renewed momentum during wars.

11.09.26 NEWS ... Tartu decided to build a new addition more than twice the size of the collapsed section at Miina Härma High School. The plan will cost the city an extra €2.7 million, which officials said will not come at the expense of other school reconstruction projects. Taking out a loan is not off the table.

10.09.26 NEWS ... Traditional monitoring methods are insufficient to manage invasive species that threaten Estonia's native crayfish. However, eDNA, or environmental DNA, can help detect these species quickly and effectively, according to a doctoral thesis defended at the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

10.09.26 NEWS ... The Education Ministry told unions it has no room in the state budget for a teacher pay raise, saying any increase would require cuts elsewhere. The Education Workers' Union warned that teachers are prepared to stage work stoppages.

10.09.26 NEWS ... Metal detectorists have helped double the number of Bronze Age artifacts found in Estonia over the past 20 years.

10.09.26 NEWS ... The Ministry of Education is launching a study to determine teachers' work tasks and the time spent on them, and to develop recommendations on how to fit teachers' workload within the working hours set by law. The planned cost of the study is €70,000.

09.09.26 NEWS ... The number of bachelor's students in Estonia receiving need‑based support has risen nearly a quarter in four years, while more students work to cover rising costs.

09.09.26 NEWS ... An unusual experiment at a horse farm near Pärnu revealed that underpants almost entirely degraded in the space of three months.

09.09.26 NEWS ... Although fishers attribute the low abundance of flounder to the spread of an invasive species, a fisheries scientist says the cause is the Baltic Sea's poor hydrological conditions.

09.09.26 NEWS ... Unexpectedly strong currents and water-level fluctuations can occur in the narrow port canal connecting the Black Sea with Lake Varna, posing a risk to shipping and disrupting port operations. Researchers at TalTech helped determine what causes the phenomenon in the canal.

09.09.26 NEWS ... Children are more likely to stay active when they have plenty of opportunities to move at home, school and in their free time, physical education teacher Siim Tõnisson says.

08.09.26 NEWS ... Free pads are now available at University of Tartu (TÜ) buildings across the city, with 39 dispensers installed to make menstrual products easier to access when needed.

08.09.26 NEWS ... An initiative underway in Estonia would not give an AI agent a personal identification code, but would allow it to act on a person's behalf in government portals. The person would remain responsible for the agent's actions.

08.09.26 NEWS ... Only Japan and South Korea surpassed Estonia in 2025 overall PISA test scores among OECD countries. At the same time, education experts are concerned about the continued decline in functional reading literacy.

07.09.26 NEWS ... Estonia has the fifth‑highest share of obese adults in Europe, with 22.0 percent of the population aged 18 and over classified as obese, according to 2025 Eurostat data.

06.09.26 NEWS ... Paper mills are making it easier than ever for researchers to buy authorship of bogus academic papers, fueling concerns that mounting pressure to publish is undermining research integrity.

04.09.26 NEWS ... Estonia's average air temperature is set to rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius for every 1 degree Celsius of global warming, University of Tartu researchers found.

04.09.26 NEWS ... Writer and Tabasalu High School literature teacher Jürgen Rooste says that teaching is often a daily struggle for students' attention, but some encounters and moments also give a great deal of energy.