Protecting the world’s bonobo stronghold

Research team led by Göttingen University studies carbon movement from tree to root fungi. The idea of trees "talking" to one another through underground fungal networks - the so-called "wood wide web" - has captured the imagination of the public.

Particulate matter and microplastics are much-discussed risks to the environment and health. A new study by the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability at the University of Hamburg and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon has now investigated the role of tire and brake wear in the formation of urban particulate matter for the first time. The result: this abrasion alone causes 12 percent of particulate matter in Hamburg - and is the largest source of microplastics in the environment.

Research team led by the University of Göttingen investigates carbon transport from the tree to the root fungus The idea that trees "communicate" with each other via underground fungal networks - the so-called "Wood Wide Web" - has captured the imagination of many people.

Two-dimensional materials such as graphene are not only ultrathin, but also extremely sensitive. Researchers have therefore been trying for years to develop highly sensitive biosensors that utilise this property.