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Research team led by Göttingen University compares forest soils in different ecosystems in Chile Wildfires may disappear from the landscape within weeks, but their hidden effects on the soil can persist for decades. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen, together with partners in Tübingen, Berlin and Chile, has shown how wildfires in humid temperate rainforests and mediterranean woodlands of central Chile lead to very different pathways of soil recovery and ecosystem resilience.

Three-dimensional multicellular human liver model: For the first time, a 3D human organoid model, developed with liver tissue from patients, consists of three liver cell types, derived from adult hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and liver mesenchymal cells. Retaining structure and function: The novel complex organoid models, or assembloids, reconstruct essential structural and functional features of the human periportal liver region and have patient-specific traits.

Researchers at Leipzig University's Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, working in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University in the US, have achieved an important breakthrough in brain research. The so-called zap-and-freeze technique, which allows processes of signal transmission between nerve cells to be visualised within milliseconds, has now been successfully applied for the first time to acute brain slices from both mice and humans.

Solid-state batteries could store electricity more efficiently and safely in the future than today's batteries with liquid electrolytes. Space charges that form in solid-state batteries have so far impaired their performance. Space charges form primarily at the positive pole of the batteries. This provides a starting point for preventing their formation by modifying the structure or material of the electrode.

If gut bacteria are too similar to the protective layer of nerves, they can misdirect the immune system and cause it to attack its own nervous system. This mechanism can accelerate the progression of multiple sclerosis, as researchers at the University of Basel, together with colleagues in Bonn, have shown in trials with mice.

Large-scale drug atlas uncovers new genome editing modulators and potential therapeutic strategies for DNA repair-deficient cancers A comprehensive catalog of drug-DNA repair interactions: The study describes how more than 2,000 approved pharmaceuticals influence genome editing outcomes, creating a valuable resource for translational and therapeutic applications.

Parasitic plants activate feeding organs before they attach to a host / Possible new approach to weed control Parasitic weeds extract water and nutrients from their host plants. But what makes these parasites so successful? A team led by Prof Susann Wicke from the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity at the University of Münster has now investigated how certain parasitic plants develop their feeding organs (haustoria), which they use to attach themselves to the roots of other plants and extract nutrients from them.

Researchers at the Institute for Meteorology at Leipzig University have, for the first time, determined the climatic impact of contrails that form within natural cirrus clouds. Contrails account for the largest share of aviation's climate impact beyond carbon dioxide emissions. The Leipzig researchers have now shown that "hidden" contrails - previously not factored into such assessments - contribute up to ten per cent of the warming effect of normal, freely visible contrails.

A new study led by cognitive neuroscientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences shows that merely imagining a positive encounter with someone can make you like them better by engaging brain regions involved with learning and preference.

Comparative study across 117 mammals shows that blocking reproduction increases life expectancy Extended lifespan: Blocking reproduction extends lifespan by approximately ten percent across many mammals, sometimes more. Reproductive block: Male longevity rises only with castration (testosterone effect), while female lifespan benefits from any reproductive block, likely due to lower energy costs of pregnancy and lactation.

High-pressure and -temperature X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that seismic anomalies in the Earth's core could be due to chemical layering An international research team may have found an explanation for seismic anomalies, i.e., noticeable deviations in the behaviour of earthquake waves, in the Earth's inner core.

Researchers from Bonn and Tübingen show that the effect is mediated by the conscious feeling of hunger When we are hungry, our mood often drops - a phenomenon colloquially known as "hangry." A new study by the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, and the University Hospital Center Tübingen now shows that this connection is not caused by unconscious metabolic processes.

A new study has for the first time analyzed the global effects of such a transformation What would happen if farmers around the globe were to switch over to sustainable pest management? An international study headed by the University of Bonn and ETH Zurich focused on precisely this question. The study is based on assessments provided by more than 500 leading experts from around the world who work in various disciplines from ecology through to economics.

Wastewater from washing machines is considered a major source of microplastics - tiny plastic particles that are suspected of harming human and animal health. Researchers at the University of Bonn now have developed a filter to curb this problem. Their filter was inspired by the gill arch system in fish.

A study carried out by the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn throws light on how an important receptor can be inhibited The human P2X4 receptor plays an important role in chronic pain, inflammation and some types of cancer. Researchers at the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have now discovered a mechanism that can inhibit this receptor.

A functional sperm tail is essential for successful reproduction. Defects in its development often lead to infertility. This is also shown by a recent international study involving researchers from Würzburg. The development of functional sperm is a highly complex process and a fundamental requirement for male fertility.

Ingroup favoritism: A new study shows that helpfulness toward one's own group and disadvanting against outgroups are related. Behavioural tests: The research team developed a new method to measure both behaviors independently. Conflict experience: both tendencies, altruism and parochialism, affect our behavior in intergroup conflict.Whether we help others or not depends on our own experiences with conflict.

More than 90 percent of local insect biomass decline in German grasslands is explained by species loss, according to a new study published in »Nature Ecology & Evolution«. The research draws on 11 years of data from two long-term research programmes where the scientists counted and identified arthropods-insects and spiders-then measured their biomass.

Study demonstrates for the first time the effectiveness of adjunctive digital training during inpatient treatment A brief smartphone-based training programme completed by patients with depression alongside their inpatient treatment can lead to long-term reduction in depressive symptoms. This is the finding of a study conducted by psychologists at the University of Münster.

Glossy flowers are visible to bees from a distance, but make color recognition difficult up close. They thus represent a visual compromise of nature, as a new study by the University of Würzburg shows. The existence of glossy surfaces in the plant and animal world poses a mystery to science. This is because clear and consistent signals are advantageous for reliable communication, for example between flowers and pollinators.