news

Groundwater is considered the largest reservoir of liquid freshwater on Earth and a habitat for complex microbial communities that drive essential biogeochemical cycles. Until now, the role of viruses that infect microorganisms in this hidden ecosystem was largely unknown.

Ozone destroys colony-specific odor signals and leads to attacks within the colony Attack: Ants exposed to ozone are attacked by their nestmates, even though they are part of the colony themselves. Different smell: Ozone destroys colony-specific scent signals by breaking down alkenes with carbon-carbon double bonds.

Forest soils have an important role in protecting our climate: they remove large quantities of methane - a powerful greenhouse gas - from our atmosphere. Researchers from the University of Göttingen and the Baden-Württemberg Forest Research Institute (FVA) evaluated the world's most comprehensive data set on methane uptake by forest soils.

Observations with the Event Horizon Telescope enable researchers to localize the likely base of the central outflow in a massive galaxy   Vicinity of a supermassive black hole: Recently published data from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) of the galaxy Messier 87 facilitate new insights into the direct environment of the central supermassive black hole.

An international team led by researchers from Universities of and Reading and Senckenberg Nature Research Society has discovered the earliest known hand-held wooden tools used by humans. A study jointly led by Professor Katerina Harvati from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of and Annemieke Milks at University of Reading describes discoveries from the Marathousa 1 site in Greece-s central Peloponnese which date back 430,000 years.

Study by the University of Bonn shows that positive effects are still evident even six weeks later A short-term oat-based diet appears to be surprisingly effective at reducing the cholesterol level. This is indicated by a trial by the University of Bonn, which has now been published in the journal Nature Communications.

New molecule: For the first time, a complex, ring-shaped molecule containing 13 atoms-including sulfur-has been detected in interstellar space, based on laboratory measurements. Bridging lab and space: The discovery closes a critical gap by linking simple chemistry in space with the complex organic building blocks found in comets and meteorites.

Researchers at Leipzig University and TU Dresden have succeeded in developing biological switches that can selectively turn ion channels on and off using light pulses. Initial applications show that it is possible, for example, to stimulate nerve cells in the brain or to control the release of adrenaline from cells of the adrenal gland and the movement of the small intestine using light stimuli.

The cancer gene MYC camouflages tumours by suppressing alarm signals that normally activate the immune system. This finding from a new study offers a promising way to improve existing cancer therapies as well as develop new ones. Could this mark a shift in how we think about cancer therapy? At least in the laboratory, evidence suggests it may be .

According to a new study by the University of Würzburg, Bavarian meadows are the most monotonous insect habitats. Surprisingly, fields and settlements often offer more diversity than grassland. Intensive land use by humans is considered a key driver of global insect mortality and the decline in biodiversity.

Research with chimpanzees shows that cooperation and leadership shape sustainable use of resources in our closest living relatives Resource use: Chimpanzee groups achieve sustainable resource use in a social dilemma. Unexpected group size effect: Groups of four chimpanzees retained access to a shared resource for significantly longer than pairs did.

In a space measuring 55 square meters, researchers are investigating the purchasing behavior of test subjects The University of Bonn has opened its own supermarket, in which pineapples, canned tomatoes, and toast are neatly lined up on black shelves. The space measuring 55 square meters (approx. 600 square feet) has pretty much everything you'd need in everyday life.

At the end of 2024, ESA-s Solar Orbiter was lucky to witness a strong solar flare - and observed the events leading up to this firework with unprecedented precision.

Degrader of cancer protein IDO1 prevents cancer immune suppression by cancer and offers promising strategy to support existing immunotherapies Innovative active ingredient: A new class of substances called iDegs could improve immunotherapies against cancer by breaking down the enzyme IDO1, which tumors use to suppress the immune system.

New Antarctica study involving Uni Bonn shows the influence of solar cycles on the stability of coastal ice The remnants of ice that was attached to the coast offer astounding insights into the climate history of past millennia. An international research team led by the CNR Institute of Polar Sciences (Italy) and involving the University of Bonn has applied a groundbreaking method.

Many planetary systems consist not only of a central star and the planets orbiting it, but also of so-called debris disks. These regions contain small bodies such as asteroids, as well as large amounts of dust that is produced when rocky objects collide with one another. In our own Solar System, for example, beyond the orbit of Neptune lies the so-called Kuiper Belt, where larger debris is gradually ground down into dust.

Researchers at the University of Bonn investigated the beliefs that influence consumers' willingness to buy animal-free Gouda. An increasing number of people are turning to vegan products. However, when it comes to cheese, this transition is proving difficult. One alternative is precision fermentation, in which microorganisms produce milk proteins to enable the production of genuine dairy products, such as cheese, without the need for cows.

Research team examines farmers' protest motivations and political responses in four EU countries Farmers' protests that swept across Europe in 2024 were driven by a wide range of concerns that differ markedly between countries, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Göttingen.

Researchers from the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1423 have, for the first time, investigated directly in living cells how a key membrane receptor - which, among other functions, helps regulate heart activity - interacts with its signalling partners. Depending on the drug applied, this receptor adopts different conformations and operates at different speeds, which in turn influences which signals are passed on within the cell.

How healthy is the environment of our cities? Plants reflect urban climate and soil conditions with remarkable precision. Using more than 80 million observations from plant identification apps, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry have produced a detailed picture of fine-scale climate and soil conditions for 326 European cities.