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Life Published: 10:20 The elucidation of the structure and origin of the so-called "Yellow Affinity Substance" (YAS) provides new insights into cellulose degradation by the bacterium Clostridium thermocellum (new name: Acetivibrio thermocellus). It is assumed that the yellow pigment plays a decisive role in the conversion of plant biomass into usable sugar, which opens up new perspectives for biofuel production.

Whether in medicine, government, or industry-anywhere highly sensitive data needs protection, quantum communication could play a vital role in the future. Instead of transmitting electric signals, this technology uses individual particles of light-so-called photons-that are entangled in specific quantum states.

Life Published: 11:00 Adolescent overweight is not only a risk factor for physical health issues, but also for cognitive impairments. A new international study has now demonstrated that a specially developed virtual reality sports program called REVERIE not only supports weight loss, but also significantly enhances mental performance - and does so by specifically influencing microbial and molecular processes in the body.

Life Published: 10:00 A research team led by Christian Hertweck at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) has discovered a new group of bioactive natural products in pathogenic bacteria of the genus Pandoraea : pandorabactins. They enable the bacteria to extract vital iron from other microorganisms and can thus influence the microbial balance in the human lung.

Life Published: 21 May 2025, 13:40 An invisible intruder puts the delicate balance in our lungs to the test: the mold Aspergillus fumigatus, harmless in nature, can become a serious danger if the immune system is weakened - and change the entire bacterial world in the lungs. But that's not all: the intestines and metabolism also appear to be affected by a lung infection.

Life Published: 21 May 2025, 8:00 Fatty acids and the substances formed from them play an important role in inflammation in the human body-and therefore also in health and disease progression. However, the quantitative analysis of such compounds poses considerable technical challenges for research. An international team of around 100 scientists has now developed comprehensive guidelines for the standardised quantification of oxidised fatty acids using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

A recent study by researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena has investigated how powerful modern AI models such as GPT-4 are in Chemistry and how they perform in comparison to human experts. Using a newly developed test method called "ChemBench"", the team led by Dr Kevin M. Jablonka was able to show that AI models are convincing in certain task areas, but also have clear weaknesses.

A recent study by the Universities of Jena, Bielefeld and Münster provides evidence that some results of behavioural experiments with insects cannot be fully reproduced. So far, possible reproducibility problems have been little discussed in this context. If an experiment is repeated under similar conditions, the results should be the same.

" Can a marriage without sex be a happy one? " asked an article in the New York Times Magazine last year. Based on 30 married couples who reported on their relationships in interviews, a journalist put forward the thesis that a sexless married life does not necessarily mean that relationship satisfaction suffers - a surprising finding, as it is generally accepted that a fulfilling sex life is an elementary component of a happy relationship.

Researchers at the university hospitals in Jena, Aachen, Essen, Halle and Leipzig have developed an app that supports doctors in the treatment of bloodstream infections with staphylococci. The app was evaluated in a large prospective multicentre study at five university hospitals with more than 5,000 patients.

A novel paper led by Ulrich Brose of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) is widening understanding of how species interact within ecosystems via the so-called ,Internet of Nature'. Published in 'Nature Ecology and Evolution', the paper reveals that species not only exchange matter and energy but also share vital information that influences behaviour, interactions, and ecosystem dynamics - revealing previously hidden characteristics of natural ecosystems.

A new study has revealed that African Elephants have an extraordinary ability to meet their colossal food requirements as efficiently as possible. Data from over 150 elephants demonstrated that these giants plan their journeys based on energy costs and resource availability. The findings - published in the "Journal of Animal Ecology" - could provide crucial information to help protect these animals and their habitats.

When plants are attacked by pathogenic bacteria, they use chemical and electrical signals to transmit the information from the point of origin on the leaf surface to the inside and go into defence mode. In order to find out how and where the perception of bacterial contact is converted into electrical signals, a research team led by PD Dr Alexandra Furch from the University of Jena investigated how the external stimulus is transmitted.

An international research team led by Dr Knut Bretzke from Friedrich Schiller University Jena has succeeded in presenting the oldest evidence to date for the systematic production of stone blades on the Arabian Peninsula. These long, narrow stone tools can be dated to an age of 80,000 years using a luminescence method.

In Germany, there were different socialisations and sensitivities on both sides of the Berlin Wall and the inner-German border, which continue to have an impact to this day. A recent international study involving scientists from the University of Jena now shows how strongly even a spatial separation that dates back almost two thousand years can shape psychology in the present day: The Limes forms another "psychological border" that divides Germany.

A new study with the involvement of multiple researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the University of Jena found that biodiversity has changed faster in locations where warming or cooling was faster. Published in the journal "Nature", the study focused on how the composition of species in an ecosystem - rather than the number of species - has shifted over time.

Extreme climate events endanger groundwater quality and stability, when rain water evades natural purification processes in the soil. This was demonstrated in long-term groundwater analyses using new analytical methods, as described in a recent study in "Nature Communications". As billions of people rely on sufficient and clean groundwater for drinking, understanding the impacts of climate extremes on future water security is crucial.

Our genetic material contains tens of thousands of genes. Like a gigantic orchestra, their interaction is the basis for all vital processes in our body. Errors in this interaction can lead to serious illnesses and are one of the reasons why we age. Researchers in biology and medicine are therefore working hard to understand how the orchestra of genes is organized and how genes are activated or deactivated.

The soil fungus "Mortierella alpina" has the potential to make agriculture greener and more sustainable: The fungus produces bioactive molecules called malpinins, which could protect plants from destructive worms. A research team from Jena has now been able to understand and describe their mode of action for the first time.

Light Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Published: Cancer operations could become safer in future thanks to a new technology from Jena: An interdisciplinary research team has developed a new type of endoscope that can precisely detect and selectively remove tumour tissue - in real time during the operation.