news 2017

How does the gas in the centre of the Milky Way behave? Researchers from Heidelberg University, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Oxford, recently investigated the motion of gas clouds in a comprehensive computer simulation. The new model finally makes it possible to conclusively explain this complex gas motion.

For plants, seed dormancy has a particular importance. It ensures that a seed does not germinate outside season - for example during warm weather in winter - but only when the environmental conditions enable the seedlings to survive.

Support from Philipp Schwartz Initiative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation ' 195/2017 from Jul 12, 2017 Freie Universität was successful in its application for fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for two researchers who are politically at risk in their home countries. As the Humboldt Foundation announced in Bonn, two individuals will be supported through the Philipp Schwartz Initiative to do research at Freie Universität.

Research news Scientists of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München asked about 3,600 participants about well-being in later life. The results, which were published in 'BMC Geriatrics' shows that physical impairments tend to play a secondary role. Well-being in later life is largely dependent on psychosocial factors.

Scientists at Freie Universität and the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie publish new results on how membrane necks get constricted and cut ' 188/2017 from Jul 07, 2017 Scientists at Freie Universität Berlin and the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) have succeeded in revealing a key mechanism of membrane deformation.

Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin Discovered Previously Unknown Mechanism for Temperature-dependent Control of Gene Expression ' 190/2017 from Jul 07, 2017 Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin have identified a mechanism that allows cells to adapt their gene expression program to very small changes in temperature.

Research news Quantum technology is seen as an important future-oriented technology: smaller, faster and with higher performance than conventional electronics. However, exploiting quantum effects is difficult because nature's smallest building blocks have properties quite distinct from those we know from our everyday world.

Research news What promotes the development of bile duct cancer in the liver? Are these factors different from those that are responsible for the much more common hepatocellular carcinomas' Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have been the first to uncover the molecular and cellular causes that selectively lead to the development of bile duct cancer in mice.

Research news Fuel from waste? It is possible. But hitherto, converting organic waste to fuel has not been economically viable. Excessively high temperatures and too much energy are required. Using a novel catalyst concept, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now managed to significantly reduce the temperature and energy requirements of a key step in the chemical process.

Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona reveal the dynamical mechanism of protein association in atomic detail ' 167/2017 from Jun 22, 2017 Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and University Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Barcelona, have for the first time, simulated the association and dissociation of protein molecules in atomic detail, and validated their results with experimental data.

Campus news Hire acquaintances or a grueling recruiting campaign: How do start-ups find their first employees' What makes them attractive when they can't offer much in terms of pay' Does a start-up boss have to hold an impassioned speech at least once every week?

06/20/2017 A team of researchers from the University of Würzburg has discovered an interesting enzyme in the pathogens responsible for African sleeping sickness: It could be a promising target for drugs. The life-threatening African trypanosomiasis, also called sleeping sickness, is caused by protozoa of the species Trypanosoma brucei .

Not only muscle cells, but also all other cell types continually generate forces in the human body. An interdisciplinary cooperation of biologists and physicists including Heidelberg researcher Ulrich Schwarz now succeeded in performing high-resolution measurements of cell forces using light to switch them on and off in a controlled manner.

Research news In about half of all patients with rare hereditary disorders, it is still unclear what exact position of the genome is responsible for their condition. One reason for this is the enormous quantity of information encoded in human genes. Scientists from the fields of informatics and medicine have now joined forces to find a solution: A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München has developed a method that significantly increases the chances of a successful search.

Jupiter is not only the largest planet of the Solar System, but it is also the oldest, say researchers from the University of Münster. They, for the first time, determined a precise age of Jupiter, which was previously only approximately known. One problem has always been that there are no samples from Jupiter and, therefore, that no direct measurements were possible.

Research news More traffic, heavier loads: When bridges in Germany over the age of 50 are evaluated according to current standards, calculations show that many of them theoretically have substantial deficiencies. Nevertheless many bridges exhibit no damage that confirms the calculated structural shortfalls.

The composition of specific functional protein complexes in their cellular environment can now be analysed with unprecedented resolution. The team led by junior group leader Dr Julien Béthune at Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center has developed a new technique which allows the scientists to overcome a long-standing hurdle in molecular cell biology.

Research news Money isn't always everything: Taiwanese rice farmers are willing to produce in a more environ-mentally friendly fashion if this would earn them an eco-label for their products. For such a label, they are even prepared to accept lower compensation payments for a reduction in the use of fertilizers.

Research news In the quantum world, our intuition for moving objects is strongly challenged and may sometimes even completely fail. An international team of physicists of the Universities of Innsbruck, Paris-Sud and Harvard as well as the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has found a quantum particle which shows an intriguing oscillatory back-and-forth motion in a one-dimensional atomic gas instead of moving uniformly.

Researchers at Heidelberg University have gained new knowledge on the possible biological function of patellamides. In laboratory experiments, they were able to demonstrate that this natural product displays important catalytic activity in combination with copper(II). The team of scientists headed by chemist Peter Comba developed a special method to determine whether this activity can also be observed in the patellamide-producing organisms.