news 2019

New biodiversity study uses data from the Jena Experiment Life The more plant species live in grasslands and forests, the more insect species find a habitat there. However, the presence of more plant species does not only increase insect species richness, i.e. the number of species, but also insect abundance, i.e. the number of individuals.

Like humans and animals, plants defend themselves against pathogens with the help of their immune system. But how do they activate their cellular defenses' Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now discovered that receptors in plant cells identify bacteria through simple molecular building blocks.

The fundamental biological process of reproduction can differ greatly from animal species to species. Both males and females sometimes evolve creative strategies in pursuing their interests in these mating interactions. This has been studied for quite some time in small species such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, where the female receives proteins through the male's seminal fluid - which, after the actual mating, leads to radical changes in her behaviour and in the processes occurring inside her body.

Brown dwarfs fill the -gap- between stars and the much smaller planets - two very different types of astronomical objects. But how they originate has yet to be fully explained. Astronomers from Heidelberg University may now be able to answer that question. They discovered that the star Îoe Ophiuchi in the Milky Way is being orbited by two brown dwarfs, which in all probability formed along with the star from a gas and dust disk, just as planets do.

Diversity beats monotony: a colourful patchwork of small, differently used plots can bring advantages to agriculture and nature. This is the result of a new study by the University of Würzburg. Hedges, flowering strips and other seminatural habitats provide food and nesting places for insects and birds in agricultural landscapes.

New research shows: we have to make significant changes to our agricultural practices Life Birds that specialise on insect food have declined across Europe by 13%. This includes the meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis). Image: Mathias Schaef/living-nature.eu The number of birds that primarily feed on insects has decreased significantly during the past 25 years in the European Union.

Muscles are connected to tendons to power animal movements such as running, swimming or flying. Forces are produced by contractile chains of the proteins actin and myosin, which are pulling on muscle-tendon connections called attachments. During animal development, these muscle-tendon attachments must be established such that they resist high mechanical forces for the entire life of the animal.

The dark skin pigment melanin protects us from the sun's damaging rays by absorbing light energy and converting it to heat. This could make it a very effective tool in tumor diagnosis and treatment, as demonstrated by a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München.

Human cells have a sophisticated regulatory system at their disposal: labeling proteins with the small molecule ubiquitin. In a first, a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded in marking proteins with ubiquitin in a targeted manner, in test tubes as well as in living cells.

A giant cylindrical refrigerator, an electron-beam pattern generator, a cleanroom, etching equipment. Sometimes it takes a lot of big things to make something very small. The nanoscientists at the University of Münster headed by Prof. Wolfram Pernice and Prof. Carsten Schuck know this only too well: they use these and other devices to produce nanophotonic chips the size of a one-cent piece.

A new international research group aims to develop new approaches to prevent and treat cytomegalovirus infection. Lars Dölken, a virology expert from Würzburg, is the research unit's spokesman. "Cytomegalovirus, beware of this new research group!" This could be the motto of a new research unit recently approved by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Heidelberg researchers comprehensively identify the composition of transport vesicles for the first time A fundamental cellular mechanism ensures that proteins are transported to the places they are needed in the cells. So-called vesicles are responsible for that transport. Determining their composition has been difficult up to now, not least because of their short life span.

Stephan Ludwig puzzles over a host of questions. There is nothing unusual about that when someone has a passion for science. As a molecular biologist, however, Professor Ludwig is particularly interested in one specific question which is of paramount importance: How do viruses - 'these tiny little mites', as he calls them - succeed in remodelling a somatic cell in such a way that they can reproduce inside it, making the host organism sick or even killing it? "We still know very little about the interaction between the pathogen, the cell, and the host organism.

New study in in the high-ranking journal Science No 73/2019 from Mar 29, 2019 A new study of Saturn's small inner moons was published in the high-ranking journal Science . Images of Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Pandora and Epimetheus, obtained by the Cassini spacecraft in winter 2016/17, show that several of these so-called "shepherd moons" exhibit huge ridges around their equators, giving them a very peculiar and impressing walnut-like shape (Fig.

03/29/2019 Scientists at the University of Würzburg have discovered a new mechanism of gene transcription in tumor cells. Their study identifies novel strategies to develop innovative anti-Cancer drugs. The cells which make up our body vary significantly. A liver cell does not look like a muscle cell and each has a unique function.

03/28/2019 Land use in tropical mountain regions leads to considerable changes of biodiversity and ecological functions. The intensity of such changes is greatly affected by the climate. 2019 marks the 250 th anniversary of Alexander von Humboldt. He was one of the first naturalists to document the distribution and adaptation of species on tropical mountains in the 19 th century.

The voice is a fleeting medium. As the primary means of human communication, it also plays an important role in religion. And yet it is difficult to grasp and seems to elude discussion. But a research project at the Cluster of Excellence has nonetheless approached the voice in a religious context: scholars from various disciplines have studied the voice as a medium of religious communication, and have discovered in historical testimonies, as well as in literature and artwork from various religions and cultures from antiquity to the present day, what can be called "voices from beyond".

Zoology research team from the Universities of Jena and Massachusetts (USA) discovers potentially primeval chewing behaviour in salamandrids Dr Egon Heiss with an Italian Crested Newt (Triturus carnifex), whose chewing behaviour was examined. Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena) The Italian Crested Newt - ' Triturus carnifex ' - eats anything and everything it can overpower.

In toothpaste, Teflon, LEDs and medications, it shows its sunny side - but elemental fluorine is extremely aggressive and highly toxic. Attempts to determine the crystal structure of solid fluorine using X-rays ended with explosions 50 years ago. A research team has now clarified the actual structure of the fluorine using neutrons from the Heinz Maier Leibnitz Research Neutron Source (FRM II).

They take up little space and are easy to breed; because they are easy to look after, fruit flies or Drosophila melanogaster are used as laboratory animals in research institutes all over the world. However, that is not the only reason why they are one of the most important model organisms that are studied by geneticists.