news 2021

Göttingen researchers find cells involved in sexual development produce chemicals that deter hungry predators Scientists have discovered a new role for cells that are known to nurture the reproductive structures in the fungus Aspergillus nidulans through the winter. The findings suggest that Hülle cells in this fungus also play a key part in its chemical defence strategies to ward off hungry predators.

The oldest known footprints of pre-humans were found on the Mediterranean island of Crete and are at least six million years old, says an international team of researchers from Germany, Sweden, Greece, Egypt and England, led by Tübingen scientists Uwe Kirscher and Madelaine Böhme of the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen.

A disturbed energy metabolism in the cells causes cartilage tissue to be built up incorrectly / research group of the UoC's Faculty of Medicine publishes study in the 'Journal of Biological Chemistry' A team led by Professor Dr Bent Brachvogel, Head of Experimental Neonatology at the Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, has discovered previously unknown regulatory mechanisms of tissue organization.

The human gut is a multi-species habitat that can control our health and well-being. Bacteria, viruses and microbial fungi are part of this complex microbial community and help us with our digestion and immune defense. If the intestinal flora is impaired, for example by contaminated drinking water or food infected by germs, this can result in infectious diseases.

The human gut is a multi-species habitat that can control our health and well-being. Bacteria, viruses and microbial fungi are part of this complex microbial community and help us with our digestion and immune defense. If the intestinal flora is impaired, for example by contaminated drinking water or food infected by germs, this can result in infectious diseases.

International research team led by University of Göttingen finds atomically-thin carbon generates its own magnetic field Usually, the electrical resistance of a material depends very much on its physical dimensions and fundamental properties. Under special circumstances, however, this resistance can adopt a fixed value that is independent of the basic material properties and "quantised" (meaning that it changes in discrete steps rather than continuously).

An international research team led by Professor Stephanie Grond from the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Tübingen has found that the natural substance collinolactone reduces artificially-induced stress on nerve cells, protecting them from the kind of damage that occurs in neurodegenerative diseases.

Protein causes more severe cancer disease in men A remarkable number of life-threatening diseases manifest more severely in males than in females. One current example is COVID-19 caused by SARS CoV-2. Another example is the significantly higher risk of severe cancer progression for men. A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now discovered a molecular cause for this difference between sexes.

Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin developed new approach for producing phosgene Scientists at Freie Universität Berlin have developed a new type of process for the industrial production of basic chemicals. They found a new approach to phosgene, opening up completely new possibilities in the production of raw materials.

Researchers develop imaging methods to examine bodily processes from the individual building blocks to the whole system / Proof-of-principle study on SNAP-tag technology published in the journal "Chemical Communications" Video in English, subtitles available in English and German. Processes and structures within the body that are normally hidden from the eye can be made visible through medical imaging.

Studies of the asteroid Vesta provide new findings on the formation of Earth-like planets The largest asteroid in our Solar System - Vesta - was exposed to an extensive series of impacts by large rocky bodies much earlier than previously assumed. Researchers of an international collaboration, including earth scientists of Heidelberg University and Freie Universität Berlin, reached this conclusion based on analyses of Vesta meteorites, numerical simulations, and observations carried out with the space probe Dawn in 2011 and 2012.

Chemists at the University of Jena developed a way of melting normally unmeltable metal-organic framework compounds - so-called MOFs. This allows the melt-based production of glass components for applications in energy and environmental technology. Glasses are an indispensable part of everyday life.

New research linking water and economic modelling shows that coordinated filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) increases economic benefits and resilience in the riparian countries. In the Nile Basin region, eleven African countries are economically dependent on the river, though differently.

09/24/2021 Israeli and German researchers have developed a way to force an array of vertical cavity lasers to act together as a single laser - a highly effective laser network the size of a grain of sand. The findings are presented in a new joint research paper published online by the prestigious journal Science on Friday, September 24.

Researchers at Göttingen University use computer simulation to investigate models of living systems Living or biological systems cannot be easily understood using the standard laws of physics, such as thermodynamics, as scientists would for gases, liquids or solids. Living systems are active, demonstrating fascinating properties such as adapting to their environment or repairing themselves.

09/23/2021 The higher the biological diversity in an ecosystem, the better the important processes there function. A heterogeneous environment promotes this effect, while intensive land use weakens it, as a new study shows. Microorganisms, plants, and animals accomplish great feats every day. For example, by decomposing material, producing plant biomass, or pollinating flowers, they keep nature 'up and running,' thereby securing the livelihood of humans.

09/23/2021 Poxviruses have found a unique way of translating their genes into proteins in the infected organism. A team of researchers from Würzburg shows for the first time how the molecular machinery involved works at an atomic level. The last case of smallpox worldwide occurred in Somalia in October 1977.

Göttingen University research team involved in global study on conditions and capacity to adapt Ecosystems provide a wide range of services to people. These services depend on basic ecosystem functions, which are shaped by natural conditions like climate, the mix of species and by human intervention.

International researchers including the University of Göttingen demonstrate for the first time that animals can survive very long periods of time without sex It was thought that the survival of animal species over a geologically long period of time without sexual reproduction would be very unlikely, if not impossible.

Quickly and precisely determining the flavor profile of cocoa samples Because a plethora of flavor compounds contribute to the distinctive taste of cocoa, its composition is difficult to analyze. Now, scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Leibniz Institute of Food Systems Biology (LSB) have developed a new methodology that quickly, easily, and precisely quantifies the flavor profile of cocoa samples.