news 2022

Study at the University of Bonn identifies gene that can cause malformations if altered An international study led by the medical Faculty of the University of Bonn has identified a gene that plays an important role in the development of the human embryo. If it is altered, malformations of various organ systems can result.

Increased cell proliferation is a key feature of diseases such as cancer. A research team from the University of Würzburg and two Leibniz Institutes has now succeeded in indirectly influencing this process. As differently as cancers or autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis affect people - they all have one characteristic in common: they are accompanied by increased cell proliferation.

New biological tool for tracking cellular processes The better we understand cellular processes such as RNA regulation, the better molecular therapies can be developed. Until now, it has been especially difficult to track the regulation of non-coding RNA, which is RNA that is not further converted into proteins.

Archeologists from the universities of Freiburg and Mainz identify one of the largest known sacred buildings of the Etruscans Freiburg, Nov 10, 2022 An interdisciplinary team headed by archeologists Dr. Mariachiara Franceschini of the University of Freiburg and Paul P. Pasieka of the University of Mainz has discovered a previously unknown Etruscan temple in the ancient city of Vulci, which lies in the Italian region of Latium.

Applied quantum mechanics in medicine Tracing the metabolism of tumor cells using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been feasible in routine clinical settings hitherto. Now, an interdisciplinary research team including the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is working to advance the development of a quantum-based hyperpolarizer so that it can be deployed in clinical applications.

Humanitarian protection and support for victims of war and armed violence, that is the goal of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The symbol of the Red Cross is intended to protect aid workers from attack during their missions. Can this symbol also be used for the digital world - and what opportunities and risks are associated with it? An international team of researchers investigated this question on behalf of the ICRC.

Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes In Alzheimer's disease, the degeneration of brain cells is linked to formation of toxic protein aggregates and deposits known as amyloid plaques. Similar processes play an important role also in type 2 diabetes. A research team under the lead of the Technical University of Munich has now developed "mini-proteins", so-called peptides, which are able to bind the proteins that form amyloids and prevent their aggregation into cytotoxic amyloids.

Heidelberg physicists demonstrate the coexistence of superfluids in ultracold atomic clouds Two superfluids can exist at the same time in ultracold atomic clouds. Until now, their coexistence could not be observed experimentally. Now, however, physicists from Heidelberg University have demonstrated such a magnetic quantum fluid - it is fluid in two ways - in an atomic gas.

Clinical study with participation of the University of Bonn on nasopharyngeal cancer with unexpected result Patients with nasopharyngeal cancer are often treated with drugs that activate their immune system against the tumor. Until now, it was feared that vaccination against Covid-19 could reduce the success of cancer treatment or cause severe side effects.

Physicists from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, together with colleagues from Düsseldorf, Gothenburg, Lyngby and Trieste have developed an ingenious solution for separating bonded nano-components. Their idea is to immerse the nano-components in a solvent near its critical point. In the experimental setup, they succeeded in separating the components in a controllable fashion by only changing the temperature of the solvent.

New systematic review in Nature Human Behaviour summarizes studies conducted worldwide   One of the most contentious questions of our time is whether the rapid global uptake of digital media is contributing to a decline in democracy. While discussions on the risks of social media have recently received a great deal of media coverage, tech companies argue that findings are not conclusive.

Researchers analyze association between Covid vaccination status and social cohesion People who strongly identify with their Covid vaccine status discriminate more strongly against the respective other group. This is shown by a study conducted by the team around Luca Henkel, member of the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute at the University of Bonn, with the participation of the Universities of Erfurt and Vienna and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg.

Mainz-based scientists have been members of the IceCube consortium since 1999 For the first time, an international team of scientists found evidence of high-energy neutrino emission from NGC 1068, also known as Messier 77, an active galaxy in the constellation of Cetus and one of the most familiar and well-studied galaxies to date.

The finding promises numerous similar discoveries Using data from ESA-s Gaia astrometry mission, astronomers have identified the closest known black hole, less than 1600 light-years away from Earth, and determined its mass. The black hole is orbiting a star similar to our Sun, and was identified by tracking the star that the black hole is orbiting.

An X-ray pulsar is a rotating magnetized neutron star. The very first direct measurement of the polarization of an X-ray pulsar by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) space telescope has challenged previous models of such systems. The degree of polarization of the X-ray pulsar Hercules X-1 was much lower than theoretically predicted, so astrophysicists are now having to reconsider their basic ideas about the geometry and structure of matter flows.

Researchers find new material with significant potential for electronics applications Diodes allow directed flows of current. Without them, modern electronics would be inconceivable. Until now, they had to be made out of two materials with different characteristics. A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now discovered a material that makes it possible to create a diode with a simple change in temperature.

International research team reports effect of iodine-organic chemistry on the generation of new particles in the marine atmosphere and the recycling of iodine during particle growth The natural cycles of exchange of substances between the biosphere and the atmosphere are of major relevance to the Earth's climatic system.

Experiment at the University of Freiburg provides first evidence of a bark beetle species' agricultural capability Freiburg, Nov 02, 2022 Ambrosia beetles practice active agriculture: A bark beetle species breeds and cultivates food fungi in its nests and ensures that so-called weed fungi spread less.

Researchers at the University of Freiburg discover that the affinity between cells can control complex developmental processes Freiburg, Nov 02, 2022 During the growth and development of living organisms, different types of cells must come into contact with each other in order to form tissues and organs together.

Research project "Urban Oases in Times of Climate Change" investigates green spaces in Munich Sophie Arzberger is passionate about urban climate and ecology.