news 2022

Regulating the sleep-wake cycle: researchers demonstrate the importance of transporting a "clock protein" from the cell nucleus for temperature compensation The higher the temperatures, the faster physiological processes are. But there is an exception - the so-called circadian clock, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle in organisms.

Dr Charlotte Teschers has developed an automated method for producing -glycomimetics- One project, one researcher and five years of intensive work: as part of her doctoral thesis, supervised by Prof. Ryan Gilmour at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, Dr. Charlotte Teschers has successfully developed a new method of producing complex, fluorinated sugars.

Study by the Universities of Bonn and Heidelberg provides insights into a carefully choreographed dance Nerve cells need a lot of energy and oxygen. They receive both through the blood. This is why nerve tissue is usually crisscrossed by a large number of blood vessels. But what prevents neurons and vascular cells from getting in each other's way as they grow? Researchers at the Universities of Heidelberg and Bonn, together with international partners, have identified a mechanism that takes care of this.

A research team at the University of Leipzig Medical School has discovered a new mechanism associated with severe childhood obesity. A genetic alteration leads to an unusual expression of a gene related to the control of the feeling of hunger. Until now, this alteration has not been detected with general genetic diagnostics in obesity.

Heidelberg scientists decode the genetic foundations of rapid testicle evolution in mammals and humans Evolutionary pressure across male mammals to guarantee the procreation of their own offspring led to a rapid evolution of the testicle. Bioinformatic studies - conducted by an international team of researchers led by Henrik Kaessmann from the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University - show that this pressure particularly accelerated the evolution of later stages of sperm formation.

A research team at Leipzig University's Faculty of Medicine has discovered a new mechanism that is associated with severe obesity in children. This genetic rearrangement leads to an unusual expression of a gene involved in hunger control and is not detected by most routine genetic tests for obesity.

Study by the University of Bonn elucidates a potential mechanism People with chronic epilepsy often experience impaired memory. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now found a mechanism in mice that could explain these deficits. The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) was also involved in the study.

New study on "starvation response" by Freie Universität professor of pharmacology published in Science / Joint press release with the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie Body cells burn off fat reserves when nutrient supply from food ceases. A team led by Professor Volker Haucke and Dr. Wonyul Jang from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) has now discovered a previously unknown mechanism for how this "starvation response" is triggered and what can inhibit it.

Body cells burn fat reserves when the supply of nutrients from food is interrupted. A team led by Volker Haucke of Freie Universität Berlin and the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) and Wonyul Jang of the FMP has now discovered a previously unknown mechanism for how this "starvation metabolism" gets going - and what can inhibit it.

Researchers at the University of Bonn find clues to the causes of the condition Cleft lip and palate are among the most common congenital malformations, which are mainly due to genetic causes. It is not yet known exactly which genes are affected. A study led by the University of Bonn has now uncovered new correlations: New mutations near known genes such as SPRY1 could contribute to the increase in disease risk.

Researchers use baker's yeast to study potential targets for fighting cancer cells Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz may have discovered new insights into how cancer cells regulate the ends of their chromosomes, called telomeres.

Technically, it would be possible for future space missions to detect DNA, lipids and other bacterial components on icy moons with an ocean beneath the ice in our solar system - assuming these building blocks of life exist beyond Earth. This is the conclusion reached by an international team of scientists including Professor Abel's research group at Leipzig University.

How intensive agriculture turned a wild plant into a pervasive weed Agriculture is driving rapid evolutionary change, not just on farms, but also in wild species in the surroundings. New research shows how the rise of modern agriculture has turned a North American native plant, common waterhemp, into a problematic agricultural weed by mutations in hundreds of genes related to drought tolerance, rapid growth, and resistance to herbicides.

Absence of evidence for neurotropism and neuroinvasion of several SARS-CoV-2 variants including Omicron A common symptom of COVID-19 is a partial or complete loss of smell. The virus infects sustentacular cells in the olfactory epithelium and is thought to impair thereby the activity of the sensory neurons in this epithelium.

Study by the University of Bonn elucidates important mechanism in the brain Nerve cells can regulate their sensitivity to incoming signals autonomously. A new study led by the University of Bonn has now discovered a mechanism that does just that. The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior were involved in the work.

Miniature device enables scientist to record nerve cell activity in all cortical layers in lit environments Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior have developed a miniature microscope small enough to be carried on the head of freely a moving mouse and capable of measuring neuronal activity in all cortical layers, even the deepest ones.

Interdisciplinary team at the University of Freiburg studies freely moving individuals using 3D tracking An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Freiburg has found important clues about the functioning of the sensorimotor cortex. The new findings on neuronal activities in this brain area could be helpful for the further development and use of so-called neuroprostheses.

Basic researchers at Leipzig University have solved a puzzle in the evolution of bacterial enzymes. By reconstructing a candidate for a special RNA polymerase as it existed about two billion years ago, they were able to explain a hitherto puzzling property of the corresponding modern enzymes. Unlike their ancestors, they do not work continuously and are thus significantly more effective - these pauses in activity constitute evolutionary progress.

Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin Publish Study in the Journal Astrobiology. In the future, space missions would be at least technically capable of detecting DNA, lipids, and other components of bacteria on ocean moons in our solar system - if such building blocks of life exist outside Earth. This has now been demonstrated in laboratory experiments by an international team led by scientists from the Planetary Science and Remote Sensing Research Group at Freie Universität Berlin.

It would be technically possible for future space missions to detect DNA, lipids, and other bacterial components on ocean moons in our solar system - provided that these building blocks of life do exist beyond Earth. This is the conclusion that has now been reached by an international team of scientists, led by the Planetary Sciences and Remote Sensing research group at Freie Universität Berlin.