news 2024

An international team of researchers has investigated the mechanism that makes some types of bacteria reflect light without using pigments. The researchers were interested in the genes responsible and discovered important ecological connections. These findings were published in the current issue of the renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The Freiburg project 'I4C - Intelligence for Cities' has developed locally precise climate models and foundations for planning tools Urban spaces are particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change, such as heat waves, floods, and storms. But which areas of a city are affected, and how can city planners respond? 'I4C - Intelligence for Cities' is an interdisciplinary project conducted by the University of Freiburg and several Fraunhofer Institutes.

Researchers from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Görlitz have studied the role of the desert grass Stipagrostis sabulicola in the African Namib Desert. In their study, published in the journal Scientific Reports , they show that the plant is able to absorb moisture from fog events and thus forms an essential basis of an - altogether unexpectedly complex - food web in the drought-stricken landscape.

Researchers from Konstanz have measured the heart rate of bats over several days in the wild, including complete flights - the first time this has been done for a bat species. To record the heart rate of male common noctule bats during flight, the scientists attached heart rate transmitters weighing less than one gram to the animals, which they then accompanied in an airplane while the bats flew, sometimes for more than an hour, in search of food.

The EU Emissions Trading System is not only good for reducing CO2 and for the climate. It also results in considerable health benefits due to reduced air pollution and saves hundreds of billions of euros, according to a recently released study by a team at Universität Hamburg. The research team from the Cluster of Excellence Climate, Climatic Change, and Society (CLICCS) at Universität Hamburg analyzed the indirect effects of the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) on hazardous air pollutants such as sulfur oxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides.

A guest commentary by biologists Niklas Kästner and Tobias Zimmermann, editors of the online magazine "ETHOlogisch - Verhalten verstehen" ("ETHOlogical - Understanding Behaviour") A mouse which disappears in a hole, a bee heading for a blossom, a blackbird in full-throated song - we are surrounded by animals which interact with their environment in certain ways.

Würzburg researchers from the Bavarian initiative Solar Technologies Go Hybrid are reporting progress on the road to more efficient utilisation of solar energy: they have developed an innovative light-harvesting system. In order to convert sunlight into electricity or other forms of energy as efficiently as possible, the very first step is an efficient light-harvesting system.

News from Two new papers published by researchers from Leipzig University and its partner institutions shed light on the complex relationships between biodiversity, soil and climate. They show how human influences and climate change are jeopardising our environment and emphasise the need for integrated solutions that promote sustainability and social justice.

Eleven mines and 57 recycling plants fewer: economic and ecological potential for savings on material consumption for electromobility in Europe The demand for electric vehicles which run on batteries is increasing worldwide. At the same time, resources of primary battery materials - i.e. those obtained from mining activities - are limited.

In a warming climate, cloud patterns change in such a way that they exacerbate global warming. A research group led by Johannes Quaas from Leipzig University and Hao Luo and Yong Han from Sun Yat-sen University in China has discovered that the cloud cover is increasingly showing asymmetrical changes: it decreases more during the day than at night.

Botanical gardens are found all'over the world and are home to plants from all'over the world. They are therefore ideal study platforms for researchers to find out how different plants react to changes - for example as a result of climate change. Numerous scientific studies are now being carried out in cooperation with botanical gardens, including the "PhenObs" project of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv) .

TUM Scientists Develop New Method for Early Detection of Climate Tipping Points Abrupt shifts within complex systems such as the Earth's climate system are extremely hard to predict. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) have now succeeded in developing a new method to anticipate such tipping points in advance.

Less waste, mild reaction conditions, and no harmful solvents - only a very thin layer of gold is necessary to sustainably convert alcohols into aldehydes through mechanochemistry. A gold-coated milling vessel for ball mills proved to be a real marvel in the research work by Inorganic Chemistry at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany: Without any solvents or environmentally harmful chemicals, the team led by Professor Lars Borchardt was able to use it to convert alcohols into aldehydes.

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications shows that grassland and arable land could better provide different services at the same time if the use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers is reduced. According to the researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig University (UL) and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), these results also apply under possible future climate conditions.

Led by the University of Bremen, RWTH paleoclimate researcher Professor Thorsten Bauersachs and colleagues have now published their results on the glaciation of West Antarctica in the journal Science Advances. It has been more than 30 million years since West Antarctica was last largely ice-free. In the last 30 million years, however, it has been extensively glaciated.

International research team investigates benefits of forest proximity for cocoa cultivation   The diversity and ecological functionality of bird communities in tropical agroforestry systems are shaped by the surrounding landscape, in particular the extent and composition of the forest. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has now investigated the composition and ecological traits of bird communities in 23 cocoa agroforestry systems in Peru.

International research team carry out Africa's first large-scale nutrient addition experiment with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium Tropical forests are highly productive ecosystems accounting for nearly half of the global forest carbon sink. If tropical forests can no longer remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the effects of climate change may become even more severe.

A study by researchers at the University of Bonn examines the ecological sustainability of children's and young people's diets Our diet puts a strain on planetary resources. Shifting to a sustainable diet that benefits both our health and that of the planet is therefore assuming increasing importance.

Fishing with rod and reel is much more than just a leisure activity: In many regions of the world, it makes an important contribution to their own diet with fish. This has been shown by an international research team, including Robert Arlinghaus, Professor of Integrative Fisheries Management at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology (IGB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

A study carried out at the University of Bonn shows how organically and conventionally farmed plants develop differently Plants adapt genetically over time to the special conditions of organic farming. This has been demonstrated in a long-term study conducted at the University of Bonn. The researchers planted barley plants on two neighboring fields and used conventional farming methods on one and organic methods on the other.