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Life Sciences - Paleontology - 20.09.2023 
Proboscideans of the Hammerschmiede - contemporaries of the first upright ape
Today, there exist only three elephant species, in Africa and Asia. Yet the diversity of proboscidean species and their distribution was significantly greater in the Earth's past. Researchers from the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, working at the Hammerschmiede site in southern Germany, have now described new fossils of early proboscidean species.
Environment - Life Sciences - 20.09.2023
Environment - Life Sciences - 20.09.2023 
A plea from experts: stop personifying plants
Research team including Göttingen University reviews popular books on forests and criticises lack of scientific evidence Popular science books are all the rage. Their aim is to convey scientific topics to interested members of the general public as clearly and entertainingly as possible. To succeed, authors describe the science using accessible language and concepts that will be interesting to their audience.
Life Sciences - 19.09.2023 
Don’t just look at the bees - TUM
Pollination in urban habitats requires a diversity of insects Don't just look at the bees Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have found that in the early season, insects such as wasps, beetles and flies play a crucial role in pollinating plants in urban environments. Moreover, for biodiversity that is so important, the food supply is more crucial than, for example, land sealing.
Life Sciences - Health - 18.09.2023 
Larger brain area for language
Language is one aspect that makes us human. The ability to produce an infinite number of utterances based on the words in the mental lexicon and a small number of syntactic rules is unique to humans. Other animals can learn words or calls and communicate, but the language ability of humans is unique.
Life Sciences - 15.09.2023
Life Sciences - Environment - 13.09.2023 
Optimized cacao pollination for higher yields
How can the cultivation of cacao be improved by using the right pollination technique? This has now been investigated by a research team including Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter's Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology. The success of cacao cultivation depends to a large extent on functioning pollination.
Environment - Life Sciences - 12.09.2023 
Animals may be the best monitors of global climate change
Carrying small sensors, they could be the most sensitive and informative weather instruments of all The world's scientists rely on an elaborate network of satellites, ocean buoys, weather stations, and balloons to help predict the weather and assess the impact of global climate change across land, air, and sea.
Life Sciences - Health - 11.09.2023 
How Internal Clocks Control Fat Metabolism
In the fruit fly Drosophila, circadian clocks also control fat metabolism. This is shown in a new study by a research team at the University of Würzburg. The findings could also be relevant for humans. Much is known about how modern human lifestyles contribute to triggering metabolic disorders and diseases.
Health - Life Sciences - 11.09.2023 
Consortium Discovers 28 New Risk Genes for COVID-19
Researchers from the Institute of Human Genetics are involved in the work with their own study A great many criteria determine whether or not we get seriously ill from COVID-19. Besides our age and any previous or existing conditions, they also include genetic factors. Right from the start of the pandemic, the "COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative" has been investigating the links between genetic factors and severe COVID-19.
Life Sciences - Health - 07.09.2023
Environment - Life Sciences - 07.09.2023 
When lush deciduous forests covered the Arctic
Around 50 million years ago there were extensive, lush deciduous forests in the polar regions of the Arctic, where today there is sparse vegetation. The forests existed due to the conditions in the Eocene - a combination of a greenhouse climate and almost twice the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as there is today.
Health - Life Sciences - 06.09.2023 
Potatos with the right antennae
All over the world, huge quantities of crop protection agents are sprayed to control potato blight ( Phytophthora infestans ). The mechanisms of resistance of potatoes need to be better understood to make growing this crop more sustainable. Researchers of Wageningen University & Research together with their colleagues in Tübingen and Norwich have now taken an important step.
Chemistry - Life Sciences - 04.09.2023 
New Ribozyme for Exploring the World of RNA
Important progress for RNA research: A team led by Würzburg chemistry professor Claudia Höbartner has discovered a new ribozyme that can label RNA molecules in living cells. RNA molecules are real all-rounders. They transfer the genetic information from the DNA in the cell. They regulate the activity of genes.
Life Sciences - Environment - 30.08.2023 
Algae provide clues about 600 million years of plant evolution
Research team led by Göttingen University investigates 10 billion RNA snippets to identify -hub genes- The Earth's surface is covered by plants. They make up the majority of biomass on land and exhibit a wide range of diversity, from mosses to trees. This astounding biodiversity came into existence due to a fateful evolutionary event that happened just once: plant terrestrialization.
Environment - Life Sciences - 29.08.2023 
Male crested macaques more likely to respond to offspring screams recruiting support
When infants are involved in agonistic conflicts, male crested macaques (Macaca nigra) are more likely to respond to screams from their own offspring. This is the conclusion of a recent study led by behavioural ecologist Professor Anja Widdig from Leipzig University and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig as part of the Macaca Nigra Project (MNP).
Health - Life Sciences - 29.08.2023 
Hemp helps to heal
While the German government is planning to relax legislation on the use of cannabis, researchers from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, together with colleagues from Italy, Austria and the USA, have identified the mode of action underlying anti-inflammatory effects demonstrated by cannabinoids.
Life Sciences - Environment - 29.08.2023 
Male crested macaques are more likely to respond to calls for help from related juveniles
Male crested macaques (Macaca nigra) are more likely to respond to their offspring's calls for help when they are involved in conflicts. This is the conclusion of a study recently completed under the leadership of behavioral ecologist Anja Widdig from the University of Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig as part of the Macaca Nigra Project (MNP).
Life Sciences - 28.08.2023 
Curious and cryptic: new leaf insects discovered
Research team including Göttingen University describes seven new species of walking leaves An international research team including the University of Göttingen has described seven previously unknown species of leaf insects, also known as walking leaves. The insects belong to the stick and leaf insect order, which are known for their unusual appearance: they look confusingly similar to parts of plants such as twigs, bark or - in the case of leaf insects - leaves.
Life Sciences - Computer Science - 24.08.2023 
DNA Chips as Storage Media of the Future
In the form of DNA, nature shows how data can be stored in a space-saving and long-term manner. Würzburg's chair of bioinformatics is developing DNA chips for computer technology. The hereditary molecule DNA can store a great deal of information over long periods of time in a very small space. For a good ten years, scientists have therefore been pursuing the goal of developing DNA chips for computer technology, for example for the long-term archiving of data.
Life Sciences
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Today, there exist only three elephant species, in Africa and Asia. Yet the diversity of proboscidean species and their distribution was significantly greater in the Earth's past. Researchers from the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, working at the Hammerschmiede site in southern Germany, have now described new fossils of early proboscidean species.
Plant and Forest Researchers: Do Not ’Anthropomorphise’ Plants
Plants are often attributed with abilities similar to those known in the animal or human world. Trees are said to have feelings and can therefore care for their offspring, like mothers. In an article in the review journal "Trends in Plant Science", 32 international plant and forest researchers followed up on such assertions.
Plants are often attributed with abilities similar to those known in the animal or human world. Trees are said to have feelings and can therefore care for their offspring, like mothers. In an article in the review journal "Trends in Plant Science", 32 international plant and forest researchers followed up on such assertions.
Research team including Göttingen University reviews popular books on forests and criticises lack of scientific evidence Popular science books are all the rage. Their aim is to convey scientific topics to interested members of the general public as clearly and entertainingly as possible. To succeed, authors describe the science using accessible language and concepts that will be interesting to their audience.
Pollination in urban habitats requires a diversity of insects Don't just look at the bees Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have found that in the early season, insects such as wasps, beetles and flies play a crucial role in pollinating plants in urban environments. Moreover, for biodiversity that is so important, the food supply is more crucial than, for example, land sealing.
Language is one aspect that makes us human. The ability to produce an infinite number of utterances based on the words in the mental lexicon and a small number of syntactic rules is unique to humans. Other animals can learn words or calls and communicate, but the language ability of humans is unique.
How Ribosome Production and Cell Proliferation Rate Are Linked
Ribosomes are the nanomachines of the cell. They act as protein factories for the organism, producing vital proteins with various tasks. Correct ribosomal formation is therefore of elementary importance in cell division and propagation. As biochemist Ed Hurt explains, scientists first observed about 20 years ago that cancer cell division could be inhibited by blocking the production of new ribosomes.
Ribosomes are the nanomachines of the cell. They act as protein factories for the organism, producing vital proteins with various tasks. Correct ribosomal formation is therefore of elementary importance in cell division and propagation. As biochemist Ed Hurt explains, scientists first observed about 20 years ago that cancer cell division could be inhibited by blocking the production of new ribosomes.
How can the cultivation of cacao be improved by using the right pollination technique? This has now been investigated by a research team including Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter's Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology. The success of cacao cultivation depends to a large extent on functioning pollination.
Carrying small sensors, they could be the most sensitive and informative weather instruments of all The world's scientists rely on an elaborate network of satellites, ocean buoys, weather stations, and balloons to help predict the weather and assess the impact of global climate change across land, air, and sea.
In the fruit fly Drosophila, circadian clocks also control fat metabolism. This is shown in a new study by a research team at the University of Würzburg. The findings could also be relevant for humans. Much is known about how modern human lifestyles contribute to triggering metabolic disorders and diseases.
Researchers from the Institute of Human Genetics are involved in the work with their own study A great many criteria determine whether or not we get seriously ill from COVID-19. Besides our age and any previous or existing conditions, they also include genetic factors. Right from the start of the pandemic, the "COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative" has been investigating the links between genetic factors and severe COVID-19.
How ribosome production and cell division rate are coupled
Scientists at Heidelberg University investigate functional details of a ribonucleoprotein complex for this circuitry. In order for cancer cells to divide continuously and unchecked, they have to outsmart the cellular mechanisms that normally ensure tight control of cell division. One of the elementary cellular processes is the production of ribosomes, which is manipulated by cancer cells in such a way that the ribosome production rate is ramped up, thus enabling the necessary high cell division rate.
Scientists at Heidelberg University investigate functional details of a ribonucleoprotein complex for this circuitry. In order for cancer cells to divide continuously and unchecked, they have to outsmart the cellular mechanisms that normally ensure tight control of cell division. One of the elementary cellular processes is the production of ribosomes, which is manipulated by cancer cells in such a way that the ribosome production rate is ramped up, thus enabling the necessary high cell division rate.
Around 50 million years ago there were extensive, lush deciduous forests in the polar regions of the Arctic, where today there is sparse vegetation. The forests existed due to the conditions in the Eocene - a combination of a greenhouse climate and almost twice the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as there is today.
All over the world, huge quantities of crop protection agents are sprayed to control potato blight ( Phytophthora infestans ). The mechanisms of resistance of potatoes need to be better understood to make growing this crop more sustainable. Researchers of Wageningen University & Research together with their colleagues in Tübingen and Norwich have now taken an important step.
Important progress for RNA research: A team led by Würzburg chemistry professor Claudia Höbartner has discovered a new ribozyme that can label RNA molecules in living cells. RNA molecules are real all-rounders. They transfer the genetic information from the DNA in the cell. They regulate the activity of genes.
Research team led by Göttingen University investigates 10 billion RNA snippets to identify -hub genes- The Earth's surface is covered by plants. They make up the majority of biomass on land and exhibit a wide range of diversity, from mosses to trees. This astounding biodiversity came into existence due to a fateful evolutionary event that happened just once: plant terrestrialization.
When infants are involved in agonistic conflicts, male crested macaques (Macaca nigra) are more likely to respond to screams from their own offspring. This is the conclusion of a recent study led by behavioural ecologist Professor Anja Widdig from Leipzig University and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig as part of the Macaca Nigra Project (MNP).
While the German government is planning to relax legislation on the use of cannabis, researchers from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, together with colleagues from Italy, Austria and the USA, have identified the mode of action underlying anti-inflammatory effects demonstrated by cannabinoids.
Male crested macaques (Macaca nigra) are more likely to respond to their offspring's calls for help when they are involved in conflicts. This is the conclusion of a study recently completed under the leadership of behavioral ecologist Anja Widdig from the University of Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig as part of the Macaca Nigra Project (MNP).
Research team including Göttingen University describes seven new species of walking leaves An international research team including the University of Göttingen has described seven previously unknown species of leaf insects, also known as walking leaves. The insects belong to the stick and leaf insect order, which are known for their unusual appearance: they look confusingly similar to parts of plants such as twigs, bark or - in the case of leaf insects - leaves.
In the form of DNA, nature shows how data can be stored in a space-saving and long-term manner. Würzburg's chair of bioinformatics is developing DNA chips for computer technology. The hereditary molecule DNA can store a great deal of information over long periods of time in a very small space. For a good ten years, scientists have therefore been pursuing the goal of developing DNA chips for computer technology, for example for the long-term archiving of data.
