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Agronomy / Food Science - Life Sciences - 23.09.2020

Broad beans versus soybeans as feedstuff for dual-purpose chickens
University of Göttingen research team investigates influence on meat quality Current practices of the poultry industry have raised ethical and ecological concerns: ethical concerns include the culling of day-old male chicks of egg-laying breeds; ecological concerns include the import of large quantities of soybeans for feedstuff.

Life Sciences - 08.09.2020

Glial cells play an active role in the nervous system
View of a Drosophila larva (with the head turned to the left). The surrounding glial cells in the peripheral nervous system have been depicted in individual colours by using a genetic trick. To this end, a random combination of a certain set of fluorescent proteins is induced in the surrounding glial cells by means of a systematic expression of a recombinase so that each cell expresses its own colour code and, as a result, becomes visible under the microscope.

Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 02.09.2020

Finding cortisone alternatives with fewer side effects
DNA binding is essential for effectiveness of steroids Many people use cortisone of a regular basis. It is used for treating rheumatism, asthma, multiple sclerosis, or even COVID-19. Steroidal medication such as cortisone is highly effective but also possesses severe side effects. Henriette Uhlenhaut, professor at Technical University of Munich (TUM), and her team are examining the beneficial effects of cortisone in order to lay the groundwork for the development of similar drugs with fewer side effects.

Life Sciences - Computer Science - 01.09.2020

"Biohackers" TV series stored on DNA
Genetic material as a stable storage medium "Biohackers" TV series stored on DNA The first episode of the newly released series "Biohackers" was stored in the form of synthetic DNA. This was made possible by the research of Prof. Reinhard Heckel of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and his colleague Prof. Robert Grass of ETH Zürich.

Health - Life Sciences - 31.08.2020

Saxon Researchers Develop New Coronavirus Antibody Test
As part of a wide-ranging research project, Leipzig scientists have developed a sophisticated coronavirus antibody test that can even be used in the home. The results were presented to Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer and State Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow this lunchtime at BioCity Leipzig.

Life Sciences - Health - 27.08.2020

Decoded: the structure of the barrier between three cells
Organs in animals and in humans have one thing in common: they are bounded by so-called epithelial cells. These, along with the muscle, connective and nervous tissues, belong to the basic types of tissue. Epithelial cells form special connections with one another in order to prevent substances or pathogens from passing between the cells, i.e. they have a protective and sealing function for the body.

Health - Life Sciences - 25.08.2020

Less "Sticky" Cells Become More Cancerous
In cooperation with colleagues from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, researchers at Leipzig University have investigated the structure of tumour tissue and the behaviour of tumour cells in detail, gaining important insights that could improve cancer diagnosis and therapy in the future. They found out that during tumour development the way cells move can change from coordinated and collective to individual and chaotic behaviour.

Health - Life Sciences - 24.08.2020

Are antivitamins the new antibiotics?
Research team from University of Göttingen develops drug approach against bacterial infections Antibiotics are among the most important discoveries of modern medicine and have saved millions of lives since the discovery of penicillin almost 100 years ago. Many diseases caused by bacterial infections - such as pneumonia, meningitis or septicaemia - are successfully treated with antibiotics.

Life Sciences - 17.08.2020

Environmental conditions impact offspring’s form in Sea snail species
In some regions the Planaxis sulcatus sea snail produces larvae while in others they produce further-developed offspring. A research team headed by Benedikt Wiggering and Matthias Glaubrecht from the Center of Natural History (CeNak) at Universität Hamburg have now proven for the first time that the animals in question are indeed one and the same species and have thus adapted brilliantly to living conditions.

Life Sciences - Health - 17.08.2020

Designed bacteria produce coral-antibiotic
Sustainable biotechnological production of a natural substance against tuberculosis Corals growing on the reefs of the Bahamas produce an active agent that kills multi-resistant tuberculosis bacteria. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have managed to produce the antibiotic biotechnologically in the laboratory - fast, cost-efficient and sustainably.

Life Sciences - Environment - 14.08.2020

Watching changes in plant metabolism - live
Young thale cress seedling (Arabidopsis thaliana) with the fluorescent biosensor in its cells. The false colour image shows the redox status of the NAD pool in the cells and tissue. Rainbow scale from blue (oxidized NAD pool) to red (reduced NAD pool). Almost all life on Earth, in particular our food and our health, depend on metabolism in plants.

Life Sciences - 07.08.2020

Grow faster, die sooner
How growth rates influence the fitness of bacteria Bacteria are survival artists: When they get nutrition, they multiply rapidly, albeit they can also survive periods of hunger. But, when they grow too quickly, their ability to survive is hampered, as studies by a research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) on E. coli bacteria show.

Environment - Life Sciences - 29.07.2020

Smaller habitats worse than expected for biodiversity
New international research breaks ground for the next generation of biodiversity forecasts No 131/2020 from Jul 29, 2020 Biodiversity's ongoing global decline has prompted policies to protect and restore habitats to minimize animal and plant extinctions. However, biodiversity forecasts used to inform these policies are usually based on assumptions of a simple theoretical model describing how the number of species changes with the amount of habitat.

Life Sciences - 27.07.2020

European and American maize: same same, but different
Adapting maize plants to climate change German researchers decoded the European maize genome. In comparison to North American maize lines, they discovered differences. For cultivation of maize in areas with low yields and for challenges imposed by the climate change these observations of the research team led by Klaus F.X. Mayer, head of the research group "Plant Genome and Systems Biology" at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Chris-Carolin Schön, Professor for Plant Breeding at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) might be of particular interest.

Life Sciences - Computer Science - 24.07.2020

More effective sharing of research data
National research data infrastructure: TUM involved in three consortia Genome sequencing produces immense quantities of data. The aim of the German Human Genome-Phenome Archive (GHGA) is to make these data available to science without violating the personality rights of patients. The GHGA will focus initially on data collections pertaining to cancer and rare genetic disorders.

Life Sciences - 20.07.2020

Reproductive genetics: New gene for male infertility discovered
Impairment of sperm formation: male infertility is not only a concern for those affected but is also something which the working group led by Prof. Frank Tüttelmann is researching into. The Reproductive Genetics team at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Münster is running a multitude of projects as it attempts to get to the bottom of further causes of male infertility.

Health - Life Sciences - 17.07.2020

A chemical tailor-made suit for Alzheimer’s drugs
Research team from Göttingen and Halle develops new inhibitors for enzymes With over 1.2 million people affected in Germany alone and over 50 million people worldwide, Alzheimer's disease, also referred to simply as Alzheimer's, is one of the greatest medical and social challenges of our time.

Life Sciences - Health - 15.07.2020

Making balanced decisions
Neuronal circuits in the brain 'sense' our inner state How decisions are made and how behavior is controlled is one of the most important questions in neuroscience. The neurotransmitter dopamine plays a central role in all of this. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), together with researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology, looked into the role that dopamine plays in the decision-making process and in controlling movement.

Life Sciences - Veterinary - 14.07.2020

Mystery about cause of genetic disease in horses
Research team led by Göttingen University questions link to warmblood fragile foal syndrome Warmblood fragile foal syndrome is a severe, usually fatal, genetic disease that manifests itself after birth in affected horses. Due to the defect, the connective tissue is unstable. Under force, for instance, the skin tears from the tissue underneath and the joints can suffer dislocation.

Life Sciences - Chemistry - 09.07.2020

Proteins Analysed, Volunteers Sought
A research team led by zoologist Dr Amy MacLeod has been using drones to count marine lizards on the Galapagos Islands. The aim of the Leipzig University project is to determine the colony sizes of this vulnerable species and, with the help of volunteers, to precisely locate them - in order to ultimately be able to better protect the iguanas.