news

Bonn researchers reclassify leading gene variants, a large proportion of them as benign The genetic confirmation of a suspected diagnosis of "hereditary colorectal cancer" is of great importance for the medical care of affected families. However, many of the variants identified in the known genes cannot yet be reliably classified in terms of their causal role in tumor formation.

In a recent study, researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena have shown how they can investigate the growth and interactions of the green algae "Ulva" and its bacterial community non-invasively and non-destructively using Raman spectroscopy.

The study of metabolism in living plants poses challenges for science. A research team from Leipzig and Würzburg has now developed a technique that changes this in some areas. The "omics" technologies - genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics - are at the forefront of discovery in modern plant science and systems biology.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin (MPIMG) and the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna have discovered a potential "pause button" in the earliest stages of human development. Whether humans can control the timing of their development has long been debated.

Bonn researchers use nanobodies to elucidate pore formation by gasdermin D in cell membranes The formation of pores by a particular protein, gasdermin D, plays a key role in inflammatory reactions. During its activation, an inhibitory part is split off. More than 30 of the remaining protein fragments then combine to form large pores in the cell membrane, which allow the release of inflammatory messengers.

Transferring knowledge from animal experiments to humans remains a key challenge in medical research. This 'translational gap' is often an obstacle to the successful translation of promising preclinical findings into clinical applications. In a joint research project between Leipzig University and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, scientists have used artificial intelligence to develop an approach that compares the molecular mechanisms of COVID-19 disease in humans and animals.

Heidelberg researchers identify biological mechanism that protects against, but can also trigger, errors in the genome Certain developmental signals shape not only the human embryo but also play a significant role in maintaining our genetic blueprints. They prevent alterations in the genome, known as mosaicism.

Researchers from Bonn and Tübingen clarify the neuronal basis of the mathematical concept of "zero" Despite its importance for mathematics, the neuronal basis of the number zero in the human brain was previously unknown. Now researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the University of Tübingen have discovered that individual nerve cells in the medial temporal lobe recognize zero as a numerical value and not as a separate category "nothing".

Artificial light at night changes the behavior of fish, even into the next generation Scientists have shown that light pollution-especially light in the blue spectrum-can alter the behavior of fish after only a few nights, and have knock-on effects for their offspring. The team studied how female zebrafish responded after being exposed to artificial light at night, which is considered to be the main source of the world's light pollution.

A circuit between the brain and gut influences the gut flora and thus regulates the immune system A study has uncovered a critical brain-gut connection that links psychological states to changes in the gut microbiome, with profound implications for immune function and stress-related health conditions.

A serotonin specific receptor can determine how important visual stimuli are perceived. This explains the effects of certain drugs and could help in understanding psychiatric diseases. Signals in our brain are not always processed in the same way: Certain receptors modulate these mechanisms, influencing our mood, perception, and behavior in various ways.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany, in collaboration with the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Switzerland and the University of Vienna in Austria, investigated how young golden eagles improve their flight skills as they age. Their results, published in eLife, show that as golden eagles improve their flying skills, they become able to explore a broader area within their range in the central European Alps.

A study carried out at the University of Bonn identifies a control circuit in flies essential for the consumption of food Researchers at the University of Bonn and the University of Cambridge have identified an important control circuit involved in the eating process. The study has revealed that fly larvae have special sensors, or receptors, in their esophagus that are triggered as soon as the animal swallows something.

It takes a lot of helpers to build up the protein complexes required for photosynthesis and to constantly repair them in strong light. Photosynthesis takes place before our eyes every day in every single little green leaf - yet the details of the complex process have not yet been fully understood. A research team at Ruhr University Bochum headed by Professor Danja Schünemann has unravelled another piece of the puzzle.

Take some carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen plus electricity from renewable sources - a bacterium and baker's yeast need little more to produce proteins for human nourishment and the essential vitamin B9 in a conventional laboratory bioreactor system. This was the result achieved by a research team led by Professor Lars Angenent from Environmental Biotechnology at the University of Tübingen during the further development of his power-to-protein system.

Bonn researchers clarify the function of specialized nerve cells in memory formation Specialized nerve cells in the temporal lobe react highly selectively to images and names of a single person or specific objects. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have provided direct evidence for the first time that the so-called concept neurons are indeed the building blocks of our memory for experiences.

An international research team has decoded the genome of the longest-lived known vertebrate: the Greenland shark. It is huge and has special repair capabilities. The Greenland Shark ( Somniosus microcephalus ), an elusive dweller of the depths of the northern Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, is the world's longest-living vertebrate, with an estimated lifespan of about 400 years.

Information in the brain is transmitted via electrical signals between specialized cells called neurons. The activity within a large network of such neurons controls sensations, behavior, and cognition. Scientists have long sought ways to simulate the neural networks in the brain with computers in order to understand how it works.

A research team of scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and Princeton University provide insights into the origins of complete metamorphosis in insects More than sixty percent of all'animal species are insects. The majority of these species undergo complete metamorphosis, whereby the larva transforms into a pupa and then an adult.

Interdisciplinary research team uses DNA microbeads to control the development of cultivated tissue A new molecular engineering technique can precisely influence the development of organoids. Microbeads made of specifically folded DNA are used to release growth factors or other signal molecules inside the tissue structures.