A research team at Leipzig University Medicine has found a possible cause for the development of Long Covid. The disruption of certain signaling pathways in the nervous system plays an important role in this. In addition, the positive effect of nicotine patches on Long Covid symptoms was demonstrated for the first time using imaging as part of these therapeutic trials.

Scientists refute study results from 2023 and call for further research into triggers for insect extinction. The insect population in German nature reserves has been declining for decades. A study conducted by the University of Würzburg in 2023 identified weather conditions as the main cause of insect mortality.

In an international study, researchers have examined different fat cells in adipose tissues of the human body. Using innovative technology, they were able to identify unique subpopulations of fat cells for the first time and determine differences between human fat tissues in intercellular communication.

Contrary to previous claims, the ocean absorbs more microplastics from the atmosphere than it releases into it A sink for microplastics: contrary to previous claims, the ocean releases less microplastics into the atmosphere than it absorbs from it. The result of a model calculation: 15 percent of all the microplastics contained in the air are deposited in the oceans.

International research team tests effects of social media posts on valuation of chocolate   Does triggering certain emotions increase willingness to pay for sustainably produced food? In social media, emotional messages are often used to influence users' consumer behaviour. An international research team including the University of Göttingen investigated the shortand medium-term effects of such content on consumers' willingness to pay for bars of chocolate.

A team of researchers from Würzburg has for the first time experimentally demonstrated a quantum tornado. Electrons form vortices in the momentum space of the quantum semi-metal tantalum arsenide. Scientists have long known that electrons can form vortices in quantum materials. What's new is the proof that these tiny particles create tornado-like structures in momentum space - a finding that has now been confirmed experimentally.

Half a million people worldwide are diagnosed with esophageal cancer every year. It is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. A study with significant involvement from Leipzig University Medicine shows how the chances of recovery for patients can be improved. The results were published in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine.

Research team led by Göttingen University studies evolution of plant networks for environmental stress response Without plants on land, humans could not live on Earth. From mosses to ferns to grasses to trees, plants are our food, fodder and timber. All this diversity emerged from an algal ancestor that conquered land long ago.

Did you know that a woman's heartbeat changes in subtle ways during her menstrual cycle? These rhythmic changes, triggered by hormonal fluctuations, offer a unique insight into the complex interactions between the female brain and heart. In a new paper published in Science Advances, Max Planck researchers Jellina Prinsen, Julia Sacher and Arno Villringer explain how these naturally occurring fluctuations could affect stress, mood and long-term cardiovascular and neurological health.

Team led by plant physiologists Iris Finkemeier and Guillaume Née at the University of Münster discovers molecular basis for balance between seed dormancy and stress resistance To germinate or not to germinate? With plants, the right time to start their life cycle determines their chances of growth.

Egg cells need stamina: They are formed in a women-s body before birth and have to be on standby for decades to possibly be fertilized one day. But as they age, they accumulate more and more DNA damage. Until now, it has been unclear why the cell-s repair mechanisms do not fix the damage. Researchers led by Melina Schuh and Ninadini Sharma at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences have now shown in experiments with mice that aged egg cells repair their DNA less efficiently than young ones, and that repair becomes more error-prone with advancing maternal age.

In both ancient Roman and modern cities, population size and the wealth of the elites are related The more people live in a city, the greater the wealth of the urban elite and the greater the social inequality. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology have identified this correlation in both ancient Roman and modern cities, suggesting that such disparities are inherent to urban environments, regardless of historical period or culture.

Neural network registers gravitational wave signal from neutron star collisions early on and shows telescopes where to find the subsequent kilonova explosion in the sky When two neutron stars merge, gravitational waves propagate into space. Shortly after this disturbance of space-time, a glistening explosion follows - a kilonova, in which, as in a cosmic goldsmith's, heavy atoms arise that stars can not form.

Researchers from the University of Würzburg are opening up new horizons in chemistry: They present the world's first triple bond between the atoms boron and carbon. Boron, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen: these four elements can form chemical triple bonds with each other due to their similar electronic properties.

Research team gains new insights into the sense of hearing   Hearing begins with the stretching of elastic molecular "springs" that open ion channels in the sensory hair cells of the ear. For decades, researchers have known that these gating springs must exist, but they could not find them. A team from the Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging (MBExC) in Göttingen has now discovered just such a spring for the first time.

Until now, physics has differentiated between fermions and bosons, but now there is evidence of a third type of particle At first glance, our world appears to be enormously complex. However, according to the laws of particle physics, it is strictly organised. According to this, there are only two classes of particles, the matter particles and the force particles.

Until now, physics has distinguished between fermions and bosons, but now there are indications of a third type of particle At first glance, our world appears to be enormously complex. However, according to the laws of particle physics, it is strictly ordered. According to this, there are only two classes of particles, the matter particles and the force particles.

Eminem, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, or Nas-it is often the star rappers who claim sovereignty over the sound of a track through their voice and lyrics. The subject literature reveals contradictory views about who really determines the sound of a music production. In a study published in the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, a team of musicologists led by Tim Ziemer from the University of Hamburg has now been able to prove that it is clearly the producers.

In early March, representatives of the global community will gather in the Indian capital, New Delhi, to promote the development towards a sustainable world: no poverty, no hunger, health and well-being. However, according to the latest United Nations progress report, the world is falling behind in the fight against hunger.

For the first time, an international collaboration has demonstrated that synthetic carbon assimilation can operate more efficiently in a living system than its natural counterpart. Researchers in Tobias Erb-s lab at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology engineered a synthetic metabolic pathway into a bacterium and showed in a direct comparison that it can generate significantly more biomass from the one-carbon compound formic acid and CO2 than the natural bacterial strain.