Research team led by Göttingen University investigate native species recovery in Sumatra Southeast Asia's tropical forests are renowned for their biodiversity, but at the same time face significant threats from the expansion of oil palm plantations. With global demand for palm oil rising, the urgency for effective restoration strategies in these landscapes has become critical.

Scientist from the Cluster of Excellence Mathematics Münster proves conjecture from physics String theory aims to explain all fundamental forces and particles in the universe - essentially, how the world operates on the smallest scales. Though it has not yet been experimentally verified, work in string theory has already led to significant advancements in mathematics and theoretical physics.

Emission reductions from climate mitigation projects are significantly lower than claimed, a new meta-study shows. A new meta-study published in Nature Communications has revealed that emission reductions from climate mitigation projects are significantly lower than claimed. Dr. Benedict Probst, Head of the Net Zero Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, and coauthors systematically reviewed more than 60 empirical studies, uncovering substantial quality issues with carbon credits.

Proteins that regulate animal stem cells are much older than animals themselves Critical proteins involved in animal stem cell regulation are much older than previously thought, predating the origin of animals that likely evolved more than 700 million years ago. This is the result of a study by a international research team including scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Germany.

Researchers develop mathematical model to map tumor growth, for example Researchers from the Universities of Bonn and Cologne and the University Hospital of Cologne have developed a three-dimensional mathematical model for prostate cancer. The model depicts various processes, including tumor growth, genetic evolution and competition between tumor cells.

After immigrating to a new place, birds rapidly learn useful tricks from local experts Scientists have found a trigger for social learning in wild animals. An experiment on great tits has pinpointed a single factor-immigration-that can cause birds to pay close attention to others, leading them to rapidly adopt useful behaviors.

Research team analyse biodiversity, ecosystems and economics of enriching beech forests with conifers Forests provide biodiversity, ecosystem functions, income and much more. How can these diverse and seemingly diverging demands be met? An international research team led by the University of Göttingen addressed this question by analysing the effects of enriching beech forests in Germany with commercially valuable native (to mountainous regions of Europe) and non-native conifer species, in this case, the Norway spruce and Douglas fir, respectively.

New study on the toxicity of hydrocarbons The international maritime shipping industry contributes to air pollution, particularly in coastal areas and port cities. The 'International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships' regulates, among other things, air pollution from shipping and sets limits for the sulphur content in fuels.

In western Germany, approval of xenophobic statements has increased significantly, bringing it closer to attitudes in the east. In the eastern German states, satisfaction with democracy as it is practised in Germany is at its lowest level since 2006. These are the key findings of the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study 2024, which was presented today (13 November) at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin under the title "United in Resentment" by Oliver Decker and Elmar Brähler from the Competence Center for Right-Wing Extremism and Democracy Research at Leipzig University.

Researchers from the University of Bonn are using an innovative method to watch immune receptors go about their business Immune cells are capable of detecting infections just like a sniffer dog, using special sensors known as Toll-like receptors, or TLRs for short. But what signals activate TLRs, and what is the relationship between the scale and nature of this activation and the substance being detected? In a recent study, researchers from the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) used an innovative method to answer these questions.

Google Quantum AI and quantum physicists at Freie Universität Berlin publish groundbreaking results on Hamiltonian operators A research team from Freie Universität Berlin and Google Quantum AI has developed an innovative method for the precise determination of Hamiltonian operators. These are essential for understanding and simulating physical systems and play a key role in quantum technology.

Plant breeders, aiming to develop resilient and high-quality crops, often cross plants from different species to transfer desirable traits. However, they frequently encounter a major obstacle: hybrid seed failure. This reproductive barrier often prevents closely related species from producing viable seeds.

Research team at Freie Universität Berlin discovers unexpected differences in aging bacterial cells Surprising findings on bacterial aging have emerged from a study carried out by a team of researchers led by the biologist Dr. Ulrich Steiner at Freie Universität Berlin. In a new paper published in Science Advances the team demonstrated that even genetically identical bacterial cells living in the same environment react differently to the aging process and that changes occur at different rates within different regions of the cell.

News from Atmospheric aerosol particles are essential for the formation of clouds and precipitation, thereby influencing the Earth's energy budget, water cycle, and climate. However, the origin of aerosol particles in pristine air over the Amazon rainforest during the wet season is poorly understood.

How pieces of music by different composers and genres develop can be anticipated for different periods of time Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach are less predictable than those by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. And how a jazz piece develops can be anticipated even less. This is what two physicists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen discovered when they used over 550 pieces of classical music and jazz to investigate the extent to which a piece of music raises expectations about its future course.

Motion illusion overrides compensatory mechanism for eye movements The visual perception of optical stimuli demands high performance from the brain. Every second, the eyes absorb more than ten million pieces of information and transmit them to the brain via thousands of nerve fibres. This leads us to perceive the world as stable, even though we are constantly moving our eyes.

A research alliance is studying how future potato cultures could be adapted to handle climate change Heat, dry spells and flooding-the whole of nature is under stress, and potatoes are no exception. As a food staple, there is particular interest in getting potatoes fit for the new climate reality. As part of the EU's four-year ADAPT project, an international team led by the University of Vienna and involving the University of Bonn has now investigated how this might be done.

New work on sleep in a reptile reveals surprising similarities between networks that control motor rhythms and those controlling sleep Sleep is one of the most mysterious, yet ubiquitous components of our biology. It has been described in all major groups of animals, including worms, jellyfish, insects or cephalopods, and in all vertebrates, from fish to humans.

International research team investigates sustainable increase in macadamia nut production An international research team led by the Universities of Göttingen and Hohenheim has gained new insights into how the interaction between bees, bats and birds significantly increases the quantity and quality of macadamia nuts.

International research team finds pollinators and predators promote profitable, sustainable farming   An international research team led by the universities of Göttingen and Hohenheim in Germany has gained new insights into how the interaction of birds, bees and bats significantly increases the quantity and quality of macadamia nuts.