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Health - Life Sciences - 13.10.2021

New test improves diagnosis of rare liver disease
Polyreactive antibodies as markers for autoimmune hepatitis Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic liver inflammation that is triggered by an immunological malfunction. In this case, the immune system falsely recognises the patient's own liver cells as "foreign to the body". The symptoms of this rare liver disease are unspecific, and the exact cause is not yet known.

Environment - Life Sciences - 12.10.2021

Insects in the Light of Land Use and Climate
Urbanisation appears to be another key factor for insect decline. This is shown by a study in which the impact of climate and land use on insects was disentangled for the first time. Worldwide, the quantity and diversity of insects are declining: scientists have reported more and more evidence for this in recent years.

Life Sciences - 12.10.2021

Protective role of cells in overwintering fungi
Göttingen researchers find cells involved in sexual development produce chemicals that deter hungry predators Scientists have discovered a new role for cells that are known to nurture the reproductive structures in the fungus Aspergillus nidulans through the winter. The findings suggest that Hülle cells in this fungus also play a key part in its chemical defence strategies to ward off hungry predators.

Life Sciences - Health - 07.10.2021

Small molecules with a dual function
How a small RNA and a small protein regulate the metabolism of cholera bacteria and the production of the cholera toxin The human gut is a multi-species habitat that can control our health and well-being. Bacteria, viruses and microbial fungi are part of this complex microbial community and help us with our digestion and immune defense.

Life Sciences - Chemistry - 05.10.2021

An unusual molecule protects nerve cells from degeneration
An international research team led by Professor Stephanie Grond from the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Tübingen has found that the natural substance collinolactone reduces artificially-induced stress on nerve cells, protecting them from the kind of damage that occurs in neurodegenerative diseases.

Life Sciences - Physics - 30.09.2021

Cell labelling method from microscopy implemented for PET imaging
Researchers develop imaging methods to examine bodily processes from the individual building blocks to the whole system / Proof-of-principle study on SNAP-tag technology published in the journal "Chemical Communications" Video in English, subtitles available in English and German. Processes and structures within the body that are normally hidden from the eye can be made visible through medical imaging.

Environment - Life Sciences - 23.09.2021

Diversity matters
09/23/2021 The higher the biological diversity in an ecosystem, the better the important processes there function. A heterogeneous environment promotes this effect, while intensive land use weakens it, as a new study shows. Microorganisms, plants, and animals accomplish great feats every day. For example, by decomposing material, producing plant biomass, or pollinating flowers, they keep nature 'up and running,' thereby securing the livelihood of humans.

Life Sciences - Chemistry - 23.09.2021

How Poxviruses Multiply
09/23/2021 Poxviruses have found a unique way of translating their genes into proteins in the infected organism. A team of researchers from Würzburg shows for the first time how the molecular machinery involved works at an atomic level. The last case of smallpox worldwide occurred in Somalia in October 1977.

Life Sciences - Environment - 21.09.2021

Insect species survives without sexual reproduction
International researchers including the University of Göttingen demonstrate for the first time that animals can survive very long periods of time without sex It was thought that the survival of animal species over a geologically long period of time without sexual reproduction would be very unlikely, if not impossible.

Life Sciences - Health - 17.09.2021

B cells of the immune system discovered in the meninges
A comprehensive analysis of white blood cells in the tissue surrounding the brain / Study published in the journal "Nature Neuroscience" The brain holds numerous unsolved medical mysteries. Only a few years ago it was discovered that the outer layer of the meninges is interlaced with lymphatic vessels.

Health - Life Sciences - 14.09.2021

Molecular Achilles heel of cancer cells discovered
Changes in fat metabolism of colorectal cancer cells demonstrated for the first time Where does a malignant tumor obtain the energy to keep growing? That is a key question in cancer research. If the energy source were known, the tumor could be "starved". Researchers have now laid the foundation for this approach: For the first time, they have demonstrated a fundamental difference in the fat metabolism of healthy cells in the inner lining of the intestinal tract and colorectal cancer cells.

Life Sciences - Health - 06.09.2021

Messengers from gut to brain
Seen for the first time: T cells traveling from the gut and skin to the central nervous system Scientists have long been aware of a link between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system (CNS). Until now, however, the immune cells that move from the gut into the CNS and thus the brain had not been identified.

Life Sciences - Environment - 02.09.2021

Photosynthesis even at high temperatures: helper protein ensures the formation of chlorophyll
New study reveals the protective function of the chaperone cpSRP43 against heat shock Plants make use of complex metabolic processes to produce chlorophyll - the pigment that gives them their green colour and enables photosynthesis. The fact that so-called chlorophyll biosynthesis works smoothly even in the presence of heat is due to a certain helper protein: the chaperone cpSRP43.

Agronomy / Food Science - Life Sciences - 01.09.2021

Which potatoes thrive despite insufficient phosphorus?
Göttingen University research team analyses different cultivars of tuber Phosphorus is an essential plant nutrient that is becoming increasingly scarce around the world. This means the fertiliser has to be used as efficiently as possible and any loss of nutrients due to leaching and erosion must be minimised.

Life Sciences - 31.08.2021

Neural Network Models May Serve as the Basis for Breakthroughs in Cognitive Science
Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Plymouth (UK) are developing biologically plausible neural network models to study human cognition A team made up of researchers from Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Plymouth are investigating whether neural networks and algorithms based on artificial intelligence can help us to understand the foundations of human cognition.

Life Sciences - 17.08.2021

History of the spread of pepper is an early example of global trade
International research team conducted a genomic scan of thousands of pepper samples from around the world Pepper has flexible features like easily preserved and transportable in dried form, needed in moderate quantity to enrich dishes, easy to produce and wide scale. Genetic data stored in genebanks confirm that pepper has been spread along with the very earliest intercontinental traders, being among the first examples of a globally traded, mass-market, consumer-discretionary good.

Life Sciences - Physics - 16.08.2021

Bacterial toxin blinds algae
Jena research team discovers natural product from soil bacteria that kills algae University of Jena researchers have discovered a bacterial toxin that destroys the colour pigments in the eyespot of the single-cell green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Together with another toxic substance, the bacteria of the species Pseudomonas protegens not only disorientate and immobilise the green algae, but condemn them to a certain death.

Health - Life Sciences - 12.08.2021

Understanding Lung Damage in Patients with Covid-19
Model to serve as basis for new therapeutic strategies / Joint press release by Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the MDC, and Freie Universität Berlin Covid-19 disease severity is determined by the individual patient's immune response. The precise mechanisms taking place inside the lungs and blood during the early phase of the disease, however, remain unclear.

Life Sciences - Health - 10.08.2021

Taking aim at skin bacteria
Enzyme treatment of skin samples improves microbiome analysis Healthy skin has a bacterial shield to protect against germs: the microbiome. This complex assembly of microorganisms was previously believed to be difficult to decipher. A team of researchers has now succeeded in using the enzyme benzonase to identify the living bacteria in skin swabs through sequencing.

Health - Life Sciences - 10.08.2021

Intranasal Droplets and Sprays Could Help Tackle SARS-CoV-2
Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Bern have published the results of a groundbreaking study No 155/2021 from Aug 10, 2021 Scientists at Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Bern (Switzerland) have developed highly effective SARS-CoV-2 preclinical vaccine candidates that can be administered in the form of nasal drops or sprays.