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Chemistry - Physics - 21.03.2022

Chemists discover new reactivity of strained molecules
In synthetic organic chemistry, so-called cycloadditions are a particularly important class of reactions. With this type of reaction, ring-shaped molecules can be constructed simply and efficiently by joining ("adding") two compounds that each contain double bonds. A team led by Frank Glorius from the University of Münster has now succeeded in performing an unconventional cycloaddition in which a carbon-carbon double bond reacts with a carbon-carbon single bond.

Life Sciences - Research Management - 18.03.2022

New findings on the internal clock of the fruit fly
Light as a regulator: Team of researchers demonstrates role of transport proteins in the synchronisation of circadian rhythms Most living organisms have an internal clock which, among other things, controls the sleep-wake rhythm. The internal rhythm lasts approximately one day ("circadian"), i.e. about 24 hours, and is regulated by means of various "clock genes".

Earth Sciences - Environment - 16.03.2022

In search of pure quartz
A small heap of very fine white quartz sand glistens in the palm of Prof. Ralf Hetzel's hand. The grains of sand allow him to look deep into the past. To be precise, the cosmogenic nuclide Beryllium-10 (10Be) does. Such nuclides are produced by cosmic radiation in solid rock.

Physics - 11.03.2022

Acoustic propulsion of nanomachines depends on their orientation
For the first time, physicists simulate the propulsion of freely orientable nanoparticles by travelling ultrasound waves / Study published in -ACS Nano- Microscopically tiny nanomachines which move like submarines with their own propulsion - for example in the human body, where they transport active agents and release them at a target: What sounds like science fiction has, over the past 20 years, become an ever more rapidly growing field of research.

Politics - 09.02.2022

Large majority of citizens trust science
The Corona pandemic has not only impinged on daily life around the world for around two years now - it is increasingly shifting science and research into the focus of public debate. One aspect is the trust people have in the work done by scientists. A team of researchers led by Prof. Rainer Bromme, a psychologist at the University of Münster, now have published a study, which concludes that science has so far passed the pandemic stress test of public trust in science.

Life Sciences - Materials Science - 02.02.2022

First 3D structure of regulator protein revealed
Proteins are indispensable components in living organisms. They are not only "building material" for the body - they also make molecular communication between cells possible, they are needed for nerve impulses to occur, and they control chemical reactions. What is decisive for proteins to function is their three-dimensional structure.

Life Sciences - 26.01.2022

Help for stressed-out cells in a crisis
According to a team of researchers at the University of Münster, mitochondria provide unexpected help for cells in a crisis by respiring away harmful substances. A current study produced by the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants (IBBP) shows three things: that this mechanism can be triggered by reductive stress, that it protects the folding of certain proteins destined for export, and that the cell's "powerhouse" consequently acts even more flexibly than was previously known.

Chemistry - Materials Science - 20.01.2022

Researchers investigate advantages of sulphur-containing cathodes
MEET Battery Research Center of the University of Münster starts a new research project in 2022: In the joint project -AReLiS-2-, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSB) and thus a potential successor to today's lithium ion batteries are being investigated. The focus of the research is on sulfur-containing cathodes as well as polymer, solid-state and hybrid electrolytes.

Health - Pharmacology - 14.01.2022

New dual benefit mode of action for a drug candidate to fight Covid-19
A research team led by Prof. Stephan Ludwig, a virologist at the Institute of Virology at the University of Münster, has found a new dual attack mode of action while working on the development of a drug candidate against SARS-CoV-2 infections. This could constitute the basis for a broadly effective drug to fight Covid 19.

Psychology - 14.01.2022

Measure eye movements when blinking
Scientists from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster have developed a method to measure the full extent of eye movements during blinks for the first time. The new method uses Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), to take many fast measurements of an entire cross-section of the eye, unlike most common eye tracking that measures only the front of the eyeball.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 11.01.2022

Recycling Already Considered in the Development of New Battery Materials
Enormous ecological and economic potential consists in the circular value chain of batteries: The use of recycled materials not only reduces the costs of raw materials, but also enables energy savings in battery production.

Astronomy / Space Science - 22.12.2021

Earth and Mars were formed from inner Solar System material
Earth and Mars were formed from material that largely originated in the inner Solar System; only a few percent of the building blocks of these two planets originated beyond Jupiter's orbit. A group of researchers led by the University of Münster report these findings today in the journal "Science Advances".

Life Sciences - Health - 21.12.2021

’The balance is extremely important’
When you enter the Institute of Neuroand Behavioural Biology at Badestraße 9 and go up the stairs on the left.. what you immediately see are the rows of pictures in the stairwell and the corridors. They look fascinating, in bright vibrant colours - but what they actually show is not apparent to the non-specialist at first glance.

Physics - Innovation - 21.12.2021

Swinging on the quantum level
After the "first quantum revolution" - the development of devices such as lasers and the atomic clock - the "second quantum revolution" is currently in full swing. Experts from all over the world are developing fundamentally new technologies based on quantum physics. One key application is quantum communication, where information is written and sent in light.

Life Sciences - 20.12.2021

A special aid to memory
We all know the everyday situation: you go into a supermarket, realise that you've left your shopping list at home and, try you as you might, you can only remember a fraction of what was on it. Forgetfulness is seen as a deficit which makes life more complicated. Anyone who is chronically forgetful is quickly seen as being a bit dotty.

Politics - 15.12.2021

EU citizens want more justice and participation
What are European citizens' ideal visions of the European Union (EU)- According to an international study undertaken by political scientists from the University of Münster, people across all countries studied primarily support more participation and justice.

Health - Life Sciences - 10.12.2021

Surviving ’butterfly disease’
The skin is the largest organ of the human body. But what if the skin "disintegrates" at just the slightest touch? This is exactly what happens with Epidermolysis bullosa (EB), sometimes also known by the name 'butterfly disease'. This skin disease is based on genetic defects and, because there is no cure, it can be fatal, often even in young patients.

Life Sciences - Physics - 06.12.2021

Researchers examine neurotoxin from a Black Widow
Phobias are often irrational by nature - especially in the case of spiders, as these creatures are usually more afraid of humans than vice-versa. But: some species are a force to be reckoned with - for example, the Latrodectus spider, more commonly known as the Black Widow. It catches its prey by using venom - to be precise, latrotoxins (LaTXs), a subclass of neurotoxins, or nerve poisons.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 03.12.2021

The uneven universe
Researchers study cosmic expansion using methods from many-body physics / Article published in -Physical Review Letters- It is almost always assumed in cosmological calculations that there is a even distribution of matter in the universe. This is because the calculations would be much too complicated if the position of every single star were to be included.

Pharmacology - Health - 30.11.2021

’Discussions with manufacturers often get nowhere’
Food supplements are available in a lot of places - in drugstores, health food shops, pharmacies and on the Internet - and the market is booming. Many of these products contain plant extracts whose ingredients are supposed to have healthy benefits - provided they do actually contain what they claim. Because nowhere near all of these so-called botanicals deliver what they promise.