First observation of the nuclear two-photon decay in bare atomic nuclei. For the first time, an international research team, led by GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt, the Institut de recherche sur les lois fondamentales de l’Univers (IRFU) in Saclay, France, and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg (MPIK) has succeeded in observing a two-photon decay on a so-called bare atomic nucleus from which the entire electron shell has been removed. The measurements on germanium-72 nuclei were carried out as…
Engineers and scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), led by Oliver Krause, developed crucial optical elements for the Coronagraph Instrument (CGI) of the Roman Space Telescope and delivered them to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the USA. The fully assembled and tested CGI recently arrived at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre (GSFC), where it will be integrated into the telescope. The CGI will test an innovative camera design that enables direct imaging and spectroscopy of…
Gastroenterology puts new X-ray system into operation. Great joy at the Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectiology and Endocrinology: a new X-ray system has now been put into operation. The state-of-the-art device called Artis zee is characterised by many technical innovations that benefit both patients and staff. “The system offers us even better options for diagnosing and treating diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby strengthening patient care at the highest level,” says Clinic Director Professor Dr Heiner Wedemeyer. The new device…
Greenland is surrounded by the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans – both oceans are significantly affected by climate change. The consequences are warmer, less salty and more acidic waters, an increased input of melt and river water and a rapid decline in sea ice. The international team of the MSM130 expedition, led by GEOMAR, is investigating these effects off the east coast of Greenland with the research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN. The focus is on research and modelling on the…
An international team led by researchers from AEI Hannover, MPIfR Bonn and NRAO/USA has discovered ten rapidly rotating neutron stars in the globular cluster Terzan 5. Many of them are in unusual and rare binaries, including a potential candidate for a record-breaking double neutron star, a pulsar in an extremely elliptical orbit, and several “spider” systems in which the neutron stars are evaporating their companions. These finds in data from the MeerKAT radio telescope array increase the number of known…
The low-cost cellphone-based Raman spectrometer system can make identifications of unknown biological molecules within minutes. Imagine knowing what berry or mushroom is safe to eat during a hike or swiftly detecting pathogens in a hospital setting that would traditionally require days to identify. Identification and detection of drugs, chemicals and biological molecules invisible to the human eye can be made possible through the combined technology of a cellphone camera and a Raman spectrometer — a powerful laser chemical analysis method….
Freiburg-Prague research collaboration achieves scientific breakthrough in understanding cell division. An international research collaboration, led by Prof. Dr. Robert Grosse (Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies and Institute of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Freiburg), Dr. Libor Macurek (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague) and Dr. Zdenek Lansky (Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague) has uncovered a new mechanism of the crosstalk between microtubules and actin cytoskeleton during cell division and revealed…
A new concept offering the potential for more efficient data storage. Researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), TU Chemnitz, TU Dresden and Forschungszentrum Jülich have been the first to demonstrate that not just individual bits, but entire bit sequences can be stored in cylindrical domains: tiny, cylindrical areas measuring just around 100 nanometers. As the team reports in the journal Advanced Electronic Materials (DOI: 10.1002/aelm.202400251), these findings could pave the way for novel types of data storage and sensors, including…
A research team from the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) at the University of Bremen has investigated the risk of fire on spacecraft in a recent study. The results show that fires on planned exploration missions, such as a flight to Mars, could spread significantly faster than e.g. on the International Space Station (ISS). This is due to the planned adjustment to a lower ambient pressure on spacecraft. “A fire on board a spacecraft is one of…
New experimental results show particles called muons can be corralled into beams suitable for high-energy collisions, paving the way for new physics. Particle accelerators are best known for colliding matter to probe its make-up, but they are also used for measuring the chemical structure of drugs, treating cancers, and manufacturing silicon microchips. Current accelerators use protons, electrons and ions, but more powerful accelerators using muons – heavier cousins of electrons – have the potential to revolutionise the field. Muon accelerators…
… revolutionizes shaping processes in injection molding and die casting. The new UltraPLAS coating developed by Fraunhofer researchers has proven to be a ground-breaking solution to the challenges of primary forming processes. This advanced release and easy-to-clean coating is applied as a gradient layer using a cold plasma process and is suitable for materials such as tool steel, stainless steel and aluminum. The unique physical properties of UltraPLAS enable perfect molding of even nano-scaled and reflective surfaces. By reducing the…
Vincent Zoete is developing computer tools to fight cancer. The chemist, who heads two groups at the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, predicts the effects of new drugs. In front of his first computer at age 12, Vincent discovered the joys of coding. The boy soon realised that he had more fun programming the machine himself rather than simply playing games developed by others. He did take a few computer courses during his time at engineering…
Stuttgart researchers are making electrons visible in slow motion. Physicists at the University of Stuttgart under the leadership of Prof. Sebastian Loth are developing quantum microscopy which enables them for the first time to record the movement of electrons at the atomic level with both extremely high spatial and temporal resolution. Their method has the potential to enable scientists to develop materials in a much more targeted way than before. The researchers have published their findings in the renowned journal…
After creating the world’s first self-organizing drone flock, researchers at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary have now also demonstrated the first large-scale autonomous drone traffic solution. This fascinating new system is capable of far more than what could be executed with human pilots. The staff of the Department of Biological Physics at Eötvös University has been working on group robotics and drone swarms since 2009. In 2014, they created the world’s first autonomous quadcopter flock consisting of at least…
Have you ever had the solution for a tough problem suddenly hit you when you’re thinking about something entirely different? Creative thought is a hallmark of humanity, but it’s an ephemeral, almost paradoxical ability, striking unexpectedly when it’s not sought out. And the neurological source of creativity—what’s going on in our brains when we think outside the box—is similarly elusive. But now, a research team led by a University of Utah Health researcher and based in Baylor College of Medicine…
There’s a frustrating fact about today’s immunotherapies for cancer. While sometimes they work beautifully — completely eliminating or greatly reducing cancer in particular patients — other times they don’t work at all. It’s a mystery. Scientists have posed several hypotheses to explain the disparity. Perhaps it’s the number of mutations present in a tumor, with more mutations leading to better responses. Or maybe it’s the tissue environment surrounding the tumor, with some environments supporting and others suppressing effective immune responses. But so far,…
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