Pressure changes and mechanical forces trigger wound healing in plants. Plants are very robust and survive harsh environments, owing in part to their remarkably efficient wound-healing capacity. For over a century, scientists aimed to understand it in more detail. A new collaborative study at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) now shows that the process is quite straightforward, revolving around pressure and forces. The results, published in Developmental Cell, hold promise for advancing agriculture. Healing in plants. After…
New research shows: key molecules within nerve cells persist throughout life. Most human nerve cells last a lifetime without renewal. A trait echoed within the cells’ components, some enduring as long as the organism itself. New research by Martin Hetzer, molecular biologist and president of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), and colleagues discovered RNA, a typical transient molecule, in the nerve cells of mice that remain stable for their entire lives. Published in Science, these findings contribute…
LMU biophysicists have demonstrated how heat flows through rock fissures could have created the conditions for the emergence of life. Life is complicated. What is true for our everyday existence also holds for the many complex processes that take place inside cells. Proteins constantly have to be synthesized, cell walls built, and DNA replicated. This can only work when reaction partners converge at the right time in sufficiently high concentrations while suffering little disruption from other substances. Over the course…
New research traces the fates of stars living near the Milky Way’s central black hole. Despite their ancient ages, some stars orbiting the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole appear deceptively youthful. But unlike humans, who might appear rejuvenated from a fresh round of collagen injections, these stars look young for a much darker reason. They ate their neighbors. This is just one of the more peculiar findings from new Northwestern University research. Using a new model, astrophysicists traced the…
Fraunhofer IAF achieves record output power with VECSEL for quantum frequency converters. The expansion of fiber optics is progressing worldwide, which not only increases the bandwidth of conventional Internet connections, but also brings closer the realization of a global quantum Internet. The quantum internet can help to fully exploit the potential of certain technologies. These include much more powerful quantum computing through the linking of quantum processors and registers, more secure communication through quantum key distribution or more precise time…
… as cathodes for rechargeable magnesium batteries. Researchers at Tohoku University have made a groundbreaking advancement in battery technology, developing a novel cathode material for rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) that enables efficient charging and discharging even at low temperatures. This innovative material, leveraging an enhanced rock-salt structure, promises to usher in a new era of energy storage solutions that are more affordable, safer, and higher in capacity. Details of the findings were published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A on March…
Team presents new path to long-term data storage based on atomic-scale defects. With the development of the internet, social media or cloud computing, the amount of data created worldwide on a daily basis is sky-rocketing. This calls for new technologies which could provide higher storage densities combined with secure long-term data archiving far beyond the capabilities of traditional data storage devices. An international research team led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) now proposes a new concept of long-term data storage…
How small RNA molecules regulate viral infections of bacteria. Viruses need hosts. Whether it’s measles, the flu or coronavirus, viral pathogens cannot multiply or infect other organisms without the assistance of their hosts’ cellular infrastructure. However, humans are not the only ones affected by viruses: animals, plants and even microorganisms can all serve as hosts. Viruses that use bacteria as host cells are called bacteriophages (or simply “phages” for short) and are thought to be the most abundant biological entities…
An international team including researchers from the University of Würzburg has succeeded in creating a special state of superconductivity. This discovery could advance the development of quantum computers. Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity without electrical resistance – making them the ideal base material for electronic components in MRI machines, magnetic levitation trains and even particle accelerators. However, conventional superconductors are easily disturbed by magnetism. An international group of researchers has now succeeded in building a hybrid device consisting…
Smart textiles are making remote hugs tangible. Smart textiles are making virtual reality more immersive and enabling wearers to experience the sensation of physical touch. An ultrathin film that can transmit touch sensations is able to turn textiles into a virtual second skin. For seriously ill children in hospital isolation wards, this new technology offers them the chance to feel the physical closeness of their parents during computer-simulated visits and to experience again the feeling of being held, hugged or…
A new development in biomedical research could open the door to a variety of new applications: Scientists* at the University of Bayreuth have found that certain polymers, called polyanions, can penetrate cells in a unique way without causing damage. The study, which was published in the journal “ACS Polymers Au”, may help to transport active substances into cells in a more targeted manner. What for? A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Meike Leiske, Junior Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry…
Bio-based raw materials and new types of rubber. Synthetic rubber is indispensable today, especially for car tires and technical rubber goods. Until now, the raw materials for its production have largely been obtained from fossil sources. Under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, four Fraunhofer Institutes are now developing alternative, bio-based raw material sources for synthetic rubber, which will enable completely new types of rubber for car tires. The three-year project is being funded by…
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF have developed a very compact spectrometer module. It maps spectra from 39 optical fibers onto one camera sensor in a small space. This is made possible by a special micro-optical system. The technology, which has potential for applications in quality assurance and analytics, will be presented at analytica trade fair in Munich from April 9 to 12. The fiber-coupled microspectrometer array maps 39 spectra onto a CMOS sensor….
New research shows: key molecules within nerve cells persist throughout life. After two decades in the United States, Martin Hetzer returned home to Austria in 2023 to become the 2nd President of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). A year into his new role, the molecular biologist remains engaged in the realm of aging research. Hetzer is fascinated by the biological puzzles surrounding the aging processes in organs like the brain, heart, and pancreas. Most cells comprising these…
Building tissues and organs during embryonic development involves a remarkable cellular choreography. Orchestrating cells in this process requires special organizers, but it is unclear how these are set in the embryo. A collaboration between research groups at the Physics of Life Excellence Cluster of TU Dresden in Germany, the University of California, and Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s in Los Angeles, have now identified how these special organizers are located in the tissue to orchestrate the formation of teeth. Navigating the complex…
Conditions affecting the arterial vasculature present pressing challenges in global health. Yet, the complex mechanisms underlying artery formation remain elusive, impeding the development of novel treatments. A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, led by Mara Pitulescu and Ralf Adams, have uncovered new insights into how arteries form. Building on their earlier discovery how Notch-signaling directs “tip” cells to become arteries, their latest study published in Nature Communications reveals the crucial role of EphB4 and…
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