New STEM workshop series at Constructor University. How to measure the speed of light? Is there a mechanism behind coincidences? And how does symmetry work? The meerMINT initiative on the campus of Constructor University in Bremen offers a new series of STEM workshops for school students. Registration is open until January 31, 2023. “The fun of χ und φ” is the name of the new STEM workshop series, offered by the meerMINT initiative. The workshops are held by students of…
The EU project TEF-Health aims to test and validate innovative artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics solutions for the healthcare sector and accelerate their path to market. It is led by Prof. Petra Ritter, who heads the Brain Simulation Section at the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) and at the Department of Neurology and Experimental Neurology of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The 51 participating project partners from nine European countries will receive funding to the tune of about €60…
From the road to the plate. Chemicals from tyre wear could get into our vegetables via sewage sludge and waste water. Wind, sewage sludge, and waste water carry tyre wear particles from roads onto farmland. A new lab study shows: The pollutants contained in the particles could get into the vegetables grown there. Researchers at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS) at the University of Vienna have investigated whether chemicals released from tyres find their way into…
Grafting and mobile CRISPR for genome editing in plants. A ground-breaking twist to the CRISPR tool – aka “genetic scissors” – is being put to use to edit plant genomes by scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, signalling a methodology change. The discovery that was recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Biotechnology could simplify and speed up the development of novel, genetically stable commercial crop varieties by combining grafting with a ‘mobile’ CRISPR tool. An…
Researchers from Erlangen and Würzburg develop reliable rapid test on the basis of magnetic nanoparticles. Functionalized nanoparticles could soon revolutionize point-of-care diagnostics. Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg have developed a method for binding specific molecules in samples and serums, such as antibodies in the blood, to the surface of iron oxide particles thus allowing them to be identified using an inexpensive and compact detector. The researchers have now published their findings in the journal Nature Communications. The…
A high-contrast grating structure for direction-tunable lasing. A novel laser cavity enables precise adjustment of the lasing direction over a wide range, with applications in LiDAR sensing. Lasers find applications across several fields ranging from telecommunications and remote sensing to medicine. There are many ways in which one can generate laser emission, or lasing, from a device or material. Consequently, there are many types of lasers with different principles of operation. One emerging and promising method to achieve lasing with…
Unprecedented views of the interior of cells and other nanoscale structures are now possible thanks to innovations in expansion microscopy. The advancements could help provide future insight into neuroscience, pathology, and many other biological and medical fields. In the paper “Magnify is a universal molecular anchoring strategy for expansion microscopy,” published Jan. 2 in the journal Nature Biotechnology, collaborators from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and Brown University describe new protocols for dubbed Magnify. “Magnify can be a…
A new method can illuminate the identities and activities of cells throughout an organ or a tumor at unprecedented resolution, according to a study co-led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian and the New York Genome Center. The method, described Jan. 2 in a paper in Nature Biotechnology, records gene activity patterns and the presence of key proteins in cells across tissue samples, while retaining information about the cells’ precise locations. This enables the creation of complex, data-rich “maps”…
Mouse study IDs gene and protein that could be targets for therapy. People with a condition known as dry eye disease are more likely than those with healthy eyes to suffer injuries to their corneas. Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that proteins made by stem cells that regenerate the cornea may be new targets for treating and preventing such injuries. The study is published online Jan. 2 in the Proceedings of…
Used and damaged cars are often disposed of via energy-intensive scrapping processes — even when many of their parts are still fully functional. In the EKODA project, Fraunhofer researchers are developing a better alternative: First, they examine each component in a complex testing procedure. Then they use an evaluation system to generate recommendations for how these components could be reused. This strategy optimizes the lifespan of the individual parts, making it possible to establish a sustainable circular economy in the…
… and cross-sector energy network planning. The energy market is undergoing a major shift, with renewable energies booming and the number of connection requests rising sharply due to funding programs for solar plants, heat pumps and electric vehicle charging stations. The new cloud software retoflow offers energy network operators an automated and efficient way to check these requests, model and simulate power grids and pipeline networks across sectors, and engage in long-term planning. This user-friendly program has been developed by…
Programmable materials are true shapeshifters. They can change their characteristics in a controlled and reversible way with the push of a button, independently adapting to fit new conditions. They can be used, for example, to make comfy chairs or mattresses that prevent bedsores. To produce these, the support is formed in such a way that the contact surface is large which, as a result, lowers the pressure on parts of the body. This type of programmable material is being developed…
Herbert W. Franke, a pioneer of computer art who anticipated the metaverse, passed away on July 16 at the age of 95. About 80 of the most renowned generative artists, photographers, poets, and virtual world builders working today were invited by art meets science – Foundation Herbert W. Franke to honor his life and work. A percentage of the proceeds from the sales is donated by each artist. The artists’ donations will be used by the art meets science –…
Additive manufacturing of tools using a laser powder bed fusion process offers a great number of advantages: It is economical, precise and allows for customized solutions. That said, it can be difficult to determine the optimal process parameters, such as the scan speed or power of the laser. For the first time, researchers at Fraunhofer are now simulating the process at the microstructure level in order to identify direct correlations between the workpiece properties and the selected process parameters. To…
Using Fraunhofer technology to plan the factories of tomorrow. The factories of the future have significant demands to meet – including the ability to adapt to production processes quickly and function within tight spaces that come at a high operating cost. Mixed reality can provide efficient support for factory planning in exactly this kind of scenario. Through their HoloLayouts software, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA have developed an application in which multiple people can…
Ammonia (NH3) is a substantial important fertilizer and chemical for human society, however, its production by the traditional Haber-Bosch process consumes substantial fossil fuel energy and produces massive carbon dioxide emissions. Powered by renewable energy, electrocatalytic reduction of nitrogen (N2) to NH3 under eco-friendly and mild conditions provides a highly attractive solution to carbon neutrality. Despite recent significant progress, electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (eNRR) still suffers from limited selectivity and activity. This is due to the super-stability of N≡N triple…
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