ISTA scientists use harmless viruses to investigate the nervous system in frogs. Amphibians hold a significant place in evolution, representing the transition from aquatic to terrestrial lifestyles. They are crucial for understanding the brain and spinal cord of tetrapods—animals with four limbs, including humans. A group of scientists led by a team at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) now shows how harmless viruses can be used to illuminate the development of the frog nervous system. The results…
In nature, plant roots are always colonized by fungi. This interaction can be either mutualistic, benefiting both the plant and the fungus, or pathogenic, where the fungus harms the host plant. A research group led by Professor Dr Alga Zuccaro at the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence has now deciphered how the beneficial root fungus Serendipita indica successfully colonizes plant roots of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Initially, the fungus colonizes living root cells. Subsequently, limited cell death is triggered in…
Working in a team is also relevant for drones. Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are omnipresent and have grown in popularity due to their wide potential use in many civilian sectors. Equipped with sophisticated sensors and communication devices, drones can potentially form a multi-UAV system, also called swarm. Scientists from the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology and the Center for Advanced Systems Understanding, both HZDR institutions, conducted experimental tests to set up a conceptual framework for…
Unusual magnetically driven vortices may be generating Earth-size concentrations of hydrocarbon haze. While Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has been a constant feature of the planet for centuries, University of California, Berkeley, astronomers have discovered equally large spots at the planet’s north and south poles that appear and disappear seemingly at random. The Earth-size ovals, which are visible only at ultraviolet wavelengths, are embedded in layers of stratospheric haze that cap the planet’s poles. The dark ovals, when seen, are almost…
New insights into how checkpoint inhibitors affect the immune system could improve cancer treatment. A multinational collaboration co-led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has uncovered a potential explanation for why some cancer patients receiving a type of immunotherapy called checkpoint inhibitors experience increased susceptibility to common infections. The findings, published in the journal Immunity, provide new insights into immune responses and reveal a potential approach to preventing the common cancer therapy side effect. “Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies have…
University of Wisconsin–Madison biochemists have developed a new, efficient method that may give first responders, environmental monitoring groups, or even you, the ability to quickly detect harmful and health-relevant substances in our bodies and environments. Small molecules that interact with proteins can initiate, enhance, and inhibit vital biological processes. Some small molecules, like vitamins or hormones, are linked to our health. Others, like opioids, are toxic, and knowing whether they’re in a patient’s system can be essential for emergency medical…
Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and their industry partners have advanced the technology available to measure carbon dioxide in the ocean. Scientists around the world rely on ocean monitoring tools to measure the effects of climate change. Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and their industry partners have advanced the technology available to measure carbon dioxide in the ocean. Their design, published in the journal Ocean Science, is now available to the scientific community. During the past six…
A German Cancer Aid study offers people with Li-Fraumeni syndrome new preventive strategies: Researchers at Hannover Medical School (MHH) are investigating for the first time in a new efficacy study whether cancer-free survival can be extended in LFS sufferers with the daily intake of metformin. Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a cancer predisposition syndrome (CPS) in which almost all sufferers are diagnosed with cancer at least once in their lives. Many are diagnosed as children or adolescents. In a new efficacy…
CBS Presents the Concept of “Ethical World Trade”. CBS International Business School, in collaboration with the European Environmental Bureau, the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, and the World Fair Trade Organization, has developed the concept of “Ethical World Trade & Economy for the Common Good” to promote a fairer and more sustainable global trade framework. At the heart of this proposal is the integration of social and ecological standards into trade regulations. The concept combines climate protection, human rights, and local economic…
Constant ‘churn’ of new cancer cells gives the disease ample room for evolutionary innovation, according to a study in the journal eLIFE. Researchers at the University of Cologne and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona have discovered that cancer grows uniformly throughout its mass, rather than at the outer edges. The work, published today in the journal eLIFE under the title ‘High-density sampling reveals volume growth in human tumours’, questions decades-old assumptions about how the disease grows and…
Exploring Life at Its Simplest: Lipids, or fats, are essential to life. They form the membranes around cells, protecting them from the outside. In nature, there is an enormous diversity of lipids, with each organism having its own unique combination. But what are the minimum lipid requirements for a cell to survive? A research team at the B CUBE – Center for Molecular Bioengineering at TUD Dresden University of Technology showed that cells can function with just two lipids. They…
Electrically defined quantum dots in zinc oxide. Researchers have successfully created electrically defined quantum dots in zinc oxide (ZnO) heterostructures, marking a significant milestone in the development of quantum technologies. Details of their breakthrough were published in the journal Nature Communications on November 7, 2024. Quantum dots, tiny semiconductor structures that can trap electrons in nanometer-scale spaces, have long been studied for their potential to serve as qubits in quantum computing. These dots are crucial for quantum computing because they allow scientists…
Scientists from the H.E.S.S. collaboration including a consortium of German universities, the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik and the CNRS in France have recently identified electrons and positrons with the highest energies ever recorded on Earth. They provide evidence of cosmic processes emitting colossal amounts of energy, the origins of which are as yet unknown. These findings are due to be published on November 25 in the journal Physical Review Letters. The universe is full of extreme environments, from the coldest temperatures…
…for High-Speed Light Modulation. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS, in collaboration with HOLOEYE Photonics AG, have developed a compact LCOS microdisplay with high refresh rates that enables improved optical modulation. This innovative microdisplay will be presented for the first time at the 31st International Display Workshops (IDW) 2024 in Sapporo, Japan. LCOS microdisplays are characterized by their low power consumption, small size, and lightweight design. They are used in switchable adaptive optics, particularly as phase modulators,…
CRC MARIE enters third funding period: A major success for terahertz research: Scientists at the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Ruhr University Bochum have been researching mobile material detection since 2016 in the Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio MARIE. The German Research Foundation is now funding the third phase with 14.8 million euros, in which mobile transceivers will be realized that can also analyze the materials of moving objects and precisely localize them. MARIE is headed by Prof. Dr. Thomas Kaiser (speaker),…
Using energy- and resource-saving methods, a research team at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at TU Graz aims to produce high-quality doped silicon layers for the electronics and solar industries. The global production of semiconductors is growing rapidly and with it the demand for primary products, especially crystalline silicon. However, its production is very energy-intensive and only half of the raw silicon used is actually utilised. This leads to large quantities of waste. In the Christian Doppler Laboratory for New…
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