Compared to intensive land use, sustainable land use allows better control of underground herbivores and soil microbes. As a result, the soil ecosystem is more resilient and better protected from disturbance under sustainable management than under intensive land use. Researchers from Leipzig University, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and other research institutions found that the total energy flux and the activities of so-called decomposers, herbivores and predators in the soil food web remained stable. They have…
The yeast Candida parapsilosis is emerging as a growing threat for hospitalized patients in a new study. A team led by Dr Amelia Barber from the Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse” at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Dr Grit Walther from the National Reference Centre for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZMyk) investigated an outbreak of multi-drug resistant hospital-acquired strain of this fungus. The researchers developed a new molecular detection method that can quickly and cost-effectively differentiate strains of C….
Assumptions that may seem self-evident are not always accurate when it comes to the evolution of vertebrate brains. Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have now demonstrated this by examining the largest neuron in the brains of blind Mexican cavefish. Their findings have been published in the prestigious journal PNAS. What for? In the course of evolution, vertebrate brains can change in response to adaptation to a new habitat or altered living conditions. Until now, our understanding of brain evolution…
A team from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has introduced a new method for megapixel-scale fluorescence microscopy through complex scattering media. This approach resolves high-resolution images from several tens of widefield fluorescence-microscope frames without requiring specialized equipment such as spatial-light modulators or intensive computational processing. By efficiently correcting distortions caused by light scattering, the technique allows for clear imaging of dense and challenging targets. Its compatibility with conventional microscopy setups, coupled with the use of established matrix-based techniques, makes it…
Have you ever wondered why an airplane has a vertical tailfin? The plane needs it to stabilize its flight. Since flying without a vertical tail is much more energy-efficient, the aviation industry has worked hard to accomplish this – so far without much success. However, birds don’t need a vertical fin, which raises the question: how do they do it? David Lentink, Professor of Biomimetics at the University of Groningen, has developed a robotic bird model with real pigeon feathers…
A new theory, that explains how light and matter interact at the quantum level has enabled researchers to define for the first time the precise shape of a single photon. Research at the University of Birmingham, published in Physical Review Letters, explores the nature of photons (individual particles of light) in unprecedented detail to show how they are emitted by atoms or molecules and shaped by their environment. The nature of this interaction leads to infinite possibilities for light to…
An international team led by the University of Surrey with Imperial College London have identified a strategy to improve both the performance and stability for solar cells made out of the ‘miracle material’ perovskite by mitigating a previously hidden degradation pathway. In a new study published in Energy and Environmental Science, Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) details how they, together with their collaborators, were able to produce lead-tin perovskite solar cells that reach more than 23% power conversion efficiency (PCE)…
Salk scientists identify brain circuit used to consciously slow breathing and confirm this reduces anxiety and negative emotions. Deep breath in, slow breath out… Isn’t it odd that we can self-soothe by slowing down our breathing? Humans have long used slow breathing to regulate their emotions, and practices like yoga and mindfulness have even popularized formal techniques like box breathing. Still, there has been little scientific understanding of how the brain consciously controls our breathing and whether this actually has…
Aligning the quantum property known as spin for fusion fuels could make it easier to generate electricity economically. A different mix of fuels with enhanced properties could overcome some of the major barriers to making fusion a more practical energy source, according to a new study. The proposed approach would still use deuterium and tritium, which are generally accepted as the most promising pair of fuels for fusion energy production. However, the quantum properties of the fuel would be adjusted for…
Researchers delved deep into the regulation of cobalt active sites to enhance the selectivity of propylene to improve scalability and affordability of the production of this important chemical. Chemical reactions are not always naturally optimized to yield the products in the quantities needed, especially on the scale needed for the amount of industry in the world today. Researchers from East China University of Science and Technology explored the options available to develop a more cost-effective, scalable and straightforward method to…
Algorithm reconstructs wind fields quickly, accurately, and with less observational data. Hurricanes, or tropical cyclones, can be devastating natural disasters, leveling entire cities and claiming hundreds or thousands of lives. A key aspect of their destructive potential is their unpredictability. Hurricanes are complex weather phenomena, and how strong one will be or where it will make landfall is difficult to estimate. In a paper published this week in Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, a pair of researchers from the…
New deep learning architecture enables higher efficiency. It is the computational processing of images that reveals the finest details of a sample placed under all kinds of different light microscopes. Even though this processing has come a long way, there is still room for increasing for example image contrast and resolution. Based on a unique deep learning architecture, a new computational model developed by researchers from the Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) at HZDR and the Max Delbrück Center…
‘MiniMax’ aerosol separator impresses with outstanding performance and efficiency. In view of increasing legal and industrial requirements, the development of efficient exhaust gas purification technologies is very important. The need for innovative solutions for the separation of very fine particles is increasing, particularly in technical processes. A research team from the Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering at the University of Stuttgart has now developed a new filter technology: the ‘MiniMax’ aerosol separator. The Technology Licence Bureau (TLB) is supporting the…
Accompanied by around 400 guests, the ship naming ceremony was led by Karin Prien, Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Science, who assumed the role of sponsor for this remarkable vessel. CORIOLIS is a floating, multi-purpose laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment designed for coastal, hydrogen, and membrane research. It also represents a step toward environmentally friendly maritime technology, which empowers environmental protection and climate sensitivity. Applause broke out when the champagne bottle hit the bow of the CORIOLS and burst. The guests from politics,…
Physicists at the University of Magdeburg develop low-cost production process for transition metal nitrides in high industrial demand. A team of researchers at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg has developed a new process for producing transition metal nitrides cheaply and more energy-efficiently. Endowed with additional and application-related functionalities, these innovative materials could in future play, among other things, a key role in electronics and communication technology and, for example, significantly improve data transmission in mobile phone networks. As part of…
The return of cells to a stem cell-like state as the key to regeneration. Many living organisms are able to regenerate damaged or lost tissue, but why some are particularly good at this and others are not is not fully understood. Molecular biologists Alexander Stockinger, Leonie Adelmann and Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna have now made an important contribution to clarifying this question in a new study. In it, they explain the molecular…
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