Parabolic flights: a simulated gravity laboratory. Space travel has always tested the human body by the effects of the new conditions of altered gravity on biological systems. It has long been known that continuous exposure to microgravity conditions human physiology and causes effects that compromise muscular, sensory, endocrine and cardiovascular functions. But is it also risky to be exposed to altered gravity for short periods of time? Now, a paper published in the journal Acta Astronautica examines the effects on…

New method simultaneously monitors clumps and the mixing intensity in a single step. Water is a vital resource, and clean water is a necessity. Texas A&M University researchers have developed a new technique to monitor one of the key processes of purifying water in real time. Raw water contains microscopic pathogens that are too small to remove during water and wastewater treatment easily. Chemicals are added to form large clumps called flocs, which are easily filtered out. Flocculation is the…

Thanks to a current study with significant participation of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, the distribution of particulate matter in cities can be calculated more precisely. Within the framework of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the indicator 11.6.2 for capturing exposure to particulate matter in cities can be calculated in greater detail. The advantages are the more precise determination of the indicator and the possibility of uniform application throughout Europe. Using Hamburg as an example, the study shows different…

… imminent past 1.8℃ planetary warming. A study published in Nature Communications by an international team of scientists shows that an irreversible loss of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, and a corresponding rapid acceleration of sea level rise, may be imminent if global temperature change cannot be stabilized below 1.8°C, relative to the preindustrial levels. Coastal populations worldwide are already bracing for rising seas. However, planning for counter-measures to prevent inundation and other damages has been extremely difficult…

Modern quantum technology opens up many new areas of application. But it also harbors risks. Due to their enormous computing power, quantum computers, could undermine even the most modern data encryption methods. To forestall this scenario, several partners led by KEEQuant GmbH are developing a new approach to secure optical data transmission in wireless networks using light and quantum keys. The “QuINSiDa” project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF with a sum of 2…

Brain-computer interfaces are able to restore some mobility to paralyzed people by controlling exoskeletons. However, more complex control signals cannot yet be read from the head surface because conventional sensors are not sensitive enough. A collaboration of Fraunhofer IAF, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, University of Stuttgart and other industrial partners has taken up this challenge: In the recently launched NeuroQ lighthouse project, the project partners develop highly sensitive diamond-based quantum sensors that will enable paralyzed people to control neural exoskeletons…

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…

First study of AI-assisted colonoscopy for colorectal cancer surveillance in patients with genetic predisposition – People with Lynch syndrome have a higher hereditary risk of colon cancer. Despite regular endoscopic surveillance, it remains elevated in those affected. Researchers at the National Center for Hereditary Tumor Diseases (NZET) at Bonn University Hospital (UKB) have now found that artificial intelligence (AI) can improve the effectiveness of colonoscopy in the presence of Lynch syndrome. The study results have been published online in the…

… due to surrounding farmland. Insect decline is also progressing in German nature reserves. One reason for this is the intensification of agriculture. In a study recently published in the journal “Biodiversity and Conservation”, a team of authors led by biodiversity researchers Florian Dirk Schneider of ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research and Sebastian Köthe of NABU – Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany shows that farmland in the vicinity of protected areas can have a negative impact on insect…

Jena cooperation project “INTACT” develops new innovative approach for therapy and diagnostics in premature babies with intestinal disorders. In Germany, doctors have to feed some 200 out of 800 very premature babies every year – mostly due to an infection – by diverting stool out of the body through an artificial intestinal stoma and returning the intestinal contents (chyme) at another stoma, in order to relieve the intestine. Currently, this can only be done manually, which does not guarantee a…

Interdisciplinary team at the University of Freiburg studies freely moving individuals using 3D tracking Key indicators about the respective roles of the premotor, motor, and sensory domains Findings may be helpful for further development and use of neuroprostheses An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Freiburg has found important clues about the functioning of the sensorimotor cortex. The new findings on neuronal activities in this brain area could be helpful for the further development and use of so-called neuroprostheses….

A Europe-wide consortium of 19 universities, research institutions, and companies will investigate indoor air pollution over the next four years. The Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig is the only partner in Germany and will develop an innovative tool to monitor indoor air quality. By the end of 2026, the consortium, led by the Brussels-based think tank Lisbon Council, aims to provide scientifically sound information for legislation so that guidelines for indoor air quality can be set and…

MHH psychiatry coordinates largest German study to improve depression treatment. Using biomarkers to find individual diagnostic and therapeutic paths – what already works in oncology is also to become possible in psychiatry. Under the leadership of Professor Dr Helge Frieling, Vice Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Hannover Medical School (MHH), a national research network is now being launched that aims to tailor the treatment of depression more closely to the individual patient than…

EU funds innovation project from technology, agricultural science and business studies with around 2.5 million euros. According to a report by the EU Commission, over 60 percent of agricultural soils in the European Union are overfertilised. The consequences are soil acidification, polluted waters, reduced biodiversity, and declining soil yields. The upcoming soil health law and associated fertiliser requirements aim at improving soil quality, but for the farmers, this poses severe challenges. Daily variability of nutrient values and time-consuming laboratory analyses…

Back to culture – Research led by University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo), in cooperation with Hannover Medical School (MHH), Robert Koch Institute, Hannover Concerts, ProEvent Hannover and AWiAS Aviation Services GmbH, examined whether trained corona detection dogs can be used in everyday life. For the first of its kind study, the project team held four concerts at the end of 2021, at which the medical detection dogs sniffed sweat samples from all visitors at the entrance to detect SARS-CoV-2…

Successful approval of the 2nd funding period of the DFG Research Training Group 2430. Researchers based in Dresden are going to develop a completely new class of materials in which actuators and sensors are integrated directly into flexible fibre composites – contrary to the state of the art. To this end, the German Research Foundation (DFG) approved the 2nd phase of Research Training Group 2430 “Interactive Fibre-Elastomer Composites” at TU Dresden in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research…