November 2021 − News
Good Plastic
In terms of environmental protection, doing without plastic is by far the most effective course of action. ...
November 2021 − News
Criminals beware!
The year 1897 saw the first criminal conviction worldwide based on fingerprints. ...
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November 2021 − News
Living longer
It is a well-known fact that humans are living ever longer – however, our maximum life span could be even longer than it presently is. ...
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November 2021 − News
Cooling white
Scientists at Purdue University in the US have developed the world’s whitest white. ...
November 2021 − News
1.6 billion
Sparrows exist worldwide. This number makes the species one of only four bird species with more than one billion individuals. This fact was discovered by researchers at the University of New South Wales who conducted a study on global bird populations. The counts revealed drastic differences: the Kiwi bird family, for example, comprises only 3,000 individuals worldwide.
May 2021 − News
A Teenager in the Fast Lane
Since 1927, “Time Magazine” has been honoring the “Person of the Year” – starting with Charles Lindbergh who was chosen for his solo flight across the Atlantic. ...
May 2021 − News
A Question of Genetics
Whether, and to what degree, we are mathematically gifted, is at least partially a matter of genetics. ...
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May 2021 − News
Wound-up World
Earth rotates ever faster. The year 2021 is on track to become the shortest year in decades; the average length of a day could decrease by approximately 0.05 milliseconds. ...
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May 2021 − News
Course Record!
Approximately 12,200 kilometers – last September, a bar-tailed godwit flew this distance, from Alaska to New Zealand – without a break, in a little over nine days. The bird broke the record of the longest consecutive distance flown by 700 kilometers. The bird carried a transmitter on its back which allowed researchers at the University of Groningen to accurately track its flight path: during their marathon flights, these masters of long-distance travel, which weigh only a few hundred grams, reach a speed of up to 90 kilometers per hour.
May 2021 − News
1 Dollar
Is to be the price of a novel test developed by researchers from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the US for the purpose of fighting Ebola and the Lassa virus. These infectious diseases continue to be a major problem in Africa. The test is quick, accurate and cheap, and it can be applied without the need for sophisticated equipment. Test results are read via app.
November 2020 − News
And Then There Were Fewer …
A well-known fact: insects play a critical role in food networks and ecosystems. ...
November 2020 − News
DNA of Things
Shirt button, water bottle, optical lens: thanks to a common project between researchers of the ETH Zürich and an Israeli computer scientist, ...
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November 2020 − News
In the Fur of the Sloth
Producing antibiotics to which bacterial pathogens are not yet resistant – this is the lofty goal of researchers worldwide. ...
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November 2020 − News
1,000
Universities worldwide were evaluated by the international university ranking consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) for their standing in 2021. Noteworthy: the top four spots go to American universities, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In addition, for the first time, 26 Asian universities rank among the top 100.
November 2020 − News
“Infodemiology” - Already heard?
How can good and bad sources of information be distinguished? This question becomes more and more relevant with increasing Internet consumption. The fact that an unmanageable amount of information during the corona pandemic could have a negative impact on health, as it can increase stress and worries, among other things, was discussed by scientists from various disciplines at an online conference of the World Health Organization (WHO) this summer. To explore the effects of this “infodemia”, the conference participants launched a new research discipline called “Infodemiology”.
May 2020 − News
Unsurpassed …
Meet the King of the Sprint: the cheetah. In as little as three seconds, it can reach a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour and thus accelerate almost faster than a Porsche. ...
May 2020 − News
Goodbye Hereditary Disease?
Despite ongoing ethical discussions, the genome editing system CRISPR has long been accepted practice in international research. ...
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May 2020 − News
Record in Materials Science
In the race to produce the darkest material, two US scientists were able to outperform the previous record-holder, “Vantablack”. ...
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May 2020 − News
39 bit
per second – according to a study conducted by scientists at the University of Lyon in France, it is at this speed exactly that all 17 languages in the study transport information from mouth to ear. While Japanese and Spanish are considered to be fast-paced languages, they do not transport any more information.
May 2020 − News
Diagnosis Breakthrough
Using 27 laboratory values and heart rate, scientists have succeeded in diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers with an accuracy of 77 percent. Up to now, such disorders of the psyche can only be diagnosed via certain symptoms. Frank Doyle’s team from the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Cambridge,USA divided soldiers who had suffered PTSD during war and soldiers without PTSD into two control groups for the experiment, in order to compare all available laboratory results. From the abnormalities, they selected the relevant comparative values for an accurate diagnosis.
November 2019 − News
Excising HIV …
American scientists have succeeded in removing the HIV virus from live mice. How? The process is based on a combination of therapies: using “Laser ART”, the researchers injected mice with a substance that represses the activity of the HIV virus for several days. ...
November 2019 − News
A Heart Made from Bio-Ink
For the first time, a research team from the University of Tel Aviv, led by biotechnologist Tal Dvir, has succeeded in manufacturing a heart using a 3D printer – complete with tissue, blood vessels and chambers. ...
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November 2019 − News
Thoughts Speak for Themselves
Science is no stranger to mind reading. Verbalizing thoughts in a comprehensible manner, however, is a milestone for the field of neurobiology. ...
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November 2019 − News
100
years will it take for all insects to become extinct – according to the Australian research team led by Francisco Sánchez-Bayo. They calculated this number based on the hypothesis that the insect mass will continue to decline by 2.5 percent annually – with devastating consequences for humans, animals and the environment.
November 2019 − News
Creativity Knows No Age
Are we really more creative when we are younger? Researchers at Ohio State University® and the University of Chicago have come to a different conclusion. In a study, they have identified two distinct groups of creative people. “Experimental innovators” is the term for imaginative and inventive people over 50. They use their vast life experience, as well as “trial and error”, to arrive at creative solutions. They are different from “conceptual innovators” in their mid-twenties whose creativity is generally fueled by their youthful and carefree outlook on life. The conclusions drawn from this study are based on a comprehensive analysis of the 31 most respected Nobel Laureates from the field of economics.
April 2019 − News
When the Wolves Came …
Ever since the resettlement of roughly 30 wolves into Yellowstone National Park more than 20 years ago, the park’s ecosystems have changed more dramatically than previously anticipated. ...
April 2019 − News
Breathe in, Breathe out –
Detecting Cancer
Detecting cancer early and as accurately as possible forms the basis of any successful therapy. ...
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April 2019 − News
The Nicotine Fallout Transmissible
through Sperm
Nicotine’s negative impact on offspring is not limited to uterine transmission during pregnancy and passive smoke inhalation. ...
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April 2019 − News
16.000
genes of pregnant women were compared between the early and the late stages of pregnancy.
According to this American study, more than 400 genes displayed altered activity. The results could help detect abnormal genetic changes and thus identify high-risk pregnancies.
April 2019 − News
Less Forest – Same Number of Trees
720,000 satellite images have been scrutinized by five scientists over the course of a year to provide an overview of the tree population in central Europe. The study conducted by the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria, investigated the steep increase in tree mortality observed over the past 30 years. Tree mortality has in fact doubled – the main causes include increasing winter storms as well as bark beetles which multiply rapidly during the dry summer months. Even though the total forested area is decreasing, the number of trees remains constant as it is mostly the older, larger trees that are dying. These, in turn, leave behind a larger gap in the forest canopy, as evident in the satellite images.
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October 2018 − News
Viruses for Eyes
Viruses can soon be employed in gene therapy of eye diseases. A current study conducted at the University of Tübingen confirms that adeno-associated viral vectors function as a kind of transport system in order to introduce nucleic acids carrying healthy genetic information to the respective cells. The beauty of adeno-associated viruses (AAV): they belong to the genus of Dependoparvovirus and are therefore incapable of procreating and causing further disease.
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© iStock
October 2018 − News
Multiple Disease Trigger
Roughly 95 percent of Europeans are infected with Epstein-Barr virus by the time they turn 30. Until now, this virus has been known as the causative agent of mononucleosis. Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital have now discovered that the virus plays a role in the development of seven additional illnesses. It conveys an increased risk for the development of lupus, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel syndrome and two types of arthritis.
October 2018 − News
New Code
Each coding system has one weak link: the password. Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) have now combined a common coding method with a chemical password. To this end, the password, in the form of organic molecules, is rendered invisible to its environment and sent to the recipient separately, ensuring that the digital data cannot be hacked during transport. This newly developed process is touted as so secure that it is even suitable for secret service information, which would justify the extra effort of encryption.
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April 2018 − News
0.00 Percent Blood Alcohol
The British scientist David Nutt has developed a synthetic “ersatz”-alcohol. The substitute allegedly simulates the pleasant effect of alcohol – entirely without the hangover or the dangers of addiction.
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October 2017 − News
100 % Protection from Malaria
Researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany have developed an extraordinarily effective vaccine that is now slated for testing in the African country of Gabon.
April 2017 − Book Tip
Intoxicating Literature
Some of us may have asked ourselves why the rising bubbles in freshly drafted beer will form a perfect head whereas the bubbles in champagne will not. The American journalist and author Adam Rogers set out to get to the bottom of this and other scientific questions surrounding the topic of alcohol. For his book “Proof: The Science of Booze” he visited numerous distilleries and spirits factories and spoke with a large number of experts. As such, he visited a small distillery in New York where loud dance music is played at night in order to entice the molecules in the liquids to oscillate with the vibrations emanating from the bass. Rogers also met liquor distillers who have their barrels cross the oceans in ships for many years so that the gentle motion of the waves may help the liquor develop its full aroma.
History and Sociology
In addition to the history of the origins of alcohol production, which includes the hard facts of biochemistry, Rogers also addresses the psychological aspects of alcohol consumption. The author further touches on the fields of history and sociology: some scientists propose that it was indeed alcohol which precipitated the transition from a nomadic existence to a farming life style. It is therefore possible that our ancestors settled down mainly to plant grain for beer, grape vines for wine and fruit trees for liquor.
“Proof: The Science of Booze” (272 pages) by Adam Rogers was named a Best Science Book by Amazon.