Nano-switches in the cell
Mitochondria, best known for their role as cellular power plants, perform numerous vital tasks in the cell. During cell respiration, reactive oxygen species can be formed in mitochondria. If these are...
View ArticleEquipping CRISPR/Cas9 with an enzyme that controls translation of genetic...
CRISPR/Cas systems are known as promising "gene scissors," editing the genomes of plants, animals and microorganisms by targeting specific regions in their DNA. They might also be used to correct...
View ArticleWhy exceptionally fertile termite queens have long lives
Usually the rule in the animal kingdom is that a lot of progeny means a short life – if you are less fertile, you live longer. However, it seems that social insects can escape this fate. How they do...
View ArticleHow the waterwheel plant snaps
The midrib of the leaf (which has been transformed into a snap trap) bends slightly downwards in a flash, the trap halves fold in, and the water flea can no longer escape – as part of an...
View ArticleNano crystals impact stem cell fate during bone formation
Scientists from the University of Freiburg and the University of Basel identified a master regulator for bone regeneration. Prasad Shastri, Professor of Biofunctional Macromolecular Chemistry at the...
View ArticleLynxes in danger
For some years now larger wild animals such as lynxes, wolves, and bears have been spreading out across Europe as existing populations grow and animals are resettled. Yet some populations are still...
View ArticleWhat articulation-relevant brain regions do when we listen
Brain regions that are involved in the articulation of language are also active in the perception of language. This finding of a team from the BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence of the...
View ArticleShining new light on the pineal gland
When zebrafish lack a specific protein, the two hemispheres of the brain develop symmetrically, and the sleep hormone melatonin is not produced. These results were recently published by Freiburg...
View ArticleBiological signalling processes in intelligent materials
Scientists from the University of Freiburg have developed materials systems that are composed of biological components and polymer materials and are capable of perceiving and processing information....
View ArticleNew results show which proteins assist the natural recycling process in the body
Cells collect, decompose and recycle surplus or damaged cell material. This process, known as autophagy, is important, because cellular waste can be harmful to the entire organism if it accumulates in...
View ArticleResearchers apply 2-D spectroscopy to isolated molecular systems for the...
A research team headed by Prof. Dr. Frank Stienkemeier and Dr. Lukas Bruder of the University of Freiburg's Institute of Physics has applied 2-D spectroscopy to isolated molecular systems for the first...
View ArticleCommunication between neural networks
The brain is organized into a super-network of specialized networks of nerve cells. For such a brain architecture to function, these specialized networks – each located in a different brain area – need...
View ArticleStem cells regulate their fate by altering their stiffness
In adults, mesenchymal stems cells (MSCs) are primarily found in bone marrow and they play a vital role in repair of damaged organs. The transformation of a single MSC into complex tissue like...
View ArticleVelcro for human cells
The ability of cells to adhere to each other and to their environment is the basis for multicellular life. Adhesion occurs via diverse receptors at the surface of cells that bind to specific ligands in...
View ArticleResearchers obtain an important chemical compound
Since the discovery of the first homoleptic metal carbonyl complex Ni(CO)4 more than 130 years ago, scientists try to obtain further such compounds formed from a carbon monoxide molecule and a metal...
View ArticleResearchers discover mechanism by which bacteria attack white blood cells
A research team led by Prof. Dr. Winfried Römer and Dr. Elias Hobeika from the University of Freiburg and the University Medical Center in Ulm has discovered a mechanism by which bacteria activate...
View ArticleBiological diversity stabilizes species interactions
The decline in biodiversity and the associated loss of plant species are greatly affecting ecosystems. Thus far, this has been shown by studies in the so-called grasslands, i.e. in areas that are not...
View ArticleFloodplain forests under threat
A team from the Institute of Forest Sciences at the University of Freiburg shows that the extraction of ground water for industry and households is increasingly damaging floodplain forests in Europe...
View ArticleDeep brain stimulation provides sustained relief for severe depression
Patients suffering from severe, treatment-resistant depression can benefit not only acutely but also the long term from deep brain stimulation, as researchers from the Medical Center – University of...
View ArticleTraffic control of cells
Cells in the human body can display remarkable differences in their behaviour depending on the mechanical properties of the tissue surrounding them. This is especially true for immune cells, which...
View ArticleBiologists report which animals are captured by the carnivorous waterwheel plant
Freiburg biologists Dr. Simon Poppinga, Anna Westermeier and Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck, working in cooperation with researchers from the Ruhr University Bochum and the Institute of Botany of the Czech...
View ArticleResearchers print channel structures in quartz glass
Quartz glass is the preferred material for applications that require long-term use because of its high chemical and mechanical stability and excellent optical properties. The engineer Prof. Dr. Bastian...
View ArticleCreating blood vessels on demand
When organs or tissues are damaged, new blood vessels must form as they play a vital role in bringing nutrients and eliminating waste and it is necessary for organs and tissues to regain their normal...
View ArticleResearchers use a novel approach to identify a transport protein in mycobacteria
A team headed by Dr. Claudia Jessen-Trefzer of the University of Freiburg's Institute for Pharmaceuticals Sciences has identified a transport protein in mycobacteria that is responsible for the uptake...
View ArticleDissolving a protein traffic jam at the entrance of mitochondria
Researchers from Freiburg discovered a novel mechanism that ensures obstacle-free protein traffic into the powerhouse of the cell
View ArticleHoly crocodiles: The cultural status of saltwater crocodiles in East Timor
East Timor's origin is shrouded in myth. The Southeast Asian island is said to have formed from "Grandfather Crocodile." That is why many who live on East Timor revere the animal who they believe...
View ArticleHow cellular fibers form and maintain dynamic states
Cells assemble dynamically: Their components are continuously exchanging and being replaced. This enables the structures to adapt easily to different situations, and by rearranging the components to...
View ArticleDiversity increases ecosystem stability
Forests with a large variety of species are more productive and stable under stress than monocultures: scientists from the University of Freiburg have confirmed this with data from the world's oldest...
View ArticleHow interactions between neuronal migration and outgrowth shape network...
Neurons are not randomly arranged in the human brain. In the cortex, they are organized in interconnected clusters with high intrinsic connectivity. This modular connectivity structure, in which...
View ArticleResearchers decipher assembly of glutamate receptors and its importance for...
Rapid communication of neurons in the brain, as well as the ability to learn, fundamentally rely on neurotransmitter receptors located in the contact sites of neurons, the synapses. The most important...
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