https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from University of Freiburg In a new study published in Cell Reports, researchers at the University of Freiburg reveal how a disordered protein segment helps connect two key steps of gene expression: the reading of genes and the editing of their RNA products. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-flexible-protein-domain-links-gene.html Wed, 14 May 2025 15:22:42 EDT news666454959 Nano- and microplastic particles (NMP) are increasingly polluting urban and rural landscapes, where bees and other beneficial insects come into contact with them. If insects ingest plastic particles from food or the air, it can damage their organs and cause changes in their behavior, preventing them from properly performing ecosystem services such as pollination and pest control. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-plastic-pollution-bees-pollinator-functions.html Wed, 16 Oct 2024 12:43:46 EDT news648301423 Generative AI should be able to write usable doctor's letters and thus potentially speed up medical documentation, according to a study by the University Medical Center Freiburg. Around 93% of the AI-generated reports could have been used with only minimal adaptations, the researchers found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-ai-language-good-doctor-letters.html Thu, 03 Oct 2024 04:54:51 EDT news647150087 A team of scientists headed by Professor Ingo Krossing, Professor of Molecular and Coordination Chemistry at the University of Freiburg's Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, has succeeded in significantly increasing the potential for oxidation of and positive ions. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-solvents-vastly-potentials-oxidation.html Tue, 13 Aug 2024 09:58:03 EDT news642761882 A team of scientists led by Prof. Dr. Ilka Diester, Professor of Optophysiology and spokesperson of the BrainLinks-BrainTools research center at the University of Freiburg, has developed a formal description of internal world models and published it in the journal Neuron. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-internal-world-humans-animals-ai.html Thu, 18 Jul 2024 10:35:23 EDT news640517720 An international research collaboration has uncovered a new mechanism of the crosstalk between microtubules and actin cytoskeleton during cell division and revealed unique characteristics of the previously unexplored protein FAM110A. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-unique-characteristics-previously-unexplored-protein.html Tue, 16 Jul 2024 10:09:03 EDT news640343341 Urban spaces are particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change, such as heat waves, floods, and storms. But which areas of a city are affected, and how can city planners respond? https://phys.org/news/2024-07-cities-ai-climate.html Wed, 10 Jul 2024 14:27:26 EDT news639840443 A team led by Freiburg biochemist Prof. Dr. Susana Andrade has characterized a new membrane protein that allows microorganisms to repurpose ammonium transporters (Amts) as receptors. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nature-repurposes-ammonium-receptors.html Thu, 06 Jun 2024 07:40:02 EDT news636878401 Archaea are ubiquitous microorganisms whose evolution shaped the biosphere of Earth. Their evolutionary paths are truly fascinating. A great example is an ectosymbiotic lifestyle which is found among DPANN archaea. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-distinct-life-stages-ectosymbiotic-dpann.html Wed, 22 May 2024 13:42:40 EDT news635604158 Cyanobacteria—also called blue-green algae—are known as the "plants of the ocean" because they carry out photosynthesis on a gigantic scale, produce oxygen and extract the greenhouse gas CO2 from the environment. However, to do this they need additional nutrients such as nitrogen. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-previously-unknown-gene-indirectly-photosynthesis.html Mon, 15 Apr 2024 11:19:03 EDT news632398741 Metastases are largely responsible for the death rate of patients with solid cancers; the prognosis of cancer patients reduces significantly if metastases are diagnosed. Until now there has been no procedure available to reliably predict the probability of future metastases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03-analytical-method-early-diagnosis-metastasis.html Mon, 04 Mar 2024 11:09:04 EST news628772942 A large number of historical spy-satellite photographs from the Cold War Era were declassified decades ago. This valuable remote sensing data has been utilized by scientists across a wide range of disciplines from archaeology to civil engineering. However, its use in ecology and conservation remains limited. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-spy-satellite-images-insights-historical.html Mon, 19 Feb 2024 12:22:03 EST news627567721 The model organism spreading earth moss (Physcomitrium patens, formerly: Physcomitrella patens) has contributed significantly to a better understanding of plant evolution and development. Nevertheless, the currently known genome of Physcomitrium patens still contains numerous regions that are either incomplete or erroneous. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-genome-version-earth-moss.html Fri, 09 Feb 2024 10:51:02 EST news626698259 In the future, soft robots will be able to perform tasks that cannot be done by conventional robots. These soft robots could be used in terrain that is difficult to access and in environments where they are exposed to chemicals or radiation that would harm electronically controlled robots made of metal. This requires such soft robots to be controllable without any electronics, which is still a challenge in development. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-scientists-3d-pneumatic-modules-movements.html Thu, 01 Feb 2024 10:38:42 EST news626006318 In the case of an autoimmune disease, the immune system not only attacks pathogens, but also the body's own cells. Researchers at the University of Freiburg—Medical Center have now been able to show that defective signaling pathways in the body play a decisive role in the development of immune cells, a discovery that opens up new therapeutic approaches for autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-maturation-cell-death-defective-pathways.html Mon, 15 Jan 2024 11:10:11 EST news624539408 Inflammation of the heart muscle, also known as myocarditis, is a serious consequence of a viral infection. This can impede the heart's ability to pump blood in the long term. In a recent study, researchers of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Freiburg have discovered a new approach for treating myocarditis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-inflammation-heart-muscle-viral-infection.html Wed, 10 Jan 2024 10:25:41 EST news624104738 When the eye jumps from one point to another, the image of our surroundings rapidly passes across the retina and triggers a wave of neuronal activity. In order not to be overwhelmed by the sensory impressions produced by our own movements, the brain suppresses processing of the stimuli as this happens. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-inhibitory-visual-neurons-shown-overstimulation.html Thu, 30 Nov 2023 10:38:04 EST news620563082 CAR-T cell therapy is a last hope for many patients with blood, bone marrow or lymph gland cancer when other treatments such as chemotherapy are unsuccessful. A limiting factor of this otherwise very effective and safe therapy is that the cells used in the process quickly reach a state of exhaustion. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-efficacy-cancer-immunotherapy-car-t-cells.html Mon, 06 Nov 2023 11:46:03 EST news618493561 Networked intelligent devices and sensors can improve the energy efficiency of consumer products and buildings by monitoring their consumption in real time. Miniature devices like these being developed under the concept of the Internet of Things require energy sources that are as compact as possible in order to function autonomously. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-monolithically-photo-battery-competitive-voltage.html Fri, 03 Nov 2023 08:59:02 EDT news618220741 During the first hours of an embryo's development, specialized molecules called pioneer transcription factors unravel parts of its DNA to activate the encoded genes. Which gene is activated and when has to follow a set schedule so that genes that are only needed at later stages of development are not activated too early—such as those that trigger the differentiation of specialized cell types. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-gene-embryonic-stem-cells.html Thu, 28 Sep 2023 11:10:00 EDT news615118196 Today, 1.2 billion people live in poverty. To lift them out of it, an average of about six tons of raw materials are needed per person and year—in particular minerals, fossil fuels, biomass and metal ores. This is the result of a study published in Environmental Science & Technology by researchers from the Chair of Sustainable Energy and Material Flow Management at the University of Freiburg. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-raw-material-requirements-global-poverty.html Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:32:31 EDT news615036747 Prolonged drought has a significant impact on the extent to which rainforest soils can emit and consume biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This was the finding of an international research team, including scientists from University of Freiburg and Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany, who studied the effects of drought and rewetting on soil VOC fluxes. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-drought-stress-function-rainforest-soil.html Wed, 30 Aug 2023 08:52:03 EDT news612604321 Climate impacts such as dry, hot summers reduce the growth and increase the mortality of trees in the Black Forest because they negatively influence the climatic water balance, i.e., the difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. That is the central finding of a long-term study of the influence of climate and climate change on trees in the Black Forest conducted by Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Kahle and Prof. Dr. Heinrich Spiecker, who are both professors of forest growth and dendroecology at the University of Freiburg. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-tree-mortality-black-forest-climate.html Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:13:03 EDT news612025981 Using a newly developed microscopy method, researchers from Freiburg and Cambridge have been able to quantify how small, dynamic molecular aggregates form in living cells for the first time. Such aggregates play an important role in signal processing. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-accurate-dynamic-molecular-aggregates-cells.html Tue, 15 Aug 2023 09:21:20 EDT news611310075 Known as the power plant of the cell, mitochondria are essential to human metabolism. Human mitochondria consist of 1,300 different proteins and two fatty biomembranes. The vast majority of mitochondrial proteins are produced with a cleavable transport signal and have to be actively transported into the mitochondria. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-signal-dependent-formation-mitochondria.html Wed, 02 Aug 2023 08:39:56 EDT news610184393 Biologist Dr. Wenjing Qi from the University of Freiburg has discovered a genetic long-term effect in nematodes that influences the body's stress response. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-stress-health-benefits.html Wed, 26 Jul 2023 10:26:02 EDT news609585959 As the world's population continues to grow, the construction industry faces the challenge of using fewer resources and switching to sustainable materials. Scientists from the Universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg are developing new interdisciplinary approaches to construction. In a joint project, the researchers have built a lightweight timber construction pavilion at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Freiburg, where they are testing and researching new materials and construction methods. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-robotically-timber-resource-efficient.html Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:08:00 EDT news609163676 Is it possible that in most measurements in the field of life sciences, important interactions remain hidden inside the cell or at the cell surface? This question has puzzled the team of laser- and bio-physicist Prof. Dr. Alexander Rohrbach from the University of Freiburg for years. He and his colleague Dr. Felix Jünger have been investigating various interactions of particles in the size range of bacteria, i.e., a few micrometers, and even of viruses, around 0.1 micrometers, on different cell surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-team-reveals-hidden-particle-interactions.html Fri, 14 Jul 2023 11:21:03 EDT news608552461 In a longitudinal study, researchers were able to examine the significance of the COVID-19 pandemic on the professional well-being of math teachers. On a scale of 1 to 4, the mean emotional exhaustion of teachers increased from 1.89 in 2019 to 2.41 in 2021. At the same time, enthusiasm for teaching decreased on average, from 3.52 in 2019 to 3.21 in 2021. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-greater-emotional-exhaustion-math-teachers.html Mon, 03 Jul 2023 10:55:03 EDT news607600501 Aluminum-ion batteries are seen as a promising alternative to conventional batteries that use scarce and difficult-to-recycle raw materials such as lithium. This is because aluminum is one of the most common elements in the Earth's crust, is easier to recycle and is also safer and less expensive than lithium. However, the development of such aluminum-ion batteries is still in its infancy, as suitable electrode materials that provide sufficient storage capacity are still lacking. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-team-redox-polymer-aluminum-ion-batteries.html Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:16:41 EDT news605805398