Tag: Germany
Cryo-electron tomography and synaptic transmission in the brain
The transmission of information between brain cells is regulated by complex loops of biochemical processes. Neurotransmitter molecules are released in the intercellular space by an electrically stimulated neuron and bind to receptors in a different neuron, thus establishing a connection between these cells. By combining cryo-electron microscopy and tomography of vitrified brain samples, Dr Vladan Lučić at Max Planck Institute […]
Capturing three-dimensional cell structure with X-ray tomography
Seeing cells is no easy task. Most cells are smaller than a tenth of the size of a human hair, making them impossible to see by eye. Optical microscopes, with the help of cell-staining to colour cells, can help us peer into the invisible world of cells. However, they only show us a 2D image of a very thin slice […]
A new weapon to boost cancer immunotherapy
In recent years, immunooncology has paved new avenues for effective treatment across cancer types. In addition to cytotoxic chemotherapy, we can now harness the power of the human immune response against malignant cells. However, immunotherapy is not perfect, and as always, cancer has mechanisms to evade these attacks. Dr Svetlana Hamm, Head of Research and Translational Medicine at 4SC in […]
Renewable energy concepts for addressing climate change
Climate change is real, is here, and it will not go away unless we do something. Based on current scientific advancements on energy systems, energy storage, renewable energy options, and understanding of the Earth’s feedback mechanism, there is hope that global efforts could help avoid an environmental catastrophe. However, the action plan needs to be global, based on collective approaches, […]
Listening to the city: Architecture as soundscape
Sound is an integral part of many people’s daily life, and the architectural spaces that surround us shape and impact the quality of urban sound. Street performers, such as buskers, contribute to the city soundscape, and while in the past they may have been treated as a nuisance, now they are more readily accepted as contributing to the vitality of […]
Income segregation and incomplete integration of Islam in the Paris metropolitan area
By law in France no data about ethnicity or religion is recorded in official statistics. The homegrown, pseudo-religious Islamically-inspired terror attacks of the 21st Century have, in part, been seen as a result of a lack of geographical and economic integration among Muslim populations. The research of Lucas G. Drouhot, research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study […]
Searching for axions: Revealing the dark matter particle
Dark matter is one of the central mysteries of modern cosmology. Even after many years of investigation into the true nature of this enigmatic component of our Universe, every search for its cause has so far come up short. Dr David J. E. Marsh at the University of Göttingen believes that the solution lies with a fundamental particle which was […]
IRAND: Helping to preserve children’s and youth drawings of the 20th century
Professor Dr Jutta Ströter-Bender of Paderborn University is co-founder of the International Research and Archives Network (IRAND) that is preserving and archiving children’s and youth drawings of the 20th century. IRAND views these endangered collections as historical documents, worthy of preservation and PhD level research. The network is a Cooperating Institution of the Sub-Committee on Education and Research (SCEaR), UNESCO […]
Social Robots – a New Perspective in Healthcare
Some social robots are assistants helping with tasks such as lifting, while others take on companion roles and simulate emotions. Dr Oliver Korn, Professor for Human Computer Interaction and Director of the Affective & Cognitive Institute at Offenburg University in Germany, discusses whether social robots should be able to replicate human emotions and explores ethical challenges arising from it. He […]
The role of CD83: Autoimmunity, transplantation and beyond
Professor Alexander Steinkasserer is based at the Department of Immune Modulation, University Hospital, Erlangen. His research interests are focused on the immune system, with the long-term aim to develop new therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from autoimmune disorders or in need of transplantation. Along with his colleagues at the department of Immune Modulation, Professor Steinkasserer has shed much light on […]