Track and trace members of the plant microbiome with DNA barcodes

28-Mar-2024 - A research team led by Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, developed a modular toolkit for tracking bacterial strains colonising plant tissue in competition with other microbiome members. The study is now published in Nature ...

Novel electrochemical sensor detects dangerous bacteria

Novel sensor for the detection of bacteriawith an innovative surface coating

27-Mar-2024 - Each year, bacterial infections claim several million lives worldwide. That is why detecting harmful microorganisms is crucial – not only in the diagnosis of diseases but also, for example, in food production. However, the methods available so far are often time-consuming, require expensive ...

Bacteria beyond Earth?

Signs of life detectable in single ice grains emitted from moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter

27-Mar-2024 - The ice-encrusted oceans of some of the moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter are prime candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. A new lab-based study led by Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Washington, Seattle, shows that individual ice grains ejected from these planetary ...

Filming ultrafast molecular motions in single crystal

A striking milestone unveiled the molecular reaction, shedding light on the intricate dance of atoms and the secrets of chemical transformations

27-Mar-2024 - Understanding the behavior of matter is crucial for advancing scientific fields like biology, chemistry, and materials science. X-ray crystallography has been instrumental in this pursuit, allowing scientists to determine molecular structures with precision. In traditional X-ray crystallography ...

How micro- and nanoplastics are infiltrating the Arctic ice

Environmental scientist Alice Pradel cultivates ice cores in the lab to investigate the transport and accumulation of micro-​ and nanoplastics

26-Mar-2024 - “Beat the Microbead” is the name of a campaign launched in 2012 with the aim of reducing the use of microplastics in cosmetic products in order to minimise negative effects on the environment and people. For Alice Pradel, the campaign was a wake-​up call. “As a young environmental scientist, I ...

New Method for Analysing Nanoporous Materials

Innovative method opens up new possibilities for materials science

22-Mar-2024 - Using only a single electron microscope image, researchers at TU Graz can determine the type and exact position of so-called guest atoms in high-tech materials. They also come closer to solving the mystery of the blue colour of aquamarine. In addition to their main components, the properties of ...

Fraunhofer IPMS develops new multi-sensor system for water analysis

New standards in the assessment of water quality

22-Mar-2024 - With groundbreaking developments in the field of chemical sensor technology, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS is setting new standards in the assessment of water quality for humans and the environment. In addition to key parameters such as conductivity and pH, nutrients ...

Spectroscopy and theory shed light on excitons in semiconductors

Research team make extremely fast, precise images for first time

21-Mar-2024 - From solar panels on our roofs to the new OLED TV screens, many everyday electronic devices simply wouldn’t work without the interaction between light and the materials that make up semiconductors. A new category of semiconductors is based on organic molecules, which largely consist of carbon, ...

Nosy chemistry

New portable chemical nose can identify a broad range of chemicals

20-Mar-2024 - A living organism’s nose is essentially a biological molecule detector that sends neurological signals to the brain, which then decodes a particular scent. Human noses, with six million olfactory receptors, can distinguish more than one trillion scents, while some canine noses possess up to 300 ...

Possible tumour marker found for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma

Cancer cells leave an "imprint" on natural killer cells

19-Mar-2024 - A research team at the MHH is comparing changes in natural killer cells of the innate immune defence system in chronic hepatitis C sufferers as a risk factor for the later development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant liver tumour that develops from ...