Research in Germany

Previous research may have underestimated the capacity of natural environments to promote concentration and well-being, even in the absence of prior stressors, a review by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development shows.

Press release of the Museum of Prehistory and Ice Age Art and the University of Tübingen: Archaeologists from the University of Tübingen identify a unique signature in miniature works of Ice Age art

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology have discovered that the parasitic larvae of the European oil beetle emit a floral scent that attracts wild bees. This enables the larvae to sneak into the bees’ nests.

Researchers from Würzburg und Heidelberg have unravelled why minor changes in the heart protein RBM20 can lead to different inherited heart diseases. Using patient-specific stem cells, artificial heart tissue and genome editing, they were able to demonstrate how individual mutations disrupt the calcium balance in heart cells, thereby triggering various clinical presentations. The findings provide new avenues for personalised therapies for rare cardiomyopathies.

Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor that infiltrates deep into the surrounding brain tissue. Even after surgery, tumor cells remain in the brain and the tumor recurs. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now developed Core2Edge, a model based entirely on human tissue that captures these hard-to-access infiltration zones at the tumor margin. The model enables investigation of the invasive front and direct assessment of new drug candidates in human tissue - without the need for animal testing.

Why local progress in sustainable land use doesn't automatically make a region more sustainable – study published in special issue of "Global Environmental Change"