News

Remdesivir is the first drug against Covid-19 to be conditionally approved in Europe and the United States. The drug is designed to suppress the rapid replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in human cells by blocking the viral copying machine, called RNA polymerase. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen and the University of Würzburg have now elucidated how remdesivir interferes with the viral polymerase during copying and why it does not inhibit it completely. Their results explain why the drug has a rather weak effect. (Nature Communications, January 12, 2021)

“After complicated studies, we come to a simple conclusion,” Max Planck Director Patrick Cramer says. “Remdesivir does interfere with the polymerase while doing its work, but only after some delay. And the drug does not fully stop the enzyme.” At the pandemic’s beginning, Cramer’s team at the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry had elucidated how the coronavirus duplicates its RNA genome. For the pathogen this is a colossal task as its genome…

As a member of the InSight Instrument Site Selection Team, Dr. Marco Bierwirth selected the deployment site for the seismometer SEIS on the surface of Mars.

The U.S. space agency NASA has honored the 49-member group of experts who selected the site for the scientific instruments carried by the InSight Mars probe in the days following its landing with the NASA Group Achievement Award. Among the honorees is Dr.-Ing. Marco Bierwirth of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Göttingen. Under his leadership, the MPS had previously developed and built hardware components for InSight's…

Vocal learning leads to modification of call structure in a multi-level baboon society

Musical masterworks as the Queen of the Night's Aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute, are examples of the sounds trained human voices can produce. The precondition for vocal virtuosity as well as for any spoken word is vocal learning, the ability to imitate auditory input. Some songbirds and bats can do this, but humans excel. We can acquire new languages into old age. To shed light on the evolution of vocal learning, a team led by Julia Fischer…

Perturbed handling of cholesterol in the brain impairs endogenous repair mechanisms

As known from diseases such as arteriosclerosis, cholesterol deposits along blood vessels can be harmful. Similar problems occur in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Here, defects occur in the regeneration of cholesterol-rich myelin sheaths. The normal recycling of cholesterol from defective myelin sheaths by phagocytes is impaired. This leads to the generation of foam cells that virtually “suffocate” from overfilling with…

Research project launched at the German Primate Center and the University of Düsseldorf

Cold sores, chicken pox, shingles - these are only three particularly well-known examples of diseases caused by herpesviruses. Infection with herpesviruses is usually chronic, i.e. one cannot get rid of these viruses and carries them throughout one's life. A lesser-known member of the herpesvirus family is the cytomegalovirus (CMV), which is usually inconspicuous in people with a functioning immune system. CMV infection is highly prevalent…

Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization initiates pan-European call for a rapid reduction of COVID-19 case numbers

COVID-19 cases have been rising across much of Europe, resulting in repeated lockdowns. “The virus does not respect borders. Thus, increased spreading in one region endangers the stability in the neighboring regions. It is clear: We need a joint European commitment to lower case numbers”, says Viola Priesemann, who initiated a letter calling for a pan-European vision to fight the viral spread. More than 300 leading scientists across Europe have…

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) reported their new findings on how precipitating large raindrops, ice particles can favor growth of aerosols to produce new cloud condensation nuclei or ice nucleating particles.

Atmospheric clouds play a crucial role in defining the local weather and global climate. When cloud aerosols grow to a certain size by collecting water, scientists call it activation. The activation of cloud aerosols, such as mineral dust, soot particles, pollutants, acid molecules and ions, impacts the life cycle of a cloud. Therefore, a detailed understanding is necessary for reliable climate prediction and weather forecasting. Out of many…

The yield and quality of many crops benefit from pollination, but it isn’t just honey bees that do this work: bumble bees also have a role.

However, placing honey bee or bumble bee colonies next to the field does not guarantee that they will visit the desired plants since there may be other plant species flowering at the same time that prove more attractive. A team from the University of Göttingen, together with researchers from the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida and the Julius Kühn Institute, used innovative molecular biological methods and traditional microscopy to…

SARS-CoV-2 uses physical tricks to reproduce

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 forms tiny droplets to multiply effectively inside infected cells. Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biophysical Chemistry have discovered this phenomenon. It may offer starting points for drug development. The coronavirus carries its genome – in the shape of the so-called RNA – in its interior; however the viral genome is not ‘naked’, but…

Eine Mund-Nasen-Bedeckung ist während der Zugfahrt eine wirksame Möglichkeit, die Verbreitung von Tröpfchen und Aerosolen zu begrenzen. Das zeigt eine wissenschaftliche Studie der Deutschen Bahn und des Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR).

Tröpfchen und Aerosole gelten als Hauptübertragungsweg des Corona-Virus. Sie sind wenige Mikrometer klein und entstehen beim Atmen, Sprechen, Husten und Niesen. Während größere Tröpfchen schnell zu Boden sinken, können Aerosole in der Luft schweben und sich in geschlossenen Räumen verteilen. Eine Mund-Nase-Bedeckung verringert dies deutlich. Diese Erkenntnis unterstreicht die Notwendigkeit, sie im Zug zu tragen und möglichst Abstand zu…

News from the Göttingen Campus

Why remdesivir does not fully stop the coronavirus

NASA Award for MPS Engineer

Guinea baboons grunt with an accent

Cholesterol recycling supports myelin repair

Combating SARS-CoV-2 with Natural Killer Cells

European scientists recommend COVID-19 targets

Mysteries in clouds: Large droplets favoring creation of smaller ones

Variety: spice of life for bumble bees

Viral vinaigrette

Studie von DLR und DB zeigt: Mund-Nase-Bedeckung wirkt

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