The Submillimetre Wave Instrument (SWI), which will embark on a research mission to the Jovian system next year aboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE), has reached an important milestone. After eight years of development and construction at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, the instrument arrived yesterday at Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France. At the same time, another, much larger new arrival…

Agricultural ecologist Professor Teja Tscharntke from the University of Göttingen has received the 2021 Medal of Honor of the Society for Ecology (GfÖ). Since last year, the GfÖ has been awarding scientists with this medal for outstanding and forward-looking achievements in ecological research. With his conceptual ideas on biodiversity patterns at the landscape level, Tscharntke is the "idea generator and mastermind of landscape ecology today,"…

A new model describes the coordination of beating cilia allowing to predict their functional behavior. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) analyzed the formation of metachronal waves in arrays of cilia and how external cues might influence them. The model allows to better understand the crucial role that cilia play in many biological processes and lays the foundation for its manipulation. This may…

Microbes have played a key role in our food and drinks – from cheese to beer – for millennia but their impact on our nutrition may soon become even more important. The world is facing growing food challenges as the human population continues to increase alongside its demand for resource intensive animal products. If these needs are to be met solely by conventional agriculture, the environmental cost will be huge. An international research team…

Agricultural economist Professor Matin Qaim from the University of Göttingen will become president of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), the scientific professional society of world agricultural economists. Qaim has been a member of the IAAE Board of Directors since 2018, and his term will begin on 31 August 2021, with a period as "President-Elect" during which he will be responsible, among other things, for…

Göttingen researchers have developed mini-antibodies that efficiently block the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its dangerous new variants. These so-called nanobodies bind and neutralize the virus up to 1000 times better than previously developed mini-antibodies. In addition, the scientists optimized their mini-antibodies for stability and resistance to extreme heat. This unique combination makes them promising agents to treat COVID-19. Since…

A phenomenon known from quantum systems could now make its way into biology: In a new study published in Physical Review X, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) in Göttingen show that the notion of topological protection can also apply to biochemical networks. As these are typically very complex and yet remain very stable against changes, topology can help in the emergence of robust oscillations.…

Plastics offer many benefits to society and are widely used in our daily life: they are lightweight, cheap and adaptable. However, the production, processing and disposal of plastics are simply not sustainable, and pose a major global threat to the environment and human health. Eco-friendly processing of reusable and recyclable plastics derived from plant-based raw materials would be an ideal solution. So far, the technological challenges have…

What happens when soft materials are compressed strongly? Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamic and Self-Organization, the University of Twente and Cornell University now revealed the morphology of creases created upon folding at micrometer scale. They revealed a dual folding mechanism driven by capillary forces, similar to wetting liquids, causing a T-shape folding profile. The unfolding leaves behind a scar which serves as a…

SARS-CoV-2 still poses major challenges to mankind. The frequent emergence of mutant forms makes the threat posed by the virus difficult to predict. The SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.617 circulated in India and gave rise to the Delta variant, B.1.617.2, which is now becoming dominant in many countries. Infection researchers from the German Primate Center (DPZ) – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen have investigated the B.1.617 variant in…