News from the Göttingen Campus

Researchers led by Göttingen University examine the long-term results of an experiment from more than 40 years ago
The fairy circles of the Namib are one of nature’s greatest mysteries. Millions of these circular barren patches extend over vast areas along the margins of the desert in Namibia. In 1979, G.K. Theron published the first research about their origin. His hypothesis was that poisonous substances from Euphorbia damarana leaves induced fairy circles. As part of a new study, scientists from the University of Göttingen and the Gobabeb Namib Research…
Super-resolution STED microscopy for the first time enables the long-term observation of synapses in the healthy and diseased brain
Nerve cells in the brain possess small protrusions, so called dendritic spines, to communicate with other nerve cells by forming a synapse. These contact sites can be both, short- or long-lived thereby existing for even up to an entire lifetime. Short-lived contact sites reflect an ever- adapting brain, which is necessary to process novel experiences. Long-lived, stable contact sites, on the other hand, form the basis of our memory. But even…
Holographic ‘movie’ of bubbles and high-pressure shockwave created by research team led by Göttingen University
Everyone is familiar with tiny gas bubbles gently rising up in sparkling water. But the bubbles that were created by intense focused lasers in this experiment were ten times smaller and contained water vapour at a pressure around a hundred thousand times higher. Under these conditions, the bubble expands at supersonic speed and pushes a shockwave, consisting of a spherical shell of highly compressed water, ahead of itself. Now the research team…
Research team led by the University of Göttingen develops new strategy for labelling peptides
Biomolecules regulate the biological functions inside every living cell. If scientists can understand the molecular mechanisms of such functions, then it is possible to detect severe dysfunction which can lead to illness. At a molecular level, this can be achieved with fluorescent markers that are specifically incorporated into the respective biomolecules. In the past, this has been achieved by incorporating a marker in the biomolecule by…
DPZ awarded seal of quality for exemplary communication on animal experimental research
Responsible animal experimentation is a small but essential component of basic biomedical research. At the German Primate Center, non-human primates are used for experiments in neuroscience and infection research. They have a special role to play due to their good transferability to humans on the one hand and the great ethical demands involved in using species with a highly developed sensory physiology on the other. The DPZ sees its duty to…
Researchers from the Universities of Göttingen, Cologne and Århus calculate the water temperatures of the first oceans
For decades, there has been controversy about the water temperatures of the first oceans on Earth. At that time, radiation from the Sun was much weaker and the oceans could have been very cold, perhaps even frozen. On the other hand, the very dense carbon dioxide (CO2) atmosphere could have caused an extreme greenhouse effect, which might have led to ocean temperatures of around 70 degrees Celsius. Three scientists from the Universities of…
Research project led by the University of Göttingen develops assessment method of information technology security for businesses
How can companies evaluate whether specific measures taken will strengthen their Information Technology (IT) security? How can they find out what the real costs to their business will be? Researchers are addressing these questions in their research collaboration "Processor-Informed Economic Evaluation and Selection of IT Security Measures" (ProBITS), led by the University of Göttingen. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has…
Research project at Göttingen University investigates acceptance and effective use of coronavirus tracing apps
How can apps like the Corona-Warn app help combat the pandemic? How can people use their data to help manage crises in our society without putting their data at risk of misuse? What role can technological configurations or government regulations play in the success of such apps? A research team at the University of Göttingen is addressing these questions. The Volkswagen Foundation has funded the "Participatory Surveillance" project for one and a…
Joint project including Göttingen University observes reduced plant species richness and declining diversity of associated insects
Where plant species diversity decreases, insect diversity decreases too and with it biodiversity as a whole. From the intensively managed meadows and pastures to dense and dark beech forests, insects that specialise in just a few plant species are disappearing: the plants that provide their food no longer grow there. This is shown by an international study with the participation of the University of Göttingen. The results were published in the…
The process of combining maternal and paternal genetic information is surprisingly error-prone
Only one in three fertilizations leads to a successful pregnancy. Many embryos fail to progress beyond early development. Cell biologists at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen (Germany), together with researchers at the Institute of Farm Animal Genetics in Mariensee and other international colleagues, have now developed a new model system for studying early embryonic development. With the help of this system,…