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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Ensuring global food security is a key challenge, especially because of the challenges of climate change and increasing demand from a population expected to reach almost ten billion. A high diversity of crops can help ensure food security in agriculture. But this diversity alone is not enough. It also depends on ‘asynchrony’ or how the timing to sow or harvest crops differs in its distribution across the seasons, writes a research team with the…

Many people are familiar with turbulent flows from their own experience, for example from a stormy fall walk or from a flight to their vacation destination. However, turbulence also plays an important role in the formation of rain, electrical power fluctuations in wind farms or mixing processes in the atmosphere and the oceans. Unfortunately, turbulent flows are still difficult to calculate and predict today. This is a consequence of the highly…

Every day we effortlessly make countless grasping movements. We take a key in our hand, open the front door by operating the door handle, then pull it closed from the outside and lock it with the key. What is a natural matter for us is based on a complex interaction of our eyes, different regions of the brain and ultimately our muscles in the arm and hand. Neuroscientists at the German Primate Center (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research…