Göttingen Campus: News

Latest scientific findings give hope for people with incurable retinal degeneration

Humans rely dominantly on their eyesight. Losing vision means not being able to read, recognize faces or find objects. Macular degeneration is one of the major reasons for visual impairment, round the globe, close to 200 million people are affected. Photoreceptors in the retina are responsible to capture the light coming from the environment through the eye. Diseased photoreceptors lose their sensitivity to light, which can lead to impaired…

Modes of transport such as planes and trains underpin mass mobility in the modern age. However, they are also suspected of facilitating the spread of the Coronavirus. But how do virus particles actually spread within passenger compartments? And how is this affected by ventilation? This is currently under investigation at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). The findings may help to better understand the challenges facing mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic and thus contribute towards finding solutions.

Modes of transport such as planes and trains underpin mass mobility in the modern age. However, they are also suspected of facilitating the spread of the Coronavirus. But how do virus particles actually spread within passenger compartments? And how is this affected by ventilation? This is currently under investigation at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). The findings may help to better understand the…

Artificial intelligence reveals mechanism for kin selection in a wild primate

More like mom or dad? Human babies always get this curious look in their face combined with the question whom the child resembles most. The answers vary depending on the degree of kinship, gender and the time of assessment. Mandrills, monkeys living in Equatorial Africa, may recognize facial features coding relatedness better than humans. Scientists at the German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen, together with…

Researchers at the University of Göttingen see risk to corporate development

The financial crisis has caused discussions on the appropriateness of executive compensation. As a result, there have been initiatives in many countries to insert “clawback provisions” into executive contracts. The intention is to prevent behaviour by board members that is oriented towards short-term goals by allowing companies to recoup compensation already paid out to executives under certain conditions. However, researchers at the University…

Together with his team, Stefan H. E. Kaufmann has advanced the development of a new vaccine against tuberculosis, which could also serve as an interim solution for Covid-19. The infection biologist will continue his research with an emeritus group in Göttingen.

Kaufmann has been researching the pathogens of epidemics such as AIDS, SARS, MERS, and tuberculosis throughout his whole scientific career. For four decades, the tubercle bacillus has been a particular focus of the Max Planck researcher. No other infectious disease kills more people: Last year 10 million people worldwide newly developed tuberculosis disease, and 1.5 million people died from it. It is caused by mycobacteria, which mainly attack…

The instrument commissioning of ESA's Solar Orbiter is nearly completed. So far all instruments with MPS participation are in top shape.

Since the beginning of February, ESA's Solar Orbiter spacecraft has been on route to its intended trajectory around the Sun. From there it will enjoy a unique view of our central star using its ten scientific instruments. However, this early phase of the mission is about more than just reaching the science orbit. It is an adventure of its own, especially for the participating scientists and engineers. Over the past weeks and months, they have…

The physicist took up the position in part-time and will continue to work as Professor of Experimental Solid State Physics at the University of Göttingen for the time being. Together with his team, he will develop experimental methods allowing for the observation of microscopic processes on very short time scales. For this purpose, Ropers uses ultrafast electron microscopy – a field to which he has made a decisive contribution and in which he is one of the leading scientists worldwide.

Ropers will in the future head the Department of Ultrafast Dynamics at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biophysical Chemistry, where he will initially conduct research with a smaller team until a new research building will be completed. “We are extremely pleased that Claus Ropers becomes our new colleague,” says Marina Rodnina, Managing Director of the institute. “Claus Ropers pursues very original strategies with which he realizes…

Many of the human COVID-19 symptoms are also seen in rhesus monkeys

The coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) currently circulating worldwide causes respiratory diseases with a mortality rate of about 2%. In a recent study, scientists have now been able to confirm that infection of rhesus monkeys with SARS-CoV-2 also causes many of the symptoms seen in humans. The new study thus complements findings from previous studies. For example, Chinese researchers have already found evidence of immunity in rhesus monkeys after they…

Research team from the University of Göttingen investigates the influence of storage on the flavour of ripe tomatoes

There is much debate about the correct storage of tomatoes. There are two main options available to consumers: storage in the refrigerator or at room temperature. A research team from the University of Göttingen has now investigated whether there are differences in the flavour of ripe tomatoes depending on how they are stored and taking into account the chain of harvesting from farm to fork. No perceptible difference was found: the variety of…

Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization together with project partners successful in nationwide innovation competition

Together with the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), the German Primate Center Göttingen (DPZ) and the Leibniz University in Hannover, the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) is the second winner in the nationwide innovation competition "Organ Replacement from the Laboratory" of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with its IndiHEART project. The IndiHEART project will be supported with 2…

News from the Göttingen Campus

Restoring vision by gene therapy

DLR studies the spread of viruses in aircraft and trains

Same father, same face

Executive contracts with clawback provisions – a trend with downsides

Stefan Kaufmann becomes Emeritus Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry

Solar Orbiter: Scientific instruments are ready

Claus Ropers is appointed as new Director at the institute

Rhesus monkeys of great importance in the search for COVID-19 therapies

Should tomatoes go in the fridge?

Organ replacement from the laboratory

The Göttingen Campus