Designing solutions for a healthier world has always been one of the great challenges of science. The goal is to make a healthy life possible for each human being and for the growing world population as a whole. Food, plants and marine algae can have a positive effect on health similar to that of conventional medicine. However, scientists first have to identify and isolate bioactive substances and explore their safe application through transdisciplinary cooperation between geo science, life sciences, physics and chemistry.
For enhancing flavors, the production of dyes, pharmaceutical products and bio polyesters - succinic acid is a versatile platform chemical. A team led by Elke Nevoigt, Professor of Molecular Biotechnology at Jacobs University Bremen, has developed an economically and ecologically attractive process for the production of succinic acid by more effectively incorporating carbon dioxide (CO2). The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the project for another three years.
In Asia, duckweed has been used as a food for a long time. The research group CritMET: Critical Metals for Enabling Technologies at Jacobs University Bremen recently discovered that duckweed is not only rich in nutrients, it also stores rare earths to a particularly high degree.
Understanding the importance of the Amazon estuary for the western Atlantic bio-productivity and the global climate holistically – this is the goal of Andrea Koschinsky, Professor of Geosciences at Jacobs University Bremen. In order to achieve this, she sampled the river and its estuary with a team of around 30 researchers. Their findings provide crucial geochemical baseline data, which could help in future efforts to mitigate anthropogenic impacts such as climate change.
It had to be postponed several times, but this year the Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau finally took place in person again. At Lake Constance, young top researchers from 90 countries had the opportunity to network with 30 Nobel Laureates. Two Jacobs University graduates, Nouria Jantz-Naeem and Saskia Zwilling, were selected to attend the meeting. The duo agreed that they will take the enthusiasm and fascination for science they experienced in Lindau into their everyday lives.
A new dedicated research group will be created on the Jacobs University Bremen campus, merging ChemDiv’s extensive drug discovery expertise and technological platforms with advanced fundamental research conducted at the university. The group will be aimed at design and validation of chemical space, synthesis and identification of active compounds, evaluation of structure-activity relationship, and other crucial elements of drug discovery.
The Earth is a dynamic planet that has undergone major changes over the many millions of years of its history. In order to recognize and understand these changes and to derive forecasts for the planet’s future, archives are needed that have stored historical information. The Temagami BIF, a rock formation in Ontario, Canada, is such a geo-archive. A European group of researchers, including Michael Bau, Professor of Geochemistry at Jacobs University, has studied this formation for the first time using high-precision geochemical methods. The results were recently published in the renowned journals Nature Communications and Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
Scientists at Jacobs University Bremen led by Ulrich Kortz, Professor of Chemistry, have achieved a breakthrough in the field of precious metal-oxo chemistry. For the first time, researchers have synthesized cationic, meaning positively charged, metal-oxo clusters based on palladium. They report on the synthesis and properties of these compounds in the renowned journal Angewandte Chemie, which classifies the article as a Hot Paper and thus as a particularly important contribution. The research project involved the working groups of four professors at Jacobs University.
Priority Programs of the German Research Foundation (DFG) are intended to provide tangible impetus for the further development of science in important topics. Two researchers from Jacobs University Bremen are involved in a newly launched program on machine learning for molecular systems in physics and chemistry: Peter Zaspel, Professor of Computer Science, and Ulrich Kleinekathöfer, Professor of Theoretical Physics. This also gives them access to a nationwide network of experts for topical exchange.
Controlling electrical signals using single molecules enables the miniaturization of transistors in integrated circuits down to the atomic level. This research area of molecular electronics not only paves the way for the next generation of ultra-powerful computers, but also for entirely new electronic systems and methods. The collaborating research groups at Jacobs University Bremen and China's Wuhan University of Science and Technology have now developed a method for measuring the conductivity of individual pharmaceutical and biological molecules.
They are as circular as a wheel and enclose a space with a diameter of about two nanometers. Researchers at Jacobs University Bremen led by Professor of Chemistry Ulrich Kortz want to use such a cavity of a molecule based on molybdenum and oxygen to be able to transport medically active substances into the body in a targeted manner. The three-year basic research project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with approximately 230,000 euros.
Germanium and gallium are two metals that are of great importance for modern high technologies. Both are important raw materials for the semiconductor industry, for fiber optic cables and for photovoltaics. They are thus essential components for shaping electromobility and the energy transition. Using new analytical methods, the research group "CritMET: Critical Metals for Enabling Technologies" led by Michael Bau, Professor of Geochemistry at Jacobs University in Bremen has studied the distribution of germanium and gallium in iron-manganese crusts from the deep sea. The results have now been published in two renowned journals.
As a Christian, Sahar Khandan was not allowed to do her doctorate in Iran. Mahmoud El Cheikh Mahmoud grew up as a stateless Palestinian in Lebanon. Both are outstanding young scientists, both share a passion for chemistry. And both have now received a doctoral scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) that will enable them to conduct their research at Jacobs University Bremen. "This is a wonderful achievement, they both deserve it for their passion and perseverance," said chemistry professor Ulrich Kortz, to whose research group they both belong.
Cells are masters of self-protection. Their membranes let in substances that are vital for them, but block out other substances – including those that could be used to fight diseases. Overcoming this natural barrier is a central concern of cell research. Scientists at Jacobs University Bremen and the Spanish University of Santiago de Compostela have now succeeded in doing so. They have developed a new method for transporting drugs and peptides into the cell. The results of their research have now been published in the renowned journal Nature.
The black widow snatches its prey with venom. The bite of the spider can also be fatal for humans. Until now, it was unclear how the neurotoxin is structured exactly and how it works in detail. The research groups of Professor Richard Wagner, biophysicist at Jacobs University Bremen, and Professor Christos Gatsogiannis from the Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics at the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster, have now deciphered the structure and function of the toxin – also with a view to possible medical applications. The findings of the research groups have been published in the journal Nature Communications in November 2021.
It's about that moment of hesitation. Do I cross the street or not? Do I eat the piece of chocolate or do I leave it? When can one still stop a self-initiated action? In psychology, this phenomenon is known as the "stop-signal paradigm". Adele Diederich, a psychology professor at Jacobs University Bremen, is investigating this phenomenon using mathematical models as part of a new three-year project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Jacobs University started the new academic year with its traditional kick-off event: The Annual Opening Ceremony. Managing Director Professor Thomas Auf der Heyde welcomed new students from all over the world. He attested to their perseverance, because without this quality they would have hardly been able to qualify to study at Jacobs University during the pandemic. "The past 18 months have been very difficult for many. It is wonderful to have you here!" he said. In addition, the event honored the best graduation projects and named the 2021 Faculty Members of the Year.