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.
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.
From Addis Ababa to New Haven, Binyam Mogessie has scaled through many different stages to reach the pinnacle of his career. For the Ethiopian, it all began with his studies at a renowned University in northern Bremen, which paved the way for many research opportunities all over Europe, and now the United States. His research passion lies within understanding the complexities of egg fertilization, in order to tackle the challenges families face with infertility.
They form when hot solutions heated by igneous magma escape from the earth's crust in the deep sea and encounter cold seawater: Hydrothermal plumes are enriched in many compounds, supplying the oceans with nutrients and metals. In an area not far from the Azores in Portugal, Researchers at Jacobs University Bremen want to investigate exactly which geochemical processes take place within these clouds in a detailed study. The three-member team is led by Andrea Koschinsky, Professor of Geosciences at Jacobs University. Also on board the research vessel FS Meteor is bachelor student Vignesh Menon, who will be taking samples and blogging about the cruise together with PhD student Lukas Klose and postdoctoral researcher Sandra Pöhle.
Areas like this do not exist on Earth: Cracks, ridges, valleys, large and small angular blocks characterize them. Hence the name, chaotic terrains. How these peculiar regions on Mars were formed has long been a subject of debate among experts. Water, either liquid or as ice, played a central role in this process, according to the common theory. A study led by Erica Luzzi, a doctoral student at Jacobs University Bremen, is now published in the journal “Geophysical Research Letters”. It suggests a different cause of formation: volcano-tectonic processes.
They are smaller than five millimeters and are almost everywhere: In the river Weser, in the Wadden Sea, in the North Sea. The pollution of waters with microplastic particles is a major environmental problem. The microplastics are deposited in the sediment, marine life ingests them and, through the food chain, so do humans. How widespread are these particles actually in our marine environment? And how toxic are they? These are some of the questions that scientists at Jacobs University Bremen are currently researching – across different disciplines.
Some call it the "oil of the future." This is because demand for scandium is growing, especially due to its potential as a material for lightweight construction of aircrafts and cars, but also for fuel cells. Concurrently, the supply of this critical raw material in Europe is not secure. Therefore, new ways of extracting the high-tech metal are being intensively sought out. In a recently published pilot study, scientists from Jacobs University Bremen and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources have now investigated an unusual source of scandium: industrial garnet sand and its waste products.
Severe back pain and joint inflammation are some of the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, also referred to as Bekhterev's disease, which is an inflammatory rheumatic autoimmune disease that still has no cure. In a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), researchers from the Springer Group at Jacobs University Bremen will spend the next three years trying to identify the causes of ankylosing spondylitis, and what can be learned from them for the treatment of the disease.
Fluorinated compounds are present in many everyday items, for example as non-stick coatings on kitchen utensils. In addition, the element fluorine plays an important role both in pharmaceutical ingredients and in medical diagnostics. In a textbook which has been published recently, Axel Haupt, postdoctoral fellow at Jacobs University Bremen, provides a comprehensive overview of synthesis protocols for organic and inorganic fluorinated compounds.