Der Bruker Prize der Elektronenspinresonanz (ESR)-Spektroskopie-Gruppe der britischen Royal Society of Chemistry geht in diesem Jahr an Marina Bennati vom Max-Planck-Institut (MPI) für biophysikalische Chemie in Göttingen. Die Fachgruppe ehrt die Physiko-Chemikerin damit für ihre herausragende Arbeit in der ESR-Spektroskopie. Bennati, Forschungsgruppenleiterin am Göttinger MPI und Professorin an der Universität Göttingen, nahm den Preis am 10.…

Between 2014 and 2016, the scientific camera system OSIRIS onboard ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft captured almost 70000 images of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. They not only document the most extensive and demanding comet mission to date, but also show the duck-shaped body in all its facets. In a joint project with the Department of Information and Communication at Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System…

Rink investigates how flatworms manage to completely regenerate their tissue following injury, and why this ability is an exception rather than the rule in the animal kingdom. Rink moves with his research group from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden to the Göttingen institute, where he will be heading his own department. “Jochen Rink is a prime example for a highly interdisciplinary scientist. In…

The more plant species live in grasslands and forests, the more insect species find a habitat there. However, the presence of more plant species does not only increase insect species richness, ie the number of species, but also insect abundance, ie the number of individuals. Simultaneously, animal diversity is not only determined by plant diversity, but also by the physical structure of the plant communities. These are the results of an…

An international team, including researchers from the University of Göttingen, argues in a perspective article recently published in “Science” that new plant breeding technologies can contribute significantly to food security and sustainable development. Genome editing techniques in particular, such as CRISPR/Cas, could help to make agriculture more productive and environmentally friendly. The researchers advocate the responsible use and support…

Most of Saturn's 62 moons orbit their giant planet at a great distance outside the main rings. Only slightly more than a handful of small, irregularly shaped bodies, so-called ring moons, are an exception. In the final months of NASA's Cassini mission, the space probe was able to take the most accurate look yet at five of these bizarre, partly ravioli-shaped bodies and the space environment to which they are exposed. The results of these…

How can communities living together in rural areas be developed to ensure that they continue to exist and thrive? Much emphasis has been placed on innovation within urban areas. However, new research shows that rural communities can also play a pivotal role in generating solutions for sustainability.  Using the village of Heckenbeck in southern Lower Saxony as an example, researchers from the University of Göttingen investigated what these…

The Functional Imaging Laboratory was established in July 2015 with the appointment of Susann Boretius to the W3 professorship "Functional Imaging" at the University of Göttingen. Almost four years later, on 11 March 2019, the Scientific Advisory Board of the DPZ, consisting of external members, assessed the new department for the first time - and was highly impressed. When Susann Boretius came to the DPZ in the summer of 2015, the imaging…

Forces that are exerted by a living cell or a microorganism are tiny and often not larger than a few nanonewtons. For comparison, one nanonewton is the weight of one part in a billion of a typical chocolate bar. Yet, for biological cells and microbes, these forces are enough to allow cells to stick to a surface or microbes to propel themselves towards nutrients. Scientists from Finland and Germany now present a highly adaptable technique, called…

The agricultural scientist Professor Matin Qaim from the University of Göttingen was recently elected Fellow of the American Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA). The fellowship is the highest US American recognition in agricultural economics for outstanding and continuous scientific achievements. The AAEA has been honouring fellows since 1957. Qaim is the first German agricultural economist to receive this award. The AAEA honours…