Lost contact in the spinal cord - not forever If peripheral nerves are cut in rats, they grow back together by themselves - but this does not happen in the spinal cord. Until now, scientists have assumed that the difference is caused by the different environments.
International assessment of the climate impact of global air traffic In a comprehensive scientific inventory of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), more than 100 experts from 15 nations examined the climatic effects of worldwide air traffic on the global atmosphere and confirmed the current share of air traffic in the man-made greenhouse effect at around four percent.
The structure of the packaging molecule A cell doesn't just live on, but releases molecules to its environment and absorbs substances from it. Smaller substances migrate through special channels, while larger ones are trapped in transport vesicles and channeled through the cell membrane.
A Gentle Laser Scanning Microscope Using the electron microscope, scientists have long penetrated the tiny dimensions of nature and technology. However, the electron microscope is not suitable for examinations in strong magnetic fields, and the objects to be examined have to be partially coated with metal, which changes them.
The real villains are viruses The causative agent of cholera is a bacterium. However, this bacterium is harmless on its own. Only when two viruses have transferred their genetic material to the microorganism does it develop its pathogenic properties.
A newcomer to the 'Chemical Zoo' Isoprene is a simple hydrocarbon whose derivatives play an important role in plant metabolism. Oaks in particular release isoprene into the environment - but so do all other plants, including algae. Every year, up to 450 million tons of this compound enter the atmosphere worldwide.
Mobile together It goes without saying that it is much easier to slide a single water box across the floor than two. But at the molecular level it can be very different. A lot of time, effort and money goes into research into waterproof materials.
Learning pays off Anyone who wants to be successful as a singing sparrow should whistle from the rooftops as skillfully as possible. Because the females choose their partner according to their vocal performance. The wooing of male birds for the favor of females can be done in many different ways.
Camel in the Eye of a Needle A while ago, researchers smuggled light through an opening that was actually much too small for it. Scientists have now achieved a similar feat using sound. The diffraction limit of half a wavelength was an insurmountable obstacle for a long time:
Defective repair tool Damage in the genome is not uncommon - and usually easily repaired. Unless the damage hits the repair mechanism itself - and that apparently includes the breast cancer gene BRCA2. Simple answers to complex questions are often unsatisfactory, even when they should be correct.
Stem cell gene strain What makes a stem cell a stem cell? A few hundred genes - but their functions are still largely unknown. In 1895, the German zoologist Valentin Haecker described the embryonic development of the copepod Cyclops, coining a term he could not foresee the future meaning of:
A pheromone for all occasions Insect females seduce their lovers with very specific scents. However, if these change, this does not necessarily mean a boring single existence, but can even lead to the emergence of new species. Whoever says he "
Ominous Magnetars Magnetars are neutron stars which - according to the theory - draw their energy from their gigantic magnetic field. In addition to the so-called soft gamma ray repeaters, another class of neutron stars could now belong to the magnetars.
Hereditary Damage Circuit Breaker A specific protein in the cell proves to be versatile: depending on the needs, it can be involved both in the duplication of DNA and in repairing genetic damage. The carrier of genetic information, the DNA, can be damaged by various environmental influences, such as UV light.
Tracking down the error Four letters - A, T, G and C - make up the alphabet of life. Why these four? Computer science may provide the answer. Those who transmit data make mistakes. Unfortunately, these errors are sometimes minimal and can therefore not always be recognized immediately.
Happiness in love with mathematics The moth is just having breakfast when its antennae suddenly perceive the intoxicating scent of a female. But what's the best way to get there? Moths rely heavily on their sense of smell. Their highly sensitive antennae pick up even the smallest traces of scents and pheromones and thus point the way to the females.
Stone Age Development Aid There is increasing evidence that immigrants from the Middle East brought the Neolithic Revolution to Europe. Backwardness and underdevelopment prevailed across the continent. Its inhabitants still lived in the most primitive conditions and were barely able to feed themselves.
The Power of Loners If everyone is only interested in their personal gain, then strategic cooperation has no future. Unless a few risk-averse loners say goodbye to the bustle of capitalism. Imagine your boss making you and your colleagues a generous offer:
Truce between superconductors and magnets Magnets are the natural enemies of superconductors. Scientists have now succeeded in persuading both opponents to form an alliance. There was great surprise and joy when Heike Kamerlingh-Onnes and his assistant Gilles Holst discovered superconductivity in 1911:
Biological pacemakers If the heart's biological pacemakers fail, technology can help. In the future, however, it may be sufficient to use gene therapy to remind heart cells in the vicinity of their ability to beat during embryonic times. The heart beats the rhythm of life in our chest.
Primal Slime In north-west Scotland, a researcher encountered strange sedimentary structures. They probably come from bacterial slime and are evidence of the first life on land. Only those with a hard shell or supporting their body with a skeleton of bone, horn, or chitin have a chance of surviving geological ages as a fossil.
Loading an Inflammation Mast cells are actually the front line of the body's defenses against infection. However, a bad reputation precedes them: as responsible for allergies, local inflammation - and now also arthritis. A he althy body defends itself against attacking pathogens with a whole arsenal of different defenses.
Corn-Related Digestive Problems Anyone who wants to become fat and round as a cutworm larva should avoid certain types of corn. Because the feast is bad for the offspring of butterflies: an enzyme contained in the leaves punctures the inner membrane of the digestive tract.
Stable but stormy The weather conditions on Jupiter and the other gas planets are extremely stable. New computer simulations show why this is so. Jupiter is one of the most rewarding objects for prospective amateur astronomers, because even with the help of a small telescope, the characteristic cloud bands of the huge gas planet can be admired.
Diamonds Are A Geologist's Best Friend Even impure diamonds have their value. They contain tiny rock inclusions which - protected in the diamond time capsule - survived the earth's history unscathed and bear witness to the time of the first continents.
Growth in the Neandertal The cradle of paleoanthropology is in a small, picturesque valley near Düsseldorf. However, the Neanderthal man, whose remains turned the image of man on its head 150 years ago, was not alone. The construction industry was doing brilliantly.
Surface with depth What does the surface of a crystal actually look like? So far, this question, which at first seems simple, has not been answered satisfactorily. Craft lesson in chemistry class: The teacher takes some boxes with lots of colorful balls and connecting rods out of the cupboard.
Even neurons have favorite numbers If you teach rhesus monkeys to count, they can easily distinguish five circles from just two. The neurons involved in this process appear to do the same, because their response is strongest at their particular favorite number.
Bulmahn assures repair of damage to research facilities The Federal Minister of Education and Research, Edelgard Bulmahn, assures the regions affected by the floods of rapid assistance in repairing damage to educational and research facilities.
4.57 billion years ago After the sun formed, it didn't take long for the first rocks to form in the protoplanetary cloud. Now that time has a date. Although the earth formed a good 4.5 billion years ago, the oldest rocks on our planet are barely four billion years old.
Therapeutic Dispute New round in the vociferous scientific debate about adult stem cells: After some have just praised their potential for future medical therapies, others now consider them hardly worth the effort. Competitions are something nice - especially when you have a large audience and an attractive prize.
