Genes are the carriers of our genetic information. They are read in our cells and used to produce ribonucleic acids (RNAs). During this process, termed transcription, the enzyme RNA polymerase II has a decisive influence on the exact time at which genes are read and on the intensity with which this happens. In their recent Nature Communications article, researchers from the University of Bayreuth have shown exactly how RNA polymerase II is activated in nerve cells, and how this stimulates gene expression, the targeted use of genetic information. Their discoveries contain valuable starting points for further biomedical research.
Do pesticides have anything to do with the decline in bee populations? A research team led by the University of Würzburg has investigated - and found a connection between fenbuconazole and the insects' mating behavior.
A team of scientists led by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich, in cooperation with the Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensory Science at the Technical University of Munich, has now uncovered new molecular details relevant to the bitterness of stored linseed oil. The new findings should help to develop suitable technological processes or breeding strategies that preserve the good taste of the edible oil for longer.
Alternative production systems to provide the growing global population with healthy, nutritious and sustainably produced foodstuffs are currently gaining considerable attention. In this interview, Senthold Asseng, Professor of Digital Agriculture at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), discusses the concept of vertical farming, which will allow agriculture of the future to take place under fully controlled and automated conditions.
The IT Center of the Bavarian Natural History Collections (SNSB) presents its new app 'DiversityNaviKey' (DNK) – a tool for reliable identification of natural science objects. The application is based on scientific data sources managed by the established database system of the SNSB, Diversity Workbench.
The production of offspring involves costs for the own body. Therefore, in many animal species a high reproductive success at a young age is associated with a shortened lifespan. Queens of social insects such as ants, bees, wasps, and termites are an exception: they live very long lives and are highly productive until the end of their days, so they do not seem to age. Part of the mystery of how they do this has now been solved in the publication "Late-life fitness gains and reproductive death in Cardiocondyla obscurior ants", produced by a DFG-funded research group (FOR2281 Sociality and the reversal of the fecundity/longevity trade off).
The tropical tree, from whose seeds chocolate and other sweets are produced, has its secrets. Unravelling them is not so easy.
Physically fit primary school pupils feel better and can concentrate better. They are more likely to make it to higher-level secondary grammar schools than children with less sporting abilities. This has been confirmed for the first time in a study by the Department of Sport and Health Sciences at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
According to the latest assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions is required to limit the consequences of climate change. Producing fuel from renewable sources such as waste wood and straw or renewable electricity would be one way to reduce carbon emissions from the area of transportation. This is an area which is being addressed by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
Excessive sugar consumption can promote inflammatory processes in the body and facilitate the development of autoimmune diseases. A research team at the University of Würzburg has now deciphered new details of these processes.
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