Sharks have existed for millions of years, rarely develop cancer, and react sensitively to ecological changes. An international study led by Würzburg scientists shows that one explanation lies in the fish's genes.
Climate researchers around the world are sounding the alarm about exceeding critical temperature values on the Earth. If temperatures pass what are called tipping points, the results could be catastrophic. An international team of researchers, including members from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has now demonstrated in simulations that the temperature tipping point for the Greenland ice sheet can be exceeded in certain cases for a short time, as long as extreme countermeasures are taken afterwards. If the ice mass should melt entirely, the result would be a massive rise in the sea level.
The decline of insects threatens many ecosystems worldwide. While the effects of pesticides are well researched, there has been a lack of knowledge about the effects of other anthropogenic pollutants. Animal ecologists at the University of Bayreuth have now studied the effects of diesel exhaust particles on bumblebees for the first time. In two new studies, they show that these fine dust particles can significantly damage the organism of bumblebees if they are permanently ingested through food. The Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection funded the research work as part of the BayÖkotox project network.
In long-lived lakes that existed for millions of years freshwater snails developed a particularly high diversity of species. A new study by SNSB paleobiologist Thomas A. Neubauer now shows the importance of these ecosystems for the evolution of freshwater snails on a global and deep-time scale. Neubauer has summarized the evolutionary history of snails in freshwater ecosystems over the past 340 million years. Analysis of literature and available data on distributions and diversity of species through time led to a new understanding of long-lived lakes as islands of evolution.
By 2035, the electricity generated in Germany is to come entirely from renewable sources. However, an electricity supply generated predominantly from sun and wind will fluctuate over the course of the day. Therefore, the Kopernikus project SynErgie, which has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) since 2016, is investigating how energy-intensive companies can flexibly adapt their demand to the electricity supply. On the part of the University of Bayreuth, Prof. Dr. Knut Werner Lange is researching the legal framework conditions. Recently, the third phase of the nationwide large-scale project started.
The goal of the new joint project "ProcessPig" is to promote animal-welfare oriented pig husbandry and to reduce environmentally harmful emissions. Prof. Dr. Agnes Koschmider, Chair of Business & Information Systems Engineering and Process Analytics, is cooperating with numerous research institutions, companies and farms in this project. The main goal is the development of a digital monitoring system that records and analyses the behavioural patterns of pigs in freely ventilated barns. The EU is funding the project with more than 484,000 euros over the next three years as part of the European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture (EIP Agri).
An international study published in „Nature“ shows for the first time on a global scale for what reasons and to what extent tree species invade ecosystems where they are not native. A total of 226 scientists from 54 countries in all continents contributed to this study on invasive tree species. PD Dr. Andreas Hemp from the University of Bayreuth studied 65 plots at different altitudes on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
New method for pollutants such as crude oil, glyphosate, microplastics and hormones
Woody plants are unusually common on oceanic islands. Scientists at the University of Bayreuth, together with research partners in Italy, Great Britain, Norway and Spain, have now discovered a new explanation for this phenomenon: With the lignification of biomass, many plant species native to oceanic islands have protected themselves from the impact of frequent volcanic eruptions, during which large areas are covered with huge amounts of ash. Woody plants can survive even in ash layers of up to half a metre. Using the example of the Canary Island of La Palma, the European team presents its explanatory approach in the journal "npf biodiversity".
Aluminium-plastic composite (APL) films are very often used for food packaging, but they pose a challenge when it comes to plastic recycling. Researchers led by Bayreuth-based physical chemist Prof. Dr. Markus Retsch have now developed an upcycling process that gives such films an innovative second use. An easy-to-apply coating transforms used APL packaging into high-performance, versatile cooling films that counteract another global problem: the high energy demand for cooling systems. The research results are presented in the journals "ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering" and "Advanced Materials Technologies".
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