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.
Most states in West Africa lack reliable data on the number and origin of migrants living within their borders. Rulers often exploit this lack of clarity in a way that consolidates their own position of power. Biometric ID technologies play a key role in this process, enabling participation in elections even in the absence of citizenship. This is shown by a case study taking Nigeria as an example, which Prof. Dr. Martin Doevenspeck from the University of Bayreuth and Prof. Dr. Victor Chidubem Iwuoha from the University of Nigeria published in the journal "Territory, Politics, Governance".
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".
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth, together with partners in China and the USA, have produced an oxide glass with unprecedented toughness. Under high pressures and temperatures, they succeeded in paracrystallizing an aluminosilicate glass: The resulting crystal-like structures cause the glass to withstand very high stresses and are retained under ambient conditions. Paracrystallization thus proves to be a promising process for producing extremely break-resistant glasses. In "Nature Materials", the researchers present their findings, in which the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg also participated.
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".
Making the right decisions in your own life is something that can be learned. The project "KLUG entscheiden!" at the University of Bayreuth shows: Young people who receive systematic training in decision-making skills shortly before leaving school consider their abilities and long-term interests far more thoroughly when choosing a course of study or vocational training than if they spontaneously follow their own wishes or simply trust the recommendations of others. In the coming weeks, the regional cooperation with selected schools that has been successfully established in the project will be further intensified and expanded.
"A clear position against disinformation and hate speech! How companies take responsibility while also protecting their business" is the motto of a new whitepaper published by the Corporate Digital Responsibility Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. Co-author is Prof. Dr. Dr. Alexander Brink, Chair of Business and Corporate Ethics at the University of Bayreuth. The white paper was published by the CDR Initiative, founded in 2018, and encourages companies of all sizes and industries to actively engage against disinformation and hate speech, suggesting concrete options for action.
This year, the German Society for Social and Cultural Anthropology awarded three doctoral students from the University of Bayreuth. The theses impressed the independent committee with excellent research, innovative approaches and dense ethnographies.
The whiskered brome (Bromus grossus) is an ancient cereal species that is known to have been cultivated and used as a food resource as early as the Bronze Age. Today, however, it is threatened with extinction. In joint research work, the University of Bayreuth, the Bezirkslehrgut Bayreuth and the company IREKS in Kulmbach have investigated whether the grain from this species is suitable for brewing beer. The result is two tasty beers: a Pilsner and a Hefe-Weizen.
Rising incomes in the world's poorer countries weaken terrorism: many political decision-makers have been convinced of this since the attacks of September 11, 2001. However, a study by Bayreuth economist Prof. Dr. David Stadelmann published in the "Journal of Conflict Resolution" puts this view into perspective. Together with research partners in Abu Dhabi/UAE and Perth/Australia, he demonstrates that an increase in income in poorer countries is initially accompanied by an increase in terrorist activity. Only when average incomes reach a level of around $12,800 do further increases in income go hand in hand with a sustained weakening of terrorism.
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