An international research team has discovered various mechanisms in asexual mites that generate genetic diversity and thus ensure survival

Virtual gambling machines played on computers, tablets and smartphones are suspected of fuelling erroneous beliefs among gamblers regarding their influence on game outcomes and chances of winning even more strongly than traditional mechanical gambling machines.

Scientists have discovered a novel mechanism by which the cellular cleaning pathway called autophagy protects brain cells in mice, allowing for new therapeutic approaches to conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Publication in ‘Nature Metabolism’

The telescope will depart from the port of Wesel via Antwerp to its final location in Chile. With a mirror diameter of six metres and innovative instruments, it is one of the most powerful telescopes in the world

A binary star system in the centre of the Milky Way provides new clues as to how stars form around the central black hole

New research has shown how the quantum mechanical principle of strong coupling opens unrivalled possibilities for designing optical filters: So-called ‘polariton filters’ break new ground in imaging. Publication in ‘Nature Communications’

Prestigious research grant awarded to the project about the stability and decline of elite economic and political power. Up to two million euros over five years

Researchers at the University of Cologne’s CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences have identified two fungal enzymes that hijack the immune system of plants, playing a critical role in the colonization of plant roots. These findings open new avenues for interventions in both medicine and agriculture / publication in ‘Cell Host & Microbe’

Constant ‘churn’ of new cancer cells gives the disease ample room for evolutionary innovation, according to a study in the journal eLIFE

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has extended the funding of two Collaborative Research Centres (CRC) in the fields of linguistics and neuroscience