Press Releases

Scientists at the Universities of Würzburg and Bielefeld in Germany have discovered an unusual new light sensor in green algae. The sensor triggers a reaction that is similar to one in the human eye.

Insects and mammals have special sensors for different light intensities. These sensors selectively influence the circadian clocks and thereby control daily activity patterns.

A cup of coffee in Hawaii set the decisive course in his life. Today Alumnus Thomas Eckel is the managing director of a coffee roasting company. He advises students to look outside the box.

Does expansion microscopy deliver true-to-life images of cellular structures? That was not sure yet. A new publication in "Nature Methods" shows for the first time that the method actually works reliably.

The plant hormone jasmonic acid also performs a function that was previously unknown. It ensures that the leaf pores close when leaves are injured. For the plant, this could be an emergency signal.

Spider silk belongs to the toughest fibres in nature and has astounding properties. Scientists from the University of Würzburg discovered new molecular details of self-assembly of a spider silk fibre protein.

Wolfgang Kastenmüller studies the development of special immune cells that show promise in treating cancer. He has now been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant worth nearly two million euros for his research.

Dr. Simon Bungers studied biology at the University of Würzburg. After exporting cars to Finland and selling custom boxer shorts, he started his own business that develops science software.

Black holes and other extremely high-energy environments in the universe: Sara Buson teaches and conducts research in this field. As a junior professor, she has recently joined the Würzburg Chair of Astronomy.

Esther Gillert studied biology at the University of Würzburg. Today, she works as an editor for medical patient media. She is the interface between medical experts and legal counsellors.

Faster and secure data communication: This is the goal of a new joint project involving physicists from the University of Würzburg. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research funds the project with 14.8 million euro.

The new contemporary edition of Goethe's "Faust" is the fruit of almost ten years of labour. The team of Fotis Jannidis, a computer philologist and Professor of Literature at the University of Würzburg, contributed significantly to this achievement.

For the first time, physicists have built a unique topological insulator in which optical and electronic excitations hybridize and flow together. They report their discovery in "Nature".

Mental training can effectively cultivate care, compassion and even altruistically motivated behaviour psychologists from Würzburg and Leipzig have shown in a recent study.

Harald Reinhart trained and completed his residency as a medical doctor in Würzburg. Today, he alternately works as a hospital doctor and as the CEO of a consulting firm, travelling between Jordan and the USA.