Press Releases

Würzburg researchers have identified a protein that is partly responsible for the death of nerve cells in the brain during a stroke. This will open up new possibilities in therapy.

Comparisons between babies a few days old in France and Germany reveal that even newborns cry in their native language. This means that the ability to actively produce language is present so much earlier than previously assumed.

When compared to their European colleagues, they distinguish themselves through their outstanding research and international focus. This is why the psychologists of the University of Würzburg have been placed in the “Excellence Group” alongside nine other German universities in a current “CHE Ranking”.

Imitating photosynthesis in plants? If we were to accomplish this, mankind would have a little less to worry about. Chemists from the University of Würzburg have now made progress on the road to achieving artificial photosynthesis.

In multiple sclerosis, the immune system also damages the nerve cells with its misguided activities. This is what regularly happens in the targeted immunological attack on the myelin sheaths of the nerve cells, as shown experimentally for the first time by researchers from Würzburg and Zürich.

Scientists at the University Children’s Hospital are developing new therapies for a brain tumor that is difficult to treat. They are part of a Bavarian research network aimed at fighting diseases, such as cancer, AIDS or rheumatism, with the help of the immune system.

Initially, the satellite was scheduled to start its journey into orbit as early as in the fall of 2008. But the launch was postponed several times. Finally, everything went smoothly: Punctually at 8.16 on Wednesday, September 23, the Würzburg miniature satellite UWE-2 took off from Sriharikota Spaceport in India.

Controversies over cartoons, circumcisions or killings in the name of “honor”: There is an increasing tendency in multiculturalism to cause conflicts. How should criminal law deal with these issues? This question is being researched by Brian Valerius, legal scholar at the University of Würzburg.

Intracerebral prion infection led to axonal transport impairments in 45 per cent of neurons in the red nucleus and up to 94 per cent of motor cortex neurons, according to a study by researchers of the University of Würzburg, published in PLoS Pathogens.

It is a well-known fact that organic solar cells can convert light into electricity. What has been puzzling scientists – at least from a physicist’s point of view – is how exactly this is done. Researchers at the University of Würzburg have now succeeded in clarifying the process. A report on their work has been published in the scientific journal “Physical Review Letter”.

Small satellites are an exciting option for space projects because their launch costs are low. Before using them for Earth observation or other tasks, however, there are still technical challenges to be met. This is what scientists of the University of Würzburg are currently concerned with.

Calcium controls the beating of the heart and is a trigger for heart growth. But how does the heart know when to beat at a faster rate and when to start growing? Researchers have now found an answer to this question. Oliver Ritter, medical scientist at the University of Würzburg, was also involved in the studies.

Turkish girls obediently do what their parents tell them to do. And they are eagerly awaiting to play their role as stay-at-home moms – in Germany, stereotypes like these about young Turkish women are quite common. But now, they have been disproved by a study of the University of Würzburg.

There are still gaps in our knowledge about the origin and course of complex diseases like multiple sclerosis. Now, researchers of the University of Würzburg have studied the interaction between two important factors – with a clear result.

Computers with no need of cooling? They haven’t come into existence yet. However, physicists of the University of Würzburg are paving the way for them: In the American scientific journal “Science”, the researchers now present a semiconductor that transmits electric current without heating up in the process.