news

Compared to intensive land use, sustainable land use allows better control of underground herbivores and soil microbes. As a result, the soil ecosystem is more resilient and better protected from disturbance under sustainable management than under intensive land use. Researchers from Leipzig University, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and other research institutions found that the total energy flux and the activities of so-called decomposers, herbivores and predators in the soil food web remained stable.

In western Germany, approval of xenophobic statements has increased significantly, bringing it closer to attitudes in the east. In the eastern German states, satisfaction with democracy as it is practised in Germany is at its lowest level since 2006. These are the key findings of the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study 2024, which was presented today (13 November) at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin under the title "United in Resentment" by Oliver Decker and Elmar Brähler from the Competence Center for Right-Wing Extremism and Democracy Research at Leipzig University.

News from Atmospheric aerosol particles are essential for the formation of clouds and precipitation, thereby influencing the Earth's energy budget, water cycle, and climate. However, the origin of aerosol particles in pristine air over the Amazon rainforest during the wet season is poorly understood.

News from Researchers at Leipzig University have examined the complex relationships between obesity, social isolation and mental health in the German adult population. Their findings show that socially isolated obese people are at increased risk of mental illness. Particularly at risk are the elderly, the widowed and men of lower socio-economic status.

An international team of researchers has reconstructed the structure of the brain of a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) for the first time. The scientists from the FlyWire consortium - including biologist Dr. Katharina Eichler from the University of Leipzig - created a so-called connectome, a circuit diagram of the insect's brain.

In Germany, around 17,000 people are diagnosed with gastric cancer every year. The disease is one of the leading causes of tumour-related deaths. This is due to late diagnosis and the rapid spread of tumour cells throughout the body. In two international clinical trials, a team of scientists involving the University of Leipzig Medical Center have investigated a drug that can prolong patients' survival.

News from The rainforest in the Amazon basin transpires vast amounts of gaseous isoprene. Until now, it was assumed that this molecule is not transported far up into the atmosphere, as it rapidly declines when exposed to light conditions. However, the CAFE-Brazil measurement campaign provided data for two studies - now published as the Nature cover story - which demonstrate that nocturnal thunderstorms transport the isoprene to an altitude of up to 15 kilometres.

Researchers at the University of Leipzig Medical Center have deciphered a new mechanism that plays a central role in the development of diabetic kidney disease. Their study focuses on a coagulation protein. It can be detected in urine samples from patients in the early stages of the disease and can be used as a diagnostic marker.

A recent study challenges previous assumptions about the connection between CO2 in the atmosphere and temperatures in the tropics. Between 1959 and 2011, the CO2 content in the atmosphere responded twice as strongly to temperatures in the tropics than before. This has often been attributed to increasing droughts in the tropics and to changes in carbon cycle responses caused by climate change.

Transferring knowledge from animal experiments to humans remains a key challenge in medical research. This 'translational gap' is often an obstacle to the successful translation of promising preclinical findings into clinical applications. In a joint research project between Leipzig University and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, scientists have used artificial intelligence to develop an approach that compares the molecular mechanisms of COVID-19 disease in humans and animals.

Pollen not only plays a role in allergies, but also influences the local weather. Especially in spring, when large amounts are released, it contributes to the formation of ice in clouds, which can increase rainfall. A recent study led by the Institute for Meteorology at Leipzig University is the first to prove this outside the laboratory.

Canopy gaps in a mixed floodplain forest have a direct effect on forest soil temperature and moisture, but only have a minor impact on soil biological activity. This is the conclusion of a study by Leipzig University, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, which was recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Canopy gaps in a mixed floodplain forest have a direct effect on forest soil temperature and moisture, but only have a minor impact on soil biological activity. This is the conclusion of a study by Leipzig University, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, which was recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

A team of scientists led by Professor Annette Beck-Sickinger from the Institute of Biochemistry at Leipzig University has made an important advance in pain relief research. They discovered that hederagenin, a naturally occurring substance found in the medicinal plant ivy, binds to the pain regulation receptor.

Special features of the Arctic climate, such as the strong reflection of the sun's rays on the light-colored snow surface or the low position of the sun, intensify global warming in the Arctic. However, researchers are constantly faced with the challenge of mapping the climatic processes responsible for this in order to make reliable weather forecasts.

News from Terrestrial ecosystems become increasingly vulnerable to global change as the number of environmental stressors rises, according to a new study published in Nature Geoscience.

Rohingya children, whose lives have been marked by flight and displacement, have retained their prosociality as a fundamental human trait in the face of adversity.

Cognitive impairment is one of the burdens for patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. It can severely impair their quality of life and often leads to an increased risk of dementia in those affected. Studies show that a kidney transplant can reverse cognitive impairment - indicating that this disorder can be treated.

In a collaborative project between the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics (IZBI) at Leipzig University, changes in gene expression in sebaceous glands have been spatially mapped for the first time. The study documents at high resolution changes in gene expression in the course of sebum synthesis and identifies new candidates for the modulation of sebum production.

The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate. This property is crucial for maintaining organ function and recovery after injury or surgery. Scientists from the University of Leipzig Medical Center, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, TU Dresden and ETH Zurich have used clinical samples to investigate how cell types in the liver change before and after regeneration.