All proteins in a cell are assembled by complicated molecular machines. The precursors of these ribosomes are produced in the cell nucleus and then enter the cell through the so-called nuclear pores. Researchers at the University of Bonn and ETH Zurich have now filmed this fundamental process in living cells for the first time. Their experiments improve the understanding of how ribosomes are created. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
This year’s ceremonial opening of the academic year 2021/2022 focused on “Excellence in Science and Research” as well as on “Climate Change and Disaster Management”. In an emphatic keynote address, Prof. Dr. Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society, drew a connection between the successful cooperation with Bonn’s University of Excellence, the importance of foundational research for Germany as a research hub and the challenges regarding future innovation in German academia.
A leap into the future: the goal of the ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition is to develop robotic systems that can transmit a human's senses, actions and presence to a remote location in real time. Through these avatars they can perform a variety of handling tasks and can interact with humans – from audio and video transmission to direct physical contact. Team NimbRo from the University of Bonn qualified in Miami (USA) for the finals and is to receive 133,333 US dollars. The prize purse for the finals is eight million US dollars.
The skin bacterium Staphylococcus aureus often develops antibiotic resistance. It can then cause infections that are difficult to treat. Researchers at the University of Bonn have uncovered an ingenious way in which a certain strain of Staphylococcus aureus protects itself against the important antibiotic vancomycin. The results have now been published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.
In an Ethiopian-German research collaboration, researchers of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at the LMU University Hospital with participation of the University of Bonn investigated blood samples of frontline healthcare workers and residents from urban and rural communities for antibodies. The results suggest that the true COVID-19 prevalence is much higher than previously reported official figures. Therefore, the research team recommends a realignment of the vaccination strategy for Africa. The study is published in the journal “The Lancet Global Health”.
The state awards were presented as part of the ceremonial events surrounding the start of the academic year at the University of Bonn. The purses connected with these awards, going to outstanding young researchers, are endowed by the respective presenting national governments. These awards are traditionally presented simultaneous with the awarding of the DAAD Prize by the German Academic Exchange Service.
Does an infection also affect the immunization of subsequent generations? Researchers at Radboud University (Netherlands) have studied this together with the Universities of Bonn, Saarland (Germany), Lausanne (Switzerland) and Athens (Greece). Mouse fathers who had previously overcome an infection with fungi or were stimulated with fungal compounds also passed on their improved protection to their offspring across several generations. The team showed at the same time an improved immune response being passed on to the descendants. The study has now been published in the renowned journal Nature Immunology.