Research and Study at the University of Excellence in Bonn

Many bacteria produce substances to gain an advantage over competitors in their highly competitive natural environment. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have discovered a new so-called lantibiotic, namely epilancin A37. It is produced by staphylococci that colonize the skin and acts specifically against their main competitors there, the corynebacteria. This specificity is presumably mediated by a very special mechanism of action, which the researchers were able to decipher in detail. Their results have now been published in the renowned ISME Journal.

The winners of the 2023 Gender Studies Prize and Maria von Linden Gender Equality Prize were honored at a ceremony last Friday. The University of Bonn Gender Equality Office presents these awards recognizing outstanding theses and dissertations in the fields of gender studies and queer studies and exemplary commitment in the area of gender equality.

Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark, the Novo Nordisk Center for Adipocyte Signaling (SDU), the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have found a protein that is responsible for turning off brown fat activity. This new discovery could lead to a promising strategy for safely activating brown fat and tackling obesity and related health problems. The results of the study have now been published in the journal „Nature Metabolism“.

The European Union is committed to fighting climate change and the destruction of the environment and transitioning to a modern and competitive economy that makes efficient use of its resources. Yet technologies such as artificial intelligence have the potential to do as much harm as good. For instance, although AI applications can help reduce environmental pollution in agriculture, they expend significant computing resources, causing additional harm to people and the environment. The University of Bonn is assuming overall leadership of the RE4GREEN project, which is designed to focus on climate and environmental ethics during this upcoming transition. The initiative is to receive a total of €3 million in EU funding over the next three years.