For many years, the University of Bonn has combined academic excellence with Rhineland cheerfulness. But will this still be the case in 200 years fromm now? The reigning carnival royalty of the Federal City of Bonn, Prince Roland I (Gerwing) and Bonna Stephanie III (Schulz), found out during their recent visit to the Bonn University of Excellence: this time, the traditional reception of the Prince and Bonna by the Rector took place in the future...

Hypertension in the lungs is a relatively rare but very serious disease that is usually fatal within two years if left untreated. Current therapies can slow down its progression, but no cure exists. Research teams from Bochum and Bonn are shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of the disease, and have discovered a previously unrecognized factor in its development: the protein beta arrestin 1. The teams have shown that this protein plays an important role in transporting signaling molecules involved in regulating blood vessel diameter. The researchers report their findings now in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Under the leadership of the University of Bonn, a research team led by Prof. Dr. Pavel Kroupa from the Helmholtz Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics has discovered that galaxy clusters are about twice as heavy as previously assumed. The additional mass comes mainly from neutron stars and stellar black holes and also explains the observed quantities of heavy elements.

A groundbreaking approach that targets the degradation of membrane proteins in cancer cells has received funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder program. The goal: To target previously "undruggable" cancer-related proteins by selectively degrading them and potentially offering a new way to overcome resistance to current cancer therapies. 

Violence, organized crime, and health problems: these issues do not immediately spring to mind when one thinks of the Brazilian rainforest. Clearing trees there not only releases stored carbon dioxide and decimates biodiversity. There are many different effects associated with rainforest destruction: Gustavo Magalhães de Oliveira and Yannic Damm from the Institute for Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn have investigated violence and respiratory diseases as consequences of deforestation. In the new episode of the Hypothesis podcast, the scientists discuss the thesis “Rainforest protection is bad for the economy” with host Denis Nasser.

Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Ulf-G. Meißner from the Helmholtz Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics at the University of Bonn received the Award for International Scientific Cooperation. The Chinese Academy of Sciences honors the physicist for his outstanding contributions to scientific cooperation. During a festive ceremony in Beijing, Academy President Jianguo Hou presented the scientist with the coveted medal. 

Featuring lively discussions and an array of international guests, the official opening of the photography exhibition “Urban Transformation: Inspiration from Cities Worldwide” on January 27 in P26—the House of Knowledge and Research—met with great interest. A great many visitors had accepted their invitation from the Vice Rectorate for Sustainability and the Institute for Environment and Human Security at the United Nations University (UNU-EHS) to attend.

Lab-based research is essential to advances in technology, but it is also one of the most resource-hungry areas of science. The University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn introduced the internationally recognized Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) program last year in a bid to shrink the environmental footprint of its research laboratories in a systematic way. Five pilot laboratories have now passed their assessment and been awarded Bronze certificates.