Mature spermatozoa are characterized by an head, midpiece and a long tail for locomotion. Now, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life & Health" at the University of Bonn have found that a loss of the structural protein ACTL7B blocks spermatogenesis in male mice. The cells can no longer develop their characteristic shape and remain in a rather round form. The animals are infertile. The results of the study have now been published in the scientific journal "Development".

89th position in the THE ranking worldwide. 76th in the Shanghai ranking, fourth place in Germany. All in all, the University of Bonn achieved the best ranking results in its history in 2022. These outstanding achievements and numerous other awards, accolades and academic successes bestowed on Bonn researchers and teachers, are presented in the Annual Report of the Rectorate for the year 2022, which has now been published.

Scrape, cluck, lay eggs - that's it? Anyone involved in chicken farming knows that the animals are capable of much more. Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Bochum, working with the MSH Medical School Hamburg, have observed clues that roosters might be able to identify themselves in a mirror. Furthermore, the setup of the experiment matters in whether the behavior actually occurs or not - an insight that could well be of significance for other animals species too. The study has now been published in the journal PLOS ONE.

How can inflammatory responses be stimulated or inhibited? How do inflammasomes act as inflammatory switches at a molecular level? Prof. Dr. Matthias Geyer from the Institute of Structural Biology at University Hospital Bonn, the transdisciplinary research area “Life & Health” and the ImmunoSensation2 Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn is carrying out research into these and other questions. The scientist has now been awarded a coveted Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for this project. The European Union will provide total funding of around 2.5 million euros over the next five years.

New high-tech measurement methods are required to detect new phenomena sought after in particle physics. The University of Bonn Research and Technology Center for Detector Physics (FTD), thanks to its research groups, is a leading developer of such detector technology, employed at research institutions around the world. A ceremony was held for operational start-up of the scientific equipment, attended by numerous high-profile guests. 

Constantly increasing data volumes, ever more complex calculation and modeling—working with large amounts of data is crucial in many fields of research. The new high-performance computer "Marvin" now makes it easier for University of Bonn researchers to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning. Featuring a scalable GPU partition, Marvin is among the world’s top 500 most powerful computers. Funded in part under the Excellence program, the acquisition of Marvin comes as part of the University of Bonn digital strategy. 

A high-profile delegation from the University of Ghana visited the University of Bonn in connection with the International Days. The two universities are strategic partners, collaborating across all areas institution-wide: degree programs, teaching and research. Members of the University of Bonn Rectorate had visited Accra before the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic, so this reciprocating visit of several days by friends from Ghana represented an important moment for the partnership.

Which sustainability goals do people in Germany find more important: Animal welfare? Or environmental protection? Human health is another one of these competing sustainability goals. A team of researchers from the Department of Agricultural and Food Market Research at the University of Bonn have now found that consumers surveyed in their study would rather pay more for salami with an “antibiotic-free” label than for salami with an “open barn” label that indicates that the product promotes animal welfare. The results have now been published in the journal “Q Open.”