Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Singapore have discovered a new intracellular "smoke detector." The sensor warns of damage to the mitochondria - the microscopic power plants that supply the cell with energy. If it does not function properly, chronic skin diseases can result. The sensor may also be important for unimpaired heart and bowel function. The results have now been published in the journal Nature Immunology.

Last December, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced that Prof. Dr. Catharina Stroppel was selected to receive a Leibniz Prize endowed with 2.5 million euros. This week, the DFG handed over the prize to the scientist at an award’s ceremony at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences in Berlin. 

Students and graduates of the University of Bonn are welcome to participate in the first PhenoRob Career Fair to expand their professional network.

Vice Rectorate for Sustainability Prof. Dr. Annette Scheersoi celebrated the latest accomplishment: ‘‘Our university’s engagement for fair trade has evolved spectacularly in the past two years. And this engagement has its origins in the midst of the university! The certification as a ‘‘Fairtrade University‘‘ was driven by students in 2020 and we’re excited that students and employees are continuing to determine the path of the Fair University of Bonn.‘‘

"Miniature shredders" are at work in each cell, disassembling and recycling cell components that are defective or no longer required. The exact structure of these shredders differs from cell type to cell type, a study by the University of Bonn now shows. For example, cancer cells have a special variant that can supply them particularly effectively with building blocks for their energy metabolism. The results were published online in advance. The final version has now been published in the journal "Molecular & Cellular Proteomics."

The desert in southern Egypt is filled with hundreds of petroglyphs and inscriptions dating from the Neolithic to the Arab period. The oldest date from the fifth millennium B.C., and few have been studied. Egyptologists at the University of Bonn and Aswan University now want to systematically record the rock paintings and document them in a database. Among them, a rock painting more than 5,000 years old depicting a boat being pulled by 25 men on a rope stands out in particular. 

Pregnant women's attitudes and mindsets can influence the course of childbirth. This is what psychologists at the University of Bonn established in a longitudinal study with around 300 participants. Women who see childbirth as a natural process are less likely to need pain medication or a caesarean section. The results are now published in the “European Journal of Social Psychology.”