The so-called Plexin-A1 gene seems to play a more extensive role in brain development than previously assumed. This is shown by a current study led by the University Hospital Bonn and the Institute of Anatomy of the University of Bonn with more than 60 international partners. The gene is also interesting for another reason: Its mutations are inherited either dominantly or recessively, depending on which part of the gene is affected. The results of the study are now published in the journal "Genetics in Medicine".

University of Bonn Rector Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch has for a second time been named “Rector of the Year” by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV) for his exemplary performance in office. The distinction was awarded on the basis of an online survey of the Association’s 33,000 members. The awarding was announced today at the German Academics Gala organized by the DHV and Deutsche Universitätsstiftung, conducted online due to the pandemic.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be an important tool for sustainable development to minimize energy usage in large factories or to predict natural disasters before they happen. However, these uses can also have a social and ethical downside. For example, training and tuning AI models produces carbon emissions that harm the environment. Or there are power asymmetries between people when not everyone gets access to the technology. At the world's first conference on the sustainability of artificial intelligence, researchers will discuss environmental, social and economic costs of designing, developing, and using AI from June 15 to 17. The virtual conference is launched by AI ethicist Prof. Aimee van Wynsberghe, Humboldt Professor at the University of Bonn. The conference is supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Institute for Science and Ethics at the University of Bonn.

The latest edition of the widely respected “Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2021” recognized the University of Bonn as Germany's top-ranking university for Mathematics and Economics, whose Agricultural Sciences and Physics departments furthermore rank third nationwide. And many other Bonn departments are following close behind.

Communities benefit from sharing knowledge and experience among their members. Following a similar principle - called “swarm learning” - an international research team has trained artificial intelligence algorithms to detect blood cancer, lung diseases and COVID-19 in data stored in a decentralized fashion. This approach has advantage over conventional methods since it inherently provides privacy preservation technologies, which facilitates cross-site analysis of scientific data. Swarm learning could thus significantly promote and accelerate collaboration and information exchange in research, especially in the field of medicine. Experts from the DZNE, the University of Bonn, the information technology company Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and other research institutions report on this in the scientific journal “Nature”.

The mammalian brain is extraordinarily complex - it is estimated to consist of around 100 billion nerve cells. Each of these cells is linked via synapses to tens of thousands of other brain cells. How do the elements of such a complex network work together to produce behavior? How do the networks change as a result of disease? For eight years, scientists have been investigating these and other questions in the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1089 "Synaptic Micronetworks in Health and Disease" at the University of Bonn. With great success: The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the interdisciplinary network for another four years. The requested funding amount is around 11.1 million euros. Partners are the caesar research center in the Max Planck Society and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn.

Genetic factors contribute significantly to the development of bipolar disorder. The probably largest analysis to date on the hereditary factors involved has now been published. More than 40,000 affected individuals and 370,000 controls were included in the study; some 320 researchers around the globe were involved. Lead partners for the project included the Icahn School of Medicine, New York, the University of Oslo and the University Hospital Bonn. The results not only provide new insights into the genetic basis of the disease, but also into possible risk factors in living conditions or behavior. They are published in the journal "Nature Genetics".

The University of Bonn invites you to Unifest 2021. This year, the University of Bonn is breaking new ground with its Unifest and is planning digital offerings as well as a Graduation Walk around the Hofgartenwiese.