The University of Bonn and the Japanese National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU) have signed a cooperation agreement. It defines the terms of cooperation between the two institutions in research and comes into force on December 1, 2020.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) have the potential to convert into a wide variety of cell types and tissues for drug testing and cell replacement therapies. However, the "recipes" for this conversion are often complicated and difficult to implement. Researchers at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at TU Dresden, Harvard University (USA) and the University of Bonn have found a way to systematically extract hundreds of different cells quickly and easily from iPS using transcription factors, including neurons, connective tissue and blood vessel cells. Researchers can use this transcription factor source through the non-profit organization Addgene. The results have now been published in the journal "Nature Biotechnology".

Two Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs) at the University of Bonn—Transregio (TRR) 110 “Symmetries and the Emergence of Structure in Quantum Chromodynamics” and 1060 “The Mathematics of Emergent Effects”—have enjoyed considerable success over the past few years, and the German Research Foundation (DFG) has now agreed to continue funding them for the next three and a half and four years respectively.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is setting up a new Collaborative Research Center (CRC) at the University of Bonn. CRC 1454 “Metaflammation and Cellular Programming” will focus on the relationship between a western lifestyle and chronic inflammatory illnesses, e.g. how excessive calorie intake and insufficient exercise can increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative conditions or a metabolic syndrome. The center’s speaker is Professor Eicke Latz.

Over the last 40,000 years, ice sheets thousands of miles apart have been influencing each other through changes in sea level. An international team of researchers with the participation of the University of Bonn compared models of ice sheet changes during the latest ice age cycle with newly available geological records. The study, led by Natalya Gomez of McGill University in Montreal (Canada), shows for the first time that changes in the Antarctic ice sheet in the south during this period were influenced by melting ice sheets in the northern hemisphere. The results have now been published in the journal Nature.

Research across subject boundaries: Researchers from the University of Bonn have been awarded a prize by the University's Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life and Health" for three special projects in the life sciences. The steering committee of the research area rewards the three project teams with 50,000 euros each for their creative and innovative approaches. Up to three researchers work together on one project. They come from the disciplines of biology, pharmacy, medicine and mathematics.

With a total of 14 researchers, the University of Bonn is represented this year in the international ranking of "Highly Cited Researchers".

“What’s really hiding behind the term ‘post-factual’—lies, fabrications, illusionary self-delusion or something else?” This was the question that the Institute for Hermeneutics at the University of Bonn set in its competition for early-career researchers from across Germany. A panel of political scientists, sociologists and theologians then picked the three best entries from all the submissions. The winners— Dr. Martin Breul (Catholic Theology, University of Cologne, 1st place), Florian Buchmayr (Sociology, University of Bremen, 2nd place) and Eytan Celik (Philosophy, University of Bayreuth, 3rd place)—have now been given the opportunity to present their work at the concluding symposium held online.