The air is full of particles of all kinds. Most are harmless to human beings—but some are hazardous to our health. To remove the latter from the air we breathe, innovative filtration systems are required. Dr. Leandra Hamann and Professor Alexander Blanke of the Bonn Institute of Organismic Biology look to nature for inspiration in their work to develop bio-inspired filters at the University of Bonn. In an interview, Leandra Hamann talked about the technological potential and the challenges researchers in this area have identified.  

What does a fair, sustainable, and future-proof energy supply look like? And what does “energy” mean in the 21st century beyond the technical challenges? These questions are the focus of the discussion event at the University of Bonn “Dialogue on Deck: Thinking about Future Energies – Resources, Responsibility, Society,” which will take place on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the MS Wissenschaft in Bonn (KD Landebrücke 2, Brassertufer). Admission is free and registration is not required. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking 2025 has recognized the University of Bonn’s strong commitment to sustainability. The study highlights the impact that universities are having on each of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

An international team of astronomers led by Leiden University and with involvement from the University of Bonn has investigated a large filament made of hot gas that connects four galaxy clusters and contains what is known as warm–hot intergalactic medium (WHIM). The strand of hot gas stretches for 23 million light-years, is over 10 million degrees Celsius and could be some of the “missing” ordinary matter that has been predicted by the cosmological standard model but not yet shown to actually exist. The team’s findings have now been published in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics.”

Children born to obese mothers are at higher risk of developing metabolic disorders, even if they follow a healthy diet themselves. A new study from the University of Bonn offers an explanation for this phenomenon. In obese mice, certain cells in the embryo’s liver are reprogrammed during pregnancy. This leads to long-term changes in the offspring’s metabolism. The researchers believe that these findings could also be relevant for humans. The study has now been published in the journal Nature. 

Professor Valentin Stein serves as the “Digi” for the Faculty of Medicine. In the podcast, he talks about the challenges associated with running a medical clinic’s IT infrastructure, concerns about making patient data available for research, core considerations in digitalization… 

“You’re in luck—somebody is just about to leave. There’s still one spot to the left of the sign!” One thing was immediately clear, even before you’d parked your car: heavy rain earlier that Sunday morning hadn’t dampened interest in the open house at Klein-Altendorf Campus.For this year’s event, Klein-Altendorf Campus of the Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional, and Engineering Sciences co-presented with the bio-innovationpark Rheinland in honor of its tenth anniversary. As always, there was also a tractor taxi and tours of the experimental fields and orchards.

On June 14, neurobiologist Frank Bradke, a research group leader at DZNE and professor at the University of Bonn, was officially welcomed as a new member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW). He received his membership certificate in Berlin during a ceremonial event in honor of the polymath and founder of the academy, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. This award recognizes Bradke’s outstanding scientific accomplishments in the field of neuronal development and regeneration. With his studies, the Bonn scientist, who focuses on fundamental mechanisms, aims to pave the way for a better treatment of spinal cord injuries. Bradke has already received multiple awards in acknowledgement of his research.