Depression affects 280 million people worldwide. The mental illness has been proven to lead to changes in eating behavior. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Tübingen have discovered that although patients with depression generally have less appetite, they prefer carbohydrate-rich foods. The results have now been published in the journal "Psychological Medicine".

Scientists from DZNE, University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn provide new evidence that preventing brain inflammation is a promising approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Their findings, based on studies in cell culture, mice and tissue samples from patients, may contribute to the development of more effective therapies. They are published in the scientific journal “Immunity”. 

The University Council of the University of Bonn has a new chairman: The committee unanimously elected the Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation, Dr. Georg Schütte, to succeed Prof. Dr. Dieter Engels, who had chaired the University Council since 2013.

The Argentinian-born sociologist Professor Rosario Figari Layús from the Center for Reconciliation Research at the University of Bonn has been awarded this year’s Voltaire Prize for Tolerance, International Understanding and Respect for Differences.  

Seven projects in Bonn are receiving funding from the BMBF “GO-Bio initial” program to put their innovative research findings into practice. The projects are based at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn and will each receive a maximum of €100,000 in funding during the “Sondierungsphase” (“exploratory phase”). Researchers in Bonn impressed with innovations in diagnosis, therapy, and research tools for various diseases. The GO-Bio initial funding initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) promotes the development of life science research approaches on their way to application.

Professor Tobias Ackels, a biologist at the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn, is to be presented with the €60,000 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Early Career Award for 2025 for his discovery that mammals smell faster than they breathe. The news was announced by the Paul Ehrlich Foundation earlier today. Ackels has demonstrated that nerve cells can glean new information from a moving scent up to 40 times a second, thus refuting the previously accepted assumption that our sense of smell is somewhat sluggish. He has also opened a new door to understanding overall brain function and is working toward harnessing this fundamental mechanism to diagnose dementia at an early stage.

Species are continuing to disappear at a staggering rate. What initiatives are needed to reverse this drastic trend? No fewer than 156 leading researchers from 42 countries have contributed to the Nexus Assessment of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This report, which was signed off by IPBES member states in the Namibian capital Windhoek, reveals a number of possibilities for halting the decline in biodiversity and linking it to other objectives. Its contributors included Assistant Professor Lisa Freudenberger from the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn, who is a member of its Individuals & Societies and Sustainable Futures Transdisciplinary Research Areas. 

Professor Simon Stellmer,  a member of the Cluster of Excellence ML4Q, receives a ‘Proof of Concept Grant’ from the European Research Council (ERC) for his project „GyroRevolutionPlus“. With the funding of €150,000 for up to 18 months, the physicist will continue to prepare his research results from previous ERC projects for commercial application. This is the second time that Professor Stellmer has been successful in this funding program after having received a grant for his previous project ‘GyroRevolution’ in 2023. The precision instruments he and his team are developing can be used to improve natural disaster early warning systems.