Central administration of the University of Bonn has been in a process for several years now of progressively converting its vehicles into an e-mobility fleet. Three new electric vehicles have just been added to the fleet: an Opel Rocks-E micro car (with space for one plus cargo) and two ATX two-seater electric utility vehicles. These two vehicles by manufacturer Alkè are flexibly adaptable for any requirements, such as transporting garden tools, using a cage structure that goes on top of the cargo bed.

The global climate is in an imbalance. Potential "tipping elements " include the Greenland ice sheet, coral reefs, and the Amazon rainforest. Together they form a network that can collapse if just one individual component tips. Researchers from Bonn University Hospital (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now shed light on seemingly sudden and rare, often irreversible changes within a system, such as those that can be observed in the climate, the economy, social networks or even the human brain. They took a closer look at extreme events such as epileptic seizures. Their aim was to better understand the mechanisms underlying such changes in order to ultimately make predictions. The results of their work have now been published in the journal "Physical Review Research".

The University of Bonn is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of its members, Professor Bernhard Korte, who died last Saturday, April 26, aged 86.

What did babies eat 1500 years ago? International researchers led by the University of Bonn and the Nova University of Lisbon reconstructed the diet of children in Roman and medieval Portugal using state-of-the-art isotope methods to answer this question. The results have been published in the journal “Scientific Reports”. 

The members of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, which include the University of Bonn, came together for their latest Presidential Summit, entitled “The Role of Universities in Advancing AI.” The network is calling on the G7 to take specific action to enable the whole of society to benefit from artificial intelligence, including supporting universities in AI research, investing in AI training and establishing platforms for North-South collaboration.

Patients with spastic paraplegia type 15 develop movement disorders during adolescence that may ultimately require the use of a wheelchair. In the early stages of this rare hereditary disease the brain appears to play a major role by over-activating the immune system, as shown by a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The study was led by researchers at the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). These findings could also be relevant for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

People with the hereditary disease familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) have a greatly increased risk of developing a malignant tumor of the duodenum. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn have now discovered a mechanism in the local immune system that can drive the development of cancer. They see this as a promising new approach to preventing duodenal carcinoma in people with FAP. The results have now been published in the journal "Nature Communications".

Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic itching, asthma and migraine are in many cases hard-to-treat conditions. They have in common that they are triggered by an excessive immune response—which in severe cases can be life-threatening. A team of researchers led by the University of Bonn has now identified a promising bioactive compound that could effectively reduce symptoms and slash fatality risk. The compound blocks a receptor on certain defense cells, thus preventing a derailed immune response. The study findings have been published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.