Many different factors are responsible for the spread of infectious diseases. What is known is that the spread process depends essentially on the infectiousness of the pathogen and the immune response of the host, but also on human behavior. This relates, for example, to the extent to which distance regulations are observed. Less often considered, however, is the fact that the factors and their influence can vary greatly between groups of people - both at the biomedical and socioeconomic levels. Mathematicians, physicians and economists now want to take a closer look at this so-called inter-individual variability in a joint collaboration project of the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Munich. The goal is to determine new factors that are relevant for the transmission or containment of SARS-CoV-2 viruses. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the project with several hundred thousand euros, of which 270,000 euros will go to Bonn.

According to the recently published university ranking of the Chinese Jiaotong University in Shanghai, the University of Bonn is among the four best universities in Germany, the best 20 universities in the European Union and among the 100 top universities in the world. Compared to the previous year, Bonn was able to improve by three places to 84th place worldwide.

Researchers at the University of Bonn have identified a previously unknown genetic program in the fruit fly. The genetic material involved controls the development of the neurons while also protecting them from degeneration. They have hardly changed in the course of evolution over hundreds of millions of years and also exist in a comparable form in humans. Initial data show that they presumably perform similar tasks there. The results may therefore also provide a starting point for new active ingredients for neurodegenerative diseases. They are published in the journal Neuron.

Think "outside the box" is often the phrase used to describe leaving your old thinking habits behind and getting creative. This is exactly what scientists from the universities of Cologne, Bonn and Düsseldorf will be doing on August 21, starting at 2 p.m. on Cologne's Rudolfplatz: Standing on a "soap box," they want to inspire the general public with their research topics. They have previously learned in a workshop how to do this without technical aids, PowerPoint presentations or lecture halls. All citizens are invited to learn about exciting science from the world of immunology, aging and plant research in a relaxed atmosphere. The lectures will be held mostly in German and partly in English. Participation is free of charge.

It is the most comprehensive study of its kind to date: Researchers at the University of Bonn and the University of South-Eastern Norway have studied how two characteristic arctic-alpine plant species respond to global warming. They did this by analyzing almost 500 million of their own readings from the mountainous region of Norway. The analyses show that potential consequences of climate change are extremely dependent on the specific location of the plants and that deciduous species in particular will benefit from warming. The result would be a further increase in the trend toward greening of the arctic-alpine regions. The study is published in the journal Ecosphere.

Research across disciplinary boundaries: the Institute for Applied Mathematics at the University of Bonn and the Clinic for Neuroradiology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have received funding of around 160,000 euros for a joint project on the automated detection of brain hemorrhages using artificial intelligence. The project is supported by the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM) Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn.

How is it possible for a picture of Albert Einstein to turn into Marylin Monroe? Physics students and lecturers at the University of Bonn now have a new experiment at their disposal that illustrates "Fourier optics", a method particularly useful for the targeted processing of images. The experiment came about through an initiative by physicist and alumnus Dr. Michael Kösters. Last year, he and two colleagues received the German Future Prize, which is awarded by the President of Germany for outstanding research and development projects in the field of technology and innovation. In a lecture at the Physics Colloquium of the University of Bonn, Michael Kösters spoke about his field of research, namely laser systems for the generation of extreme ultraviolet light for Mikrochip manufacturing, and presented the demo experiment. It will be used in lectures and practical courses.

How can parcel delivery be optimized with a mass of routes and parcels? More precisely, how can algorithms learn and use the knowledge and behavior of experienced drivers? To solve this problem, mathematician Prof. Dr. Stephan Held from the University of Bonn, together with two colleagues from Canada and Denmark, has now emerged as the winner of a worldwide competition - the "Amazon Last Mile Routing Research Challenge". The competition is organized by Amazon and the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics in Boston. The prize money of $100,000 for the winning team attracted 2,285 participants from all over the world this year.