News — University of Bonn

“Glial cells” play an active role in the nervous system

For the brain to work efficiently, nerve impulses must reach their destination as quickly and precisely as possible. The nerve fibres, also known as axons, pass on the impulses, and an insulating sheath around the axons increases their speed of conduction in vertebrates. This insulating sheath, called myelin, is formed by a major component of the brain – the glial cells. Researchers at the University of Münster, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Bonn, have now discovered that glial cells not only influence the speed of nerve conduction, but also the precision of signal transduction. In the absence of these insulating sheaths, short-circuit-like processes occur. The study has been published in the journal “Nature Communications”.

Collaborative research centre on extreme drought enters second funding phase

In the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1211 "Earth - Evolution at the Dry Limit", the mutual relationships between landscape development and the evolution of life are being investigated. The German Research Foundation has extended the CRC and will fund it with approximately eleven million euros over the next four years.

Fossil growth reveals insights into the climate

Panthasaurus maleriensis lived about 225 million years ago in what is now India. It is an ancestor of today's amphibians and has been considered the most puzzling representative of the Metoposauridae. Paleontologists from the universities of Bonn and Opole (Poland) examined the fossil's bone tissue and compared it with other representatives of the family also dating from the Triassic. They discovered phases of slower and faster growth in the bone, which apparently depended on the climate. The results have now been published in the journal "PeerJ".

Blood breakdown product commandeers important enzyme

The hemoglobin in the red blood cells ensures that our body cells receive sufficient oxygen. When the blood pigment is broken down, "heme" is produced, which in turn can influence the protein cocktail in the blood. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now discovered in complex detective work that the "activated protein C" (APC) can be commandeered by heme. At the same time, APC can also reduce the toxic effect of heme. Perspectively, the findings may provide the basis for better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to blood diseases. The study has been published online in advance in the journal "Antioxidants & Redox Signaling". The print version will be published soon.

Three Starting Grants in economics

Starting Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) are highly coveted, because they provide young researchers with funding of up to 1.5 million euros over five years. In economics, three researchers from the University of Bonn and the Behavior and Inequality Research Institute (briq) will now benefit from this funding. The successful candidates are also members of the Clusters of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy and the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM).

THE-Ranking places University of Bonn in 114th place worldwide

In the current university ranking by British magazine Times Higher Education (THE), the University of Bonn is again ranked 9th among the top 10 German universities. Among the more than 1,500 educational institutions evaluated, Bonn takes 114th place. For the World University Ranking, various indicators were collected in the areas of research, teaching, knowledge transfer and internationality.

How can potato plants adapt to heat and drought?

Plant biologist Prof. Dr. Ute Vothknecht from the University of Bonn is a partner in the new EU "ADAPT" project to investigate the adaptation mechanisms of potato plants to heat and drought.