Can telemedicine be an alternative to on-site physiotherapy care?

Researcher from the Hochschule für Gesundheit in Bochum, Germany: „Telemedicine is effective for musculoskeletal pain and an option to on-site therapy“.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Call for a Comprehensive View of the Marine Biological Carbon Pump and its role in Climate Change

January 10, 2024/Kiel. The ocean plays a crucial role in the storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). The so-called marine biological carbon pump is an important research topic in this context. However, according to Dr Ivy Frenger, climate researcher at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, a key component is often overlooked. In an opinion paper, she and international colleagues outline why it is insufficient to focus solely on biological processes when investigating the accumulation of CO2 in the ocean by the biological carbon pump. They argue that the co-occurrent return of CO2 to the atmosphere through ocean circulation must also be considered.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Global study on invasive tree species: Bayreuth researcher investigates dynamics of biodiversity on Kilimanjaro

An international study published in „Nature“ shows for the first time on a global scale for what reasons and to what extent tree species invade ecosystems where they are not native. A total of 226 scientists from 54 countries in all continents contributed to this study on invasive tree species. PD Dr. Andreas Hemp from the University of Bayreuth studied 65 plots at different altitudes on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Giessen venom researcher meets Nobel Laureates

He has received one of the coveted invitations to the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings from 25 to 30 June 2023: Natural products researcher Dr. Tim Lüddecke from the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) and the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG) in Hesse, Germany.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

The reasons why insect numbers are decreasing

A researcher from Mainz University has published a special issue of Biology Letters on the causes and consequences of the worldwide decline in insect biomass as well as potential countermeasures

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

How creativity is possible despite frustration

Recognizing and controlling our emotions is crucial to enhance our creativity. Researchers around Dr. Radwa Khalil, a Neuroscience Researcher at Constructor University in Bremen, recently found out how our response inhibition skill facilitates the effects of negative emotions on creative thinking. The results have been published in the Creativity Research Journal this week.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

FAU biologist discovers evidence for intentional communication in female putty-nosed monkeys

Female putty-nosed monkeys deliberately use alarm calls to recruit males to defend the group. This is the conclusion reached by Claudia Stephan, an evolutionary biologist at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), together with colleagues from the Wildlife Conservation Society after conducting observations in the Republic of the Congo. The females kept up their chirping calls until the male took action to defend the group against the predator. This is the first time that intentional vocalization such as this has been observed in the animal kingdom. The researcher has now published her findings in the scientific journal “Animal Behavior and Cognition“.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Leopoldina and the Stifterverband honour marine researcher Antje Boetius with the Carl-Friedrich-von-Weizsäcker-Prize

Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius, marine researcher and microbiologist from Bremerhaven, is awarded the Carl-Friedrich-von-Weizsäcker-Prize for her many years of dedication to exploring the deep sea and its influence on material cycles, biodiversity and worldwide climate change. Endowed with €50,000, the award from the Stifterverband and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina is presented for valuable scientific contributions to tackling the challenges facing society today. It is therefore the German award for scientists working in the area of science-based policy advice.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Dinos carried their weight using soft tissue pads

Researchers have cracked the mystery of how sauropod dinosaurs were able to carry their gigantic bodies on land. Dr. Andréas Jannel, now a postdoctoral researcher at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, conducted the research as part of his doctoral studies at the University of Queensland’s Dinosaur Lab. The University of Queensland and Monash University-led research team found that the sauropods‘ hind feet had a soft tissue pad beneath the ‘heel’ that cushioned the foot to absorb their immense weight.
The team used 3D modelling and engineering methods to digitally reconstruct and test the function of the foot bones of various sauropods.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Tuberculosis vaccine candidate VPM1002 safe in HIV- and non-HIV-exposed newborns as study shows

No other infectious disease has killed more people than tuberculosis. Currently, only one vaccine is available to prevent severe courses: Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG). However, it is not equally effective against all types of tuberculosis. Especially infants and immunocompromised patients are therefore in urgent need for more effective tuberculosis vaccines. A clinical trial in South Africa has now shown that the new vaccine candidate VPM1002, developed by Max Planck researcher Stefan H.E. Kaufmann and his team, is equally safe for newborns with and without HIV exposure and has fewer side effects compared to BCG.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Youngest brain tumor patients have significantly poorer outcomes than older pediatric patients

A researcher has found, through extensive data analysis, that the youngest patients with brain tumors — those ages birth to 3 months — have about half the five-year survival rate as children ages 1 to 19.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Research advances understanding of DNA repair

A researcher has made a discovery that alters our understanding of how the body’s DNA repair process works and may lead to new chemotherapy treatments for cancer and other disorders. Researchers discovered that base excision repair has a built-in mechanism to increase its effectiveness — it just needs to be captured at a very precise point in the cell life cycle.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

James W. Lightfoot commended with the Heidelberg Academy Award

Max Planck researcher honored for outstanding achievements in evolutionary biology

Neuroscientist and Max Planck Research Group Leader James Lightfoot is awarded the Academy Award of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanity. Lightfoot is recognized for his scientific findings on how a predatory nematode species is able to recognize its own offspring and kin. This turned out to be dependent on a small peptide that provides an identification signal. The Academy Award will be presented at a special ceremony on May 22.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Artificial intelligence to detect colorectal cancer

A researcher found that artificial intelligence can accurately detect and diagnose colorectal cancer from tissue scans as well or better than pathologists, according to a new study.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Researcher discovers key gene responsible for cancer drug resistance

A researcher has discovered an enzyme that plays a key role in the ability of cancer cells to resist drug treatment.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Detecting dementia in the blood

Empa researcher Peter Nirmalraj wants to image proteins with unprecedented precision – and thus gain insights into the molecular pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s. This should pave the way for an earlier diagnosis of the dementia disorder via a simple blood test. Together with neurologists from the Kantonsspital St.Gallen, a successful pilot study has now been completed.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

How did the Coronavirus influence research? – New Episode of BIH-Podcast with John Ioannidis

During the Corona pandemic, half a million researchers from more than 170 different fields published articles about the virus or the COVID-19 disease. In the 32nd episode of the BIH-Podcast „Turning research into health“, John Ioannidis, famous meta-researcher from Stanford and Berlin, reflects about research integrity, transparency and sustainability of research results published in preprints, peer reviewed papers or social media.

https://bit.ly/BIH_Podcast_Ioannidis

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Tracking COVID-19 across Europe

According to the World Health Organization, a third wave of COVID infections is now all but inevitable in Europe. A COVID tracker developed by IIASA researcher Asjad Naqvi, aims to identify, collect, and collate various official regional datasets for European countries, while also combining and homogenizing the data to help researchers and policymakers explore how the virus spreads.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Reducing data-transfer error in radiation therapy

As the complexity of radiation therapy has grown, so too has the amount of data that goes into treatment machines. With more data comes more opportunity for errors in data transfer. A medical physics researcher is working to make those errors less likely.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

It’s all in the scent: Plant inbreeding reduces attractiveness to pollinators

Researcher from Kiel University use the example of the White Campion to show which effects of habitat destruction threaten the survival of plant populations

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Do COVID-19 vaccines care whether you’re female or male?

A researcher is studying and raising awareness about the role of sex in the efficacy of vaccines that make use of nanomedicine.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Artificial microswimmers slow down and accumulate in low-fuel regions

A researcher has discovered that artificial microswimmers accumulate where their speed is minimized, an idea that could have implications for improving the efficacy of targeted cancer therapy.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Killing cancer by unleashing the body’s own immune system

The body’s immune system is the first line of defense against infections like bacteria, viruses or cancers. Some cancers, however, have developed the art of molecular deception to avoid destruction by the body’s immune system. Now, a researcher might have found a new way to help the body’s immune system get past that deception and destroy the cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily