A research group led by the physician Christian Dejaco is investigating circumstances under which patients may stop taking medication for rheumatoid arthritis without running the risk of the disease flaring up again. Continue reading “Ultrasound for better therapeutic effects in rheumatism”
Over the last 25 years, the microbiologist Michael Wagner has developed methods that make it possible to examine bacteria and archaea directly in medical or environmental samples without growing them. Today he watches them eat, sorts them by function, and in 2015 discovered “Comammox”, a new bacterial species that can help reduce the production of […] Continue reading “Exploring the miracle of life”
The Goffin cockatoos are an amazingly clever parrot species. Behaviorist Mark O’Hara wants to find out why. In order to better understand how the animals tick, the Schrödinger scholar has set off for Indonesia. Continue reading “The cockatoos of the forgotten islands”
In a European research project backed by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, researchers tested stakeholder approaches to scenarios of future land use in five European model regions. For Austria, the Mostviertel region was taken as an example for discussing and weighing the tensions arising between the poles of uncompensated benefits for the ecosystem, farming productivity […] Continue reading “Scenarios for future land use”
Some of the world’s most impoverished habitats are found in the Southwest of Australia. There, biologist and Schrödinger Fellow Christiana Staudinger has found the ideal setting to investigate how plants and soils adapt to such harsh conditions. Surprisingly, this region’s flora is also full of life and very diverse, as the young scholar reports from […] Continue reading “Plant species interactions in Perth”
While searching for biological markers for suicide risk, a Viennese research team has gained new insights into the relationship between environmental factors and genetics. Traumatic childhood experiences play an essential role and leave traces in the brain. Continue reading “The genetics of suicide risk”
In a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, a research group from Graz was able to demonstrate the efficacy of an active substance known from Traditional Chinese Medicine against black skin cancer. Continue reading “Medicinal plants yield a new active substance against skin cancer”
Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna explored the connection between iron deficiency and blood clots. Since iron deficiency can also occur in young, healthy people and thromboses are potentially life-threatening, this is a highly significant risk factor. Continue reading “Underrated risk factor for thrombotic tendency”
A research group from Graz is investigating the complex interaction between the intestine and the brain. In a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the team has gained new insights into how intestinal bacteria, the immune system and obesity can lead to mental illnesses. Continue reading “How intestinal bacteria can cause depression”
In order for a tumour to grow, it needs cholesterol to build new cell walls. At the same time, the so-called “good” cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is regarded as a protective factor against cancer. Schrödinger fellow Raimund Bauer investigated the effect of HDL on tumours more closely and was able to show that a […] Continue reading “How “good cholesterol” gets to do even more good work”