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Category: Biology and Medicine

On the road

1 March 2021

Social interaction at MIT

By Livia Tomova

The corona pandemic confronts society with the impact of social isolation. Schrödinger Fellow Livia Tomova explored this topic even before the crisis began. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she studied how the brain reacts to loneliness and the craving for social contact. As Tomova reports in this guest contribution to scilog, the results of […] Continue reading “Social interaction at MIT”
Physicians Manfred Hecking und Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer

Projects

1 March 2021

The body’s defences against coronavirus

An enzyme produced by the human body is the receptor for coronavirus, but its intravenous infusion could have a positive influence on the course of Covid-19 infections, thereby serving as a new treatment option. A research group led by the Viennese physicians Manfred Hecking and Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer has now presented evidence that the body reacts […] Continue reading “The body’s defences against coronavirus”
Two female students with face masks are chatting on a stone bench at university campus

Projects

22 February 2021

How the eyes assist with hearing

Hearing-impaired people learn to make up for their auditory deficits – for instance by lip-reading. A research group from Salzburg is exploring the manner in which the brain’s processing of visual signals is used to compensate for the hearing dysfunction. The study has been invested with particular topicality, given that the face masks worn because […] Continue reading “How the eyes assist with hearing”
Young man walking along the street with rainbow flag on his back.

Projects

15 February 2021

Videos as wake-up call for suicidal young people

The media can make an important contribution to the prevention of suicide. That much has been confirmed by a recent study by suicide researcher Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, who has explored how the videos of the “It Gets Better” project, a prevention campaign first launched in the USA, affect adolescents who belong to a sexual minority and […] Continue reading “Videos as wake-up call for suicidal young people”
Houseplants on a table

Projects

8 February 2021

Houseplants – welcome “super-spreaders”

The leaves of inconspicuous houseplants are teeming with a great diversity of microbes. Based on their study of healthy plant microbiomes and their effect on indoor spaces, a research alliance in Graz is examining how to better keep pathogens in check indoors. To this end they had to take samples in intensive care units with […] Continue reading “Houseplants – welcome “super-spreaders””
Two physicians discussing data analysis shown on their computer screen.

Projects

1 February 2021

The situations when computers make better decisions

It is not easy for physicians always to know who benefits from what method of treatment. In the context of an international project, a research group led by the computer biologist Dieter Maier is using artificial intelligence to analyse patient data in order to offer assistance and to better prepare doctors for individual therapy design […] Continue reading “The situations when computers make better decisions”
Young woman smelling a bush of lavender, behind her a big lavender field.

Projects

11 January 2021

Training can help recover from lost sense of smell

Research groups in Graz are exploring the effectiveness of daily training for people who have lost their sense of smell. The training is linked to microorganisms in the nose and to brain networks that process the incoming signals. The first positive news: the researchers were able to prove that olfactory training is fundamentally successful. Continue reading “Training can help recover from lost sense of smell”

Projects

21 December 2020

New therapeutic approach designed to improve life with donor lungs

The Covid-19 pandemic shows the importance of medical research in the treatment of lung diseases. The Medical University of Vienna is renowned the world over in the field of lung transplantation medicine. Currently, they are testing a new therapeutic approach designed to improve the situation of patients in the long term. Continue reading “New therapeutic approach designed to improve life with donor lungs”

Interview & Opinion

16 November 2020

The surprising properties of the coronavirus envelope

Interview: Reinhard Kleindl

In computer simulations of components of the coronavirus, an international team including the physicist Mateusz Sikora found its surface proteins to be unexpectedly flexible. The impressive 3D reconstructions are the first to show detailed information about the virus surface. This has an impact on current vaccine development, as Sikora explains in this interview. Continue reading “The surprising properties of the coronavirus envelope”

Woman, lost in thoughts, looking out of a window

Projects

27 October 2020

Thinking about something, darling?

The physicist Thomas Beyer and his research group have been investigating how to measure human brain activity. The low-impact method they developed is fully automatic and should help to improve diagnoses in such areas as the field of neurology. Continue reading “Thinking about something, darling?”

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