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Category: Biology and Medicine

Projects

14 March 2022

Fine-tuning cochlear implants greatly boosts quality of hearing

Cochlear implants enable people with hearing impairments to communicate with others using spoken language. Noisy environments and diverse sources of interference are still making conversation difficult, however. The Innsbruck biologist Anneliese Schrott-Fischer and her interdisciplinary team have now succeeded in laying the foundations for individually perfecting the implants. Continue reading “Fine-tuning cochlear implants greatly boosts quality of hearing”

Projects

28 February 2022

How spruce meets bark beetle

How efficient is the defence mechanism of spruce trees when they are suffering from drought, what attracts bark beetles to stressed trees, and what role do their fungal symbionts play in the infestation? In a basic research project, entomologist Sigrid Netherer and her team succeeded in furnishing the first empirical evidence that drought-stressed spruce trees […] Continue reading “How spruce meets bark beetle”

Portrait

25 January 2022

Here’s a tobacco plant that saves lives

By Margit Schwarz-Stiglbauer

Molecular biologist Herta Steinkellner and her team have succeeded in producing highly effective antibodies against Covid-19. What is amazing about her method is that these medical wonder weapons are produced by – humanised – plants. This feat could be performed because at the genetic level the boundaries between living beings are blurred. Continue reading “Here’s a tobacco plant that saves lives”

Projects

24 January 2022

The impact of epilepsy on emotions and social skills

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases. It often occurs in childhood and adolescence and has psychosocial consequences. A research team in Salzburg led by neurologist Eugen Trinka was the first to prove a connection between deficits in emotion recognition and social cognition. The results will lead to new therapeutic approaches. Continue reading “The impact of epilepsy on emotions and social skills”

Projects

10 January 2022

Alien species are spreading in Europe

Globalisation leads to the number of alien, i.e. non-native, animal and plant species rising sharply in many regions of the world. The newcomers often cause damage – not only in ecological, but also in economic terms. Researchers at the University of Vienna are working on prediction models to estimate the number of future bio-invaders as […] Continue reading “Alien species are spreading in Europe”

Projects

29 November 2021

Stretching – an effective therapy?

Annika Kruse is searching for an effective adjunctive therapy for the most frequent cause of motor disability in children – spastic cerebral palsy. The sports scientist compares two different methods of stretching that are already in use as adjunctive therapies. Initial results suggest that one-time stretching does not reach calf muscles at all. Continue reading “Stretching – an effective therapy?”

Projects

15 November 2021

Eavesdropping on courtship messages

During courtship and mating, male mice emit complex sounds that are beyond the human hearing threshold. In order to understand the function of these sounds, a research team led by the behavioural biologist Dustin Penn first had to develop methods to reliably record and evaluate these ultrasonic vocalisations. The findings revealed that mice do not […] Continue reading “Eavesdropping on courtship messages”

Projects

2 November 2021

Human milk supplies ideas for new cardiovascular drugs

In the context of her Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship in the USA, Ariane Pessentheiner investigated potential uses for the anti-inflammatory power of human breast milk in new treatments against atherosclerosis. Pessentheiner is now focusing on how better to communicate scientific findings on cardiovascular diseases to the general public. Continue reading “Human milk supplies ideas for new cardiovascular drugs”

Projects

25 October 2021

How to manage anger and fear creatively

The way people think about negative events has a major impact on their well-being. Being able to control one’s own emotions appropriately can be crucial for the relevant perspective. By various means, including tests with students, a research team at the University of Graz demonstrates how a sense of humour and creativity help in re-evaluating […] Continue reading “How to manage anger and fear creatively”

Projects

18 October 2021

A bacterium that protects the liver from alcohol damage

What exactly happens in the body when alcohol damages the liver? A researcher at the Medical University of Vienna has uncovered the chain of mechanisms – which already begin in the digestive tract – behind alcohol-induced fatty liver. At the same time, the findings show possible approaches for future therapy developments.   Continue reading “A bacterium that protects the liver from alcohol damage”

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