An Austro-Russian team led by geologist Yuri Dublyansky has investigated cryogenic calcite crystals from caves in the Urals. While largely ignored in the past, these crystals provide valuable information about climate fluctuations in northern Eurasia in the course of the past 500,000 years. Continue reading “Frost-produced crystals as permafrost markers”
A research group from Graz investigated how solar storms can be simulated in order to enable a more accurate prediction of their effects on the Earth. Their work has furnished a more accurate model for simulating solar storms in real time. Continue reading “When the Sun turns the power off”
Meteorologist Kay Helfricht investigated the accuracy of precipitation measurements during snowfall in a project funded by the Weiss Science Foundation and coordinated by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. He was able to show a way to correct systematic errors at automatic measuring stations. Continue reading “How deep the snow?”
Electrical engineer Ioanna Giouroudi has developed a portable sensor in mobile phone format that can be used to examine rivers, wells or swimming pools for pathogens. She recently moved her professional focus from active research to administration: since October Giouroudi has been coordinating doctoral training at TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology). Continue reading “Strategy and focus”
With the support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF, an interdisciplinary Vienna-based team is investigating the nature of carbonaceous particles that play a key role in the formation of ice clouds. These “ice nuclei” act as catalysts inducing the phase change from water to ice. Understanding the process leading to such ice clouds is an […] Continue reading “The formation of ice clouds”
Bordeaux is known by many for its good wine. In the world of combinatorics, a branch of discrete mathematics, it is also the ideal city for Michael Wallner to deepen his research on lattice paths and compact tree-like structures. Continue reading “Paths and trees in Bordeaux”
In a project funded by the FWF, a research group led by computer scientist Martin Urschler has developed a new, low-impact method for determining the age of young people using biological characteristics. An algorithm improves objectivity and guarantees the reproducibility of results. Continue reading “New method for age determination”
With the support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the chemist Zita Csendes has defined and tested iron complexes as a sustainable, inexpensive and efficient alternative to precious-metal catalysts. The shift from catalyst solution to reusable pore coating required mastering many chemical parameters. Continue reading “Catalytic converter with a green profile”
In a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, a research group in Vienna developed robots that perceive unfamiliar objects in their environment and then compare them with images from the Internet in order to identify them. Continue reading “Machines learn to be curious”
The chemist and materials scientist Miriam Unterlass produces high-performance materials that can withstand temperatures above 600 degrees as well as cosmic radiation – and she only uses hot water to do it. Continue reading “High-performance materials from a pressure cooker”