Every week, scilog features an exemplary project funded by the FWF. The presentations shed light on scientific questions and report on recent insights gained in basic research. The projects not only reflect the great variety of scientific disciplines, but also the range of support options offered by the Austrian Science Fund.
With the advent of the Corona pandemic, social distancing has become the order of the day. At the same time, the lockdown is very stressful for many people. A team of researchers from Vienna and Zurich is investigating how stress relates to social behaviour and how the latter develops. This is the first project to […] Continue reading “Does stress make us more helpful?”
Moving pictures and music are an ideal and/or lethal combination if you want to win over the minds and hearts of people. In Nazi propaganda these tools were orchestrated almost to perfection. But how exactly did film music support the Nazi ideology and what was the contribution of “Wien-Film”, the Vienna film company which was […] Continue reading “Wien-Film as an ideological music lab”
Agencies set up by the European Union play an important role in the Union’s border policy. A Viennese research team is investigating for the first time how the central border management agency Frontex cooperates with other EU agencies and which fundamental rights issues this raises in cooperation with the member states. Continue reading “Dilemma for Europe’s border management”
How did children and adolescents from intermarriages experience the Nazi regime? Historian Michaela Raggam-Blesch has interviewed contemporary witnesses and opened up new sources. Her research highlights the daily dilemmas and experience of persecution of those affected during the Second World War. Continue reading “Race ideology: “absurd and contradictory””
In winter, nitrogen oxide emissions from road traffic increase in cities like Vienna, affecting people’s health. To date methods for measuring this provided only an incomplete picture. A research group from Vienna is now trying to close the gap. Continue reading “Something’s in the air – but what exactly?”
A team of researchers from Vienna has developed methods of deciphering precisely how plants and medicinal substances affect the body’s own hormone balance. Initial analyses show that in high doses some natural substances promote the growth of breast cancer cells. Continue reading “Natural substances as a risk factor for breast cancer?”
Ludwig van Beethoven and sacred music? Given that he composed “only” two masses, the assumption was that he did not really consider it a priority. Research on the music collection of the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Maximilian Franz, has now shown, however, that young Beethoven’s years as a church musician in Bonn had a greater impact […] Continue reading “Young Beethoven in a new light”
Under certain circumstances, ant colonies can team up to form huge supercolonies extending across thousands of kilometres and displace native species, if they refrain from aggressive behaviour. A research group from Innsbruck is now investigating how this situation can arise. Continue reading “Non-aggressive behaviour facilitates ant invasion”
A new model is designed to visualize material flows of the world economy and global production chains. Using large amounts of data that trace the path from the origin of a product to its consumer will make it easier to develop efficient strategies for conserving resources and protecting the climate. Continue reading “Visualizing the environmental impact of consumerism”
Around 100 AD, the fortresses of Carnuntum and Vindobona were living proof of the achievements of the Roman Empire: for the first time, the region of the Vienna Basin saw houses and walls built of stone. Scouts and legionaries probably roamed far afield together to plan the supply of building materials. Logistics thus became the […] Continue reading “Roman stones tell us about their origin”