News/Archive

Such detailed images of the pathogen that causes sleeping sickness inside a host are unique so far: They illustrate the manifold ways in which the parasites move inside a tsetse fly.

Fanconi anemia is a rare genetic disease characterized by high cancer risk. Researchers of the University of Würzburg now have revealed a new Fanconi anemia gene that is involved in complex DNA repair processes and may also play a relevant role in cancer prevention.

The blood-brain barrier is a unique mechanism to shield the brain. Scientists from the University of Würzburg have now uncovered details of how it evolves. This finding offers new chances for modification and regulation.

Global warming changes the flowering times of plants and the moment when bees hatch – sometimes with severe consequences for the bees. This was shown by a new study conducted by ecologists from the University of Würzburg.

Multiple biological clocks control the daily rhythms of physiology and behavior in animals and humans. Whether and how these clocks are connected with each other is still a largely open question. A new study now shows that a central clock governs the circadian rhythms in certain cases.

Ants operate a unique rescue system: When an insect is injured during a fight, it calls for help. Its mates will then carry it back to the nest for recovery.

Many tumors are thought to depend on glutamine, suggesting glutamine deprivation as therapeutic approach, but a new study shows that this effect might have been overestimated.

Fruit flies from warm regions have a siesta, whereas their Nordic counterparts do not. Biologists from the University of Würzburg reset the circadian clock of African flies in an experiment. As a result, these insect also reduced the length of their siesta.

Scientists have long been puzzled by the flounder's asymmetrical physiology. The mechanism that triggers the unusual asymmetry has now been identified by comparing the genomes of two related fish species.

Advance in biomedical imaging: The Biocenter of the University of Würzburg in close collaboration with the University of Copenhagen has developed an alternative approach to fluorescent tagging of proteins. The new probes are practicable and compatible with high-resolution microscopic procedures.

An international team of researchers has unravelled how the highly inflammatory giant cells arise. Researchers of the Würzburg Institute for Human Genetics participated in the project. Their findings will help develop more efficient therapies for immune diseases that are difficult to treat.

Sex determination, dormancy, water balance: The phytohormone abscisic acid has branched out in the process of evolution. An international research team presents new insights on this subject in the science journal PNAS.