uni.news

» Published on 21. Oktober 2013

Bielefeld iGEM team wins European preliminary round

Students at Bielefeld University impress the judges with their microbial fuel cell

Last weekend (11–13 October), Bielefeld University’s iGEM team won the European region preliminary round of the international iGEM competition. The jury was so impressed by the microbial fuel cell the team has developed to generate energy directly from bacteria that they judged them to be the best team in Europe. ‘We never even dreamed that we would win,’ says Lukas Rositzka, a member of the team. ‘The surprise was great and the joy even greater.’ iGEM stands for ‘International Genetically Engineered Machine competition’ and is the most important student competition in synthetic biology. It has been held every year since 2004 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA.

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» Published on 30. September 2013

Paternalism and Justice in Preventive Health Care

Opening workshop of the new Research Group at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research of Bielefeld University

The phenomena are well-known: educated top earners are healthier than uneducated poor people – and that is not only due to their having easier access to health care. A healthy lifestyle contributes considerably to preventing disease outbreaks and increases life expectancy. How far can the state go to encourage a healthy lifestyle in citizens? Paternalism and justice in preventive health care are the central topics of experts` discussions at an international workshop at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) of Bielefeld University. It is the kick-off event to the new ZiF Research Group which investigates questions concerning a fair public health policy.

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» Published on 17. September 2013

Using sensory gloves to feel objects remotely

Bielefeld University involved in an international large-scale project

Would you like to be able to “hold” products from Internet retailers before ordering and delivery? In the future, people are expected to be able to sense objects despite large geographical distances with a sensory glove. The scientific foundation for this aim is now under research at the cluster of excellence Cognitive Interactive Technology (CITEC) at Bielefeld University as part of a large-scale project with ten international research institutions, funded by the European Union with 7.7 million Euros and coordinated by the Italian University of Siena (UNISI).

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» Published on 16. September 2013

Doing research in the pub

Scientists at Bielefeld University study how orders are placed at the bar

Dim lighting, a jumble of conversations, and loud music: bar staff have to master numerous challenges when serving their customers. In a crowded place, they have to identify who would like to place an order and who does not. A Bielefeld research team analysed how the body language of the potential customer helps the bartenders to achieve this. The team found that real-life observations were at odds with the widespread belief that customers wave for signalling that they would like to order a drink. Analysing the real-life data showed that it is crucial how customers position themselves at the bar counter. These findings were integrated in the ‘brain’ of the robotic bartender James. The Bielefeld scientists published their study in the online research journal ‘Frontiers in Psychology’.

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» Published on 13. September 2013

Inheritance of lifespan is sex-dependent in fruit flies

Researchers from Bielefeld and Uppsala publish joint study

Like mother, like daughter; like father, like son. Evolutionary biologists at the universities in Bielefeld and Uppsala (Sweden) have now shown that this proverb also applies to inheriting a long life – at least for fruit flies (Drosophila). The research team found that the descendants of these insects mostly inherit their lifespan from their own sex: male descendants will very probably live about as long as their fathers; female descendants, about as long as their mothers. The scientists have published their findings on Thursday 12 September in the renowned journal „American Naturalist”.

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» Published on 22. August 2013

Process devised for ultrathin carbon membranes

Physicists from Bielefeld University have developed a new method of fabrication

In the future, carbon nanomembranes are expected to be able to filter out very fine ma-terials. These separating layers are ultrathin, consisting of just one layer of molecules. In the long term, they could allow to separate gases from one another, for example, filtering toxins from the air. At present, the basic research is concerned with the production of nanomembranes. A research team working with Professor Dr. Armin Gölzhäuser of Bielefeld University has succeeded in developing a new path to produce such membranes. The advantage of this procedure is that it allows a variety of different carbon nanomembranes to be generated which are much thinner than conventional membranes. The upcoming issue of the renowned research journal ‘ACS Nano’ reports on this research success.

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» Published on 21. August 2013

Genome researchers at Bielefeld University decode the hamster genome

Scientists present their findings in ‘Nature Biotechnology‘

Genome researchers from Bielefeld University’s Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec) headed by Professor Dr. Alfred Pühler have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the Chinese hamster. The Chinese hamster supplies the cell cultures used by the pharmaceutical industry to produce biopharmaceutical products such as antibodies used in medicine. This costly project was only possible thanks to a cooperation between Bielefeld University and its international project partners. The researchers have now published their results in the internationally renowned scientific journal ‘Nature Biotechnology‘.

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» Published on 29. Juli 2013

Chips that mimic the brain

Researcher from Bielefeld University involved in new development

Novel microchips imitate the brain’s information processing in real time. The neuroinformatics Junior Professor Dr. Elisabetta Chicca from the Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) at Bielefeld University together with colleagues from Zurich University, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt am Main have shown, how complex cognitive abilities can be incorporated into electronic systems made with so-called neuromorphic chips: They show how to assemble and configure these electronic systems to function in a way similar to an actual brain. The researchers published their results online on Monday 22 July 2013 in the online edition of the renowned journal ‘PNAS’.

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» Published on 17. Juli 2013

Using bacteria batteries to make electricity

Bielefeld students take part in iGEM competition

Their idea is state of the art: Ten Bielefeld students have set their sights on constructing a bio-battery. They want to make use of the bacteria Escherichia coli to convert glucose into energy. With this project, they are taking part in this year’s ‘international Genetically Engineered Machine competition’ (iGEM) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA. Since May, they have been spending a lot of their free time in the laboratory in order to realise their idea. Now that the first test results are available, the project enters an important phase.

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» Published on 8. Juli 2013

Measuring molecules in their undistorted form

New core facility at Bielefeld University

Using a special electron beam apparatus, scientists at Bielefeld University can determine the precise three-dimensional structure of gaseous molecules. To do this, Professor Dr Norbert Mitzel’s research team analyses the molecules in their gaseous state. Bielefeld University is the only institution in the European Union suitably equipped to conduct such gas-phase analyses. External research facilities are now able to use the device to have their substances analysed. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is providing 550,000 euros over a period of three years to fund the new Core Facility, which has been opened on 3 July, in the presence of international guests.

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