uni.news

» Published on 1. März 2019

Center for Advanced Studies explores crises in Latin America - and their solutions

Bielefeld University coordinates joint project  / Main phase begins

Latin America is confronted with crises – from political unrest in Venezuela, the deforestation of the Amazon, violence against women (“feminicide”), the extreme divide between rich and poor, to the threat of a wall between the USA and Mexico. How do Latin American societies cope with crises? To answer this question, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the CALAS cooperative project with a total of 12 million euros in the six-year main phase starting in March. Bielefeld University coordinates the "Maria Sibylla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences" (CALAS), headquartered at the University of Guadalajara, a strategic partner university of Bielefeld.

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» Published on 19. Februar 2019

Astronomers publish new sky map detecting hundreds of thousands of previously unknown galaxies

An international team of more than 200 astronomers from 18 countries has published the first phase of a major new radio sky survey at unprecedented sensitivity using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope. The survey reveals hundreds of thousands of previously undetected galaxies, shedding new light on many research areas including the physics of black holes and how clusters of galaxies evolve. A special issue of the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics is dedicated to the first twenty-six research papers describing the survey and its first results.

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» Published on 18. Februar 2019

The Algae’s Third Eye

Scientists at the Universities of Würzburg and Bielefeld in Germany have discovered an unusual new light sensor in green algae. The sensor triggers a reaction that is similar to one in the human eye.

Just like land plants, algae use sunlight as an energy source. Many green algae actively move in the water; they can swim to the light or move away from it. For light perception they use special sensors (photoreceptors).

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» Published on 8. Januar 2019

Myth of Mona Lisa’s Magical Gaze Debunked

Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence CITEC disprove scientific claim

In science, the “Mona Lisa Effect” refers to the impression that the eyes of the person portrayed in an image seem to follow the viewer as they move in front of the picture. Two researchers from the Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) at Bielefeld University demonstrate that, ironically enough, this effect does not occur with Leonardo da Vinci’s world-famous painting “Mona Lisa” – debunking a scientific legend. The researchers are presenting the results of their study in the scientific journal “i-Perception”.

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» Published on 28. November 2018

Tenth Anniversary of Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology

Conference on the future graduate training of young scholars

During its anniversary conference from 30 November to 1 December, the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS) will look back on ten years’ successful training of young researchers as well as the future of promoting young academics. The panel discussion, which will include Professor Dr Peter Strohschneider (President of the German Research Foundation DFG) and Professor Dr Richard Münch (University of Bamberg), will focus on the topic of the conference: “Graduate Training of Young Scholars in Germany – Responsibility for the Future”.

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» Published on 28. November 2018

Tenth Anniversary of Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology

Conference on the future graduate training of young scholars

During its anniversary conference from 30 November to 1 December, the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS) will look back on ten years’ successful training of young researchers as well as the future of promoting young academics. The panel discussion, which will include Professor Dr Peter Strohschneider (President of the German Research Foundation DFG) and Professor Dr Richard Münch (University of Bamberg), will focus on the topic of the conference: “Graduate Training of Young Scholars in Germany – Responsibility for the Future”.

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» Published on 16. November 2018

Eleven seal species narrowly escaped extinction

Study at Bielefeld University published in ‘Nature Communications’

Their fur was used as a raw material for coats; their fat was used for oil lamps and cosmetics: right up to the end of the nineteenth century, millions of seals were being hunted and killed every year worldwide.  The consequences of this episode of commercial hunting for today’s seal populations is the subject of a study published today (16.11.2018) in ‘Nature Communications’. Population geneticists at Bielefeld University and the British Antarctic Survey have found that eleven seal species only narrowly escaped extinction. The scientists managed to include nearly all of the species alive today in their research. The study nevertheless reveals that most species survived the heyday of seal hunting in sufficient numbers to retain most of their genetic diversity.

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» Published on 14. November 2018

Bielefeld University Joins Global-Reaching Network

The Cluster of Excellence CITEC and eight partners from four continents are working together as part of the international technology network “InterACT”

Bielefeld University and its Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) have joined the InterACT network. The partners in this network are dedicated to researching and developing technologies that will enhance global communication and cooperation. A total of nine universities and institutes from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America belong to this network. In addition to Bielefeld University, new members of the network also include Stanford University (USA) and the Queensland University of Technology (Australia). The network is being coordinated by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

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» Published on 26. Oktober 2018

Cooperation between ZB MED and Bioinformatics Network

Joint development of information services planned for life sciences

For some time now ZB MED - Information Centre for Life Sciences and de.NBI - German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure have been planning a strategic and content-related cooperation in various areas of the life sciences. The office of the de.NBI network is located at the Center for Biotechnology at Bielefeld University. ZB MED and Bielefeld University have now signed a cooperation agreement cementing their future collaboration. The objective is to work together to provide complementary information services for the life sciences. To this end, the joint appointment of a W3 professorship is envisaged, among other things.

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» Published on 4. Oktober 2018

How does comparison change contact between cultures?

Conference of the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 1288 ‘Practices of Comparing’

When cultures meet, situations of contact are often overwhelming. How do people order the unknown cultural phenomena they encounter? Researchers at Bielefeld University assume that comparisons with the familiar play an important role in this process. They are verifying this assumption by looking at the history of European Expansion and colonization, and they will be discussing this question with international researchers at the conference ‘Contact – Conquest – Colonization: Practices of Comparing between Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, from Antiquity to the Present.’ The conference will be held from the 11th to the 13th of October at Bielefeld University and is being organized by the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 1288 ‘Practices of Comparing’.    

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