Research

Significantly more species of plants are growing on mountain summits than 100 years ago. Several studies have already indicated that this is due to global warming. However, up to now, no direct link had been found between an increase in temperature and an increase in the number of plant species on a...

Geographers from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have been investigating climate change and land use in the Southern Levant since the last ice age. In conjunction with other researchers from Jordan, Israel and Palestine, they have been examining dust deposits in ancient ruins...

Blue-green algae are one of the oldest organisms in the world and have an important role to play in many ecosystems on Earth. However, it has always been difficult to identify fossils as blue-green algae without any trace of doubt. The reason is their unremarkable sheath made of calcium carbonate. A...

Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universität Ulm have made a significant contribution to the wet chemical synthesis of graphene from graphite, defining the mechanism on which it is based. They succeeded in solving the basic proble...

Mass extinctions throughout the history of the Earth have been well documented. Scientists believe that they occurred during a short period of time in geological terms. In a new study, FAU palaeobiologists and their research partners have now shown that signs that the largest mass extinction event i...

Axis formation is an important stage in embryonic development. This is when it is determined which side will develop into the head and which into the abdomen. If something goes wrong during axis formation the result is embryos with two abdomens or two heads. Researchers from Friedrich-Alexander-Univ...

Can international cultural initiatives such as the EU programme ‘European Capitals of Culture’ create a counter-balance to the much-cited political crisis in the European Union, giving citizens a shared feeling of belonging to Europe? Or are they simply being used as nothing more than a marketing pl...

Gastric cancer is one of the five most fatal types of cancer. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO), about 750,000 patients die each year after developing the disease. The main cause is thought to be the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). At present, there are no...

Scientists gain an insight into the fascinating world of atoms and molecules using x-ray microscopes. Ground-breaking research by physicists at FAU, the Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg, and the University of Hamburg has paved the way towards new imaging techniques. The team of sci...

Serious kidney disease is a widespread problem in Sri Lanka. Researchers assume that the kidney damage is caused by toxicological factors, such as contaminated groundwater. If this water is drunk and comes into direct contact with the kidneys it can lead to significant damage to the organs. German a...