Research

FAU scientists research new medications with Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

Under the co-ordination of last year’s Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Prof. Brian Kobilka of Stanford University, an interdisciplinary team of researchers has been formed to research pharmaceuticals. Its members include Prof. Peter Gmeiner and his research group at FAU’s Department of Chemistry and Ph...

Quaking after a collision

What happens when two stars that were previously orbiting each other collide? How can such a huge explosion leave more than gas and radiation behind – and in fact even leave both partners intact, albeit in a different form? A team of astronomers1) from Great Britain, Germany and Spain is now hoping ...

Magnetism experiment successful

Physicists from FAU and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have succeeded in an unusual experiment: they were able to prove that magnetism – commonly expressed in the force between two magnetised objects – also functions within an individual molecule. This discovery, which is of great impor...

‘Salted’ catalysts facilitate renewable energy storage

Wind and solar power plants often generate more energy than is needed. That is why it is important to store this energy in such a way that it can be made usable again without difficulty or delay. Storing hydrogen in the form of methanol is seen as a promising method. However, this requires a powerfu...

Doubted molecular structure confirmed

A cross with a tiny sphere in the middle and four outstretched arms: a simplified way of depicting a carbon atom. In their first year of chemistry, students learn from this model that all such atoms can form no more than four bonds. This is undoubtedly true for the conventional particles that have b...

Flood warning via text message: FAU researchers work on local information system

In light of recent events, when heavy rainclouds move across the sky or a powerful storm comes down, some people may ask themselves: are my possessions in danger? Researchers at FAU’s Geozentrum Nordbayern work to provide an answer to this question. Together with the Gesellschaft beratender Ingenieu...

Treasure hunt on the floor of the ocean

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is supporting the project with approximately 1.1. million euros. In addition to the FAU researchers, the project involves scientists from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources in Hanover, Jacobs University Bremen and the University...

FAU researchers discover trigger factor for bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis

Defence cells direct bone resorption Joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are among the autoimmune diseases which affect a steadily growing segment of society. They involve painful inflammation and can in the worst case even lead to the destruction of the joints. Researchers led by Prof. Dr....

Hot on the trail of the Atlantic’s birth

How hot is the Earth’s mantle, how do temperatures change over the course of millions of years and what are the possible consequences? Scientists led by Prof. Dr. Karsten Haase of the Department of Endogenous Geodynamics of GeoZentrum Nordbayern (Geo-Centre of Northern Bavaria) at Friedrich-Alexande...

Looking at the explosive past of the stars

Those who enter the archive of the Astronomical Institute of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) can see a little chapter of the history of the universe with their own eyes. At the Dr. Karl Remeis Observatory in Bamberg, 40,000 photographic plates are safely stored in steel cabin...