Research

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...

A bug’s life: more than 15,000 species of arthropods on one hectare of rain forest

FAU researchers discover unexpected diversity of arthropod species Approximately 25,000 species of arthropods live on 6000 hectares of rain forest – more than 60 percent of these can actually be found on only one hectare. This is one of the results of the international project ‘Investigating Biodiv...

Climate change is destroying corals in equatorial oceans

As it gets warmer, corals move to the north and south of the equator and return in cooler temperatures. Corals retreat from their usual environments to cooler regions when water temperatures rise as a result of global warming. This has an adverse effect on the fish population as well as on coastlin...

Road to progress in the Alps?

FAU researchers examine spatial development in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland Will progress come to a region if roads are simply wide enough? Dr. Frieder Voll has studied common political conceptions on accessibility and spatial development in the Alpine region. The researcher from the I...

Largest Cherenkov telescope ever sees first light

FAU scientists make substantial contribution to installation and data analysis With the H.E.S.S. II telescope in Namibia the largest Cherenkov telescope ever has now started operation. Physicists from the Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP) and the Physics Institute at FAU were part of...

Monolithic transistors

FAU researchers develop graphene silicon carbide transistors for high performance electronics Physicists from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have developed a procedure for manufacturing integrated high-performance circuits from graphene and silicon carbide. The study has be...

A pungent gas with an important function

Hydrogen sulphide regulates vital biological processes Scientists from Bioinorganic Chemistry at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have broken new ground by researching the role and function of hydrogen sulphide in the human body. The findings presented by the researchers from...

Research on Parkinson’s disease and leukaemia

New Bavarian research network finances FAU projects Two projects of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) will be funded by the recently established Bavarian Research Network for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysNet): Dr. Beate Winner from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Rese...