Research in Germany

Semiconductor surfaces can generally be studied only with considerable experimental effort, in an ultra-high vacuum for example. To more easily gain new insights into their properties and the possibilities for targeted modification, scientists at Heidelberg University have developed a molecular model for the so-called “buckled dimer” using synthetic chemistry and computational chemistry methods. This key structural feature of semiconductor surfaces can be studied using established analytical methods in molecular chemistry.

The tree-like extensions of nerve cells in the brain, known as dendrites, possess a wide range of functional capabilities, whose role in cognitive processes had previously been unknown. Researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin have now discovered that these biological mechanisms enable flexible learning.

An international study involving the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) shows that depression and anxiety disorders are associated with individual deviations in brain structure that are reproducible at the group level. The analysis of more than 50,000 MRI scans offers a possible explanation for why no clear biological marker for these disorders has been identified to date. The results have now been published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

In a new study, researchers at Leipzig University have identified a major cause of the unusually severe summer soil drying and rising temperatures across Europe. They found that much of the trend can be attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns – that is, shifts in the weather regimes that typically occur over Europe. These changes account for around 55 per cent of the observed summer drought trend. Specifically, more frequent and persistent high-pressure systems have brought drier conditions and reduced rainfall.

According to United Nations projections, global food demand could increase by around 60 percent by 2050, while only about two percent additional agricultural land is expected to become available. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are therefore exploring new approaches to safeguard food security. A team at the TUM Campus Straubing has developed a process for producing crucial amino acids from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and renewable energy.

Research led by an international team, including TU Hamburg Professor Nima Shokri, provides the first global empirical evidence linking land degradation to lower agricultural productivity. The study on this subject has now been published in Nature Food.