Research

Acceptor layers made of oligomers can increase the performance of organic solar cells and ensure a long operating life at the same time. This is the result of laboratory experiments conducted by materials scientists at FAU. Organic solar cells are less complex to manufacture than silicon modules and are considerably more versatile as they can be flexible and transparent.

Female putty-nosed monkeys deliberately use alarm calls to recruit males to defend the group. This is the conclusion reached by Claudia Stephan, an evolutionary biologist at FAU, together with colleagues from the Wildlife Conservation Society after conducting observations in the Republic of the Congo.

A star in the Columba constellation, approximately 900 light years away, has been hiding a dark past, as has now been revealed by an international team of researchers led by FAU. The star, that was once the heart of a binary star system, lost its envelope when it engulfed its companion.

FAU researcher Joachim von Zanthier received his doctoral degree from the current Nobel Laureate in Physics Alain Aspect and was always impressed by Aspect's analysis and precision.

New substances that activate adrenalin receptors instead of opioid receptors have a similar pain relieving effect to opiates, but without the negative aspects such as respiratory depression and addiction. The results are a milestone in the development of non-opioid pain relief.

Researchers at FAU have conducted a case study proving the negative impact political conflicts have on research. They examined scientific publications from the last three decades describing fossils in amber from Myanmar. Their results indicate that the increased research interest in Myanmar amber is explicitly linked to major political, legal and economic changes.

A research team from FAU has investigated whether artificial intelligence can recognize based on MRI images of hands whether patients are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The outcome: AI was able to differentiate between the two types in 75 percent of cases.

At FAU, patients with severe forms of autoimmune diseases are being treated with cells from the body that have been genetically modified, which are known as CAR T cells. This study is the first of its kind in the world. Physicians were astounded to find that the therapy is like a reset button: immediately after receiving treatment the autoimmune disease was resolved completely and did not return.

As part of the Munich Quantum Valley (MQV) initiative, the Free State of Bavaria is supporting six outstanding doctoral students with doctoral fellowships of around 200,000 euros each in their research in the field of quantum science – two of the internationally selected top talents will be conducting research at FAU in the future.

Researchers from all disciplines rely on their work being evaluated fairly and correctly, as this determines not only their reputation in research but also significant amounts of their funding. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has published a package of measures to assess research more fairly. But will this really lead to change? We asked researchers at FAU what they think.