Research

Our DNA is so tightly packed that it fits into the nucleus of every cell. Our genetic library is the source of products such as RNA and proteins. The first step in the production process is called transcription. The process behind how the areas in the nucleus where transcription occurs are created was not fully understood until recently.

Why are the red, yellow, and blue colours used in the world’s oldest knotted-pile carpet still so vivid and bright, even after almost two and a half thousand years? Researchers at FAU have now been able to uncover the secrets behind the so-called Pazyryk carpet using high-resolution x-ray fluorescence microscopy. Their findings have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

How should an intelligent assistance system be designed so that as many people as possible use it to improve their health on a daily basis? The collaborative project ‘Erweiterte Gesundheitsintelligenz für persönliche Verhaltensstrategien im Alltag’ (Eghi) (Advanced intelligence in healthcare for personal behavioural strategies in everyday life) which has now started under the leadership of FAU is focusing on this question.

Which language patterns are most common in conspiracy theories about coronavirus? Two linguists at FAU are investigating this question in more detail. The Volkswagen Foundation is providing 120,000 euros in funding for their project ‘Tracking the infodemic: Conspiracy theories in the corona crisis’.

How were scientific findings about the coronavirus communicated, and how has this changed over the course of time? Researchers at the Center for Applied Philosophy of Science and Key Qualifications at FAU hope to find answers in a project. The Volkswagen Foundation is providing 120,000 euros in funding for the project over a period of one and a half years as part of the ‘Corona Crisis and Beyond’ initiative.

A team of researchers at FAU has developed a method of reliably detecting and diagnosing heart sounds using radar. In a new study, the researchers have now shown that radar can be used to reliably measure heart rate variability (HRV). In future, radar could be used to monitor HRV over the long term to detect pathological changes and prevent severe disease.

Two proteins play a key role in triggering Parkinson’s disease. Prof. Dr. Friederike Zunke and PD Dr. Philipp Arnold from FAU are investigating these proteins in more detail, focussing on their structure, how they interact and the influence they have on the disease. The research project has received USD 149,500 in funding for one year from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF).

An international team of renowned astrophysicists has gained new insights into Cygnus X1. The black hole and its companion star are further away from Earth and considerably more massive than previously thought. The project has also delivered new answers to the question of how black holes are formed.

Some people who contract Covid-19 hardly even notice that they have it. Others become seriously ill and have to be admitted to hospital. The working group ‘Cellular immunity in inflammation and cancer’ at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen has now identified the immune messenger substance interleukin-3 as a significant early indicator for whether the virus infection will remain mild or develop into a severe case.