Research

Twelve tomatoes en route for outer space: when astronauts set off in future to explore the far reaches of the universe, they will need a reliable source of food. Valuable information could be provided by an experiment conducted by FAU researchers – on board a research satellite in space.

A nationwide patient study led by the Department of Radiation Oncology at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen is investigating how effective radioimmunotherapy is as the primary method for treating locally advanced head and neck tumours. Patients are selected for the innovative treatment on the basis of the immunological status of their tumour.

What benefits could a cloud solution offer for research? This is the question currently being explored by 31 European institutions from the field of particle physics and astronomy, who have received a total of 16 million euros in funding from the European Union. One of the project partners is the Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, which is coordinating a sub-project worth 2.7 million euros, 660,000 euros of which have been allocated to Erlangen.

When we are infected by a virus, our body detects this attack and starts a series of defensive reactions. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Chicago, USA, a team of researchers led by Dr. Florian Full and Prof. Dr. Armin Ensser at the Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology have now discovered a new defensive reaction against herpes viruses.

The current issue deals with all aspects of the topic of ‘End’: which of them are unavoidable? How do people deal with this? And do we live forever – on the Internet?

Being able to control electronic systems using light waves instead of voltage signals is the dream of physicists all over the world. The advantage is that electromagnetic light waves oscillate at petaherz frequency. This means that computers in the future could operate at speeds a million times faster than those of today. Scientists at FAU have now come one step closer to achieving this goal as they have succeeded in using ultra-short laser impulses to precisely control electrons in graphene.

Wolfgang Rademann was both a successful producer of popular and long-running German TV series such as 'Die Schwarzwaldklinik' and a well-known public figure. What were the secrets of his success? This is what media scientists Prof. Dr. Kay Kirchmann and Dr. Sven Grampp from FAU are trying to find out by studying Rademann's professional papers.

Only a third of the heat produced in conventional ovens is used for baking. The remainder just heats the bakery. This is something researchers at FAU hope to change. They have developed and tested a prototype oven with a significantly more efficient combustion principle.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at FAU and the University of Connecticut have now been able to gain a better understanding of chemical reactions during water electrolysis using a new method of analysing oxygen isotopes.