The Collaborative Project “Integrated Greenhouse Gas Monitoring System for Germany (ITMS)”, funded through the BMFTR, met for its 4th General Assembly at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry…

From July 25 to September 6, 2026, the unique scientific instruments on board the German research aircraft HALO measured methane and carbon dioxide levels over South American wetlands. The flights…

Measuring heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation without electrodes on the skin or invasive sensors on the body. This is enabled by goVISCAN: a new, compact sensor developed by Fraunhofer…

A newly discovered detoxification strategy employed by fungi disarms spruce defense compounds by binding a sugar to them, which makes spruce trees more susceptible to bark beetle attacks.

In a study recently published in Nature Communications, researchers from Berlin, Potsdam, and Jena present a new method for analyzing the epigenome. The machine-learning method identifies…

The Amazon rainforest may be able to sustain its important role as a natural CO₂ sink for longer than previously thought. Research by scientists from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Max Planck Institute…

The European oil beetle's parasitic larvae emit a floral scent that attracts wild bees. This allows the larvae to sneak into the bees' nests.

Epigenetic clocks are important tools in modern aging research. Typically, they use characteristic DNA methylation patterns in the genome to precisely predict a person's age and infer conclusions…

A recent study shows that trees of the central Amazon Rainforest react to climate stress by emitting more volatile compounds, which interfere with the atmosphere’s chemistry. The study, performed by…

The short lifespan of the turquoise killifish (N. furzeri) makes it an important model organism for aging research. However, its husbandry and breeding present research institutions with challenges:…

Ultraviolet-induced blue-green biofluorescence reveals a previously undetected trait in a well-studied amphibian.

An international research team led by scientists from the Museum of Natural Sciences…

Starting May 1, the biochemist and professor of Biostructural Interactions at Friedrich Schiller University Jena will also lead a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology.

Drylands cover roughly 40% of Earth’s land surface and play a major role in the global land-atmosphere carbon exchange. Most carbon in dryland ecosystems is stored in soils, but little is known about…

Researchers have discovered a brood pheromone released by larvae of clonal raider ants that temporarily suppresses egg-laying in adult ants.

An introduced bacterium displaces the sawtoothed grain beetle's symbiotic partner, leading to the complete collapse of a previously stable symbiosis within a few generations.

Newly discovered enzymes found in the cinchona tree play a crucial role in the production of the malaria drug quinine and other important alkaloids. This opens up possibilities for the…

The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF inaugurated its newest research building today with a ceremony. In addition to Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär,…

Biophotonics researcher Prof. Jürgen Popp, Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) and Professor of Physical Chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University Jena,…

Ozone destroys colony-specific odor signals and leads to attacks within the colony

Plant diversity loss affects the odor signals emitted by plant communities –with possible consequences for interactions with other organisms

The insect-pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana detoxifies the defense substances of the beetles, which originate from plant precursors, and can successfully infect these insects

How a symbiotic fungus helps a beetle survive in dead wood

In addition to pathogens, the reed leafhopper hosts symbiotic bacteria that could play a role in adapting to new host plants.

A pioneering method enables simultaneous RNA and metabolite analysis in the same cell, revealing the molecular choreography underlying the biosynthesis of medically relevant natural products.

Iridoid-producing plants use a cyclase to synthesize the characteristic double-ring structure of this important class of defense compounds and medically relevant substances.