Skip to main content

News from the University of Potsdam

Subjects
Selected Subject:

show all

Scientific satellites traverse the challenging region of near-earth space known as the Van Allen radiation belt. | Figure: Yuri Shprits; background: NASA

Giant particle accelerator in the sky – Electrons are locally heated to extremely high energies within the Van Allen Radiation Belts, new study finds

The Earth’s magnetic field is trapping high energy particles. When the first satellites were launched into space, scientists led by James Van Allen …
Dr. Matthias Hartlieb at the lab | Photo: Tobias Hopfgarten

Fighting Pathogens – Chemist Matthias Hartlieb develops substances that could replace antibiotics in the future

Since April 2019, Dr. Matthias Hartlieb has been a postdoc research fellow in the Open Topic Initiative of the University of Potsdam. His research …
Bioreactor for cultivating microorganisms in the innoFSPEC lab | Photo: Ernst Kazcysnki

Not Without Alternatives – Bioplastic made from waste replaces conventional plastics

Plastic is a part of our everyday life. It has been made from oil, natural gas, and coal for over 100 years. The negative consequences of this flood …
In the embryonic zebrafish heart, the endocardium that is forming cardiac valve leaflets is divided into two subpopulations (here, cyan and yellow). | Photo: Federica Fontana

Strong evidence – Essential regulatory gene for the formation of heart valves discovered

By studying zebrafish embryos, the animal physiologist Prof. Salim Seyfried and his team have identified a new blood flow-regulated gene (Vegfr3/Flt4) …
Prof. Dr. Safa Shoaee | Photo: Karla Fritze

New Paths to Solar Energy – Looking for the best material for novel solar cells

The solar cells of the future are made of organic material as they can be produced very inexpensively using printing technologies. Physicists at the …
Point cloud image of the Golm Campus | Photo: Prof. Dr. Bodo Bookhagen

View from Above – Geoscientist Bodo Bookhagen relies on drones for geological remote sensing

One of the most popular gifts for Christmas: unmanned aerial vehicles, colloquially known as drones. They are widely used in the hobby sector today. …
The Founders: Christian Zimmermann and Stella Strüfing | Photo: Nongin

Sparkling and tasty – Start-up “Noa Drinks” develops non-alcoholic gin

Sparkling or non-sparkling wine without alcohol often has an insipid flavor: either watery or just sweet. In any case, these alternatives are hardly …
Schematic representation of a bacterium with two motility modes, push and wrap, swimming towards the source of an attractant. | Image: Dr. Robert Großmann

Freestyle – The combination of swim modes facilitates movement of bacteria

One of the prime challenges of swimming bacteria is to purposefully navigate to find food or flee from poisons. This process, called chemotaxis, …
An artist’s impression of the two merging central stars inside the planetary nebula Henize 2-428 | Image Credit: Nicole Reindl

All-clear in space – Cuddling inside a nebula does not have to end in a catastrophe

Contrary to results published previously, a careful re-analysis of the merging stars inside the planetary nebula Henize 2-428 shows that no supernova …
The Olorgesailie Basin in the Kenya Rift Valley, part of the Eastern Branch of the East African Rift System. In the background the high topography of the Rift’s border faults. | Photo: Corinna Kalich, University of Potsdam

Calculated – Why a whole region is rotating in the middle of Africa

For the first time ever, the causes for the strange motion of a tectionic plate have been identified by using three dimensional computer models. The …