Newsportal

A Chinese-German research team, including Prof Jörg Kudla from the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, has shown that salt stress activates a signalling pathway in maize that enhances autophagy in plant cells.

Doctoral student Berit SChlüter from the Institute of Nuclear Physics spent several weeks at the South Pole, the coldest place on earth. In a guest article, she provides insight into her daily routine and the installation of the “IceCube” upgrade for neutrino research.

How does a laboratory discovery become tangible help for patients? Translational research bridges this gap, connecting molecular mechanisms with clinical trials and routine care. In Münster, interdisciplinary collaborations bring together basic research, clinical practice and data science in order to implement new therapies more rapidly and safely, with a stronger focus on patients.

The beginning of new life is medically highly complex. As a clinician scientist, Dr Janice Jeschke bridges clinic and laboratory: she investigates the molecular processes of fertilisation and implantation and feeds clinical observations directly into research. This is how translational research emerges, helping us to better understand female infertility.

Dr. Ahana Aurora Fernandez, who has been working as an Emmy Noether group leader at the Institute of Neurobiology and Behavioral Biology since September 2025, researches the acoustic communication of bats. A portrait.

The end of term and the lecture-free period are marked by written examinations and term papers. Some students react to this with procrastination. To counter excessive procrastination, the AStA (General Students’ Committee) and the Procrastination Outpatient Clinic at the University of Münster support affected students. Answers to important questions on the topic can be found in this text.

Natalia Sampedro Loro from Spain and Anar Abdullayev from Azerbaijan are studying in the third semester of the English-language Mathematics Master's programme at the University of Münster. And they are doing so with such dedication and success that they have each been awarded a monthly scholarship of 1,000 Euros for one year by the Berlin-based foundation “Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft”.

A team led by Prof Susann Wicke from the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity has shown that certain parasitic plants activate their haustoria independently of the host plant. This strategy increases their ability to successfully infest the host.

Leading an orchestra sounds exciting, but what does being a conductor really involve? In an interview with Norbert Robers, Miloš Dopsaj from the University of Music describes how he shapes an ensemble and achieves top performance, as well as explains why self-confidence on the podium is so important.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2026 to chemist Prof. Armido Studer from the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Münster. Worth 2.5 million euros, the Leibniz Prize is the most valuable and the most important German research prize.

A team led by Prof Carsten Grashoff and doctoral student Srishti Rangarajan from the Institute of Integrative Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of Münster has now shown that the talin protein plays a central and evolutionarily conserved role in cell adhesion.

In mid-October, the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk reported: “German research institutes are leaders in patent applications.” This was based on a study by the European Patent Office (EPO). At the University of Münster, too, there are discoveries that lead to patents. Who is involved? What obstacles are there? What follows patenting? Answers can be found in an invention from the field of pharmacy.