Newsportal

Münster's wastewater contains bacteria that can decompose a substance called "TRIS", which is frequently used in laboratories - a team led by Prof Dr Bodo Philipp discovered this by chance and unravelled the metabolic pathway, which is new in evolutionary terms.

Under the motto “Arrived yet? Doctroal and post doctoral researchers‘ journeys in flux”, the “Münster Centre for Emerging Researchers” (CERes) invites you to its opening event on March 6. A ceremony, various program items on the topic of graduate support and an interactive exhibition await guests from 11 am. Registration is required.

The outbreak of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine led internationally to a collective collapse in well-being - regardless of individual characteristics. However, personality traits are decisive in the recovery from this shock. These are the results of a study led by Julian Scharbert and Prof. Dr. Mitja Back from the University of Münster, published in "Nature Communications".

Thomas Nikolaus, Professor of Theoretical Mathematics at the University of Münster, was elected as a new spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence "Mathematics Münster". He succeeds Prof. Christopher Deninger, who held the position jointly with Prof. Mario Ohlberger since the Cluster began its work in 2019. Mario Ohlberger continues in the position.

Women are underrepresented in science worldwide, especially in the forward-looking STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This is highlighted by the “International Day of Women and Girls in Science” on February 11th. The researchers Dr Katrin Junghans and Dr Annika Buchheit report on opportunities and challenges for female scientists and give helpful hints in scientific career planning.

One special form of freedom is academic freedom in the arts and sciences, as laid down in Article 5, Section 2 of Germany’s Basic Law. The first sentence states: “Arts and sciences, research and teaching are free.” In an interview, Dr. Markus Seidel explains this special freedom, which is enormously important for universities.

The first decisions have been made in the second round of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments to further strengthen top-level research at universities in Germany. The University of Münster is submitting two proposals for its two existing Clusters of Excellence "Mathematics Münster" and "Religion and Politics" to the German Research Foundation by August 22. A decision on funding will be made in May 2025.

The “Wissenschaftsjahr 2024” (Science Year 2024) is all about freedom. It might seem absurd to write about lack of freedom and try to find something positive in it. However, especially with regard to climate change, it seems appropriate to think about which individual freedoms should be compromised in order to achieve a greater goal.

The aim of the project is to develop, investigate and optimize novel cell designs, materials, electrode coatings and electrolytes for sulfur-based battery systems. These innovations promise to reduce the rapid aging of battery cells.

Prof Christian Weinheimer supports and motivates the young people in his team in their search for dark matter and the mass of neutrinos. His team is at the forefront of global research.

Handing back cultural artefacts which have a colonial provenance has long been an object of public debate. The historical anthropologist Dr. João Figueiredo from the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Legal Unity and Pluralism” and the legal historian Dr. Sebastian M. Spitra discuss the opportunity to contribute to a better understanding of the communities of origin and their pluralistic legal systems.

Becoming and passing away, passing on and innovation: evolution is life, and life is constant change - from the single-celled organism Luca 3.6 billion years ago to today, for example, in the face of new climatic challenges. Gradual changes in culture and society are also often referred to as evolution. In a six-month dossier, the Communications and Public Relations department is focussing on one of the most momentous scientific discoveries.

Growth and decay, passing things on and renewal: evolution is life, and life is constant. The word ‘evolution’ is also used to describe gradual changes in culture and society. To start the series off, four researchers from the University of Münster give their views here on the dazzling diversity of evolution and what research has discovered.