News

Even greener: University of Graz researchers improve the chemical industry

Durable bioplastics, rapidly available medicines or cosmetics without toxic waste materials: chemists have long relied on enzymes, i.e. proteins from nature, as biocatalysts for environmentally friendly production. Researchers from the University of Graz and the Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology, together with BASF, have now discovered how they can determine the ideal conditions for production to make it even more sustainable. The results have been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Invasion: American oak lace bug is spreading in Styria

They may be tiny, but there are many, many of them. Oak lace bugs imported from North America are currently flooding Styria by the billions. Some media have already reported on the explosive multiplication of the little creatures, which are only three millimetres in size. Gernot Kunz, an insect researcher at the University of Graz, has been observing and documenting their spread and the damage they cause to native oak trees for four years.

Arqus Teaching Excellence Award for Sabine Bergner

The teaching prize of the European University Alliance Arqus went this year to a psychologist from the University of Graz. Sabine Bergner was honored for her seminar "Psychological Principles of Negotiation, Persuasion and Influencing". The international award ceremony took place on July 3, 2024 as part of the Arqus annual conference at the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal.

Bacteria in chain mail: Lactobacilli protect themselves with a lattice of proteins

We know them from the advertising for yoghurts or other probiotic foods: lactobacilli. They play an important role in the gut, but also in the microbiome of mucous membranes in other regions of our body. Researchers at the University of Graz have now succeeded for the first time in elucidating the three-dimensional structure of the protein layer on the surface of lactobacilli. It protects the bacteria like chain mail against external attacks. This knowledge is valuable. It opens up new possibilities for the treatment of intestinal diseases and for better drug delivery systems. The new findings were published in the scientific journal PNAS.

On the 180th anniversary of Ludwig Boltzmann's birth: Physics building receives award

The physics building at Universitätsplatz 5 received a special distinction: it was included as number 75 in the "Historic Sites" of the European Physical Society. And this just in the 180th year of the birth of the University of Graz researcher Ludwig Boltzmann

Spatenstich für das „Graz Center of Physics“: Spitzenforschung wird sichtbarer

Am 4. Juni 2024 erfolgte in Anwesenheit von Bundesminister Martin Polaschek der Spatenstich für das neue Graz Center of Physics (GCP). Nach dem Abbruch der ehemaligen Vorklinik beginnt nun mit dem Aushub der Baugrube die nächste wichtige Phase für eines der größten Universitätsbauprojekte Österreichs. Der nachhaltige Neubau wird die Physik-Institute von Universität Graz und TU Graz ab dem Jahr 2030 an einem gemeinsamen Standort vereinen.

Research for healthy aging: FWF funds Cluster of Excellence "MetAGE" with 18 million euros

Six researchers from the Field of Excellence "BioHealth" at the University of Graz, together with colleagues from the Medical Universities of Graz and Vienna, have acquired an FWF-funded "Cluster of Excellence". Now a newly formed center of excellence will be created under the leadership of the University of Graz. The aim is to gain a better understanding of healthy aging. The findings will flow directly into clinical research.

Rising cost of living for insects: Energy demand increases with climate change

It sounds paradoxical: when the climate gets warmer, insects need more energy. Biologists at the University of Graz have demonstrated this using the example of paper wasps of the genus Polistes. Their mated queens spend the cold season in hidden winter quarters and live on the reserves built up in autumn. "A special metabolic characteristic of insects is that their energy requirements increase exponentially at rest as the outside temperature rises," says Anton Stabentheiner, lead author of the study, which was recently published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology B.

More news

Short but powerful: PhD students present their research in the 3 Minute Thesis Competition

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Amino acids stimulate protein partnership

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New photonic chip can generate and measure customised light fields for the first time

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Plankton and ice: How global warming is changing the supply of nutrients in the oceans

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Light micros and efficient e-cars: Doppler lab for novel sensors launches

They use shaped light to measure sound and microwaves to spy on the torque in the e-car. Alexander Bergmann and Peter Banzer are working on completely…

Nanoscience: Uni-Graz-researchers develop novel molecular motors that move with perfect uni-directionality along an atomically defined straight line

Researchers at the University of Graz have realized a groundbreaking experiment with a completely novel type of molecular motor which moves by itself…

University of Graz achieves breakthrough in the fight against hospital pathogens

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Krebs-Genen auf die Schliche gekommen: Pharmazeut:innen der Uni Graz erkennen relevante Mutationen

Bestimmte menschliche Erbanlagen haben unter anderem die Aufgabe, unkontrolliertes Zellwachstum zu stoppen. Bei vielen Krebspatient:innen ist diese…