Signs of life: Coronavirus - Why mortality varies so much

The grandparents also live in the house and childcare is provided: What was long considered an ideal model for many families is dangerous during the Corona crisis: The two economists Prof. Dr. Moritz Kuhn and Prof. Dr. Christian Bayer from the University of Bonn have compared the role of social structures with mortality rates in COVID-19 infections across different countries. Result: The more working people live with their parents, the higher the proportion of Corona deaths at the beginning of the epidemic.

Signs of life: COVID-19 impacts on food trade – Is global food security at risk?

What are the effects of fighting the coronavirus on the global food supply? Dr. Lukas Kornher and Dr. Tekalign G. Sakketa from the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn have given thought to this question.

Signs of life: "We need a metaphysical pandemic"

With the call for a metaphysical pandemic, a gathering of the peoples, the philosophy professor Markus Gabriel from the home office speaks up. Read in our new series " Signs of life – Keeping up the conversation!" what the well-known Bonn scholar, thinker and author has to say in the face of the spread of the coronavirus.

Too much salt weakens the immune system

A high-salt diet is not only bad for one's blood pressure, but also for the immune system. This is the conclusion of a current study under the leadership of the University Hospital Bonn. Mice fed a high-salt diet were found to suffer from much more severe bacterial infections. Human volunteers who consumed an additional six grams of salt per day also showed pronounced immune deficiencies. This amount corresponds to the salt content of two fast food meals. The results are published in the journal "Science Translational Medicine".

Cellular protein shredders for the fight against cancer

An international team of researchers led by the Universities of Bonn and Ulm has investigated how a cell’s own "protein shredder" can be specifically programmed to fight cancer. The researchers were able to demonstrate the degradation of proteins that are overly active in breast cancer, for example. The results are published in the renowned journal "Chemical Science".

Antibodies in the brain trigger epilepsy

Certain forms of epilepsy are accompanied by inflammation of important brain regions. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now identified a mechanism that explains this link. Their results may also pave the way to new therapeutic options in the medium term. They have now been published in the renowned scientific journal "Annals of Neurology".

Antibiotic intercepts building blocks of the bacterial envelope

One of the last arrows in the quiver in the fight against dangerous bacteria is the reserve antibiotic daptomycin. It is used primarily when conventional drugs fail due to resistant bacteria. Although the antibiotic was developed around 30 years ago, its exact mode of action was previously unclear. Scientists at the University of Bonn have now deciphered the puzzle: Daptomycin blocks the integration of important building blocks into the cell wall of the pathogens, thereby killing the bacteria. The results have now been published in the journal "Nature Communications".

Fire at University building in Wegelerstraße

A fire alarm went off this morning in Wegelerstraße, Campus Bonn-Poppelsdorf. Next to the University building, which houses, among other things, the University IT, an external cooling unit was on fire.

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