News — University of Bonn

Record attendance at the Unifest

Almost 2,000 graduates celebrated the successful completion of their studies at what is probably the largest central graduation ceremony at a German university. Families, friends and lecturers joined in the celebrations - over 5,000 guests in total. The tradition has existed for almost two decades, and currently one record attendance follows the next.

UNOOSA and University of Bonn renew partnership

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the University of Bonn have renewed their partnership, reinforcing their commitment to leveraging space technology in response to growing threats from natural and human-made disasters. This five-year agreement, signed today in Vienna, extends the "Spaceborne Earth Observation Applications for Emergency Response and Disaster Risk Reduction" (SPEAR) project, focusing on African nations.

University of Bonn at GAIN24 in San Francisco

The University of Bonn was represented by some high-level figures at this year’s GAIN Conference in San Francisco. Rector Professor Michael Hoch and Vice Rector Professor Birgit Ulrike Münch attended the congress of the German Academic International Network (GAIN) between August 23 and 25. The conference is the largest networking event for international academic careers in Germany.

Environmental policy in Brazil leads to less violence

In December 2007, the then Brazilian government passed a law to curb the illegal destruction of the rainforest. A study by researchers from the Insper Research Institute in São Paulo and the University of Bonn now shows an interesting side effect: where the measures were implemented, not only did deforestation decrease, but so did the number of homicides. The results have now been published in the Journal of Institutional Economics.

Strength Training Activates Cellular Waste Disposal

The elimination of damaged cell components is essential for the maintenance of the body’s tissues and organs. An international research team led by the University of Bonn has made significant findings on mechanisms for the clearing of cellular wastes, showing that strength training activates such mechanisms. The findings could form the basis for new therapies for heart failure and nerve diseases, and even afford benefits for manned space missions. A corresponding article has been published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology.

Gene scissors switch off with built-in timer

CRISPR gene scissors, as new tools of molecular biology, have their origin in an ancient bacterial immune system. But once a virus attack has been successfully overcome, the cell has to recover. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in cooperation with researchers from the Institut Pasteur in France, have discovered a timer integrated into the gene scissors that enables the gene scissors to switch themselves off. The results of the study have been published in the renowned journal "Nucleic Acids Research".

Greenland science expedition aims to unveil critical climate insights

The British polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough set sail for its first scientific expedition to the Arctic on July 19, with doctoral student Katrin Wagner on board from the University of Bonn Institute of Geosciences. Along with an international team of researchers associated with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Wagner will be working in southeast Greenland to study the region’s rapidly melting ice sheet—a phenomenon that is impacting the oceans and the global climate. During the expedition she is reporting on her experiences on board the ship, taking questions from interested members of the public. To send in a question, write to wissenschaftskommunikation@uni-bonn.de.