Our ability to see starts with the light-sensitive photoreceptor cells in our eyes. A specific region of the retina, termed fovea, is responsible for sharp vision. Here, the color-sensitive cone photoreceptors allow us to detect even the smallest details. The density of these cells varies from person to person. Additionally, when we fixate on an object, our eyes make subtle, continuous movements, which also differ between individuals. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now investigated how sharp vision is linked to these tiny eye movements and the mosaic of cones. Using high-resolution imaging and micro-psychophysics, they demonstrated that eye movements are finely tuned to provide optimal sampling by the cones. The results of the study have now been published in the journal "eLife".
Researchers from the University of Bonn have trained an AI process to predict potential active ingredients with special properties. Therefore, they derived a chemical language model – a kind of ChatGPT for molecules. Following a training phase, the AI was able to exactly reproduce the chemical structures of compounds with known dual-target activity that may be particularly effective medications. The study has now been published in Cell Reports Physical Science.
The University of Bonn is once again welcoming a top-notch reinforcement in the shape of mathematician Professor László Végh. He has been appointed to a Hertz Chair, which connects up different disciplines at the University of Excellence in a unique way. Professor Végh will be based in the Transdisciplinary Research Area “Modelling”, where he will help to strengthen the links between different departments in the fields of algorithms and optimization problems in particular.
The University of Bonn has formally opened P26, its House of Knowledge and Research, in the heart of the city center. Short for “Poststraße 26,” it is a place where research, teaching and the general public can now come together. In the future, the rented building—a former department store—will house two University museums, the Global Heritage Lab and the University’s Infopunkt information desk. P26 will open its doors to the public on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.
As is tradition, the University of Bonn opened its 2024/2025 academic year on October 18, the date of the institution’s founding. The joy at everything that the University of Excellence and its members had achieved was tempered by a contemplative mood due in particular to the many conflicts currently affecting the world—conflicts whose impact can also be felt here in Bonn.
What has been known up until now as the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Bonn is being renamed the Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional, and Engineering Sciences with immediate effect. The faculty is taking this step in order to better reflect the specialist fields that it covers by giving equal weight to the nutritional and engineering sciences alongside the agricultural sciences.
During this year's International Days, six talented young academics who have demonstrated their exceptional academic ability with their theses were honoured with the traditional state prizes in a festive setting. In addition, one young scientist was honoured with the DAAD Prize for his outstanding social engagement. Professor Paul Geyer also received the Ordre des Palmes Académiques – one of the French government's highest educational awards.
With five action areas, several dozen objectives and measures, and well over 250 people involved in its creation, the new Strategy Paper on Sustainability is set to embed the issue even more firmly across the University of Bonn. Representatives from all status groups put it together in a collaborative process and will continue to adapt it in line with changing requirements going forward.