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Fatal brake failuresTwo genes normally work together to suppress the development of colon cancer. Their combined loss favors tumorigenesis and stimulates the formation of metastases.
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Chemical carousel rotates in the cold
LMU chemists have developed the first molecular motor that can be powered by light alone. Its operation is therefore essentially independent of the temperature.
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The acid test – reproducibility
An international team of 186 researchers has analyzed the reproducibility of published studies in psychology: 50% of those (re)tested could not be reproduced. The new work enhances the understanding of the conditions of replicable research.
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Think better
A new study shows the mental effects of running and riding bicycle.
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Space travel alters the brain
LMU physicians have shown that widespread changes in the relative tissue volumes of the brains of cosmonauts who have spent long periods of time in the weightlessness of outer space can still be detected more than 6 months after their return to Earth.
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In touch with reality?
When faced with ambiguous information we apparently trust our fingertips more than our eyes. Philosophers at LMU are investigating the special status of touch.
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Staying a step ahead of the game
Trypanosoma brucei, which causes sleeping sickness, evades the immune system by repeatedly altering the structure of its surface coat. Sequencing of its genome and studies of its 3D genome architecture have now revealed crucial molecular aspects of th...
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Newspaper loses ground after online-only switch
One of the first British newspapers to go online-only finds its readership falling behind its competitors and time spent reading the brand down by more than 70%.
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All-in-one light-driven water splitting
Solar-powered water splitting is a promising means of generating clean and storable energy. A novel catalyst based on semiconductor nanoparticles has now been shown to facilitate all the reactions needed for “artificial photosynthesis”.
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Slip-sliding away …
The DNA in the cell nucleus is highly condensed, and genes must be rendered accessible before they can be activated. An LMU team has now described the action of a protein complex that serves as a yardstick to measure lengths of exposed DNA.
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Carbohydrate capture
LMU chemists have designed and synthesized a helical molecule that specifically recognizes and binds to a disaccharide consisting of two five-carbon sugar units.
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Getting even closer to the limit
In a pioneering study, an LMU team led by Ralf Jungmann has demonstrated that the use of chemically-modified DNA aptamers as protein markers allows one to enhance the power of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy as an imaging tool.
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Outwardly identical, yet distinct
All placozoans are superficially identical. But comparative genomic data reported by an LMU team reveals the presence of different genera. This is the first time that a new animal genus has been defined solely by genomics.
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Having the right name helps one to find housing
Discrimination against ethnic minorities on the housing market is declining - in Germany and other Western European countries and in the USA. But a new meta-study shows that applicants’ surnames still influence the selection of new tenants.
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Homing in on the hula twist
The hula twist is no longer an unproven postulate: LMU chemists have now directly shown that a light-sensitive molecule can perform this complex photoreaction. This has inter alia implications for the development of novel molecular machines.
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Wave fronts and ant trails
LMU physicists investigating spontaneous pattern formation in a model system that includes motile proteins have discovered hitherto unobserved phenomena. Their findings afford new insights into biological processes.
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When self-doubt misjudges achievement
Individuals who have a pervasive sense that their reputations are not justified by their achievements may suffer from impostor syndrome. In such a case, a new study shows, negative feedback can lead to a real deterioration in performance.
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Until the last cut
Ribosomes are the cell’s protein factories. LMU researchers have now structurally characterized late stages in the assembly of the human small ribosomal subunit, yielding detailed insights into their maturation principles.
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Stopped on time
For the first time, LMU researchers are pointing out the influence of the internal clock on atherosclerosis. Their study gives an important indication on how the therapeutic approach can be improved.
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Fragile partnerships
Symbioses between plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria can be ecologically advantageous for both parties. Surprisingly, many partnerships, including some involving the ancestors of several modern fruits such as strawberries, blackberries and apples, ha...
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Targeting tumor cell plasticity
Cell type switch helps colon cancer evade treatment, a study suggests.
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Global experiment confirms violation of Bell’s inequality
The results of the BIG Bell Test with the help of volunteers around the world were analyzed and are now published.
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Ethics of mobile health technologies
A BMBF-funded Research Group at LMU will carry out an interdisciplinary study to assess the risks posed and advantages offered by fitness apps and other developing mobile digital technologies in the fields of health, prevention and disease management.
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Lighting up DNA-based nanostructures
LMU biophysicists have used a new variant of super-resolution microscopy to visualize all the strands of a DNA-based nanostructure for the first time. The method promises to optimize the design of such structures for specific applications.
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Deadly droplets
LMU researchers have characterized the mechanism that initiates the pathological aggregation of the protein FUS, which plays a central role in two distinct neurodegenerative diseases.
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Optical “overtones” for solar cells
NIM scientists from LMU Munich have found a new effect regarding the optical excitation of charge carriers in a solar semiconductor. It could facilitate the utilization of infrared light, which is normally lost in solar devices.
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Making patterns robust
Correct protein localization is crucial for many fundamental cellular processes. LMU physicists have now asked how to confer robustness against variations in protein concentrations on pattern formation mechanisms.
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The art of unpacking
DNA is tightly packed into the nucleus of a cell. Nevertheless, the cellular machinery needs to constantly access the genomic information. An LMU team now reveals the inner workings of a molecular motor made of proteins which packs and unpacks DNA.
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Three further awards for LMU faculty
In the latest call for proposals, the European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Advanced Grants to researchers at LMU.
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DNA mimic outwits viral enzyme
Not only can synthetic molecules mimic the structures of their biological models, they can also take on their functions and may even successfully compete with them, as an artificial DNA sequence designed by LMU chemist Ivan Huc now shows.
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Bacterial adhesion in vitro and in silico
LMU researchers have characterized the physical mechanism that enables a widespread bacterial pathogen to adhere to the tissues of its human host.
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The startling diversity of Buša cattle
In a study of the genetic structure and population dynamics of a unique breed of cattle that is indigenous to Southeastern Europe, LMU researchers have discovered a remarkable degree of genetic variation.
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Insights into early urban life
Adelheid Otto‘s research focuses on the development of urban civilization in ancient Mesopotamia. She is now excavating on the site of Ur, one of the world’s first cities. The finds yield fascinating insights into urban life 4000 years ago.
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Adaptive radiations in the Mesozoic
Bony fishes are the most diverse of all extant vertebrate groups. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the group now provides new insights into its 250-million-year evolutionary history.
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Where did that noise come from?
Humans can estimate distances to sound sources better when they move and exploit auditory motion parallax
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32 hits
Researchers have analyzed genetic data from half a million subjects in a search to identify the underlying causes of stroke, a complex vascular disease. Scientists at LMU led the the huge collaborative Project.
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Choosing the right word
A new study reveals the impact of the associative meaning of a single word on how readers subsequently view and refer to suicide.
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Never mind the wrapping
When male nursery-web spiders go a-courting, they always bring a gift wrapped in silk with them. A new study shows that the attractiveness of the present plays a larger role in determining mating success than previously thought.
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Helping the heart to cope with stress
A new Junior Research Group at the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention will focus on metabolic adaption of heart muscle cells to find new therapies for combating heart disease.
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Pots, people and knowledge transfer
In the Late Neolithic, a new style of pottery appears among the grave goods buried with the dead in many parts of Europe. A new genetic study shows that, with one exception, its dissemination was not accompanied by large-scale migration.
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Sponges can economize on oxygen use
Sponges lack a signaling pathway that responds to low intracellular oxygen levels in more complex animals. Do they use a different mechanism for this purpose or did their earliest ancestors evolve at a time when less oxygen was available?
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Progenitors of the living world
RNA was probably the first informational molecule. Now LMU chemists have demonstrated that alternation of wet and dry conditions could have sufficed to drive the prebiotic synthesis of the RNA nucleosides found in all domains of life.
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Finding form by folding
Ribosomes are the organelles responsible for protein synthesis in cells. LMU researchers have now dissected early steps in their assembly and visualized how their RNA components fold correctly and find their places in the growing structure.
