Neanderthal innovation: birch pitch against Staphylococcus aureus
Neanderthals may have used birch pitch not only as glue for tools, but also for medicinal purposes. This is suggested by a new experimental study that investigated the antibacterial potential of the material obtained from birch bark. Researchers from the Universities...
Three million euros for AI “final exam” in medical imaging
The Carl Zeiss Foundation is funding a new project that aims to specifically align artificial intelligence with the most urgent clinical challenges in imaging diagnostics. Researchers led by Lena Maier-Hein from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the...
New large-scale biobank warehouse in Heidelberg
On March 17, 2026, the new large-scale sample storage facility of the Heidelberg Cell and Liquid Biobank (CLB) was inaugurated on the Heidelberg Medical Campus. The state-of-the-art facility can store more than five million patient samples automatically and under the...
Hugo Geiger Prize for rapid bacterial analysis using scattered light
Dr. Anne-Sophie Munser from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena has been awarded third place in the Hugo Geiger Prize. The scientist received the award for the development of a highly sensitive scattered light measurement...
Billing fraud in the healthcare sector continues to rise – AOK NordWest recovers 7.5 million euros
Billing fraud in the healthcare sector continues to increase. This is the result of the 2024/2025 activity report of AOK NordWest, which was presented to the Board of Directors. The fund's seven-member investigation team is currently processing 1,670 cases in...
People with Down syndrome have over 90 percent risk of Alzheimer’s disease
People with Down syndrome (trisomy 21) have an Alzheimer's risk of over 90 percent. On the occasion of World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March, the Alzheimer Research Initiative e.V. (AFI) draws attention to the close genetic connection and the special challenges in...
One in three women of reproductive age affected by fertility barriers
About one in three women of reproductive age in Germany experiences biological fertility barriers such as infertility or pregnancy loss. This is shown by a recent study by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), which examined reproductive experiences...
Düsseldorf: State Rectors’ Conference of North Rhine-Westphalia criticizes detailed control in the Higher Education Strengthening Act
The State Rectors' Conference of the Universities in North Rhine-Westphalia (LRK-NRW) has sharply criticized parts of the planned Higher Education Strengthening Act. At a hearing in the science committee of the state parliament, deputy chairman Ulrich Rüdiger, rector...
Inhaled Treprostinil Slows Down Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Improves Quality of Life
In an international study, researchers at the LMU Munich Hospital have shown for the first time that the inhaled drug treprostinil can significantly slow down the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and improve the quality of life of those affected. The...
Inside Analytica: Fraunhofer IPMS Launches “SMut” Project for Innovative Measurement System for Thin-Film Characterization
The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS, together with its partners Credoxys GmbH and SweepMe! GmbH launched the publicly funded project "SMut". The aim is to develop a novel measurement system for the precise characterization of organic thin-film...
