News
Without other animals, humans are “not quite complete”
Essay by Dr. Kurt Kotrschal, Austrian biologist, behavioral scientist and author:
There are 16.7 million cats, 10.3 million dogs, and 4.6 million smaller animals across approximately 15 million German households, most of which are kept for social reasons. Even the roughly 1.3 million horses are…
In conversation with Virág Major-Kremer
The cultural manager looks after four bee colonies at the Zentrum für Mikrosysteme und Materialien (ZMM):
Four honeybee colonies live on top of four bright yellow high seats in the garden of the Zentrum für Mikrosysteme und Materialien (ZMM). Put there as part of the art project “smart systems” in 2013, they are a perfect…
The fly counter
Sami Domisch researches semi-aquatic insects:
Considering the mayfly’s lifespan, it is not surprising that it is sometimes referred to as the dayfly. If it is lucky, it might get more than one, maybe three or four days of flying through the sun and wind before it…
Non-stick surface – Inspired by the curling iron of spiders
Adhesion forces can be significantly reduced on surfaces that are provided with special nanostructures:
Why don’t spiders stick to their threads? This question was the starting point of an international research project and Jörn Bonse and Karin Schwibbert belonged to the team addressing it. Both are researchers at…
The Great Elk Trek
Researchers at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin were able to show that Central Europe offers an astonishing amount of living space for elk and European bison:
They can be up to two metres tall, they have a soft spot for twigs, buds, and water plants, and they have a serious case of wanderlust. Meeting an elk is probably something only people travelling to Scandinavia would…
On safari at home
The City Nature Rangers know all about what’s crawling and buzzing in Adlershof:
Rangers are known as the guardians of certain landscape areas, mostly large national parks, but not of cities. However, the latter is populated by more than a few animals as well. In 2019, the Senate Department for…
Eat fungi, not animals
Nosh.bio uses filamentous fungi to produce raw materials for the food industry:
Nosh.bio uses filamentous fungi to produce raw materials for the food industry. This can help save many animal-based materials – without making sacrifices in taste or consistency. A low-meat or even meat-free diet is…
BESSY II back in operation after cyber attack on Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB, national metrology center) can use its experimental stations again:
Since Monday 3 July 2023 BESSY II light source produces brilliant light for research again. It was shut down as a precaution after a hacker attack on the IT systems at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) mid-June. The…
Winged visitors
A project involving chickens is winning over children, parents and teachers at the “Am Studio” nursery:
“The group consists of four chickens, the head of which is called ICE-Fressnapf,” says Ulrike Becker, who runs the nursery. Always the first to run to the food, the top chicken was collectively and democratically…
From the lab book of nature
The Adlershof start-up Alganize uses microalgae against soil erosion:
“In 2018, I was part of a project in India. That’s where I realised the true extent of soil erosion,” says Nils Brüggemann. “The livelihoods of many farmers had been destroyed, and the suicide rate among those…
Adlershof Journal July/August 2023
Wild society: what we can learn from animals:
The fly counter: Sami Domisch documents the distribution of maturing insects in the water // Safari on the doorstep: The city nature rangers know how much Adlershof is buzzing and scurrying // Winged visitors: A…
17 articulated buses with electric drive for Berlin
E-MetroBus project presents results:
In the E-MetroBus project, the partner organizations Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), TU Berlin and Reiner Lemoine Institute, have integrated seventeen articulated buses with battery-electric drive into their fleet.…
Jenoptik opens new medical technology site in Berlin
Completion of the production facilities on “Groß-Berliner Damm” for more than 100 employees:
Together with the employees of the Berlin sites in Germany and guests, the photonics group Jenoptik today officially celebrated the completion of its new site on “Gross-Berliner Damm” in Berlin. In the new production…
HZB and University of Jena establish Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications
New institute HIPOLE to provide significant impetus in the field of energy materials:
Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (Helmholtz Centre for Materials and Energy, HZB) will jointly establish the "Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications" (HIPOLE) on 1…
BESSY User Meeting in Adlershof
Despite a cyber attack on the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, the meeting will take place as scheduled:
On 15.06.2023, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) became the target of a cyber attack. All IT systems were shut down for protection. The research centre cannot be reached via the website, email or telephone at the…
DLR, JAXA and CNES signed a trilateral agreement on cooperation for the MMX mission
As part of the MMX mission, the German-French rover IDEFIX will land on the Martian moon Phobos:
The origin of the martian moons Phobos and Deimos is still an unsolved mystery in planetary research. Both moons will be the targets of the Japanese Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. A German-French rover will…
Higher PFAS burden in German rivers than previously assumed
BAM researchers analysed 200 suspended particulate matter samples from several years for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of several thousand individual compounds. PFAS include all compounds that have at least one perfluorinated methyl (-CF3) or methylene group (-CF2-). Because of…
A new dynamic probe of electric forces between molecules
Scientists from MBI and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich investigated the optical absorption of dye molecules:
Molecules in water and other polar media are subject to strong electric forces. Such forces originate from their liquid environment, which at ambient temperature undergoes ultrafast structural fluctuations. A new…
gfai tech at Automotive Testing 2023
The Adlershof-based software company presents innovative Acoustic Cameras and video vibration analysis software WaveCam:
At the leading international expo for automotive testing, gfai tech will showcase her innovative Acoustic Cameras and video vibration analysis software WaveCam. Both tools contribute to deliver superior vehicles that…
Dispersions of Polypropylene for Nanoplastics Research
BAM prepares new reference materials for a more realistic risk assessment of nanoplastic particles :
After World War II, the production of plastic products and packaging has been increasing. As we use and dispose of this plastic, more and more of it ends up in our environment. The plastic decomposes and microplastics…