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The boundary between forward and backward blurs in quantum mechanics A team of physicists at the Universities of Vienna, Bristol, the Balearic Islands and the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI-Vienna) has shown how quantum systems can simultaneously evolve along two opposite time arrows (forward and backward in time).
Study led by TU Graz shows that apple trees inherit their microbiome to the same extent as their genes. The results lay the foundation for new breeding strategies for healthy and climate-robust fruit and vegetables. Agriculture is facing enormous challenges worldwide due to global changes caused by human activities.
With the method co-developed by TU Graz, virus movements in indoor spaces can be simulated easily and cost-effectively. The method helps to implement measures in rooms that significantly reduce the risk of transmission via the air. Further image material for download can be found at the end of the text How far apart must people sit from each other to prevent transmission of the coronavirus via the air?
Evolution led to similarities in the melodies of animal vocalizations and human languages When listening closely, the melodies of human languages and animal vocalizations are very similar. However, it is not yet fully resolved if similar patterns in languages and animal vocalizations also have similar meanings.
TU Graz, JOANNEUM RESEARCH, AVL and Fraunhofer Austria have developed a method to validate test drives through highly realistic driving simulation studies and to substantially simplify the approval process for automated driving systems. Further images for download at the end of the text Driving simulator tests are popular - for understandable reasons: any scenario can be simulated at the touch of a button.
Distinct ecological niches: Tropical species profoundly alter ecosystem functioning in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea - with unknown consequences. Assemblages of tropical non-indigenous species in the Eastern Mediterranean have biological traits that markedly differ from those of native biological communities.
Extraordinary shape makes births more difficult, but guarantees stability The relatively narrow human birth canal presumably evolved as a "compromise" between its abilities for parturition, support of the inner organs, and upright walking. But not only the size of the birth canal, also its complex, "twisted" shape is an evolutionary puzzle.
Bacteria rapidly modify mobile parts of their genome to develop resistance to viruses Bacterial viruses, so-called phages, destroy bacteria. Bacteria are constantly exposed to viral attacks. A research team led by Martin Polz, a microbiologist at the University of Vienna, has now studied how bacteria defend themselves against viral predators.
Photoinitiators ensure that liquid plastic - for example for dental fillings - hardens quickly by means of light. Thanks to a new synthesis method developed by TU Graz, these initiators can be produced cheaply, something which will open up further doors for the technology. Anyone who has ever been in the dentist's chair with a hole in their tooth is probably familiar with the procedure.
Chemists demonstrate new approach to self-assembly of colloidal nanoparticles Sometimes even small forces can make comparatively big things happen: In a study in "Angewandte Chemie", scientists from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna showed how short peptides can trigger the self-assembly of comparatively large nanoparticles into new structures on the micrometre scale.
The new Christian Doppler Laboratory for Measurement Systems for Harsh Operating Conditions at TU Graz is conducting research into suitable measurement techniques that can deliver precise results in tough operating and environmental conditions. Although measurement technology has come a long way, established approaches often come up against their limits in difficult operating and environmental conditions, ultimately delivering inaccurate results or even none at all.
Study shows that microplastics do not contribute to the mobility of organic pollutants in agricultural soils In agriculture, large quantities of nanoand microplastics end up in the soil through compost, sewage sludge and the use of mulching foils. The plastic particles always carry various pollutants with them.
Researchers discover biomarkers that indicate early brain injury in extreme premature infants Extremely premature infants are at a high risk for brain damage. Researchers at the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have now found possible targets for the early treatment of such damage outside the brain: Bacteria in the gut of premature infants may play a key role.
Quantum computers become ever more powerful, but how can we be sure that the answers they return are accurate? A team of physicists from Vienna, Innsbruck, Oxford, and Singapore solves this problem by letting quantum computers check each other. Quantum computers are advancing at a rapid pace and are already starting to push the limits of the world's largest supercomputers.
Nearby star-forming region yields clues to the formation of our solar system A region of active star formation in the constellation Ophiuchus gives astronomers new insights into the conditions in which our solar system was born, showing how it may have become enriched with short-lived radioactive elements.
Researchers at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Physics in collaboration with colleagues from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA have uncovered a non-destructive mechanism to manipulate donor impurities within silicon using focused electron irradiation. In this novel indirect exchange process not one but two neighbouring silicon atoms are involved in a coordinated atomic "waltz", which may open a path for the fabrication of solid-state qubits.
Three dimensional (3D) nano-network promise a new era in modern solid state physics with numerous applications in photonics, bio-medicine, and spintronics. The realization of 3D magnetic nano-architectures could enable ultra-fast and low-energy data storage devices. Due to competing magnetic interactions in these systems magnetic charges or magnetic monopoles can emerge, which can be utilized as mobile, binary information carriers.
Three-dimensional (3D) configurations of atoms dictate all materials properties. Quantitative predictions of accurate equilibrium structures, 3D coordinates of all atoms, from a chemical graph, a representation of the structural formula, is a challenging and computationally expensive task which is at the beginning of practically every computational chemistry workflow.
What constitutes good relationship quality in times of crisis Relationships are crucial for our health and well-being. But which factors help to sustain a satisfying relationship, and can we predict which relationships make it through a crisis? An international team led by Stephanie Eder of the University of Vienna set out to investigate these questions during a time when 'hard lockdowns' were introduced throughout Europe.
Agriculture is the main source for the majority of the input of reactive N to terrestrial systems; large amounts of fertilizer N are lost from the root zone as nitrate through leaching and denitrification. Avoiding the combination of high external inputs with low resource use efficiency remains a major concern for the sustainability of N in agroecosystems.
News from the Lab is a selection of science news that are significant or interesting for a broad readership.
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