news 2023

Quantum physicists at the University of Innsbruck, together with colleagues at the ETH Lausanne, have found a new way to generate a crystalline structure that emerges as a "coherent matter density wave" in an atomic gas. The findings help to better understand the fascinating behavior of quantum matter near absolute zero.

A study from the University of Vienna shows a positive effect of vaccination even in patients requiring oxygen. Previous studies have shown that the mortality rate of Corona patients hospitalized and requiring oxygen therapy is similar no matter if they are vaccinated or unvaccinated.

A quarter of a century ago, theoretical physicists at the University of Innsbruck made the first proposal on how to transmit quantum information via quantum repeaters over long distances which would open the door to the construction of a worldwide quantum information network. Now, a new generation of Innsbruck researchers has built a quantum repeater node for the standard wavelength of telecommunication networks and transmitted quantum information over tens of kilometers.

The course of the chronic inflammatory nerve disease multiple sclerosis can vary greatly. Individualized therapies for MS sufferers require early and precise prediction of future disease activity. This is made possible by the combination of different biomarkers, as shown in a study by neuroimmunologist Harald Hegen at the University Clinic for Neurology.

Ants- brains are amazingly sophisticated organs that enable them to coordinate complex behaviour patterns such as the organisation of colonies. Now, a group of researchers led by Christian Gruber of MedUni Vienna's Institute of Pharmacology have developed a method that allows them to study ants- brain chemistry and gain insights into the insects- neurobiological processes.

New techniques can answer questions that were previously inaccessible experimentally - including questions about the relationship between quantum mechanics and relativity. The theory of relativity works well when you want to explain cosmic-scale phenomena - such as the gravitational waves created when black holes collide.

A recent study involving MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has identified a significant advance in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The results of the randomised Phase III CLL13 (GAIA) study show that a time-limited and targeted therapy with venetoclax and obinutuzumab is more effective than chemoimmunotherapy in patients without comorbidities.

By ÖAW A sensor developed for JUICE in Graz delivers a first quantum interference signal about a month after the launch towards Jupiter, thus achieving an important mission milestone. The European Space Agency's JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft has achieved another milestone. It started its eight-year journey to the Jupiter system on 14 April 2023 to explore the largest planet in our solar system and its icy moons - Ganymede, Callisto and Europa - which may offer the essential requisites for life.

Mapping gene linkages provides clear-cut evidence for comb jellies as sibling group to all other animals A study published by University of Vienna and MBARI researchers and their collaborators today in Nature provides new insights about one of the earliest points in animal evolution that happened more than 700 million years ago.

Analysis using X-ray computed tomography and 3D reconstructions An international research team led by Faviel A. López-Romero of the University of Vienna investigated how the jaw shape of sharks has changed over the course of evolution.

Tests for gestational diabetes are currently routinely offered in the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy according to the specifications of the mother-child passport examinations, so that therapy can only be initiated then if necessary. An international study with the participation of the Medical University of Vienna has now shown for the first time that treatment of gestational diabetes at an even earlier stage of pregnancy offers additional protection for babies and mothers against complications.

Tiny tips on cantilevers are used to scan a surface in an atomic force microscope. A new invention from TU Wien now provides a simpler way to measure the result. The basic principle of the atomic force microscope is very simple: an extremely thin, movable tip on a cantilever is moved over a surface that is being examined.

Study to investigate swearing and bilingualism in South Africa A study by the University of Vienna, in collaboration with researchers from South Africa and the United Kingdom, is investigating the different emotional responses bilingual people have towards swear words in their different languages. The study will focus on English-Afrikaans bilingualism, examining the perceptions of swear words and swearing behaviors of English-Afrikaans bilinguals in South Africa.

Brain tumours are among the most common malignant diseases in children and make up the most frequent cause of cancer-related death in this age group due to their often highly aggressive progression. In their search for better treatment options, the research team headed by Johannes Gojo from MedUni Vienna's Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine has now succeeded in establishing two promising new methods that will make it much easier to diagnose, choose a therapy and monitor the response to treatment in future.

An artificial intelligence developed at TU Wien (Vienna) can suggest appropriate treatment steps in cases of blood poisoning. The computer has already surpassed humans in this respect. In the future, artificial intelligence will play an important role in medicine. In diagnostics, successful tests have already been performed: for example, the computer can learn to categorise images with great accuracy according to whether they show pathological changes or not.

Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common symptomatic primary immunodeficiency in humans. Patients suffer from recurrent infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract but many of them also develop more severe symptoms such as granulomas, lymphomas and autoimmune diseases. An international team of researchers led by MedUni Vienna has now discovered why some CVID patients develop an autoimmune disease and others do not.

Until the mid-1990s, epidemiological studies showed that, on average, male lung cancer patients in Austria died earlier than female patients. A recently published analysis by MedUni Vienna shows that the tide has turned: While the average age at death for men is continuously increasing, there has been no statistically significant improvement for women in recent decades.

In quantum research, tailor-made electromagnetic fields are needed to precisely control particles. The TU Vienna has shown that machine learning is an excellent tool for this purpose . Tiny particles can be manipulated with electromagnetic fields: You can capture them, hold them, or move them to a specific location.

By Barbara Gigler The smart skin developed by Anna Coclite has many potential applications. With an ERC Proof of Concept Grant, the researcher is exploring its practical applications. Just a few months ago, Anna Maria Coclite and her team from the Institute of Solid State Physics at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) presented the results of their research as part of Coclite's ERC Starting Grant project "SmartCore" .

Exact solutions are often impossible in materials physics. In an international research cooperation involving TU Wien and Saitama University in Japan a technique has now been developed to make unsolvable quantum calculations solvable on certain scales. In physics, one often has to deal with different scales that can be described separately from one another: For the earth's orbit around the sun, it makes absolutely no difference whether an elephant in the zoo walks to the left or to the right.