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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.

A correct representation of turbulence in the atmosphere is crucial for accurate weather forecasts and climate projections. However, the theory behind this is not only very old, but also not very representative, since it only applies to flat terrain. Innsbruck meteorologist Ivana Stiperski has now extended the theory on turbulence that has been in use since the 1950s.

A team of scientists from Austria and France has discovered a new abiotic pathway for the formation of peptide chains from amino acids - an important chemical step in the origin of life. The current study provides strong evidence that this crucial step for the emergence of life can indeed take place even in the very inhospitable conditions of space.

A new genus of fungi and a previously unknown species of fungi have been named by Innsbruck mycologists after their place of discovery, Tyrol. Ursula Peintner and Martin Kirchmair from the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Innsbruck have named their new discoveries "Tyroliella" and "Penicillium tirolense".

Hostility due to heat: Effects caused by the climate crisis, such as higher temperatures and more nitrogen in the soil, lead to greater aggressiveness among ant colonies. This was shown by a team of researchers led by the Innsbruck ecologists Patrick Krapf, Birgit C. Schlick-Steiner and Florian M. Steiner of the Molecular Ecology Research Group using the example of the widespread ant Tetramorium alpestre at eight high alpine sites in Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland .

The quantum nature of objects visible to the naked eye is currently a much-discussed research question. A team led by Innsbruck physicist Gerhard Kirchmair has now demonstrated a new method in the laboratory that could make the quantum properties of macroscopic objects more accessible than before. With the method, the researchers were able to increase the efficiency of an established cooling method by a factor of 10.

Long-term measurements in the urban area of Innsbruck, Austria, show that the fraction of ozone near the surface tends to be overestimated in atmospheric models. Consequently, a fundamental assumption for air quality forecasting has to be reinterpreted for urban areas. Measurements by an international team led by atmospheric scientist Thomas Karl of the University of Innsbruck also show that direct nitrogen dioxide emissions are overestimated.

A team of geologists from the University of Innsbruck examined the sediments of Carinthian lakes for traces of past earthquakes. The results show that the earthquake of 1348 caused the strongest shaking in the Carinthian region since the end of the last cold period. Earthquakes with potential building damage are rare there, but can occur in temporal clusters .

Scientists have discovered for the first time a bacterium in Lake Gossenköllesee in Tyrol that uses two different mechanisms to obtain energy from light. This could be an adaptation to the very pronounced change of seasons in the Alps. The change of seasons is clearly noticeable in the Alps. Moderate temperatures with a high exposure to light in summer give way to months with great cold and only little sunlight in winter.

Researchers at the University of Innsbruck investigated the effect of nuclear magnetic resonance on cryptochrome, an important protein of the "internal clock". To their surprise, the results of the experiments could only be explained by quantum mechanical principles - and could enable completely new therapeutic approaches.

The computing power of quantum computers is currently still very low. Increasing it is currently still proving to be a major challenge. Physicists at the University of Innsbruck now present a new architecture for a universal quantum computer that overcomes such limitations and could be the basis for building the next generation of quantum computers in the near future.

A newly developed test detects early precancerous changes in the cervix. This procedure works better than currently available methods and detects the changes years before cancer develops. The test was developed under the direction of Martin Widschwendter, Professor of Cancer Prevention and Screening at the University of Innsbruck.

More than 5% of all Austrians suffer from depression. However, little is known about the biological basis of this disease. In a new study, scientists led by Alexander Karabatsiakis from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Innsbruck have now observed a strong correlation between the severity of depression and the level of the stress hormone cortisol in hair.

An international team of researchers with the participation of Innsbruck geologist Christoph Spötl was able to reconstruct the monsoon of the last millennium in northeastern India in detail for the first time using dripstones. The region with the highest precipitation on earth today once suffered several megadroughts with massive famines.

Eight ice caves in four Austrian provinces: In a study, a team of geologists from the University of Innsbruck has for the first time comprehensively documented the ice losses and gains in alpine ice caves over the last 2000 years. Geologist Tanguy Racine from the University of Innsbruck warns: Especially the ice of smaller caves threatens to disappear in the near future and with it a valuable climate archive.

Through technical progress, it is now possible to store an almost unlimited amount of information and data. We all make active use of this. In a study published in the journal PNAS, economists and psychologists from the University of Innsbruck and Carnegie Mellon University (USA) show that we are just as attached to information as we are to physical objects.

Michael Traugott and the spin-off company Sinsoma GmbH, together with the Departments of Zoology and Microbiology at the University of Innsbruck, are developing a new PCR system for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This new PCR method works with different analytical materials that are easier to obtain and allow high-throughput testing.

Today, most quantum experiments are carried out with the help of light, including those in nanomechanics, where tiny objects are cooled with electromagnetic waves to such an extent that they reveal quantum properties. Now, a team of physicists led by Oriol Romero-Isart at the University of Innsbruck and the Austrian Academy of Sciences is proposing to cool microparticles with sound waves instead.

For the first time, a team led by Innsbruck physicist Ben Lanyon has sent a light particle entangled with matter over 50 km of optical fiber. This paves the way for the practical use of quantum networks and sets a milestone for a future quantum internet. The quantum internet promises absolutely tap-proof communication and powerful distributed sensor networks for new science and technology.

Physicists at the University of Innsbruck are proposing a new model that could demonstrate the supremacy of quantum computers over classical supercomputers in solving optimization problems. In a recent paper, they demonstrate that just a few quantum particles would be sufficient to solve the mathematically difficult N-queens problem in chess even for large chess boards.