news 2024

A study currently published in the top journal The Lancet Public Health looks at suicide prevention from the point of view of transmission, the transferability of suicidal thoughts and actions, but also of hope and coping strategies. Schools are an important setting for this transmission in children and young people.

Atomic clocks have been used for decades - but now, even greater precision has become possible: TU Wien (Vienna) and JILA/NIST are presenting the world's first nuclear clock. For many years, scientists all'around the world have been working towards this goal, now suddenly things are happening very fast: it was only in April that a team led by Prof Thorsten Schumm (TU Wien, Vienna) announced a major success.

Previous studies have shown that patients immediately following and up to one year after discharge from in-patient psychiatric treatment have an increased risk of suicide. A MedUni Vienna research team has now analyzed the data of 18,425 patients treated at MedUni Vienna's Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and Vienna General Hospital over 15 years.

In a study led by MedUni Vienna, previously unknown cellular processes in the occluded coronary artery that can lead to a heart attack have been revealed. At the same time, natural antibodies have been identified that can limit the damage caused by a heart attack. Despite medical advances, acute myocardial infarctions are still one of the most common causes of death in the western world.

First quantification of a major ecological crisis and recovery A new study paves the way to understanding biotic recovery after an ecological crisis in the Mediterranean Sea about 5.5 million years ago. An international team led by Konstantina Agiadi from the University of Vienna has now been able to quantify how marine biota was impacted by the salinization of the Mediterranean: Only 11 percent of the endemic species survived the crisis, and the biodiversity did not recover for at least another 1.7 million years.

Using 3D printing technology and ultrasonic joining technique, researchers at TU Graz succeeded in attaining an extremely strong joining of the renewable raw material wood with metal and polymer composite. The renewable raw material wood is climate-neutral and at the same time light and strong, making it fundamentally attractive for use in vehicle manufacturing.

Suicide rates among doctors have fallen over time, but the risk for women in the medical profession is still significantly higher compared to the general population, according to an analysis of data from 20 countries recently published in the British Medical Journal by a MedUni Vienna research group.

Theranostics integrates molecular imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy - a concept that is already in clinical use for the treatment of various types of cancer. A position paper from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), written under the leadership of Matthias Preusser from MedUni Vienna, summarises the potential of this concept for the treatment of brain tumours.

The most common form of colorectal cancer, microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (MSS CRC), can currently only be treated to a limited extent with modern immunotherapies. A research team led by MedUni Vienna has now identified the possible cause of treatment failure and thus found a way to improve treatment for patients.

Life needs the right conditions - warmth, water and, of course, the building blocks of life, such as amino acids and proteins. These have already been detected on meteorites. A research project at the Johannes Kepler University Linz has now shown how these building blocks of life could be created in space - adding an important facet to our understanding of life.

A new study clearly shows how important it is to emphasize consensus among climate scientists Climate scientists have long agreed that humans are largely responsible for climate change. A new study, co-led by Bojana Veckalov from the University of Amsterdam and Sandra Geiger from the University of Vienna, finds that communicating the scientific consensus about climate change can clear up misperceptions and strengthen beliefs about the existence and the causes of climate change.

The charging process for electric cars is currently still an obstacle to their widespread use. An autonomous charging robot aims to make it easier, faster and more convenient. TU Graz has been carrying out research on autonomous robots that can independently "refuel" electrically powered vehicles for several years now.

An international research group led by MedUni Vienna and IMBA - Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, has made significant progress in understanding the mechanisms that influence the sensation of pain after surgery. Currently available treatment methods for post-operative pain can cause considerable side effects and are often only partially effective.

Batteries undercut their theoretical capacity in practice, sometimes significantly. In a lithium iron phosphate cathode, researchers at TU Graz have now been able to observe exactly where the capacity loss occurs. Lithium iron phosphate is one of the most important materials for batteries in electric cars, stationary energy storage systems and tools.

Scientists Develop Smart Software Tool for Chemical Risk Evaluation In recent years, machine learning models have become increasingly popular for risk assessment of chemical compounds. However, they are often considered 'black boxes' due to their lack of transparency, leading to scepticism among toxicologists and regulatory authorities.

Sea anemone regulates stem cells through evolutionarily conserved genes The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is potentially immortal. Using molecular genetic methods, developmental biologists led by Ulrich Technau from the University of Vienna have now identified possible candidates for multipotent stem cells in the sea anemone for the first time.

In an analysis of smartphones of ten manufacturers, researchers at TU Graz have found that the Android kernels used are vulnerable to known attacks - so-called one-day exploits - despite existing protection mechanisms. Smartphones are a constant companion and important work tool for many people. In addition to contacts, appointments and emails, the devices are increasingly being used for sensitive tasks such as online banking or official matters.

Hepatitis C can be cured in almost all cases with modern medication. However, if advanced liver damage is already present at the time of cure, there is still a residual risk of liver cancer and complications of portal hypertension, such as abdominal fluid, bleeding from the digestive tract and confusion.

Research team identifies unconventional energy source for recently discovered "green" nitrifying bacteria An international research team led by the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna has discovered that comammox bacteria, first identified by them in 2015, can grow using guanidine, a nitrogen-rich organic compound, as their sole energy and nitrogen source.

The nuclear pore basket is a filamentous structure attached to the nucleoplasmic side of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), crucial for regulating transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm. In a paper published in Nature Cell Biology, Edvinas Stankunas and Alwin Köhler revealed the structural basis of the basket filaments and their docking mechanism to the main body of the NPC.