overview

news from the biocenter

For a cacao plant to bear such rich fruit, it needs effective pollination. A research group, in which JMU was involved, has investigated how this can best be achieved.

Optimized cacao pollination for higher yields

How can the cultivation of cacao be improved by using the right pollination technique? This has now been investigated by a research team including Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter's Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology.

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In the fruit fly Drosophila, a central circadian clock in the brain controls important parameters such as daily activity or food intake. Peripheral clocks receive timing signals via further pathways, and act as clocks for various metabolic processes. If the clocks chronically get out of sync, this can trigger diseases.

How internal clocks control fat metabolism

In the fruit fly Drosophila, circadian clocks also control fat metabolism. This is shown in a new study by a research team at the University of Würzburg. The findings could also be relevant for humans.

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Information can be stored in the form of DNA on chips made of semiconducting nanocellulose. Light-controlled proteins read the information.

DNA Chips as Storage Media of the Future

In the form of DNA, nature shows how data can be stored in a space-saving and long-term manner. Würzburg's chair of bioinformatics is developing DNA chips for computer technology.

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The Venus flytrap has a heat sensor in its sensory hairs, through which it reacts to heat waves in the run-up to bushfires. If the temperature rapidly exceeds the 37 degree Celsius mark, a calcium-dependent action potential (AP) is fired as a warning signal. If the temperature rises to the threshold of 55 degrees Celsius, a second AP is fired, the trap closes and the sensory hairs are protected from burning.

Heat Sensor Protects the Venus Flytrap From Fire

The sensory hairs of the Venus flytrap contain a heat sensor that warns the plant of bush fires. It reacts to rapid temperature jumps, as Würzburg researchers have discovered.

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