Gene scissors derived from bacterial “CRISPR/Cas” systems are considered to be a revolutionary discovery in the field of biosciences. It has never been easier to modify the genetic material of plants, animals or humans. Dr Johannes Stuttmann from the Institute of Biology explains the technique as well as its advantages and disadvantages. Read more
Crickets chirp at the edge of the forest, otherwise all is quiet in the Nature Park Saale Unstrut Triasland. Nine students from the University of Halle are working intently despite the midday heat. It is their last day in the field and there is still a lot left to do. In the master’s module Outdoor Ecology the up-and-coming biologists are learning what it means to conduct fieldwork in four investigation areas near Freyburg. Read more
How did the people of a Medieval city organise their living? How did the council rule? How did they punish environmental offenses? These and much more information can be found in the laws, protocols and letters of the administration. Since the 13th century those things were written down in city books. A team, headed by historian Professor Andreas Ranft and Dr Christian Speer, can finally make these books accessible to research thanks to funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG). Read more
A major part of bioinformatics research would be limited or impossible without open access databases. Researchers at the University of Halle intensively utilise public datasets and, in return, provide the community with their own findings. Read more
The open access movement began 15 years ago. Prof. Stephan Feller, a molecular biologist, and Dr. Stefan Artmann, a private lecturer in philosophy, discuss how it will change science in 2016 and the opportunities and challenges that will arise as a result of its development into an open exchange of specialist publications. It is a topic that occupies both men. Feller is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the Open Access Journal “Cell Communication and Signalling”. Artmann, who heads up the presidential office at the Leopoldina, is a member of the working group “Open Access”, part of the priority initiative “Digital Information” of the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany. Read more
If it wasn’t for Professor Ingrid Mertig, Nobel laureate Albert Fert would not be visiting the Weinberg Campus as often as he does. And perhaps Humboldt Professor Stuart Parkin wouldn’t have decided to come to the University. Mertig has been teaching and conducting research at Martin Luther University for the past 15 years as a professor of quantum theory of the solid state. Here she has built up the key research area “nanostructured materials”, which she has decisively shaped over the years as the spokesperson for the collaborative research centre (CRC) “Functionality of Oxidic Interfaces”. Read more
Humboldt Professor Tiffany Knight studies the changes of ecosystems over long periods of time and the effects that a loss of biodiversity may have on the ecosystem. In February 2016, the affiliation of the renowned US-scientist changed from the Midwestern US to Central Germany. She is now working at the German Center of Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig. Read more
2015 has been a busy year for relations between China and Halle. The first Chinese language teacher provided by the Confucius Institute in Beijing has been working at the University of Halle since this April. In May, the University of Halle and the Beijing University of International Business and Economics sealed a partnership. And through the Panda Programme, the University of Halle was represented at the largest education fairs in China. Read more
Pizzas, sweets and crisps – we all know that these kinds of food are unhealthy, but we still don’t want to give them up. That is why, rather than focusing on changing our eating habits, researchers from the universities of Halle, Jena and Leipzig have come together in the “nutriCARD” competence cluster to try and make food healthier. By doing so, they hope to prevent cardiovascular diseases in the long term. Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in Europe, but the World Health Organisation says that changing eating habits and adopting a healthier lifestyle could stop the diseases developing in 80 percent of cases. Read more
