News and Events

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) and disservices are the positive or negative contributions that ecosystems make to human well-being. This refers to a person's identity, experiences and capabilities that are generated by interaction with environmental spaces, human perception and activity undertaken in this space. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) examined how the advantages and disadvantages of CES occur together, and explored the connection between spatial and landscape features and the specific benefits and drawbacks associated with them. Find out more in their Science of The Total Environment Article!

26-04-2024 (Maud-Menten-Saal, Campus Nord)

• Ann Ehrenhofer-Murray (Biology)
• Christian Schmitz-Linneweber (Biology)

12-04-2024 (Erwin Schrödinger Center, Seminar room 1'308, Campus Adlershof)

• Ursula Hess (Psychology)
• Dagmar Haase (Geography)
• Janina Kneipp (Chemistry)

The COVID-19 pandemic caused until then unprecedented changes in people's lifestyle, work and social interactions. Social distancing and the closing of gathering and interaction centers such as parks, cafes, educational institutions etc., entailed certain social, mental and physical health circumstances. One predominant factor was unintentional changes in body weight, which have been reported for younger and middle-aged adults. As the affect on older adults was hardly considered, the Developmental and Educational Psychology Group (Denis Gerstorf) investigated this particular age group in the course of the pandemic. Find out more in their The Journal of nutrition, health and aging Article!

Fluorescence molecular rotors (FMRs) are a group of fluorescent molecules that undergo an intramolecular twisting motion, which non-radiatively depletes the excited state. As a result, environments that prevent this twisting motion, produce enhanced fluorescence. In the past, these dyes have been used mainly to measure nanoviscosity or interactions of FMR-labelled ligands with proteins and nucleic acids. The Bioorganic Synthesis Group (Oliver Seitz) explored covalent labelling of cell surface sialic acids with the FMRs and established the application of FMR dyes to detect interactions with glycans, expanding the use of FMRs. Find out more in their Chemical Communications Article!

Semiconducting quantum dots (QDs) hold significant potential for scalable quantum information processing as the localized electrons and spins can be used as qubits, a two-state quantum-mechanical system. In coupled QDs, the electrons can be entangled, which means that the quantum state of one particle cannot be described independently of the state of the other. The simplest example of two qubits’ quantum entanglement are the Bell sates, a form of entangled and normalized basis vectors. The Statistical Physics and Nonlinear Dynamics Group (Igor Sokolov) investigated the stability of different two-qubit entangled Bell states in coupled QDs in the presence of fluctuations. If you are curious what they found out, check out their recent publication in Physical Review!

Summer in Berlin feels so much hotter and more suffocating than it does on the countryside, especially during the night, when temperatures just won't drop. To counteract the urban heat island effect, particularly as temperatures will only rise in the upcoming years, the expansion of green spaces (GS), which have a cooling effect, is a prerequisite for for living in cities in the future. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) investigated, the relationship between GS and land surface temperature using the Chinese megacity Guangzhou as an example and found that a combination of increasing the area and optimizing the spatial distribution of green spaces results in the best cooling effects. Find out more in their Environmental Science & Technology Article!

Loneliness has been identified as a significant global public health issue and is associated with an increased risk for depression, compromised immunity, chronic illness, and even mortality. The Developmental and Educational Psychology Group (Denis Gerstorf) investigated the historical development of loneliness through midlife and compared how different factors, such as cultural norms, economic inequalities and policy frameworks relating to employment, family dynamics and healthcare affect these changes in the United States and in different countries across Europe. Find out more in their American Psychologist Article!

In postmortem human brains, sequestration of infected red blood cells (iRBCs) in the small blood vessels of the brain is a distinctive feature of cerebral malaria (CM). As there's ongoing debate regarding how this phenomenon contributes to the manifestation of the disease, especially the development of fatal brain swellings, the Molecular Parasitology Group (Kai Matuschewski) investigated iRBC-triggered inflammation and its affect on the blood flow in the brain. Find out more in their Nature Communications Article!

Green spaces (GS) are vital for improving human well-being as they not only provide environmental regulation services but also cultural amenities. Urbanization has led to an insufficient provision of urban GS along with an uneven distribution, posing significant risks to human health and environmental equity. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) investigated, the equity of GS availability between urban villages and residential quarters, which are two common residential neighborhood types in Chinese cities. Find out more about the differences and their effects in this Journal of Cleaner Production Article!

We are affected by everyday stressors in very different ways, which has been linked with differences in our personality. Especially the tendency to overthink appears to increase the negative perception of seemingly everyday situations. The Developmental and Educational Psychology Group (Denis Gerstorf) investigated how other character traits, such as extraversion and openness, affect our psychological and emotional perception of our surroundings and events that we experience on a daily basis. Read more in their Journal of Research in Personality Article!

In the field of behavioral geography, a mental map refers to an individual's subjective perception of their environment and interactions within it. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) investigated how sub-urban Stockholm citizens perceive the green-blue infrastructure (GBI) in their surroundings. You can find out more about mental mapping in their Urban Forestry & Urban Greening Article. How aware are you of your environment and how would such a map look like for your home and work surroundings? 

23-02-2024 (Maud-Menten-Saal, Campus Nord)

• Kerstin Kaufmann (Biology)
• Denis Gerstorf (Psychology)

TikTok, is a popular short-form video hosting service from China that is among the fastest growing infotech brands, resulting in an increasing cultural impact worldwide. Numerous countries have implemented restrictions, bans, or endeavors to prohibit the usage of TikTok, among others, due to apprehensions over the presence of toxic content, dissemination of misinformation, and potential negative implications for mental health.
Sebastian Markett investigated factors that are associated with extensive TikTok Use and could identify a neurotic or conscious personality to be connected with a higher tendency toward TikTok Use Disorder (TTUD). Find out more in his BMC Psychology Article!

Apicomplexa are a diverse group of unicellular parasitic eukaryotes whose primordial mitochondrial genomes comprise 30 – 40 genes encoding for small RNAs (sRNAs) of which numerous resemble E. coli rRNA. The Molecular Genetics Group (Christian Schmitz-Linneweber) investigated the expression and function of these sRNAs and their findings provided first hints for a dual utilization of mitochondrial sequences as messenger RNAs as well ribosomal RNAs. If you are interested in these seemingly moonlighting sRNAs, check out their eLife Article.

Visual imagery is our capacity to revive and manipulate visual depictions even when the corresponding visual stimuli are not present. The Distributed Cognition and Memory Group (Thomas Christophel) investigated how the vividness of visual imagery affects the strength of visual working memory representations in the visual cortex by comparing the ability of strong imagers to retain information about a stimulus feature compared to weak imagers. Have a look at their Wiley Article to find out more!

13-02-2024 (Large Seminar room, Invalidenstr. 42 - Mittelbau)

In his talk 'Machine learning for multiomics data: realizing precise drug response prediction' Hiroshi Mamitsuka explained how Bayesian Data IntegratiVE Learning for Precise Drug ResponSE Prediction (DIVERSE) can be used to predict biomarkers from multiomics data. Biomarkers serve as essential tools for the diagnostics of complex diseases and improve the treatment of patients.

09-02-2024 (Online- Zoom)

• Manuel Völkle (Psychology)

Dormancy is a temporary and reversible slowdown or suspension of an organism's regular physical functions. This state is a ubiquitous trait in microbial communities, but can also be found in complex organisms including animals and plants. The Interdisciplinary Mathematics Group (Maite Wilke Berenguer) investigated the impact of dormancy on evolutionary branching and found that this seemingly passive state has a significant influence on the development of populations with new traits and, as a consequence, diversity. Check out their Theoretical Population Biology Article.

Unlike animals, terrestrial plants are unable to move from one place to another. Thus, they depend on adapting to their environment for instance by adjusting their height, root growth or photosynthetic capacity. The Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Group (Kerstin Kaufmann) investigated how Arabidopsis adapts its gene expression, and as a result several important pathways, in response to different light conditions. Find out more in their BMC Plant Biology Article!

To meet the growing global demand for nutritious aquatic foods, it is imperative to embrace sustainable aquaculture practices and technologies. In this study Christian Ulrichs investigated the impact of gradually replacing animal proteins with plant proteins in the diets of African catfish in aquaponic systems. The study further highlights the importance of balanced protein sources for optimal aquaponic system performance and provides insights into nutrient dynamics in recirculating aquaculture systems.

Our sensory working memory allows us to temporarily hold onto what we see, hear, or feel, facilitating mental processes like thinking, problem-solving, and understanding even when the sensory input is no longer available. The Distributed Cognition and Memory Group (Thomas Christophel) investigated the patterns of neuronal activity that enable the flexible modulation of our working memory. If you want to pick your brain a little check out their Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience Article!

Research spanning various fields in psychology has consistently indicated that a person’s mental attitude influences the outcome several significant areas in one's future life. The Developmental and Educational Psychology Group (Denis Gerstorf) investigated how age, gender and education affects a the optimistic or pessimistic mindset of a person. Have a look at their Article in Psychology and Aging to find ou more! 

26-01-2024 (Online- Zoom)

• Matthias Ziegler (Psychology)
• Caren Tischendorf (Mathematics)
• Thomas Christophel (Psychology)

25-01-2024 (BCCN Lecture Hall, Philippstr. 13, Haus 6)

Frederic Meunier is a Professor at the Queensland Brain Institute in Brisbane, Australia.
He gave a fantastic talk on the 'Surprisingly dynamic "clustering" of synaptic vesicles at the nanoscale'.

On request of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft) Gudrun Brockmann identified zootechnical markers for the improvement of breeding within the endangered German Black Pied cattle (Deutsches Schwarzbuntes Niederungsrind, DSN) breed for the particularly animal-friendly and sustainable production of animal products. 
Unfortunately, the full Report is only available in German, but the abstract provides an informative summary. If you want to know more about this topic, check out Gudrun Brockmann's profile and additional information.

Recent improvements in the field of single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq and snRNA-seq) technologies allow to monitor the expression of plant genes across cell types, upon treatments, in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, or between genotypes at an unprecedented resolution. 
In this commentary, the Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Group (Kerstin Kaufmann) discusses common challenges associated with the use of single-cell transcriptomics in plants and propose general guidelines to improve reproducibility, quality, comparability, and interpretation, and to make the data readily available to the community in this fast-developing field of research. Check out their new Article in The Plant Cell!

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) form a diverse group of transcripts that, by definition, are not translated to produce proteins. For this reason, they were first classified as non-functional by-products or mis-products of transcription (or junk RNA). However, it became clear with time that ncRNAs act as important regulators that influence various biological functions in different cell types and tissues as they comprise transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), as well as small RNAs such as microRNAs, siRNAs, piRNAs, snoRNAs, snRNAs, and also long ncRNAs. 
In their Journal of Neurochemistry Review Marina Mikhaylova, together with Mason Musgrove and Timothy Bredy from the Queensland Brain Institute in Australia, portrayed groups of ncRNAs enriched in the brain that play a crucial role in the functional aspects of both learning and memory, as well as adaptive immunity, and reflect on how they might facilitate the exchange between these two evolutionarily old biological systems.

12-01-2024 (Maud-Menten-Saal, Campus Nord)

• Andrew Plested (Biology)
• Mike Johannes (Oliver Benson Group - Physics)

In this physica status solidi (a) Guest Editorial Oliver Benson reviewed the scientific highlights from the final funding period of the Collaborative Research Center 951 (CRC 951) “Hybrid Inorganic/Organic Systems for Opto-Electronics (HIOS)”, which existed for the past twelve years. The CRC 951 connected researchers from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (coordinating university), Freie Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, Universität Potsdam, the Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, as well as the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH. 

The Psychological Assessment Group (Matthias Ziegler) investigated how mindfulness affected the mood in response to a mobile-app-supported, mindfulness-based intervention. If you are curious whether mindfullness can improve the mood, have a look at their Article released by Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being!

Lorenz Gygax from the Animal Husbandry and Ethology Group investigated how changes in the social and spatial environment of horses throughout the day influence their recumbency (lying down) periods, which affect their REM sleep. To see what helps horses to dream check out their Article published in Equine Vetenary Journal!