Reasearch Area

Biology

Reasearch Area

Biology

12. May 2023
Citizen Science

Nature watchers bring Viennese graveyards to life

Come for Beethoven's grave, stay for the colourful hamsters. Iconic tombstones are not the only sights to see at the Central Cemetery of Vienna. University of Vienna researchers, citizen scientists and wildlife watchers are unearthing a wealth of biodiversity in the capital's network of graveyards.
11. May 2023
Microbiome and health

Environmental protection within our body

The microbial community we carry inside us is as individual as it is important for our health. Microbiologist David Berry studies what puts it at risk, what heals it and how it interacts with the outside world.
4. May 2023
Presenting … Microbiologist Dania Randi

Microbes for sustainable agriculture

What do plants need for their well-being and how can they withstand increasing environmental stress? To ensure that we can still eat crops in the future, we need to know all the factors that help plants survive. This is why Dania Randi is investigating the relationship between salt-tolerant plants and their microbiome.
23. March 2023
Nitrogen cycle

Comammox: promising new player in the nitrogen cycle

Comammox bacteria astonished microbiologists worldwide due to their ability to perform the complete nitrification process within a single cell. They occur in numerous natural and engineered ecosystems, but thus far have not been found in marine environments. Microbiologist Dimitra Sakoula is looking for them in the ocean: If she finds them there, it would be "a big deal".
21. March 2023
Presenting … Ecologist Constanze Englisch

Looking into the "invisible"

In cities like Vienna, various stress factors, such as rising temperatures affect the groundwater. Constanze Englisch is investigating the effects of these increased temperatures on microorganisms and animals. Together with her team, she develops ideas for using the heat of groundwater sustainably and economically, as she explains in the video.
13. March 2023
Microorganisms

Research for the next nitrogen revolution

Petra Pjevac, Holger Daims, Michael Wagner and their teams are targeting microbes: At the University of Vienna, they investigate how the tiny organisms function and interact. Microbes could be key to a 'nitrogen revolution': a new solution to counteract dangerous nitrogen losses in agriculture and feed the growing world population – without harming the planet.
7. October 2022
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2022

Svante Pääbo: The power of ancient genomics and archaeology

University of Vienna archaeologist Tom Higham congratulates his colleague with whom he has been working together on many projects over the years. He explains Svante Pääbo's key achievements and what the Nobel Prize means for the people working in the field.
12. September 2022
A new interdisciplinary PhD programme

Physics and biology unite to study separation

A new phenomenon has taken the world of cell biology by storm, but its study requires people with a deep understanding of physics and biology. The University of Vienna offers a new PhD programme to nurse a new generation of researchers with the ability to think creatively in both fields.
16. May 2022
Autism research

Every brain is different

Our society has clear ideas about how pro-social behaviour and empathy are to be expressed. But the research of neuroscientist Giorgia Silani shows that people with certain personality traits, such as autism or alexithymia, understand different forms of expression.
4. May 2022
Archaeological Science as Game-Changer

What ancient genes tell us about who we are

Using the latest scientific methods, Tom Higham and Katerina Douka from the University of Vienna want to solve a great mystery of human evolution: Why are we the only humans left?
18. April 2022
Behavioural Biology

The art of hearing

We hear a sound of a moving object and automatically predict in which direction it travels. What is the process behind this survival tool? The project Dynamates conducts the first comparative study on dynamic auditory predictions with marmoset monkeys and humans.
29. March 2022
Cancer research

Survival of the fittest cells

Stephanie Ellis is uncovering the principles of cell competition at the Max Perutz Labs. By understanding how our system eliminates 'loser' cells, she gains knowledge for future cancer therapies.
25. February 2022
Presenting… molecular biologist Verena Baumann

Autophagy: The waste collection in our cells

Our cells produce waste all the time. But how do they get rid of it? In the video, our doctoral candidate Verena Baumann explains how common yeast helps her to understand the cellular waste collection.
11. February 2022
Cancer research

The social network of our cells

Molecular biologist Manuela Baccarini is investigating the way our cells communicate with each other. A ’misunderstanding’ at the cellular level can lead to serious diseases, such as cancer.
20. January 2022
Healthy cells, fit brain

Hoping that we can soon forget about Alzheimer’s

A 'waste collection' tidies up our cells. If something does not go according to plan, serious diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's may develop. Molecular biologist Sascha Martens and his team investigate the associated process – autophagy.
19. January 2022
Meet the scientists

Cell researcher Sascha Martens and his team

Sascha Martens and his team are investigating the mysterious degradation pathways in our cells. In this video, the biochemists from the University of Vienna reveal what keeps them going – despite failures and being borne away: Team spirit, the passion for a topic and their common goal of making a difference.
11. May 2021
Permafrost

"What we are doing right now is completely irresponsible"

Andreas Richter conducts research at a place where it is (still) cold: In the Arctic and the Alps, global warming is progressing at the fastest rate – here, researchers can examine essential mechanisms and collect data required to determine the speed at which the Earth is heading towards irreversible change.
14. April 2021
Presenting... Biologist Johannes Herpell

Rethinking Agriculture

Johannes Herpell is a member of the Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution. In his PhD thesis, he aims to strengthen plants with the help of bacteria instead of pesticides. The video gives an insight into his research.