Microbiology

28. February 2024

Extreme habitats on earth

Thriving at the limits of life

There is hustle and bustle on our planet – even in quite uncomfortable places. We accompany biologists of the University of Vienna to some of the most extreme environments: from the deep sea and the open ocean to hot springs and alkaline salt lakes. What can we learn from their inhabitants?

19. December 2023

Microbial Biochemistry

New drugs against infectious diseases

From the flu to the coronavirus – recent years have shown that infectious diseases are a tremendous problem. In the video, biochemist Thomas Böttcher explains the role that new biologically active molecules will play in medicine and what drives him as a researcher.

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.

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.

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.