Researchers Set New World Record for Solar Cell Efficiency
A German research team has developed a tandem solar cell that reaches 24 percent efficiency – measured according to the fraction of photons converted into…
University of Cologne
Shadow of Cosmic Water Cloud Reveals Secrets of Early Universe – Confirms Properties of Dark Energy
An international group of astrophysicists has discovered a new method to estimate the cosmic microwave background temperature of the young Universe only 880 million years…
NASA’s Mars Insight Lander Uses Wind-Induced Vibrations To Reveal the Red Planet’s Subsurface Layers
Seismic data collected in Elysium Planitia, the second largest volcanic region on Mars, suggest the presence of a shallow sedimentary layer sandwiched between lava flows…
Paradox of the Young Weak Sun: Extreme CO2 Greenhouse Effect Heated Up the Young Earth
Although sun radiation was relatively low, the temperature on the young Earth was warm. An international team of geoscientists has found important clues that high…
Primordial “Hyper-Eye” Discovered: Astonishing 390 Million-Year-Old Hyper-Compound Eye With 200 Lenses
Trilobites of the suborder Phacopina had a unique eye in which about 200 large lenses in each eye spanned at least six individual facets, each…
Scientists Discover Small Proteins Regulate the Aging Process
The attachment of the small protein ubiquitin to other proteins (ubiquitination) regulates numerous biological processes, including signal transduction and metabolism / Scientists at the University…
Scientists Analyze Marsquakes To Determine the Structure of Mars’ Crust
Based on the analysis of marsquakes recorded by NASA’s InSight mission, the structure of Mars’ crust has now been determined in absolute numbers for the…
Reconstructing Climate Conditions During the Migration of Homo sapiens Out of Africa
Climate reconstruction of the last 200,000 years from East Africa illustrates the living conditions of Homo sapiens when they migrated out of Africa / Homo…
“Pokemonas” – New Bacteria Related to Lung Parasites Discovered, Named After Pokémon
A research team at the University of Cologne has discovered previously undescribed bacteria in amoebae that are related to Legionella and may even cause disease….
Fuel for Earliest Life Forms: Organic Molecules Discovered in 3.5 Billion-Year-Old Rocks
A research team including the geobiologist Dr. Helge Missbach from the University of Cologne has detected organic molecules and gases trapped in 3.5 billion-year-old rocks….
Scientists Unveil Surprising Secrets of a 40-Year-Old Catalyst
Activity of the industrial catalyst TS-1 relies on titanium pairs/Important discovery for catalyst development. ‘Titanium silicalite-1’ (TS-1) is not a new catalyst: It has been…
Climate Change Impacts Astronomical Observations
Climate changes associated with global warming can affect astronomical observations. That is the result of a study involving scientists from the University of Cologne. The…
Columns of Matter That Build Up Newborn Stars Directly Observed for the First Time
A team including researchers from the Institute for Astrophysics of the University of Cologne has for the first time directly observed the columns of matter…
3.8 Billion-Year-Old Rocks Show That Water and Other Elements Necessary for Life Were Delivered to Earth Very Late in Its History
Arrival delayed! Water, carbon and nitrogen were not immediately supplied to Earth. Spearheaded by earth scientists of the University of Cologne, an international team of…
Bacteria Can ‘Outsmart’ Programmed Cell Death Overriding an Immune System Defense Mechanism
Certain bacteria can override a defense mechanism of the immune system, so-called programmed cell death, through inhibition of death effector molecules by their outer membranes…
Size of Nucleolus Plays Important Role Protecting Cells Against Infection
All cells in the body have the basic ability to protect themselves from infection, called the innate immune response. But how cells do this is…
Physicists Create Artificial Magnetic Monopoles
By merging tiny magnetic whirls, called skyrmions, a team of scientists were able to create artificial magnetic monopoles. A team of researchers from Cologne, Munich…
