A new class of catalysts for environmentally-friendly coatings

Chemists from Konstanz have developed a new class of catalysts that enable manufacturing of polyethylene dispersions directly in water. This opens up perspectives for the environmentally-friendly, solvent-free production ...

The untapped nitrogen reservoir

Guanidine is one of the most nitrogen-rich compounds. It could be a valuable source of organic nitrogen, but only very few organisms can access it. However, certain bacteria manage to obtain nitrogen from guanidine. A Konstanz-based ...

Examining how animal swarms respond to threats

A herd of antelope feeds peacefully on a meadow. Suddenly, a lion shows up, and the herd flees. But how do they manage to do so collectively? Konstanz physicist Chun-Jen Chen and Professor Clemens Bechinger, a member of the ...

Understanding the language of the eyes

What is the significance of the sclera of our eyes? A question which researchers have been interested in for some time now. Recently a research team led by comparative psychologist Dr. Fuhimiro Kano has succeeded in deciphering ...

The puzzle of the 'lost' angular momentum

In a closed physical system, the sum of all angular momentum remains constant, according to an important physical law of conservation. Angular momentum does not necessarily need to involve "real" bodily rotation in this context: ...

Binary mesocrystals from the nano-building kit

Mesocrystals are a class of solids formed by the regular arrangement of nanocrystals, which are tiny nanoparticles that have unique properties due to their small size. In mesocrystals, these take on a highly organized, superordinate ...

Global loss of floristic uniqueness due to spread of alien plants

When alien plants integrate into an existing ecosystem and successfully spread, in rare cases, it can contribute to the increased uniqueness of the regional flora. However, much more often, this process—known as naturalization—leads ...

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