https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from University of Oldenburg One to two out of every 100 newborn babies are born with a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD), yet the exact cause remains unclear. Human geneticists at the University Medicine Oldenburg (Germany) have now presented a new method for determining whether a NOTCH1 gene variant is causative. Once they know this, doctors will be able to make more reliable diagnoses and develop targeted and effective therapies. In addition, patients and their families will finally be able find out whether a heart defect is likely to be hereditary. A team led by Professor Dr. Marc-Phillip Hitz, Director of the University Institute for Medical Genetics at the Klinikum Oldenburg, and Dr. Gregor Dombrowsky, the first author of the study, reported its findings in Genome Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-baby-heart-defect-hereditary-notch1.html Genetics Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:20:01 EST news691346222 A nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor—with a switching speed around 10,000 times faster than an electronic transistor. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ultrafast-atomically-thin-semiconductors-rapid.html Nanophysics Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:35:57 EST news688228502 Whether in solar cells or in the human eye, whenever certain molecules absorb light, the electrons within them shift from their ground state into a higher-energy, excited state. This results in the transport of energy and charge, leading to charge separation and eventually to the generation of electricity. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ultrafast-solar-cell-dyes-high.html Nanophysics Wed, 20 Aug 2025 05:00:41 EDT news674841541 The trek across the North Sea island of Norderney—a barrier island in the German North Sea—is around five kilometers long. Designed by Lena Thissen, a researcher from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, together with a social scientist from the University of Hamburg, the "Freshwater Lens Walk" is all about a hidden treasure: the island's freshwater supply. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-climate-sea-rainfall-patterns-north.html Earth Sciences Mon, 21 Jul 2025 09:13:42 EDT news672308016 In the bid to combat climate change, the signatory states to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change periodically submit voluntary targets specifying a percentage by which they pledge to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (Percentage Reduction Pledges, PRPs). https://phys.org/news/2025-03-discrepancies-national-climate-citizens-willingness.html Environment Tue, 18 Mar 2025 15:07:03 EDT news661529221 Sulfate-reducing bacteria break down a large proportion of the organic carbon in the oxygen-free zones of Earth, and in the seabed in particular. Among these important microbes, the Desulfobacteraceae family of bacteria stands out because its members are able to break down a wide variety of compounds—including some that are poorly degradable—to their end product, carbon dioxide (CO2). https://phys.org/news/2025-03-earth-hidden-carbon-recyclers-sulfur.html Earth Sciences Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:00:02 EST news660497042 Desert ants of the Cataglyphis nodus species use the Earth's magnetic field for spatial orientation, but these tiny insects rely on a different component of the field than other insects, a research team led by Dr. Pauline Fleischmann from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, reports in the journal Current Biology. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-insects-ants-polarity-geomagnetic-field.html Plants & Animals Fri, 06 Dec 2024 13:45:04 EST news652715101 Computer scientist A. Murat Eren, who goes by Meren, is convinced that microbiology can contribute to solving many global challenges. In this interview, he talks about the astonishing progress the discipline has made in recent decades. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-qa-expert-era-microbiology-highly.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 25 Sep 2024 13:30:01 EDT news646486495 Few things last very long in the world of the open oceans, it would seem. In the light-filled surface layer, microscopic algae convert carbon dioxide and water into biomass via photosynthesis. Individual cells vanish in a matter of hours or days, ingested by other tiny creatures or decomposed by microorganisms such as bacteria. Whereas tree trunks might remain standing for centuries and even millennia on land, the tiny inhabitants of the open seas disappear almost without a trace. Far from shore, for most seafarers, the infinite blue of the ocean is all there is to see. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-scientists-explore-vast-reservoir-dissolved.html Environment Sun, 23 Jun 2024 19:30:02 EDT news638198541 A German-American research team led by microbiologist Dr. Gerrit Wienhausen from the University of Oldenburg (Germany) has come an important step closer to a better understanding of highly complex interactions between marine microorganisms. The researchers conducted various experiments to analyze the interaction between two species of marine bacteria from the North Sea in the synthesis of vitamin B12, and published their findings in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-marine-bacteria-team-vital-vitamin.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 08 May 2024 11:00:01 EDT news634375741 Computer-based methods are becoming an increasingly powerful tool in the search for new materials for key technologies such as photovoltaics, batteries, and data transmission. Prof. Dr. Caterina Cocchi and Holger-Dietrich Saßnick from the University of Oldenburg in Germany have now developed a high-throughput automatized method to calculate the surface properties of crystalline materials starting directly at the level of established laws of physics (first principles). https://phys.org/news/2024-03-method-automated-surface-properties-crystals.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 28 Mar 2024 12:03:04 EDT news630846182 A team of researchers led by microbiologist Professor Dr. Axel Hamprecht of the University Medicine Oldenburg has developed a new method that enables quicker detection of a frequently overlooked antibiotic resistance. The team focused on determining whether a strain of the bacterium Proteus mirabilis is resistant to certain antibiotics, thus rendering them ineffective. Infection with this bacterium can lead to urinary tract infections, wound infections, bloodstream infections and pneumonia. The researchers have now presented their innovative technique in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-algorithm-quicker-antibiotic-resistances.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 17 Jul 2023 12:01:03 EDT news608814061 The metabolism of a key environmental microbe has been elucidated in detail by a team led by researchers at the University of Oldenburg. This holistic understanding allows reliable prediction of the growth of the microbes. The species specializes in the degradation of long-lived organic substances and therefore plays an important role in biological soil remediation. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-decipher-aromaticum-bacterium.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 26 Jan 2023 16:02:20 EST news593971337 A quiet but constant crackling is in the air. It sounds like bubbles in a fizzy drink and accompanies anyone who walks along the wooden footbridge that crosses the Langwarder Groden, between the main dyke line and the summer dyke. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-coastal.html Environment Mon, 16 Jan 2023 09:45:43 EST news593084736