https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from University of Vienna A team at the University of Vienna, led by chemist Nuno Maulide, has developed a new method for controlling chemical reactions in a more targeted and efficient manner. At the heart of this is the concept of "cation sampling": specially selected groups (ketones), in a sense, function as molecular signposts for randomly migrating positive charges, enabling reactions to take place at sites on a molecule that were previously difficult to access. The method allows carbon-hydrogen bonds (C–H bonds) to be specifically modified. The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-migrating-hard-bond-molecules.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 16:50:02 EDT news698427061 Human childbirth is commonly viewed as uniquely difficult and dangerous. The reason: The combination of bipedalism and large brains creates a tight fit between the baby and the birth canal. Research at the University of Vienna has now shown that many other mammals—from domestic livestock to wild species—face similar birth problems and mortality. In some species, these complications even occur as often as in some human populations, such as hunter-gatherers without modern medical care. The findings suggest that difficult childbirth is not uniquely human. The study is published in Biological Reviews. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-human-childbirth-uniquely-difficult-mammals.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 17:30:01 EDT news697821182 When species are subjected to changing environments, they can survive in their current location through genetic adaptation. However, this ability is not unlimited. In a study published in PNAS, biomathematician Jitka Polechová of the University of Vienna shows that, even when environmental change is only gradual, there is a tipping point beyond which adaptation can suddenly fail. When that happens, species' ranges may shrink or populations may fragment into separate subpopulations. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gradual-environmental-trigger-sudden-species.html Evolution Mon, 11 May 2026 15:40:01 EDT news697723681 The human gut harbors a complex ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms (the microbiome), which influences digestion, the immune system and metabolism. A research team led by the University of Vienna has used the "reverse ecology" analytical approach to demonstrate that many known gut bacterial species consist of several evolutionarily distinct groups that have adapted to different conditions in the gut. Some of these populations are associated with advanced age, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes. The findings have now been published in Nature and may in future improve the search for biomarkers and, in the long term, enable more precise therapies. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gut-bacteria-reveal-hidden-evolutionary.html Evolution Wed, 06 May 2026 18:00:08 EDT news697302051 Plants use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into energy-rich sugars and oxygen in various ways (photosynthesis). Drought is a major challenge in this process. A research team led by Wolfram Weckwerth at the University of Vienna has now demonstrated how a particularly water-efficient variant of this process (CAM) has evolved in diverse ways within a single tropical tree genus. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-unraveling-evolution-extraordinary-photosynthesis-tropical.html Plants & Animals Tue, 05 May 2026 13:20:05 EDT news697198081 Magnons are tiny waves in magnetization that travel through solid magnetic materials, much like the ripples that spread across a pond when a stone is thrown into it. Unlike photons, which travel through empty space or optical fibers, magnons propagate within a magnetic solid. Their wavelengths can be reduced to the nanometer range, meaning that magnonic circuits could, in principle, fit onto a chip no larger than those found in today's smartphones. Furthermore, as an excitation of a solid, a magnon naturally couples to numerous other fundamental quasi-particles—phonons, photons and others—making it an ideal building block for hybrid quantum systems and quantum metrology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-magnon-lifetime-100x-paves-mini.html Condensed Matter Mon, 04 May 2026 13:00:03 EDT news697113841 The scientific consensus is that vaccinations are neither causally nor statistically linked to autism. The US health authority CDC changed its official communication on this matter and instead emphasized a connection could not be scientifically ruled out. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-communication-cdc-fuels-skepticism-vaccines.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:00:17 EDT news696756903 Human activities have always shaped both biological and cultural diversity. An international team led by the University of Vienna has now investigated the link between the threat to species and that to languages. Linguists and biodiversity researchers identified a common key factor: European colonialism. The study has recently been published in the journal People and Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-colonialism-extinctions-today-island-species.html Ecology Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:30:03 EDT news696006061 The gut microbiome influences numerous physiological processes. Researchers at the University of Vienna have now demonstrated for the first time that, in healthy adults, the diversity of gut bacteria and their capacity to produce certain metabolites are associated with the acute stress response—particularly stress reactivity. Higher microbial diversity was associated with stronger hormonal and subjectively perceived stress reactivity. The results suggest that the gut microbiome may play a role in regulating the acute stress response. The study was published in Neurobiology of Stress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gut-microbes-reveal-cortisol-spikes.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:20:01 EDT news695564745 A new study reveals that most fatal landslides occur in human-transformed environments. Conducted by an international team of researchers from the University of Vienna, Ankara University, Istanbul Technical University, Bursa Uludag University, and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, the study provides a global overview of how human pressure modulates landslide occurrences. The paper is published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-human-mountains-fatal-landslides-worldwide.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:10:06 EDT news694885383 Quantum mechanics tells us that a particle can never be perfectly still. But how precisely can it be oriented? A research team at the University of Vienna, together with colleagues at TU Wien and Ulm University, has now cooled the rotational motion of a levitated silica nanorotor all the way to its quantum ground state—in two orientational degrees of freedom. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-quantum-ground-state-rotation-dimensions.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:20:03 EDT news694688821 An international research team led by the University of Vienna has produced, for the first time, high-resolution global maps of invasion risk for thousands of alien plant species under current conditions and future climate and land use scenarios. Their results show that global hotspots of plant invasion risk will shift geographically, with temperate regions facing increasing risks, while risks may decline in some subtropical areas. The study was published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-global-alien-invasion-hotspots-shifting.html Plants & Animals Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:20:01 EDT news693831231 For decades, birdsong research focused almost exclusively on males. In many species, however, females also sing. Now a study by researchers from the University of Vienna and Anglia Ruskin University shows that female Galapagos yellow warblers sing frequently, though not for the reasons males do. In experiments simulating territorial intrusions, the researchers found that female song was neither linked to same-sex competition nor to signaling aggression in territorial defense. The findings, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, raises new questions about the function of birdsong. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-female-galpagos-warblers-song-aggression.html Plants & Animals Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:30:01 EDT news693044506 Researchers at the University of Vienna have uncovered a surprising phenomenon: polymer chains with segments that simply fluctuate at different intensities can spontaneously develop directional, persistent motion when densely packed—even though nothing in the system points them in any particular direction. This "entropic tug of war," driven by fundamental physical constraints, could help explain how DNA organizes and moves inside living cells and may lead to new materials. The study is published in Physical Review X. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-polymers-worms-materials-told.html General Physics Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:20:05 EST news691934941 Almost all plants live in close symbiosis with so-called mycorrhizal fungi—an important symbiosis for absorbing essential nutrients. In their new study, a team led by ecologist Christina Kaiser from the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna has now discovered that this mycorrhizal symbiosis is very sensitive to imbalances of certain nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in the soil. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-year-field-fertilizer-imbalance-halve.html Ecology Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:40:03 EST news691753141 Who says that butterflies in the stomach are only for the young? A new study by psychologist Iris Wahring from the University of Vienna and her international team shows that when people over 50 enter into a new relationship and seal it by moving in together, their life satisfaction increases significantly. The study also challenges a common assumption: for couples who already live together, getting married later in life is not associated with a further increase in well-being on average. The findings were recently published in the International Journal of Behavioural Development. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-marriage-happiness.html Social Sciences Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:00:02 EST news690635617 The fragility and laws of quantum physics generally make the characterization of quantum systems time‑consuming. Furthermore, when a quantum system is measured, it is destroyed in the process. A breakthrough by researchers at the University of Vienna demonstrates a novel method for quantum state certification that efficiently verifies entangled quantum states in real time without destroying all available states—a decisive step forward in the development of robust quantum computers and quantum networks. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-optical-protocol-entangled-quantum-states.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:10:07 EST news690458056 People suffering from depression demonstrate strength in dealing with their illness on a daily basis, but this is often not perceived as such. Previous studies have shown that instead, they often encounter a contrary narrative in society according to which they are portrayed as weak. Such prejudices have a negative effect on those affected. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-emphasizing-strengths-people-depression-affected.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:51:25 EST news689334661 Researchers led by the University of Vienna and Liège University Hospital Center have identified genetic variants associated with a rare inherited growth disorder in two prehistoric individuals who lived more than 12,000 years ago. Using ancient DNA analysis and modern clinical genetics, they diagnosed the condition in a mother and daughter buried together in southern Italy. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study shows that paleogenomics can now reconstruct ancient population history and diagnose rare genetic diseases in prehistoric individuals. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ancient-dna-reveals-year-case.html Archaeology Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:18:18 EST news688900597 Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing our society and economy. A new study shows that the majority of people believe that artificial intelligence is displacing more human labor than it is creating new opportunities. Scientists at the University of Vienna and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) demonstrated a causal link: the stronger this perception, the more dissatisfied people are with democracy—and the less they participate in political debates about future technological developments. These effects occur even though artificial intelligence has had only a limited impact on the labor market so far. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-job-killer-negatively-attitudes.html Economics & Business Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:18:37 EST news688659481 The atmosphere is an important transport medium that carries microplastics to even the most remote parts of the world. These microplastics can be inhaled and pose a health risk to humans and animals. They can also settle out of the atmosphere and contaminate oceans and soils worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-microplastics-atmosphere-higher-emissions-areas.html Earth Sciences Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:10:03 EST news688230491 Can a small lump of metal be in a quantum state that extends over distant locations? A research team at the University of Vienna answers this question with a resounding yes. In the journal Nature, physicists from the University of Vienna and the University of Duisburg-Essen show that even massive nanoparticles consisting of thousands of sodium atoms follow the rules of quantum mechanics. The experiment is currently one of the best tests of quantum mechanics on a macroscopic scale. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-metal-clumps-quantum-state-physicists.html Quantum Physics Wed, 21 Jan 2026 13:19:25 EST news688223942 For the first time, scientists have reconstructed the ancient genomes of human betaherpesvirus 6A and 6B (HHV-6A/B) from archaeological human remains more than two millennia old. The study, led by the University of Vienna and University of Tartu (Estonia) and published in Science Advances, confirms that these viruses have been evolving with and within humans since at least the Iron Age. The findings trace the long history of HHV-6 integration into human chromosomes and suggest that HHV-6A lost this ability early on. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ancient-herpesvirus-genomes-document-deep.html Archaeology Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:00:03 EST news686576822 One of the most common human gestures, the pointing finger, appears frequently in Old Master paintings as a guiding cue. However, its influence on viewers' gaze has never been systematically investigated. Researchers in experimental art history at the University of Vienna used eye‐tracking methods to analyze whether and how viewers' eyes follow pointing gestures in works by renowned artists such as Raphael, Giorgione, Caravaggio, and Rembrandt. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-fingers-master.html Other Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:10:02 EST news685108818 When ice melts into water, it happens quickly, with the transition from solid to liquid being immediate. However, very thin materials do not adhere to these rules. Instead, an unusual state between solid and liquid arises: the hexatic phase. Researchers at the University of Vienna have now succeeded in directly observing this exotic phase in an atomically thin crystal. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-hexatic-phase-ultra-thin-2d.html Condensed Matter Fri, 05 Dec 2025 11:01:16 EST news684154849 Which words do we find beautiful? And do beautifully sounding words stick better in memory? A new study led by linguist Theresa Matzinger from the University of Vienna suggests that the phonemic composition of words influences how beautiful we perceive them to be, and how well we remember them. The findings are published in the journal PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-pleasant-words-easier-pseudoword.html Social Sciences Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:11:45 EST news684068971 An international research team led by Aalborg University with contributions from the University of Vienna has systematically mapped the microbiome of an entire country for the first time. In the study "Microflora Danica," published in the journal Nature, over 10,000 environmental samples from across Denmark were analyzed—on average at intervals of only around 4 square kilometers. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-microbiome-entire-country.html Ecology Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:59:32 EST news684064741 A new study, led by the University of Vienna and the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, shows how the eyes of adult marine bristleworms continue to grow throughout life—driven by a ring of neural stem cells reminiscent of vertebrate eyes. What's more, these stem cells respond to environmental light. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-functional-principles-eye-evolution-sensitive.html Evolution Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:32:19 EST news683821921 Researchers from the University of Vienna (Austria), National Institute of Technology—Wakayama College (NITW; Japan), and Shimane University (Japan) present the largest cephalopod genome sequenced to date. Their analyses, published in iScience, show that the vampire squid has retained parts of an ancient, squid-like chromosomal architecture, thus revealing that modern octopuses evolved from squid-like ancestors. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-vampires-deep-ancient-link-octopuses.html Evolution Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:51:03 EST news683283061 A team of international researchers led by the University of Vienna have investigated the development of shark and ray biodiversity over the past 100 million years. Their surprising results show a continuous decline in diversity since the Eocene, 45 million years ago, which contradicts previous assumptions that biodiversity was either stable or increasing. This study, recently published in Scientific Reports, provides crucial insights for modern marine conservation. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-shark-ray-diversity-declining-previous.html Ecology Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:52:04 EST news682854722