Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology

Researchers from Saarbrücken and Augsburg have shown how artificial cellular compartments can autonomously form, dissolve and influence biochemical processes. Their findings could provide another piece of the puzzle in the quest to understand the origins of life on Earth and help predict the behaviour of subcellular compartments. The team led by physical chemist Dora Tang from Saarland University has published its findings in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. [...]

In nature, bacteria rarely live in isolation. They exchange signals, cooperate with neighbouring cells, and compete for nutrients and space. To coordinate these interactions, they produce a wide variety of small molecules and proteins, many of which remain largely unexplored. Luis Linares-Otoya aims to uncover how these microbial “languages” function and how they shape the composition and behaviour of bacterial communities. [...]

Saarland University is one of 20 higher education institutions in Germany that has been tasked with attracting top international talent in the fields of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, with the goal of retaining these researchers in the country long-term and building Germany as a centre of scientific excellence. [...]

Progress in chemistry is often gradual, with some of its most important advances taking years – sometimes decades – to unfold. A case in point is the discovery of a novel ‘ferrocenophane’ from the class of compounds known as ‘sandwich molecules’ – so named because of their particular structure. In a ferrocenophane, the ‘bread slices’ are two carbon rings that enclose an iron atom as the sandwich ‘filling’. [...]

How can waste be put to good use instead of being disposed of? A research team at Saarland University developed an innovative approach that converts readily available waste materials – urine and ash – into valuable raw materials. The researchers aim to make good use of these two waste materials to provide nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium – the basis of many fertilizers currently in high demand. The research findings were recently published in the renowned journal Bioengineering. [...]

New broad-spectrum antiviral compounds are seen as an important contribution to pandemic preparedness. A project led by Alexander Titz, professor of organic and pharmaceutical chemistry at Saarland University, and Professor Christian Sieben, research group leader at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), aims to develop such compounds to fill a gap in pandemic preparedness. [...]

A new research consortium bringing together htw saar, Saarland University and Fraunhofer IZFP is strengthening technology transfer in Saarland with support from the Transformation Fund. The project focuses AI, sensor technologies and ways to apply technology to boost the economy and help society. [...]

Continuous monitoring of indoor air to assess health and wellbeing, smart sheets that monitor sleep quality and miniaturized hearing aids – international partners in academia and industry are collaborating on the SensorTech4Health project to develop novel technology that monitors the surrounding environment to continuously gauge health. Whether integrated into a smart home system or as a discreet wearable, these new technologies aim to monitor health and wellbeing and increase quality of life. [...]