News
A plea from experts: stop personifying plants
Popular science books are all the rage. Their aim is to convey scientific topics to interested members of the public as clearly and entertainingly as possible. To succeed, authors describe the science using accessible language and concepts. An international research team tested such descriptions against scientific evidence by analysing statements from two popular science books. They conclude that metaphoric descriptions are often held as literally true, and warn against personifying plants. more…
Is there more to palm oil than deforestation?
Palm oil is the world's most produced and consumed vegetable oil and everyone knows that its production can damage the environment. But do consumers have the full picture? In fact, replacing palm oil with rapeseed oil would require a four to five-fold increase in the amount of land needed. Research led by the University of Göttingen investigated the attitudes, beliefs and understanding about palm oil of the general public in Germany, and how this links to land use. more…
Precisely arranging nanoparticles
In the incredibly small world of molecules, the elementary building blocks – the atoms – join together in a very regular pattern. In contrast, in the macroscopic world with its larger particles, there is much greater disorder when particles connect. A research team at Göttingen University has now succeeded in achieving the same precise arrangement of atoms shown in molecules, but using nanometer-sized particles, known as “plasmonic molecules”. more…
Majority rule in complex mixtures
The very first life on earth is thought to have developed from “protocells” – liquid mixtures of many different types of molecules. Researchers at Göttingen University have now shown that in such mixtures, small imbalances in the number of molecules of different types can have an unexpected effect. A surprising interplay with the complex pattern of interactions strongly amplifies such imbalances. more…
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Further news
Reminder: Evacuation on Saturday 23 September 2023 due to WWII bomb disposal
As the City of Göttingen has announced previously, suspected explosive devices from World War II will be made safe on Saturday 23 September 2023. The work will start from 06:00. The City has published the area that will have to be evacuated and this will affect large parts of Göttingen and the Central Campus of the University. more…
HeKKSaGOn: ninth Japanese-German University Presidents’ Conference
“What Opportunities and Challenges does Artificial Intelligence offer to the Higher Education Sector?” is the subject of the 9th Japanese-German University Presidents’ Conference of the higher education sector network HeKKsaGOn. This takes place on 21 and 22 September 2023 at the University of Göttingen. The presidents as well as researchers and students of all six HeKKsaGOn partner universities will take part in the conference. more…