Wondering what's really in those meatballs? German scientists have come up with a way to determine the precise quantities of plant, animal and microbial substances in foods using DNA analysis. The technique could prove beneficial for people with food allergies, to test for pathogens in foodborne-illness outbreaks, and to discover stuff that shouldn't be in there, such as horsemeat or melamine. Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Genetic Security Research and Consulting at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz have adapted the latest techniques of DNA sequencing, which are otherwise employed in human genetics, and applied them to food products ...

Scientists at Mainz University develop a novel screening procedure for accurately determining the amount of animal, plant, and microbial substances in foods. ...

Researchers in Germany and China have founded a new nanotechnology and biomedicine centre to develop new materials, focusing on developing regenerative treatments for bone diseases.The Chinese-German Center for Bio-Inspired Materials, established with funding for 10 years, will be jointly led by Werner Müller at the institute of physiological chemistry at the University of Mainz Medical Center, Germany, and Shuwen Dong of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing. The centre will be based at both institutions. ...

Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany have created a new synthetic hybrid material with a mineral content of almost 90 percent, yet extremely flexible. They imitated the structural elements found in most sea sponges and recreated the sponge spicules using the natural mineral calcium carbonate and a protein of the sponge. ...

Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Germany have created a new synthetic hybrid material with a mineral content of almost 90 percent, yet extremely flexible. They imitated the structural elements found in most sea sponges and recreated the sponge spicules using the natural mineral calcium carbonate and a protein of the sponge. ...

A German research team led by Professor Dr. Werner E. G. M-ller of the Institute of Physiological Chemistry at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences have launched a Chinese-German Joint Center for Bio-Inspired Materials. Here, the researchers will be able to work closely together on projects in the field of regenerative medicine, an area with a promising future. ...

Lighthouse project focuses on regenerative medicine ...

A German research team led by Professor Dr. Werner E. G. Müller of the Institute of Physiological Chemistry at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences have launched a Chinese-German Joint Center for Bio-Inspired Materials. Here, the researchers will be able to work closely together on projects in the field of regenerative medicine, an area with a promising future. The aim is to use the strategy of marine animals to develop novel bio-inspired bone replacement materials and medications to ameliorate osteoporosis. ...

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have confirmed the original model of the molecular structure of water and have thus made it possible to resolve a long-standing scientific controversy about the structure of liquid water. ...

Tablets are not only trendy, they could potentially improve reading speed especially in those ages 60 and over. While the difference in reading a tablet and a printed page is only a few seconds, the former can save hours when reading lenghty material. Moreover, backlit tables can aid in reading for those with low vision. ...

Up to EUR 1 million for cooperation with international partners for research into energy-efficient information technology ...

People young and old prefer reading paper books to tablets and e-readers, but older individuals could find themselves reading faster and with less effort on a tablet. The news came from a small study released this week in PLOS ONE from researchers at the historic epicenter of the printed word – Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. ...

Ebooks easier to read because of contrast between the text and background ...

When Dr. Matthias Schlesewsky and colleagues sent preliminary results of their new study to one of Germany's biggest newspapers, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – commonly known as the FAZ – they quickly found themselves being dragged through mud. "We were immediately attacked in the newspaper on the feuilleton," said Schlesewsky, a professor in the Department of English and Linguistics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. The feuilleton is the arts and culture section of the paper, similarly compared to the New Yorker’s "Talk of the Town." Their study sought to address a common stigma in Germany – and perhaps across the world – regarding one's reading experience when it comes to traditional media printed on paper versus digital media, specifically e-readers and tablets. ...

Elderly people should use e-readers or tablet computers rather than books because they place less strain on the eyes while reading, a study has found. ...

Breakthroughs in spintronics and materials science will be put on the fast track to industry thanks to two joint research projects. The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany have teamed up to intitiate two large-scale projects, with a combined budget of €3.8 million, to speed the transition of advances from university to industry. ...

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has again approved funding for the Department of Internal Medicine II of the Mainz University Medical Center to promote cardiovascular research - for the second time within only a few weeks. The aim of the project currently being sponsored is to investigate the relationships between free radicals and disorders of the cardiovascular system. ...

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has again approved funding for the Department of Internal Medicine II of the Mainz University Medical Center to promote cardiovascular research – for the second time within only a few weeks. ...

The German Research Foundation has approved funding for the Department of Internal Medicine II of the Mainz University Medical Center to promote the further study of the interrelations between the immune system and cardiovascular system disorders. ...

Scientists from Bangalore and Mainz have demonstrated that captured ions can be cooled through contact with cold atoms and could be stored in so-called ion traps in a stable condition for longer periods of time. This finding runs counter to predictions that ions would actually be heated through collisions with atoms. The results have opened up the possibility of conducting chemical experiments to generate molecular ions at temperatures as low as those prevailing in interstellar space. ...

To date, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been considered to be an incurable disease involving the immune system and its exact causes are still unknown. Why exactly is there inadequate communication between the various kinds of immune cells in patients with the autoimmune disease MS? Why are the brains of MS patients the targets of "accidental" attacks by their own immune system? It is hoped that the research network ITN-NeuroKine, currently in the process of being formed under the aegis of the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) with the help of EUR 3.5 million in funding provided by the European Commission, will provide answers to these questions. ...