News

Alligators use neural maps to localize the source of a sound the same way birds do, as Dr. Lutz Kettler of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Prof. Catherine Carr of the University of Maryland have determined in a new study. The results strongly suggest that dinosaurs also used this strategy, offering an additional insight into evolutionary mechanisms.

Prof. Daniel Cremers is a highly decorated computer scientist from the Technical University of Munich (TUM). A holder of the Leibniz Prize, he will now join the community of scholars at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW). In doing so, the members of the academy have recognized Cremers' trendsetting research in the field of mathematical image processing and pattern recognition.

Meadows adjacent to high-intensity agricultural areas are home to less than half the number of butterfly species than areas in nature preserves. The number of individuals is even down to one-third of that number. These are results of a research team led by Jan Christian Habel at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Thomas Schmitt at the Senckenberg Nature Research Society.

The number of hacker attacks in Germany is steadily increasing. In order to equip companies and public institutions with the tools to fend off cyber-attacks, a new committee of scientific experts will be assessing the security situation in Germany in the future – and provide guidance when it comes to issues of IT security. Prof Claudia Eckert, head of the chair of IT security at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), is one of the six initial memebers of the Council of Cyber Experts.

Cleantech start-ups in the USA that cooperate with government research agencies outperform their competitors both in terms of patents and funding. That is the conclusion of a study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Maryland and the University of Cambridge. In the cleantech sector, where development processes can extend over many years, public-private partnerships could prove valuable in other countries, too.

Tumors are very different at cellular and molecular level making them difficult to diagnose and treat. A team from Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum München has now shown that harmless purple bacteria are capable of visualizing aspects of this heterogeneity in the tumors. With the aid of optoacoustic imaging, the researchers used these microorganisms to visualize cells of the immune system, so-called macrophages that also play a role in tumor development.

UnternehmerTUM, Center for Innovation and Business Creation at TUM, received a visit yesterday from Peter Altmaier, the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs. The minister spoke with young entrepreneurs, the UnternehmerTUM managing director Helmut Schönenberger and TUM Vice President Thomas Hofmann. More than 70 technology start-ups are launched at TUM every year. To facilitate their growth, Peter Altmaier intends to promote venture capital playing a greater role in Germany.

In agriculture, it is not only yield that counts, But also the stability of yields over several years. A meta-analysis by a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Agroscope in Zurich has investigated how organic and conventional agriculture differ in this regard.

The Finnish Aalto University (Helsinki) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have entered into a new partnership. The signing took place at the Bavarian Representation in Brussels. The cooperation will focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, design and biogenic raw materials.

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Jinan in China are setting up a joint research laboratory at the Chair for Construction Chemistry at TUM. The aim of the new laboratory is to develop an energy-generating floor and road covering.