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In a joint effort by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), researchers have successfully developed new technologies for lighter aircraft wings that are still extremely stable. These innovative wings could soon make flying both greener and more cost-efficient. Known as aeroelastic wings, on Tuesday they made their successful first flight at the airfield in Oberpfaffenhofen.

Nine researchers at TUM are among the world's most recognized scientific minds. Their names can be found in the latest "Highly Cited Researchers” rankings, compiled on the basis of the number of citations in scientific publications.

Together with the Swiss technology group Oerlikon and the industrial gas manufacturer Linde, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has entered into a research alliance for additive manufacturing (AM). The partners aim to develop new high-strength, lightweight aluminum-based alloys that can serve the safety and weight reduction needs of the aerospace and automotive industries. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs is funding 50 percent of the EUR 1.7 million research project.

Dense, humid broadleaf forests, monsoon-swollen rivers and deep ravines – in the Indian state of Meghalaya wooden bridges easily decay or are washed away in floodwaters. Bridges made from steel and concrete are pushed to their limits here as well. But bridges made of living tree roots can survive here for centuries. Prof. Ferdinand Ludwig of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has investigated these special structures and proposes integrating this extraordinary building technique in modern architecture.

Yet another success for the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in the competition for the most highly endowed research award in Germany: Prof. Daniel Rückert, an internationally renowned expert for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, is being appointed to one of the first two Alexander von Humboldt Professorships for AI. The top researcher from Imperial College London is the seventh Humboldt Professor at TUM.

Theoretical calculations indicate that under certain conditions silicon can endow solar cells with a much higher efficiency. Small silicon clusters may provide a source of accordingly modified silicon. However, to date these clusters have not been accessible in soluble form, a prerequisite for flexible processing. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now discovered a simple synthesis approach.

When will the next eruption take place? Examination of samples from Indonesia's Mount Merapi show that the explosivity of stratovolcanoes rises when mineral-rich gases seal the pores and microcracks in the uppermost layers of stone. These findings result in new possibilities for the prediction of an eruption.

Compared to a decade ago, today the number of insect species on many areas has decreased by about one third. This is the result of a survey of an international research team led by scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The loss of species mainly affects grasslands in the vicinity of intensively farmed land – but also applies to forests and protected areas.

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Munich School of Philosophy (HFPH) are intensifying their cooperation in teaching programs. The first TUM students are already attending HFPH lectures this semester. The inter-university course offerings are part of the TUM excellence concept, and are intended to integrate ethics and social issues into engineering and the natural sciences.

Prof. Dr. Veronika Somoza will take on her new post as Director of the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM) as of November 1, 2019. She succeeds Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann, who is leaving the Leibniz-Institute, located in Freising, for his new position as President of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The position as Director also entails the Professorship for Nutritional Systems Biology at the TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan's Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences.