Bioeconomy News

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Bundesumweltministerin Svenja Schulze eröffnet die Konferenz ICCA 2019.
Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze opens the ICCA 2019 conference.

Fighting the climate crisis at all levels

At the ICCA climate conference in Heidelberg, political and economic actors stressed the need for cooperation between government decision-makers.

Der neu beschriebene Virus lässt die grünen Stängel der krausen Petersilie gelb werden.
The newly described virus causes the green stems of the curly parsley to turn yellow.

New parsley virus discovered

Leibniz researchers from Braunschweig have identified a new pathogen from dwarf parsley plants that is responsible for blocking growth.

Damit Blattsprosse sich entwickeln können, benötigen ihre Stammzellen eine sauerstoffarme Umgebung.
In order for leaf shoots to develop, their stem cells need an environment low in oxygen.

Plant cells need lack of oxygen

Oxygen deficiency usually harms plants. However, an international team of plant researchers reports that too much air is even harmful for the development of new leaves and flowers.

Algen spielen zunehmend eine Rolle als Lebensmittel, aber die Reinigung des Abwassers aus den Zuchttanks ist wegen des Salzgehalts schwierig.
Algae are playing an increasingly important role as food, but the purification of wastewater from the breeding tanks is difficult due to the high salt content.

Purifying saline wastewater with algae

Algae are in high demand as food. A German-Chinese research team now wants to develop macroalgae for new applications.

Weizenmuster im Vergleich: Urkorn und Kulturkorn aus dem Herbarium der bundeszentralen Ex-situ-Genbank am IPK.
A comparison of wheat patterns: original grain and cultivated grain from the herbarium of the Federal Ex-situ Gene Bank at the IPK.

Genomes of 487 wheat varieties deciphered

An international study confirms the theory of the origin of bread wheat and opens up new breeding potentials for the crop.

Gelbe Lupinen bieten Nahrung für Hummeln. Durch züchterische Verbesserung soll ihr Anbau attraktiver werden.
Yellow lupins provide food for bumble bees. Researchers hope to make the plants more attractive through breeding.

Comeback of the yellow lupin

Plant researchers at the Julius Kühn Institute want to breed new varieties to make yellow lupins more resistant and thus more attractive for agriculture. 

Most nails are made of metal. The counterpart made of wood has not yet been able to establish itself even in ecological construction.

Building with wooden nails

Researchers from Wismar and Hamburg want to develop the wooden nail further for use in ecological wood construction.

Zwei Metallstücke sind mit der nachhaltigen Klebstoffformulierung verbunden. Im Hintergrund: Leinölepoxidproben für die Klebstoffprüfung mit flüssigem (gelb) und pastösem Härter (weiß) sowie mit Organosolv-Lignin (schwarz).
Two metal parts joined using the new, sustainably produced adhesive. Behind them: three pots containing the ingredients of the adhesive – the liquid hardener (yellow), the paste hardener (white) and the lignin organic solvent (black).

New bioglues from vegetable oil

Fraunhofer researchers are developing new biobased adhesives that consist almost entirely of vegetable oils - including resins and hardeners. 

Coral reefs are the habitat of many animals. But they are becoming increasingly rare.

One of eight species under threat

The global assessment of the World Biodiversity Council IPBES paints a dramatic picture of the situation of biological diversity on earth and calls for profound change.

Die hitzeresistenten Pflanzen bilden auch bei mehr als 29 Grad Celsius noch Knollen.
The heat-resistant plants form tubers even at temperatures above 29 degrees Celsius.

Turning off the potato's thermostat

Using a simple genetic trick, biochemists at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg have induced potatoes to form tubers even at high temperatures.

Wolfgang Schuhmann, Fangyuan Zhao, Adrian Ruff und Felipe Conzuelo (von links) präsentieren ihre langlebige Bioelektroden.
Wolfgang Schuhmann, Fangyuan Zhao, Adrian Ruff and Felipe Conzuelo (from left) present their long-lived bioelectrodes.

Artificial photosynthesis improved

Researchers at the University of Bochum have improved the lifetime of bioelectrodes by making a protein complex involved in the photosynthetic process more durable.

Überprüfung der Volksstärke der Honigbienen neben einem Rapsfeld.
Verification of the colony strength of honey bees next to a rape field.

Massive field study supports insecticide ban

The insecticide clothianidin, which is banned in the EU, damages bumble bees, a field study confirms. Honey bees, on the other hand, remain unaffected.

Viele Klebstoffe lassen sich durch biobasierte Alternativen ersetzen, die sogar Mehrwerte bieten.
Many adhesives can be replaced by bio-based alternatives that even offer many advantages.

Bio-based adhesives with added value

Bio-based adhesives are not only more sustainable. They also have other advantages over their petrol-based counterparts, as an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research shows.

Spinnenseideprotein für die Kosmetik
The company Amsilk biotechnically produces spider silk proteins.

Givaudan takes over cosmetics business of AMSilk

Givaudan, the world's largest manufacturer of fragrances and flavours, opts for the biotechnologically produced spider silk proteins from AMSilk in Martinsried, Germany.

Dem Erbgut der Weinrebe auf der Spur – ein chinesisches Team hat das Genom eines Großteils der Arten entschlüsselt. Das Botanische Institut des KIT stellte hierzu seine weltweit einmalige Sammlung europäischer Wildreben zur Verfügung.
On the trail of the grapevine genome - a Chinese team has deciphered the genome of a large part of the species. The Botanical Institute of the KIT made its worldwide unique collection of European wild vines available for this purpose.

Genome analysis: The relatives of the grapevine

Chinese plant researchers have deciphered and analysed the genomes of 472 different wild grapevine forms. A vine archive from Karlsruhe contributed material.

1,7 Millionen Hektar Baumwolle werden in China, Indien und Pakistan allein für Europas Nutzung angebaut.
1,7 Millionen Hektar Baumwolle werden in China, Indien und Pakistan allein für Europas Nutzung angebaut.

EU: Plant raw materials mostly imported

A study shows that the EU obtains almost two thirds of all plant-based raw materials from Asia. Cotton and palm oil are at the top of the list.

Proteinreich, knusprig-lecker und zu 90 Prozent aus regional angebauten Erbsen: Das ist der Tempeh-Kräcker „TempSta“.
Rich in protein, crispy, tasty and made from 90 percent regionally grown peas: this is the Tempeh cracker "TempSta".

Food Innovation Award for Berlin Uni teams

Students from TU Berlin triumphed in the TROPHELIA ideas competition with a triple victory and a special prize for vegan product ideas. 

Synthetische Biologie
The researchers want to construct minimal biological systems from chemical building blocks.

New Max Planck Center for Minimal Biology

In Bristol, England, the Max Planck Society is establishing a research center for synthetic biology with the local university: the Max Planck-Bristol Center in Minimal Biology.

Ackerbau-intensive landwirtschaft
Intensive agriculture leads to increased yields, but also to the loss of biodiversity.

Meta-analysis: higher yield, less diversity

Higher yields in intensive agriculture come at the expense of biodiversity. This is the conclusion of a meta-analysis conducted by environmental researchers from Leipzig.

Anja Ramsperger M.Sc. bei der Untersuchung von Wasserflöhen in einem Labor der Bayreuther Tierökologie.
Anja Ramsperger investigating water fleas in a laboratory of Bayreuth Animal Ecology.

Plastic particles disrupt water flea communication

Plastic waste in the water attract the water fleas' chemical cues, thereby undermining the defence strategies of the tiny crustaceans.