They are found in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, cleaning agents, on seeds and even in fire extinguishers: surfactants. These substances reduce the surface tension of a liquid or the interfacial tension between two liquid phases. Surfactants can be used to mix generally immiscible liquids together or separate them from each other in a controlled manner.
In mid-December, Biotensidon GmbH, a Karlsruhe-based subsidiary of the Swiss firm Biotensidon International AG, announced a breakthrough in the mass production of rhamnolipid surfactants.

You need to have a great deal of stamina and specialised knowledge to study biodiversity on agricultural land. The 'Jena Experiment' is a prime example of biodiversity research in a field laboratory. It was initiated in 2002 by the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU). It is not only the longest-running biodiversity experiment in Europe, but also the largest.

Cultivating tomatoes in space — it all sounds rather alien! Yet that extra-terrestrial mission is central to a project currently being developed by the researchers from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). Preparations for the mission: Eu:Cropis (Euglena and Combined Regenerative Organic Food Production in Space) are in full swing. Scientists hope to send a satellite carrying tomato seeds into space before the end of the year.

Preventing deforestation

However, land ecosystems have changed. Forests are being felled for agricultural purposes or existing arable land is being cultivated in new ways.

Fifteen years after the first edition of the Sustainability Strategy was released, the Federal Government has unveiled a new version in the form of the "German Sustainability Strategy" (DNS).

According to research consultancy HFFA Research, the European Commission decision of 2013 to largely restrict the use of neonicotinoids has clearly had negative environmental impact and resulted in severe economic losses for the European oilseed sector.

Tetra Pak are aiming high: The Swiss-based packaging manufacturer, originally founded in Sweden, has set its sights on manufacturing products from 100% renewable materials that have been cultivated sustainably. "The introduction of the new Tetra Brik Aseptic 1000 Edge packaging with the bio-based LightCap 30 is a key step towards achieving our goal," says Charles Brand, Tetra Pak Executive Vice President.

Ants are diligent workers. These social insects form a super-organism that divides up roles in a clear fashion. They also cooperate with other living creatures that protect them from predators or provide them with nourishment. The idea of ants, like many other living creatures, living in symbiosis with other animals and plants is yesterday's news. Researchers from the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, however, have discovered an unusually close symbiotic relationship on the part of the insects.

Surgical suture material or drug-releasing stents are coated with substrates that release active agents or allow for better adhesion of biomolecules and cells. The film is applied using a special technique known as Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), involving gas-phase coatings. In CVD polymerisation, the initial compounds are evaporated, activated at high temperature and deposited onto surfaces where they polymerise.