A plethora of factors is involved in the maintenance of functioning ecosystems. The smallest change in numbers between predators and prey can upset the balance of the entire system. However, even leading researchers in the field of natural resource management cannot predict how natural ecosystems will develop in response to management measures that dynamically interact with natural factors. Therefore the researchers conducted complex and extended field experiments in order to provide insight and answers for a future adaptive environmental management.

Biodiesel is largely produced from rapeseeds in Europe. The fuel consists of long-chain hydrocarbon compounds. Due to a higher boiling point compared to mineral oil-based fuel, the biodiesel cannot be used undiluted in conventional engines. Biodiesel is nonetheless very important for industries, since it has a lower impact on global warming than conventional fuel. In accordance with an EU directive to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, biofuel has to be added to conventional fuel.

Over the last five years the new CRISPR-Cas genome editing tool has revolutionized molecular biology. The new technique allows for completely new ways of genetic engineering with relatively little effort at all. Based on this method a team of researchers headed by Andreas Houben at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben and Holger Puchta from the Botanical Institute of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology developed a method to visualize defined genomic sequences in living plant cells.

Environmentally-conscious customers demand drinking containers that are reusable as well as made of sustainable materials. Evonik and the Taiwanese company Sungo have combined their expertise to manufacture a handy but sturdy drinking bottle made of high-quality sustainable material: the Ludavi bottle. The bottle is made of the transparent microcrystalline polyamide Trogamid Terra biopolymer by Evonik Industries. The biopolymer consists of more than 50 percent renewable raw materials, such as palm kernel and coconut oil.

The rainforest in Brazil with its famous Amazon basin is home to countless animals and plants that function as earth’s green lungs and play an important part for the global climate. However, deforestation and developing new and more sources for raw material severely endangers the biodiversity of that area. Marcello Tabarelli has been investigating for years, exactly how mankind affects the biodiversity within the rainforest.

Resurrecting formerly extinct animal species has been a utopian dream for many researchers, and even Hollywood used this idea to resurrect dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. As implausible and surreal it may seem – scientifically speaking we’re not that far off from being able to bring back extinct species. The recent huge breakthroughs in the area of genetic engineering and stem cell biology have turned this utopia into a not-so-distant reality.

Agriculture, food production, and many more result in a substantial amount of bio-based waste material. However, although they provide high energetic potential, they are thus far hardly used to generate energy. This is due to their high moisture content and inhomogeneous composition. Researchers from the Technical University of Munich together with SunCoal Industries have now developed a new technique to produce biocoal from these waste materials.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) is a fairly young but also diverse crop that is farmed across Europe. The cultivation of sugar beet was the starting point for the industrial sugar production. Today, approximately one third of the global sugar consumption originates from sugar beet, which generates a yearly revenue of about €25 billion. However, in recent years the plant  the beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV)  - causing rhizomania  - has endangered the sugar beet yield more and more.

In order to preserve the fish population, fish have to be above a certain size before they can be caught. This is supposed to ensure that only adult animals will be caught and the younger ones will be able to procreate. Therefore most catching devices are specified for bigger fish, while smaller ones are able to escape.