Nitrogen deficiency restricts the growth and yield of plants. That is why the addition of nitrogen is a common part of agricultural practice. However, researchers from the Zuse-Gemeinschaft report that the effect is reversed and the yield when as little as 135 kilograms are used per year and hectare. They also present new applications for field beans and a device that analyzes the ingredients and shelf life of food.

Until now, there were two types of catalysts that could be used for fuel cells: expensive precious metals such as platinum or short-lived biological molecules. A cooperation between researchers from the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) and scientists from Marseille has now succeeded in developing a biocatalyst that will theoretically last 22,000 years.

Many cooks spoil the broth? Deep-sea mussels follow a different principle. They form symbioses with an unexpectedly large number of bacterial strains. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen and the University of Vienna suspect that what at first glance seems to contradict previous assumptions in evolutionary biology could actually be a widespread principle.

New technological possibilities often raise new ethical questions. This currently applies to so-called genome editing, the precision intervention in the genome. The Max Planck Society has now made clear its position in a discussion paper on the new possibilities, which also separately evaluates the individual fields of application.

Scientists from Potsdam, Berlin and Grenoble were able to use ultra-fast 3D neutron imaging to visualize the transport of water in the soil and the subsequent absorption by the roots of lupines.

The world market leader for collagen proteins, the German company Gelita, and the pioneer on the market for animal-free collagen, the US biotech company Geltor, intend to jointly develop vegan collagen for the food and beverage market. The two companies have announced their intention to develop vegan collagen for the food and beverage market at a trade fair.

It has been known for several years that bacteria can degrade PET, which is mainly used for plastic bottles: Microorganisms such as Ideonella sakaiensis - discovered in 2016 on a partially decayed PET bottle in Japan - release an enzyme called PETase. This enzyme is able to break down the chain molecules of the plastic into its components. "This is of particular interest when it comes to the degradation of microparticles, for example microplastics," explains Daniel Moog, head of the junior research group at the Philipps University in Marburg.

The chemical industry is intensively researching ways to replace crude oil with renewable alternatives. Of particular interest here is the approach of using the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which is produced as exhaust gas in many processes. In this way, the climate could be protected at the same time as carbon could be fed into a sustainable circular economy. The newly launched "ElkaSyn" project is now investigating two approaches to making such processes more efficient and thus more economical.