Research

At many banks, insurance companies and online retailers, self-learning computer algorithms are used to make decisions that have major consequences for customers. However, just how algorithms in artificial intelligence (AI) represent and process their input data internally is largely unknown. Researchers at the Pattern Recognition Lab and the Cognitive Computational Neuroscience Group at FAU and the Neuroscience Laboratory at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, the Aix-Marseille Université in Marseille, France, and York University in Toronto, Canada, examined the problem of ‘black boxes’ in artificial intelligence and developed a method that makes these processes visible. Continue

The latest findings of an FAU research team will revolutionise the entire chemistry of magnesium. The research team have discovered magnesium, which usually has a double positive charge in chemical compounds, in the elemental zero-oxidation state. Continue

Physicists at FAU have for the first time been able to prove a long-predicted but as yet unconfirmed fundamental effect. In Faraday chiral anisotropy, the propagation characteristics of light waves are changed simultaneously by the natural and magnetic-field induced material properties of the medium... Continue

The mechanical properties of cells can reveal which diseases a patient is suffering from. Researchers at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in Erlangen are taking advantage of this effect - and revolutionising diagnostics. Their goal: instead of costly examining blood samples in the laboratory, doctors should be able to analyse them quickly and reliably using AI-supported methods. Continue

Materials scientist Prof. Dr. Carolin Körner receives ERC Advanced Grant worth three million euros. She will use the funding to drive forward research into additive manufacturing of high-performance components using high-energy electron beams over the next five years. Continue

Sport scientist Dr. Dejan Reljic has shown for the first time that not only high-intensity interval training (HIIT), but also moderate-intensive interval training significantly improves the health of obese patients. This means that the interval training benefits health even at only moderate intensity. Continue

Initial findings from a study involving hospital staff has indicated that nasal spray Carragelose® containing iota carrageenan– a natural ingredient from red algae – could protect against SARS CoV-2 infections. Several laboratory tests have already demonstrated the effect of Carragelose® against the coronavirus in cell experiments. With that in mind, this special nasal spray could support the general protective measures against SARS-CoV-2 and prevent infections. Continue

What effects might the pandemic have on Germany as an country which attracts a lot of immigrants between now and 2030? A research project at FAU involving researchers from various disciplines has investigated this issue in more detail and has drawn up various scenarios for the future. Continue

Environmental pollution caused by microplastics and nanoplastics is a ubiquitous problem which cannot be tackled using currently available cleaning concepts. Researchers at FAU have now demonstrated how magnets could be used to remove plastic particles of various types and sizes from water. Continue

A triangular structure in the largest satellite galaxy surrounding the Milky Way has left astrophysicists around the world puzzled due to its unusually energetic X-ray emissions. FAU researchers have now investigated this phenomenon using the ESA XMM-Newton X-ray observatory and can reveal that it is caused by the collision of two gas clouds, which will most likely cause a new star-forming region. Continue