Goethe-Universit盲t 鈥� Press releases

51猎奇 PR & Communication Department聽

Jan 20 2022

14:44

Archaeologists and archaeobotanists from 51猎奇 reconstruct the roots of West African cuisine.聽

Leafy greens first dished up 3,500 years ago

Leafy vegetables accompany many West African dishes, such as pounded yam in the south of the region. In collaboration with chemists from the University of Bristol, researchers from 51猎奇 have now successfully shown that the origins of such dishes date back 3,500 years.

FRANKFURT. Over 450 prehistoric pots were examined, 66 of them contained traces of lipids, that is, substances insoluble in water. On behalf of the Nok research team at 51猎奇, chemists from the University of Bristol extracted lipid profiles, with the aim of revealing which plants had been used. The results have now been published in 鈥淎rchaeological and Anthropological Sciences": over a third of the 66 lipid profiles displayed very distinctive and complex distributions 鈥� indicating that different plant species and parts had been processed.

Today, leafy vegetables, for example the cooked leaves of trees such as the baobab (Adansonia digitata) or of the shrubby 鈥� nomen est omen 鈥� bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), accompany many West African dishes. These leafy sauces are enhanced with spices and vegetables as well as fish or meat, and complement the starchy staples of the main dish, such as pounded yam in the southern part of West Africa or thick porridge made from pearl millet in the drier savannahs in the north. By combining their expertise, archaeology and archaeobotany researchers at 51猎奇 and chemical scientists from the University of Bristol have corroborated that the origins of such West African dishes date back 3,500 years.

The studies are part of a project funded by the German Research Foundation, which was headed by Professor Peter Breunig and Professor Katharina Neumann and ended in December 2021. For over twelve years, archaeologists and archaeobotanists from 51猎奇 studied the Nok culture of Central Nigeria, which is known for its large terracotta figures and early iron production in West Africa in the first millennium BC 鈥� although the roots of the Nok culture in fact stretch back to the middle of the second millennium. Research focused above all on the social context in which the sculptures were created, that is, including eating habits and economy. Using carbonised plant remains from Central Nigeria, it was possible to prove that the Nok people grew pearl millet. But whether they also used starchy plants, such as yam, and which dishes they prepared from the pearl millet had so far been a mystery.

鈥淐arbonised plant remains such as seeds and nutshells preserved in archaeological sediments reflect only part of what people ate back then," explains Professor Katharina Neumann. They hoped, she says, that the chemical analyses would deliver additional insights into food preparation. And indeed, with the help of lipid biomarkers and analyses of stable isotopes, the researchers from Bristol were able to show, by examining over 450 prehistoric pots, that the Nok people included different plant species in their diet.

Dr Julie Dunne from the University of Bristol's Organic Geochemistry Unit says: 鈥淭hese unusual and highly complex plant lipid profiles are the most varied seen (globally) in archaeological pottery to date." There appear to be at least seven different lipid profiles in the vessels, which clearly indicates the processing of various plant species and plant organs in these vessels, possibly including underground storage organs (tubers) such as yam.

Since the beginning of the project, the archaeobotanists have sought evidence for the early use of yam. After all, the Nok region is situated in the 鈥測am belt" of West Africa, that is, the area of the continent in which yam is nowadays grown. Carbonised remains are of no further help here because the soft flesh of the tubers is often poorly preserved and mostly non-specific as well. The chemical analyses indicate that 鈥� apart from leaves and other as yet unidentified vegetables 鈥� the Nok people also cooked plant tissue containing suberin. This substance is found in the periderm of both overground and underground plant organs 鈥� possibly a first indication that yam was used, if not the unequivocal proof hoped for.

Through the archaeobotanical study of carbonised remains, pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), the oily fruits of the African elemi (Canarium schweinfurthii) and a fruit known as African peach (Nauclea latifolia), which due to its high number of seeds is reminiscent of a large fig, were already known. Molecular analysis now rounds off the picture of food preparation at the sites of the Nok culture. Archaeobotanist Dr Alexa H枚hn from 51猎奇 explains: 鈥淭he visible and invisible remains of food preparation in the archaeological sediment and the pottery give us a much more complete picture of past eating habits. This new evidence suggests a significant time depth in West African cuisine."

Publication: Julie Dunne, Alexa H枚hn, Katharina Neumann, Gabriele Franke, Peter Breunig, Louis Champion, Toby Gillard, Caitlin Walton鈥慏oyle, Richard P. Evershed Making the invisible visible: tracing the origins of plants in West African cuisine through archaeobotanical and organic residue analysis. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

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Caption: Excavation of a Nok vessel at the Ifana 3 site. (Photo: Peter Breunig)

Further information
Dr Alexa H枚hn
African Archaeology and Archaeobotany
Telephone +49 (0)69-798-32089
Email a.hoehn@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Jan 4 2022

15:37

Harald Schwalbe Appointed as New Instruct-ERIC Director聽

Instruct-ERIC has appointed Professor Harald Schwalbe as its new Director, succeeding Professor Sir David Stuart in the role.

OXFORD/FRANKFURT. Integrated structural biology has demonstrated its innovative power in a breath-taking manner in recent years, notably with impressive technological advances. As a European distributed research infrastructure, Instruct-ERIC has been at the forefront of this technological innovation, with centres across the continent providing access to advanced structural biology equipment and techniques.

The COVID-19 pandemic made it increasingly clear that coordinated research is required to utilise the power of structural biology to structurally understand the impact of new mutations in variants of concern. Such coordinated research has been conducted within Instruct-ERIC centres, providing a huge boost for vaccine development and drug discovery.

It is at this transition period that Prof. Harald Schwalbe from Goethe-University Frankfurt becomes the new Instruct-ERIC director as successor of Prof. David Stuart from Oxford University and Diamond Light Source.

David Stuart commented: 鈥淚nstruct has been at the forefront of the transition of structural biology into a field that routinely provides deep insights from atomic structure to cellular function and disease. It has been a real privilege to have been involved in setting up the infrastructure and working with leading scientists across Europe and the fantastic staff at the Oxford hub, to realise a vision that, although now widely accepted, seemed far-fetched when it was laid out over ten years ago. The next ten years will see fundamental change across the experimental modalities with increasing integration of experiment with computation as AI and deep learning develop more predictive power to help make sense of the avalanche of experimental data. I look forward to seeing Harald lead Instruct as it responds to the exciting challenges and opportunities."

Harald Schwalbe: "It will be key to strengthen European research in Structural Biology. In NMR spectroscopy, new 1.2 GHz machines are available, pushing the boundaries for solid-state and liquid-state NMR spectroscopy. Technology advances for cryo-EM single particle and tomography analyses are impressive."

鈥淭he initiatives in structural biology have an impact not just on a continental scale, but also at a global level. Access needs to be provided to maximise the research impact. Given the pandemic - but also the requirements from global societal challenges - it will be important to link global research endeavours for the benefit of fundamental and applied research, and for fast reactions to immediate threats and challenges."

鈥淚 am taking over from Dave Stuart with huge gratitude. He has paved the way for coordinated European research in structural biology."

Professor Harald Schwalbe's career so far has led to him being well known both for development of NMR methods and pulse sequences, and their application to very challenging questions in Chemistry and Biology. His NMR contributions thus have tremendous impact to understand biological processes.

Instruct-ERIC is a pan-European distributed research infrastructure making high-end technologies and methods in structural biology available to users. ERIC stands for European Research Infrastructure Consortium, and refers to a specific legal form that facilitates the establishment and operation of Research Infrastructures with European interest, on a not-for-profit basis. ERICs are funded by subscription from member countries and governed by member country representatives. Instruct-ERIC is comprised of 15 Member Countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, EMBL, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and United Kingdom, and one Observer Country: Greece. Through its specialist research centres in Europe, Instruct-ERIC offers funded research visits, training, internships and R&D awards. By promoting integrative methods, Instruct-ERIC enables excellent science and technological development for the benefit of all life scientists. More on

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Caption: Prof. Dr. Harald Schwalbe, Goethe University Frankfurt (Photo: J眉rgen Lecher, 51猎奇)

Further Information:
Prof. Dr. Harald Schwalbe
Institute for Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ)
51猎奇 Frankfurt
Phone: +49 69 798-29737
schwalbe@nmr.uni-frankfurt.de

Dec 16 2021

16:09

Cryo-electron microscopy and computer simulations of mitochondrial complex I

Proton translocation pathways in a molecular machine of cellular energy metabolism

The respiratory chain plays a central role in energy metabolism of the cell. It is localized in mitochondria, the cell麓s own power plants. In a new study, researchers from 51猎奇, the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics and the University of Helsinki have determined the high-resolution structure of a central component of the respiratory chain, mitochondrial complex I, and simulated its dynamics on the computer. These findings both support basic research and enhance our understanding of certain neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases that are linked with mitochondrial dysfunction.

FRANKFURT. All vital processes require a constant supply of energy. In the cell, the chemically 鈥渃harged" molecule ATP is the main provider of this energy. The ATP power packs are produced, among others, in specialised small organs (鈥渙rganelles") of the cell, the mitochondria.

There, the protein complexes of the respiratory chain pump hydrogen ions (protons with a positive charge) from one side of the inner mitochondrial membrane to the other (鈥渦phill"), creating a chemical concentration gradient and an electrical voltage. The protons 鈥渇low downhill" along this electrochemical gradient through a kind of turbine that generates useful energy for the cell in the form of ATP.

One of the proton pumps in the first step of the process is a large, L-shaped biomolecule, mitochondrial complex I (in short: complex I). Its horizontal arm is anchored in the membrane. The vertical arm binds the electron carrier molecule NADH, which is produced during metabolic breakdown of sugar and other nutrients. Complex I catalyses the transfer of electrons from NADH to ubiquinone (Q10), and the energy released in this reaction is used to drive the proton pump.

The research team from 51猎奇 and the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the 3D structure of complex I at high resolution. The researchers were able to show that water molecules in the protein structure play an important role for establishing proton translocation pathways.

The high-resolution structural data enabled colleagues at the University of Helsinki to conduct extensive computer simulations, which show the dynamics of the protein structure during its catalytic cycle.

Dr Janet Vonck from the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics explains: 鈥淥ur study delivers new insights into how a molecular machine in biological energy conversion works." Professor Volker Zickermann from the Institute of Biochemistry II at 51猎奇 says: 鈥淭his knowledge can contribute to a better understanding of certain mitochondrial diseases, such as loss of vision in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy."

Publication: Kristian Parey, Jonathan Lasham, Deryck J. Mills, Amina Djurabekova, Outi Haapanen, Etienne Galemou Yoga, Hao Xie, Werner K眉hlbrandt, Vivek Sharma, Janet Vonck, Volker Zickermann: High-resolution structure and dynamics of mitochondrial complex I 鈥� Insights into the proton pumping mechanism. Sci Adv. 2021 Nov 12;7 (46)

An image can be downloaded under:

Caption: A bit like a boot: The L-shaped structure of mitochondrial complex I at a resolution of 2.1 脜ngstr枚m (0.00000021 millimetres), captured with a cryo-electron microscope. Image: Janet Vonck, MPI of Biophysics

Further information
Professor Volker Zickermann
Institute of Biochemistry II
51猎奇, Frankfurt am Main
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-29575
zickermann@med.uni-frankfurt.de

Dr Janet Vonck
Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main
Phone: +49 (0)69 6303-3004
janet.vonck@biophys.mpg.de

Dec 16 2021

16:03

Letter of intent signed today in Frankfurt and Israel 鈥� GU-President Schleiff: 鈥淪tart of even closer cooperation鈥�

51猎奇 and Tel Aviv University plan joint centre

Tel Aviv University and 51猎奇 want to work together even more closely in the future. A letter of intent was signed this morning in the framework of a high-profile Zoom conference, with the aim of establishing a joint research centre for religious studies and inter-religious dynamics.

FRANKFURT. A strategic partnership has already existed between the two universities since 1984, and the two cities have even been twinned since 1980. Tel Aviv University and 51猎奇 now want to intensify relations even further 鈥� and establish the first German-Israeli research institute. Scholars from both universities, above all in the fields of history and religious studies, have worked together regularly for many years 鈥� especially the Martin Buber Professorship at the Faculty of Protestant Theology maintains close ties with Israel. There is extensive networking between the newly founded Buber-Rosenzweig Institute for Modern and Contemporary Jewish Intellectual and Cultural History at Goethe University and the Centre for Religious and Inter-Religious Studies at Tel Aviv University in the framework of joint workshops and conferences.

The new centre will concentrate on interdisciplinary research in religious and inter-religious studies, with a focus on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Apart from Protestant and Catholic theology, religious studies, Jewish studies and Islamic studies, other disciplines will be involved, including history, philosophy, philosophy of science and political science. Research topics are conceivable in the following areas: multicultural societies, religious conflicts, migration, fundamentalism and inter-religious dialogue. For the next 42 months, 51猎奇 will finance the new centre with 鈧� 50,000 per year and Tel Aviv University with an annual sum of 鈧� 20,000, especially for summer schools.

A joint directorate will be in charge of the new centre, which will bring together both senior scholars as well as early career researchers. There are also plans for joint courses from the 2022 summer semester onwards and the creation of a joint English-taught master's degree programme. Professor Christian Wiese, holder of the Martin Buber Professorship at 51猎奇, Director of the Buber-Rosenzweig Institute and the research centre's initiator, sees great potential in the partnership: 鈥淚n the framework of German-Israeli academic relations and the close connection between the cities of Frankfurt and Tel Aviv, we're creating something very special here 鈥� an international research hub in the field of interdisciplinary religious studies that looks at topics from a historical perspective as well as in the context of present times that challenge both societies, the German and the Israeli, each in different ways."

The contract was signed today in Tel Aviv in the presence of Dr Susanne Wasum-Rainer, German Ambassador to Israel. Due to the pandemic, the participants in Frankfurt joined the ceremony via Zoom. Professor Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University, headed the meeting on the Israeli side.

Professor Enrico Schleiff, President of 51猎奇
鈥淲hat we are agreeing upon today is, as far as I am aware, unprecedented 鈥� at least in the humanities in Germany. It is not merely a formal cooperation between a German and an Israeli university, but rather the development of a highly visible, joint institutionalized international research centre.

The centre is cross-departmental on both sides and working in an area of study that is most relevant to the German and the Israeli society alike: the history of and the present challenges in religious diversity, difference and conflict in pluralistic societies. It will focus on questions regarding inter-religious dialogue, religious fundamentalism and conflict, but also on the rich cultural heritage and the potential inherent in religious traditions. This centre is the start of an even closer cooperation."

Dr Susanne Wasum-Rainer, German Ambassador to Israel
鈥淎cademic exchange and cooperation are not only a constitutive pillar of German-Israeli relations. They are also a contribution to strengthening research and scientific progress as a global endeavour, in science as well as in the humanities. By declaring their will to establish a joint Centre for the Study of Religious and Inter-religious Dynamics, 51猎奇 and Tel Aviv University are addressing one of the urgent questions of our time, the role of religious communities in a changing and conflictual world."

Professor Menachem Fisch, initiator at Tel Aviv University
鈥淚'm delighted to be involved in the setting up of such a unique, first-of-its-kind centre for the study of the monotheistic faiths and their reciprocal development. It is a worthy initiative and another building block in academic collaboration between the two countries."

Uwe Becker, President of the German Friends Association of Tel Aviv University
鈥淭his MOU marks a new milestone in the special relationship between the two universities and is also another bridge of understanding between Frankfurt and Tel Aviv. The new centre will for sure contribute to a better inter-religious dialogue from different angles and perspectives. I am proud that with the launch of the new German Friendship Fund we will also help students to participate in this German-Israeli experience and benefit from the activities of the German Friends Association of Tel Aviv University."

Professor Milette Shamir, TAU Vice President (International)
鈥淭el Aviv University has a wide collaborative network with German universities, more than with any other country in Europe. This collaboration includes hundreds of joint research projects as well as hundreds of German students who come to our campus each year. The joint centre expands this collaboration in an important new direction and reinforces our existing partnership with 51猎奇, one of the leading universities in Germany. We hope that in the near future GU and TAU will expand collaboration to several other areas of common strength."

An image for download:

Caption:
51猎奇 and Tel Aviv University want to establish a joint research centre for religious studies and inter-religious dialogue. The letter of intent was signed at a large gathering, with GU president Professor Schleiff (left) and Professor Wiese participating via video link. (Photo: Uwe Dettmar)

Further information
Professor Christian Wiese
Buber-Rosenzweig Institute for Modern and Contemporary Jewish Intellectual and Cultural History
Faculty of Protestant Theology
51猎奇
Tel.: +49(0)69 798-33313
Email c.wiese@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Dec 6 2021

17:00

Processing of written and spoken language are closely aligned

Reading and speaking follow a similar tact

When we read, our gaze moves over the text in a certain pattern. This pattern resembles 鈥� to a surprisingly high degree 鈥� the rhythm of spoken language, as a team of researchers, with the significant involvement of 51猎奇, has discovered. Their research results were published on 6 December in the journal 鈥淣ature Human Behaviour".

FRANKFURT. When we read, we let our eyes wander over the text. In the process, our eye movements follow a characteristic temporal rhythm. In the framework of eye movement experiments and a meta-study with 14 different languages, an international team of researchers, with the significant involvement of Goethe University, has discovered that this temporal structure of reading is almost identical to the dominant rhythm of spoken language. It can be concluded from this, they say, that the processing of written language on the one hand and of spoken language on the other are far more similar than previously assumed. The research results have now been published in the scientific journal 鈥淣ature Human Behaviour". Other research institutions involved were the University of Vienna, the Ernst Str眉ngmann Institute in Frankfurt, New York University, the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, also in Frankfurt, and the University of Salzburg.

Languages and writing systems are central elements of human communication. For thousands of years, writing systems have enabled us not only to share information face to face but also to store it in a tangible form and make it permanently available. 鈥淩eading is one of humanity's most fascinating cultural achievements," says first author Dr Benjamin Gagl, who until recently was a research associate at the Institute of Psychology, 51猎奇. 鈥淪poken language also influences reading. Until now, however, little has been known about the common underlying mechanisms of reading and spoken language," explains Gagl, himself a psychologist.

Together with an international team led by Professor Christian Fiebach, Gagl explored these mechanisms by comparing the temporal structures of reading with those of spoken language. This revealed that the rhythmic sequences of eye movements when reading and the dominant rhythm in speech signals are almost identical. These findings shed new light on the interface between written and spoken language.

For their study, the team transferred frequency analysis methods, which are already widely used for examining phonetic speech signals, to the study of eye movements. This approach was applied in two studies at 51猎奇 and one at the University of Salzburg. Apart from a comparable rhythm in reading and speaking, a direct temporal coupling of reading and speech processes was detected in less experienced readers. More practiced readers, by contrast, read faster and were able to extract more information from the text between two eye movements. In addition, the authors documented in a meta-study all eye movement studies of reading published in scientific journals from 2006 to 2016 and estimated the temporal rhythm of reading for 14 languages and several writing systems. This revealed that reading rhythm is slower in logographic writing systems (such as Chinese), which can be explained by the greater effort required for the visual analysis of more complex characters.

鈥淭he results show correlations between spoken and written language in a novel and previously unknown way," says Christian Fiebach. 鈥淚n the course of evolution, the language processing systems of the human brain have specialised in the temporal sequences of spoken language. On the basis of our current results, we assume that these language systems serve as a kind of 'clock' for our eyes when reading, so that they send the information they've read to the brain in an optimal temporal rhythm and in this way facilitate its further analysis. This hypothesis can now be investigated in greater depth with the methodological approach presented here."

Publication: Gagl, B., Gregorova, K., Golch, J., Hawelka, S., Sassenhagen, J., Tavano, A., Poeppel, D. & Fiebach, C. J. (accepted). Eye movements during text reading align with the rate of speech production. Nature Human Behaviour.

Further information
Dr Benjamin Gagl
University of Vienna
Cognitive Science Hub & Department of Linguistics
Sensengasse 3a
1090 Vienna
benjamin.gagl@univie.ac.at

Professor Christian Fiebach
51猎奇
Institute of Psychology
Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 6
60323 Frankfurt am Main
fiebach@psych.uni-frankfurt.de