Events Calendar

The complexity of modern biochemistry suggests that a systems biochemistry approach is required to understand and potentially recapitulate the network of prebiotic reactions that led to the emergence of life. Early cells probably relied upon interconnected chemistries to link nucleic acids, peptide-based catalysts and membranes. In this context, I will discuss our recent advancements about...

The Cluster of Excellence livMatS at University of Freiburg, Germany, announces the
1st International Conference and Scientific Exhibition on Living Materials Systems | Energy Autonomy – Adaptivity – Longevity – Societal Implications. It will take place from March 21 to 24, 2023, as an on site only event. The conference will bring together international researchers from various scientific fields such as biology, chemistry, engineering, materials sciences, philosophy, psychology, and sustainability...

Leaf-cutter ants are the world’s first farmers, and the principal insect pest and ecosystem engineers in the Neotropics. A key contributor to their astonishing success is a continuous size-distribution of the colony workforce, and an associated “division of labour”; ant workers of different sizes preferentially perform distinct tasks, which results in specialisation and a putative increase in colony fitness. In this seminar, I will argue that...

Biological organisms regulate the size and shape of their organs robustly, but why? To untangle factors determining biological forms, we have embarked on structural-functional studies of the dandelion pappus. Pappus, or plume, is a bundle of many hair-like structures that enhance ...