Press Releases from FWF - Austrian Science Fund (73 total)
Exploring "emo-eating"
While fear and aggression tend to curb our appetite, sadness and frustration seem to stimulate it. A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF…
Neurosciences: a stress test for men and women
Whilst it is true that women and men respond differently to stress, current neuroscientific research only partially confirms traditional gender stereotypes. Other factors heavily contribute…
Researching the grammar of sign language
Like spoken language, sign language has a complex and differentiated structure. One just has to be able to discern and interpret it. With the support…
Using mathematics to hunt for computer errors
Improving the security of computer software and hardware requires mathematical analytic methods. Thanks to research by a team of computer scientists led by Krishnendu Chatterjee…
The many layers of Bella Asmara
Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, is a much admired time capsule reflecting the Italian "dolce vita" of the 1930s. A cluster of modernist buildings has…
Tyrolean national singers on world tour
The "Rainer Family", a Tyrolean group of singers, and their predecessors the Rainer siblings were the first Tyrolean music stars to enjoy success on an…
A New Light on Blocked Arteries
Narrowed and blocked arteries can now be diagnosed faster and more accurately with the help of special computer-aided image analysis techniques. This advance was made…
The American view of Russia
US media play an important role in the rekindled debates about cultural values and national identities as between America and Russia. – A battle waged…
In vivo veritas: Vine pest in Austria is genetically variable
Exactly 14 different variants of a very specific bacterium that damages grapevines can be found in Austria. This is one of the key results of…
Voters' choices ...
More and more voters decide on the basis of issues. Just how credibly political parties make such issues their own and communicate them will determine…
No fear! Neuropeptide may aid targeted anxiety therapy
The targeted control of biochemical processes and neuronal signalling pathways using the messenger substance neuropeptide Y could help in the future treatment of anxiety disorders.…
Small and extremely resilient – the secrets of black fungi
Highly resistant to stresses, black fungi are real champions among microorganisms. With the support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF, a research team in Vienna…
Optimised long-term care for persons with dementia
Nursing homes face enormous challenges due to the growing number of persons with dementia. Evidence-based decisions should play a crucial role in overcoming these challenges.…
The birth of newspapers
A valuable collection of 16,000 handwritten newsletters assembled by the Fugger brothers has come down to us in Vienna. In a project funded by the…
Nazi psychology in Austria
The history of academic psychology after the "Anschluss", the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938, and its role as a discipline used in National…
Development policy during the Cold War
In a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, historians from the University of Vienna explored the everyday life of development-aid staff at the…
Comet dust: A journey through time to the origins of the Solar System
Comet dust from the Rosetta mission is providing insights into the origins of our Solar System. A research project focussing on the dust, which is…
Biochar improves crop growth and climate
The use of biochar in agriculture improves soil fertility, especially in tropical regions, and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. A project funded by the Austrian Science…
Hidden HIV Revealed: New Insights Into Latent HIV Infections
In spite of ever more effective therapies, HIV keeps managing to survive in the body. A comprehensive project conducted by the Austrian Science Fund FWF…
Lithium drugs: no prescription residues in drinking water
Studies show that lithium contained in drinking water lowers suicide rates. This still holds true when taking account of drug residues of lithium prescriptions, as…
Politics: Motion patterns and voice determine impressions
The motion patterns and voices of politicians influence the way in which their personality is judged. For example, expansive chopping movements of the arms create…
Systematic controls in the East: migration management and border security in the …
Systematic controls were carried out at the Habsburg Empire's border with the Ottoman Empire as far back as the 18th century. Combined with the mobility…
How our gender influences us
Women and men often show marked differences as regards mental illnesses. In order to learn more about this phenomenon, a project supported by the Austrian…
The marine super glue
Barnacles exude an adhesive with exceptional bonding properties. In a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, biologists from Vienna have investigated this substance…
Stability of cheap solar cells improved
The stability of a very efficient and cheap material for solar cells has now been enhanced by up to two orders of magnitude. The material…
Dementia from an art and design perspective
Demographic change requires a new approach to dementia. A project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF creates awareness of the issue using innovative artistic…
More moisture in the Arctic than thought
Comparing special radar measurements can precisely identify soil moisture in Arctic polar regions. This has revealed that the scale of the Arctic wetlands may be…
The computer as architect: Mathematics liberates building design from traditiona …
Creative architecture and modern construction technology create impressive buildings – but discrete differential geometry has also recently been playing a role in this area. The…
Equip robots with common sense
In the future, a new generation of autonomous robots is set to complete tasks autonomously, even if something unforeseeable happens. With the support of the…
Coeliac disease triggered by viruses
The onset of the autoimmune condition coeliac disease may not be down to genetic factors alone – certain viral infections may also be involved. This…
The sound of old music
In addition to their shape, the material that brass instruments are made of determines their sound. This was demonstrated by acousticians in a project funded…
Cholesterol-lowering drug kills melanoma cells – if messenger substance is pre …
Special cholesterol-lowering drugs can hamper the growth of metastasising melanoma cells if the cellular messenger substance Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is present. This link was observed in…
Graphene: Progress, not quantum leaps
The interactions between graphene and its environment have a significant influence on the use of this promising material by the semiconductor industry. Thanks to the…
Antisemitism and parliamentary rhetoric
A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF investigates the relationship between parliamentary debate and the development of democracy in post-fascist societies. Using Austria…
Calculating landslides & slope failures
The threat of slope instability will be easier to predict in future. Scientists working on an Austrian Science Fund project have succeeded in developing a…
Profiling mosquitoes
In the wake of climate change and globalisation, non-indigenous mosquito species establish in Europe together with the pathogens they transmit. A project funded by the…
Regulatory agencies: Let's have a party
Party affiliation plays a significant role in Austria and across Europe when it comes to filling management positions in independent regulatory bodies. This is one…
Important messenger substance in human cells measured "live" for the first time
Scientists have succeeded in making real-time measurements of changes in the concentration of the important messenger substance nitric oxide (NO) in human cells for the…
Mechanical ventilation as aggravating factor in lung failure
Mechanical ventilation can contribute to lung damage by inducing rapid changes in oxygen levels. Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna are now conducting studies…
A special part of the immune system involved in rare epilepsy
The complement system, which forms part of our immune system, is involved in a special form of epilepsy. This is the conclusion of a recently…
Vaccination policy: Understanding political processes
Health topics polarise people. Funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, a research project relating to HPV vaccination demonstrates to what extent important decisions are…
Sleeping soundly: unsaturated fatty acids play a role in winter hibernation
The duration of the periods for which animals hibernate in winter is affected by the quantity of unsaturated fatty acids that they absorb from their…
An epoch revisited: A new A to Z of inter-war Austrian culture – in print and …
A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF is currently exploring the literary and cultural landscape of the inter-war years in Austria. The results,…
At the Far End of the Pipeline – Long-Distance Commuting as a Way of Life
Life as a shift-worker, far from home, is usually considered problematic and often described in such terms. An interdisciplinary project funded by the Austrian Science…
Smart micro chips may optimise human vision
To date, chip-based retinal implants have only permitted a rudimentary restoration of vision. However, modifying the electrical signals emitted by the implants could change that.…
A Ranking of Environmental Chemicals
How dangerous are environmental chemicals and what is their effect on human health? In a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the pharmacist…
Scientists Gain Unique Insight into the Function of a Key Muscle Protein
Thanks to the first high-resolution structural analysis of the muscle protein α-actinin, scientists now have a better understanding of how muscles work. The analysis provides…
Brain Training Instead of Medication to Counter Insomnia
The ability to finally enjoy a good night’s sleep is something that can be learned. An Austrian Science Fund FWF project has investigated how this…
Electrifying Research: Piezoelectric Effects for the Suppression of Material Str …
The generation of electrical charges in response to mechanical deformation is a distinctive feature of piezoelectric materials. This property can be used to avoid mechanical…
Brain Activity During Cardiac Arrest
All over the world, researchers are trying to solve an age-old mystery: What happens in the brain when the heart stops? With the support of…
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