Pointy water gatherers
Cactus spines harvest drops of dew and mist from the air. What can we learn from them in times of climate crisis and water scarcity?
What ultrasound can tell us about the forest
Forests are being challenged by the impact of the climate crisis. How do beech and spruce trees cope with the increasing severity and frequency of droughts? Biologist Barbara Beikircher is using ultrasound to find out.
Biodiversity as a barrier
European research groups are investigating how antibiotic resistance genes spread in rivers and soils. Initial results confirm their hypothesis: the healthier the natural environment, the less resistance one finds.
The pitfalls of “vulnerability”
Political scientist Monika Mayrhofer explores who is meant by “vulnerable” in the context of human rights and the climate crisis, and shows what risks this attribution entails.
How data is changing our cities
"IT companies have immense knowledge about urban mobility," says Peter Mörtenböck. The architect draws attention to the dark side of "smart cities" and the digitalised urban world.
What biofictions tell us about gender
English literary scholar Julia Lajta-Novak investigates novels and films about historical women artists and reveals the underlying gender stereotypes.
How do humans impact animals’ search for food?
Petra Sumasgutner studies how short-eared owls and common ravens are impacted by human intrusions when foraging, and what the consequences are. She also uses machine learning in her research.
A diary opens up a new world
Greek and Latin philologist William Barton is using artificial intelligence to decipher the diary of Hellenist Charles-Benoît Hase, written in Ancient Greek and long thought to have been lost.
