Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving major challenges facing society, science and industry with top scientific achievements in six research areas: Energy, Earth and Environment, Health, Key Technologies, Structure of Matter, Transport and Space. With 30,000 employees in 16 research centres and an annual budget of approximately 3 billion euros, the Helmholtz Association is Germany’s largest scientific organisation. Its work follows in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894).
| 22.07.10 | German Aerospace Center (DLR) |
TanDEM-X delivers first 3D images
The first 3D images from the TanDEM-X satellite mission are now available. Just one month after the launch of TanDEM-X, which took place on 21 June 2010, DLR researchers have created the first digital elevation model – almost a week ahead of schedule. A group of Russian islands in the Arctic Ocean was selected for the first test.
| 12.07.10 | GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research |
Chemical Element 112 is named Copernicium
On Monday July 12, 2010, the chemical element discovered at GSI was christened “copernicium”. This symbolic christening celebrated the element's eternal entry into the periodic table of elements.
| 12.07.10 | Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie |
How soccer ball molecules push their way under surfaces - HZB researchers observe atomic processes while doping semiconductor materials
Fullerene and graphene, two forms of carbon only recently discovered, have been stimulating the imaginations of researchers ever since their discovery (fullerene in 1970, graphene in 2004). With graphene especially, researchers see a chance for a new chapter in electronics, since this semiconductor material could one day replace the long-standing key element silicon. For this to happen, it would have to be possible to dope graphene – which is a single-atom layer of graphite – with foreign atoms. And in such a way that the important structural properties of graphene remain intact. In the online preprint of August issue of the journal Advanced Materials researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) report on a new technique of microscopy.
| 05.07.10 | Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research |
A new opportunity for hepatitis C research
Researchers worldwide are working to develop vaccines and medication to combat the hepatitis C virus. The problem is that although they are able to research in liver cell cultures, when they want to find out how the immune system controls an infection or whether possible vaccines are effective research comes up against a brick wall: tests at such an early stage are unthinkable for humans or chimpanzees. At TWINCORE researchers are now adapting the HCV to mice, thus enabling immunologists and vaccine researchers to take the next steps against this illness in the future. Because the immune system of mice is very similar to that of humans and it is only when vaccines are successful and safe in animal experiments that researchers can take the risk of transferring them to humans.
