As one of Europe's leading research institutions, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will continue to align its research work with key issues concerning environmental protection, mobility, energy supply and security in 2012.

DLR 2012 – Research is an important investment for the future

Professor Dr. Peter Krammer of the German Cancer Research (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is awarded the 2011 German Cancer Aid Award (Deutscher Krebshilfe-Preis 2011) jointly with Professor Dr. Klaus Michael Debatin of Ulm University Hospitals. The award is given to the two scientists in recognition of their pioneering research into signaling pathways which lead to cell death and can slow down cancer growth.

German Cancer Aid Award for Peter Krammer

Even if the current weather situation may seem to speak against it, the probability of cold winters with much snow in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Scientists of the Research Unit Potsdam of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association have decrypted a mechanism in which a shrinking summertime sea ice cover changes the air pressure zones in the Arctic atmosphere and impacts our European winter weather.

New study shows correlation between summer Arctic sea ice cover and winter weather in Central Europe

A group of scientists headed by Nina Rohringer from the Hamburg Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) realized the first X-ray laser based on atoms at the Californian research centre SLAC. Using neon atoms, they generated ultra-short X-ray bursts of unique colour purity. In many cases, this allows a sharper look into the nano world, as scientists reported in the British journal “Nature” (DOI: 10.1038/nature.10721). CFEL is a joint enterprise of Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, the Max Planck Society and the University of Hamburg.

The first atomic X-ray laser

The first solar-thermal power plant in Southeast Asia has commenced operation. This power plant also has the first parabolic trough collector array in which steam is generated directly in the collectors.

First solar thermal power plant in Southeast Asia goes into operation