ISTA researchers have secured 5 ERC Starting Grants to fund innovative projects in AI, astrophysics, and optics. The grants will support early-career researchers in understanding bacterial immune systems and developing new microscope techniques to study elusive quantum matter.
The Hippenmeyer group has developed a stable mouse stem cell line and created a robust and reproducible mouse cortical organoid protocol. By comparing developmental stages of the mouse brain with those of the organoids using single-cell sequencing, they found similar cell populations and molecular programs.
Astronomers have discovered the earliest known 'black hole star,' which may explain how billion-solar-mass black holes formed in the early Universe. The object, dubbed MoM-BH*-1, exhibits properties normally associated with stars, resolving a long-standing challenge in understanding mysterious 'little red dots'.
A new study published in Science Advances reveals that neuronal precursor cells divide into two independent lineages, producing distinct types of projection neurons. This challenges previous assumptions about the development of neural stem cells and sheds light on how the cerebral cortex arises.
Researchers found that female mice's microglia form prolonged contacts with neurons during recovery, leading to synaptic remodeling and plasticity. This phenomenon was not observed in male mice, highlighting differences in brain recovery processes between sexes.
Researchers at ISTA develop two modeling approaches to represent extremely deformable surfaces more realistically while cutting computational costs. They take inspiration from natural systems like volcanic lava and cake batter to create a wave-based approach, which tackles long-standing graphics problems from a new angle.
Researchers at ISTA discover how to turn single molecules into effective magnets, overcoming weak magnetic field limitations. The findings could lead to breakthroughs in nanoelectronics and the design of single-molecule nanodevices.
Researchers developed a prototype device that autonomously synchronizes distant qubits using a common source of correlated light particles, confirming a 20-year-old prediction. The approach requires no active control or measurement, making it fully autonomous and potentially boosting quantum technology.
Researchers discovered a new framework explaining how cells regulate genes, which operates out of thermodynamic equilibrium and costs energy. The 'optimal switching principle' balances random on/off switching with precise average expression patterns, optimizing information flow.
Researchers have discovered a new root response called saprotropism that guides plants away from decaying plant-derived matter. This adaptation enables roots to avoid hostile zones in soil and promotes healthy growth.
Researchers at ISTA have developed a way to guide AlphaFold with experimental data, enabling the model to better reflect physical and biological reality. This approach aims to improve future predictive models by accounting for structural heterogeneity and dynamism in proteins.
Researchers have uncovered the molecular 'gate' for bulky cargo in bacteria, allowing it to safely transport large proteins across cell membranes. The Tat system, essential for metabolism and virulence, may serve as a potential target for antimicrobial interventions.
Researchers discovered that common molecular effects occur across different genetic mutations in autism, particularly during early brain development. These findings could lead to stage-specific and sex-specific therapeutic approaches for early intervention.
Proteins have varying shapes and sizes, requiring them to change shape to bind other molecules. Researchers at ISTA combined methods to study protein motion and found that fleeting structures can reveal biological function. The findings could boost protein design approaches and improve AI-based structural prediction tools.
Researchers at ISTA and Norwegian Institute of Public Health found that environmental factors influenced by parents' genes can significantly impact children's traits like height, body weight, and school performance. The study used genetic and phenotypic data from over 30,000 families to separate direct and indirect genetic effects.
Researchers at ISTA uncovered why keratin plays an essential part in embryonic cell movement and organization. Without keratin, the process slows dramatically, leading to tissue collapse and loss of cellular alignment. Keratin helps maintain the structural integrity and cohesion of cells during early development.
Researchers have discovered that plants utilize two forms of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) to regulate normal cellular functions and respond to stress, while maintaining cross-talk between the pathways. This redundancy enables plants to adapt more robustly to a wider range of environmental factors.
Researchers from ISTA have explained the unusual superconducting behavior of UTe2, a material that exhibits zero electrical resistance under specific magnetic field conditions. By studying magnetic fluctuations, they revealed a new mechanism behind reentrant superconductivity, shedding light on this enigmatic phenomenon.
Researchers found that the hippocampal CA3 network starts out dense but becomes sparser and more refined as animals mature, following a pruning model. This suggests an initially exuberant connectivity allows for efficient integration of visual, smell, and sound information.
Researchers at ISTA report that Anabaena develops a cytoskeleton to control cell shape, transforming an ancient DNA segregation system. This evolutionary shift enables the bacteria to sculpt their cells without relying on traditional spindle-like structures.
Researchers at ISTA team present theoretical evidence that magnetic fields in stars can persist through all stages of evolution, emerging as 'fossil fields' at the surfaces of older remnants. This discovery sheds new light on our understanding of stellar magnetism and its relation to starquakes.
Researchers at ISTA's Materiali Molli Lab used E. coli bacteria to create an active bath that propelled sticky colloids into gel-like aggregates, rotating clockwise due to the bacteria's twisting motion. The study revealed that hydrodynamic interaction plays a key role in driving motion through the counter-rotation of body and flagella.
Researchers from ISTA identify two white dwarfs, Gandalf and Moon-Sized, which share five properties, including X-ray emission, despite being isolated objects. These discoveries suggest the existence of a new class of star remnants with unique magnetic and rotational properties.
The MountAInWater project uses a unique combination of field work, modeling, and AI to assess climate change impacts on mountain water supplies and identify potential tipping points. The global reanalysis will provide crucial resources for managing future water security challenges.
Researchers from ISTA developed an algorithm that can extract and analyze information from the world’s most extensive biobank with unprecedented accuracy and speed. The method, dubbed gVAMP, enhances the framework's ability to extract complex information from the dataset at hand, providing a detailed overview of the effects on a trait ...
Researchers at ISTA discover perovskites' unique photovoltaic properties rely on structural defects, enabling long-range charge transport. This finding accelerates the transition of next-gen perovskite solar cells to real-world applications.
The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has received a significant donation to advance trustworthy AI technology. The €5 million gift from Garrett Camp will support fundamental research in artificial intelligence, focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration and long-term impact.
Scientists from ISTA and Brandeis University develop a geometric framework that predicts viable structures in self-assembling particles. The 'high-dimensional convex polyhedron' tool helps identify constraints that prevent certain outcomes, offering insights into designing custom-made nanomaterials.
Researchers at ISTA have found that the zebrafish embryo's geometry is essential for its development, guiding cell division and gene activation. The study's findings could improve IVF embryo assessments by understanding how the embryo interprets its geometry.
Researchers discovered that terminally ill ant brood release an odor signaling their impending death and risk, allowing the colony to detect and remove pathogenic infections. This early warning system facilitates rapid disease detection and effective removal of pathogens.
Researchers at ISTA have successfully used electric charge to separate levitated particles, overcoming a fundamental limitation of acoustic levitation. This breakthrough enables the formation of stable, controlled structures from small building blocks, with potential applications in materials science, robotics, and microengineering.
Researchers at ISTA and others have discovered a previously unknown cyclic climate pattern, known as TWISO, which influences weather fluctuations and seasonal changes. This finding has implications for predicting tropical storms and saving lives.
Researchers at ISTA use laser tweezers to capture and charge micron-sized particles, allowing them to observe charging and discharging dynamics over time. This method may provide key insights into what sparks lightning.
Researchers project that Chile's glaciers will only be able to contribute half of today's runoff meltwater during extreme dry summer months. They call for effective water management strategies and coordinated global climate policies to mitigate future megadroughts.
Researchers at ISTA quantify the environmental impact of international conference travel, finding that train travel can significantly reduce carbon emissions. The study shows that traveling to an overseas conference generates a substantial carbon footprint of four to five tons per participant.
A new study finds that glaciers will likely reach their peak of self-cooling power in the 2020s-2040s before near-surface temperatures spike up and melting accelerates. The research, led by Thomas Shaw, used an unprecedented dataset of on-glacier observations worldwide to demonstrate this trend.
Researchers at ISTA have discovered a way to tune singlet oxygen, a highly reactive ROS that causes cell damage and degrades batteries. By controlling the pH inside mitochondria, they can produce more 'good' triplet oxygen and reduce the production of 'bad' singlet oxygen.
Researchers collect snapdragon flowers and leaves to study their genetic diversity, revealing how color genes keep two varieties distinct. In hybrid zones, magenta and yellow snapdragons blend, but bees prefer one over the other, reducing fitness and offspring.
A team of physicists used statistical physics to create a recipe for the perfect cacio e pepe pasta sauce. The key lies in adding starch powder to emulsify and stabilize the sauce. This innovative approach has led to a consistent, creamy sauce every time.
The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) invites journalists to apply for its annual residency program, offering 3-6 month stays on campus with access to cutting-edge research. This program supports compelling storytelling by engaging journalists with world-class researchers from various fields.
Two ISTA Assistant Professors, Amelia Douglass and Ylva Götberg, have won 1.5 million euro ERC Starting Grants to explore how animals react to stress and the science behind binary-star stripping. Their research could lead to a better understanding of brain pathways disrupted in humans suffering from anxiety and stress.
Researchers studying Tajikistan's Kyzylsu Glacier found that the glacier likely reached its tipping point in 2018, with decreasing snowfall causing it to melt. The study uses computational models driven by new local observations and demonstrates the importance of densifying observational data in understanding anomalous glacier behavior.
Dendritic cells assemble central actin structure to push obstacles away, generating space for migration. Mutations in Dock8 gene lead to severe immune disorder symptoms.
The NOMIS Foundation is investing €20 million in ISTA to support groundbreaking projects that break new ground, starting in 2026. The five-year program aims to promote daring science and inspire positive change through new discoveries.
A new study reveals that plants prioritize water over gravity during drought conditions, suppressing gravitropism to become more hydrotropic. MIZ1 protein helps attenuate root gravitropism, enabling plants to search for water effectively.
A new microscopy method, LICONN, developed by ISTA scientists and Google Research, can reconstruct mammalian brain tissue with all synaptic connections between neurons. This technique uses standard light microscopes and hydrogel to achieve high resolution and opens up possibilities for visualizing complex molecular machinery.
Researchers at ISTA have discovered a new DNA marker, N4-methylcytosine (4mC), crucial for sperm function and fertility in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. The team found that high levels of 4mC are necessary for agile sperm development, affecting swimming speed, direction, and fertilization success.
A team of researchers found that a gene regulatory network in gut microbes plays an auxiliary role in bacterial fitness and adaptability. By maintaining basal levels of genetic activity, the network allows bacteria to adapt to their constantly changing environment.
Scientists at ISTA create a new brain organoid model that incorporates microglia to study viral infections, such as Rubella, and test the effectiveness of ibuprofen. The results show that microglia play a crucial role in inflammatory reactions and that ibuprofen exerts its protective effects by inhibiting two inflammatory enzymes.
Researchers at ISTA discovered that neural activity patterns during sleep reflect recently learned spatial memories and transform into those seen later upon awakening. This 'representational drift' phenomenon optimizes memory representations for long-term storage, allowing the brain to free up resources for new memories.