Natural Sciences: Congenitally blind mice see the light

On the threshold of the 19th century a paradigm change occurs. Political theorists begin to search for ways to construct a science of politics based on empirical methods derived from the exact sciences. Practical politics comes to depend more on analyses and forecasts and less on the dictates of religion. These efforts would provoke turbulent debates on what exactly might constitute a secure basis for a science of politics. This quest for a rational model of politics is at the focus of an LMUexcellent project currently being pursued by three LMU historians, Professor Eckhart Hellmuth, Dr. Martin Schmidt and Dr. Iain McDaniel.

Ever since the advent of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the average Web user knows what a wiki is. The term 'semantic wiki', on the other hand, is likely to evoke a quizzical look from most people. It refers to a tool that combines the wiki idea with the advantages of the Semantic Web. To fi nd out what the concept entails and to understand its potential applications, one only needs to take a look at the work of LMU computer scientists Professor François Bry and Klara Weiand.

The human eye is a highly complex organ and much can go wrong with it. For example, various genetic mutations in the cones, one of the photosensory cell types in the retina, result in achromatopsia − the inability to discriminate colors. Using a mouse model system, pharmacologist Professor Martin Biel has shown that the introduction of a functional copy of the defective gene into cone cells corrects the condition, and confers color vision on mutant animals.

Pathogenic viruses are an ever-present threat. Using human herpesviruses as his model, virologist Professor Jürgen Haas has set out to elucidate systematically the complex molecular interactions that determine the outcome of a viral infection. A comprehensive understanding of the interplay between host and viral functions should point the way to more effective therapies for viral diseases.

Some 6500 languages are spoken around the world, and two-thirds of them are in danger of extinction. Among those threatened are such diverse and distinct idioms as Ob-Ugric in Northwest Siberia and Kurumba in South India. Linguistics Professor Elena Skribnik is working to catalogue and digitally document Ob-Ugric languages, while ethnologist Ulrich Demmer studies the language and customs of the Jēnu Kurumba. In their different ways, both scholars are engaged in an effort to preserve part of mankind’s cultural heritage.

What's inside:

* LMU among top German universities in world rankings
* A world city and its Games
* Ancestral voices
* Teaching the old web new tricks

Chinese cuisine is as diverse as the country that created it. In his new book Schlafender Lotos, trunkenes Huhn (Sleeping Lotus, Drunken Chicken), Professor Thomas O. Höllmann looks at the rich cultural history of Chinese cooking from various angles. He contrasts the greedy indulgence of the ruling elite with the penury of the majority of the population, traces the routes that brought exotic fruits and vegetables to the country, and explains what went into ancient Chinese beers.

Digging in ancient ruins and searching for sherds of pottery − that’s what most people have in mind when they think of archaeology. But today’s field research in archaeology employs scientific prospecting, surveying and documentation techniques, including satellite-based imaging. Archaeologist Michael Mackensen’s LMUexcellent project gives a good example of the toolkit modern excavators can call upon. Mackensen is investigating a Roman military fort at an remote oasis in the Libyan desert.

Increasing the productivity of an economy means improving the efficiency of its constituent units, but it is not obvious how public policy can promote this goal. What factors determine productivity, and what effects do these have on the environment? With the support of the Anglo-German Foundation, researchers led by Professor Tobias Kretschmer have looked into this question – and come up with some surprising answers.

Research on stem cells is controversial. They promise to provide novel therapies for many degenerative diseases but, so far, the primary source of stem cells is embryonic tissue. Clinical researcher Professor Wolfgang-Michael Franz hopes to use stem cells to repair heart tissue damaged by myocardial infarction. His colleague Professor Hans-Jochem Kolb aims to enhance the effectiveness of bone-marrow transplantation, an established treatment for leukemia, which involves the transfer of hematopoietic stem cells.