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With analytica 2022, the international laboratory trade fair opened its doors in Munich from June 21 to 24. There, 891 exhibitors from 39 countries showed what the future of laboratory and analytical technology, life sciences and biotechnology could look like - the focus was once again on digitalization in the laboratory and new methods for combating pandemics. We have summarized here what the scientific exchange at analytica promoted, how our manufacturers BioSan, LAUDA and Asecos perceived the trade fair, which exhibitions were particularly exciting and what can be taken away overall.

Every year, malaria kills nearly half a million people worldwide. Of these, 270,000 were children. The insidious disease is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito and is considered the leading cause of infant mortality in the developing world. Recently, scientists discovered a way to immunize mosquitoes against the dangerous pathogen. In addition, a newly developed malaria vaccine is attracting worldwide attention.

“Let there be a future!” – is the motto of the 56th national competition, which the Jugend forscht e. V. foundation is organizing this year as an online event together with experimenta gGmbH in Heilbronn from May 26 to 30, 2021. Among the participants are once again numerous children and young people with extremely exciting, innovative research projects. Lisa Bräutigam and Johannes Lodahl are two of the up-and-coming young researchers, and we were lucky enough to talk to them about their promising projects for MedSolut.

Countless animals die in agony in the world’s oceans because they suffocate on plastic parts or get caught in ownerless fishing nets, the so-called ghost nets. Other sea creatures, on the other hand, swallow vast quantities of microplastics in the course of their lives and, as a result, also die a very slow death. In fact, it is a very dramatic development – plastic is everywhere on this planet. But how can you get rid of all that plastic? Researchers around the world are working hard on these and other questions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most important trends of the digital age. A large number of companies already rely on this innovative technology. Whether for development, in administrative tasks or for production. But AI can also make our everyday lives easier in many ways. In some areas we discover them obviously, in others more at second glance. We show where AI is already supporting us today and which measures are necessary for a responsible use of the technology.

The classic vaccination card is a pastel yellow piece of paper that provides information about the personal vaccination status of the passport holder. For many people, the document literally collects dust in the far corner of drawers or closet compartments. Everything is set to change with the digital vaccination certificate. But what is the virtual appearance all about and what is its significance? Questions upon questions – and here are the answers.

More than 300 liters of climate-damaging methane – that’s how much a single cow emits per day. Exactly how high the methane gas content is in each case depends, among other things, on the type of feed. In fact, such a large amount of methane formed during the digestion of plant food is a significant burden on the environment. Recently, researchers have found that feeding red algae can curb “digestive methane gas emissions” in cattle by up to one-fifth. However, questions still remain.

Researchers at the Universities of Graz, Berlin and Innsbruck have discovered a natural substance that is said to improve cognitive performance in the long term and slow down mental decline with increasing age: Spermidine is found in wheat germ, mushrooms and nuts, as well as in many other foods. In fact, a diet rich in spermidine is associated with improved brain performance in the elderly over the long term. This has been proven in experiments with animals and human subjects.

To achieve the 2030 climate targets, Germany must significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the steel and chemical industries and in the transport sector. Novel hydrogen technologies are increasingly proving to be useful solutions for this purpose. Green hydrogen is the keyword. Lunfortunately, there is still a need for action here on a number of points, e.g. with regard to production, components, cost-effectiveness, storage, etc. But what actually is green hydrogen? And how far are we from using green hydrogen? We answer all these questions here.