The Place of War in Modernity

By Frank Reichherzer of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

When you think of “modernity”, many themes instantly come to mind. Give it a try! The colorful images of Surrealism are surely among them. Maybe even the skyline of New York. Perhaps you see the billowing smokestacks of the Ruhr region or the dernier cri at the fashion shows of Paris and Milan. And let’s not forget emancipation, freedom, progress, acceleration. Modernity is linked with a multitude of icons and slogans. But what about war? Is war not the antithesis of “modern”? Isn’t modernity synonymous with peace and humanity—the Good, the True and the Beautiful?

What determines a species in bacteria?

By Jesús García and Carmen Menendez, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Modifications in bacterial genome enable single bacteria to separate from its original population, and to evolve in a way that a new complete different species can be established.

The key to death with dignity

By Julia Inthorn, University of Vienna

Living wills: communication, not legislation, is the key to death with dignity.  

Living wills are intended to preserve the autonomy of patients who are incapacitated and no longer able to express themselves. Do they succeed? The Austrian Ministry of Health is currently evaluating its 2006 law on living wills. The results show that living wills offer only a partial solution: they are a one-way communication and do not ensure that doctors will listen to the patient’s wishes. Communications and trust cannot be legislated.

1000 Genomes Project

By Marc Via, University of Barcelona

According to findings published in Nature, the international consortium 1000 Genomes, promoted by research groups from the United States, Germany, United Kingdom and China, has sequenced the genome of 1,092 people intending to shed light on the genetic contribution to disease.

Is a solid really static?

By Michael Leitner, University of Vienna

The world we live in is essentially solid. Solid matter makes up the ground we stand on, the houses we live in, the circuits in our electronic devices, even the bones that give us shape. Solid is not necessarily synonymous to static, however: it is known that the atoms that make up a solid begin to migrate through the material, given a moderately elevated temperature. Exactly how they do that was the question we set out to solve.