Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)

Edouard Hannezo © Anna Stöcher | ISTA

Congratulations to @ehannezo.bsky.social​ and Maksym Serbyn! Both win an @erc.europa.eu​ Consolidator Grant of € 2 Mio. With it, they develop new theories – in biophysics to understand embryonic development and in quantum physics to advance quantum simulators.
👉 https://bit.ly/4rICmco

#ERCCoG

The miniW Domain Directs Polarized Membrane Localization of Non‐Canonical PINs in Marchantia polymorpha This study demonstrates that Marchantia non-canonical PINs are predominantly localized to the plasma membrane, with MpPINX and MpPINW exhibiting asymmetric distribution. A newly identified miniW do...

New publication by @frimllab.bsky.social and colleagues! Read more: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

FWF bewilligt drei neue Spezialforschungsbereiche Mehr Grundlagenforschung in der Medizin, der Quantenforschung und der Kosmologie – der FWF richtet zum Ausbau der Spitzenforschung in Österreich drei weitere Spezialforschungsbereiche ein.

Der #FWF fördert 3 neue #Spezialforschungsbereiche für mehr Grundlagenwissen in der Medizin, Quantenforschung und Kosmologie. Die neuen Netzwerke werden von Forscher:innen der @uniinnsbruck.bsky.social, der @unisalzburg.bsky.social und der @tuwien.at koordiniert. 📚

www.fwf.ac.at/aktuelles/de...

Ants Signal Deadly Infection Ant colonies operate as tightly coordinated “superorganisms” with individual ants working together, much like the cells of a body, to ensure colony health. Researchers at the Institute of Science and ...

This sophisticated system mirrors our body’s immune response, where infected cells send out a “find-me and eat-me signal” to immune cells for their removal. ista.ac.at/en/news/ants...

Worker ants handling pupae with their mandibles. © Line V. Ugelvig & Barbara Leyrer | ISTA

In a new study published in @natcomms.nature.com, the Cremer group at ISTA, and colleagues have now shown that, when facing an incurable infection, an ant pupa actively sends out an alarm signal through a change of odor, triggering workers to eliminate it to save the colony.

Similarly, workers who have been exposed to fungal spores practice ‘social distancing.’ But what about infected immobile ant brood?

Unpacking of a fatally-infected pupa from its cocoon. © Christopher D. Pull | ISTA

In many social animals, group members try to hide their sickness to prevent social exclusion. Ants flip that script. Adult ants, approaching death, for example, leave the nest, opting for a solo exit to keep their colony safe.

ISTA Assistant Professor Lora Sweeney becomes an @embo.org​ Young Investigator! Using Xenopus frog as a model organism, her research focuses on molecular, cellular, and neural circuit components that cause differences in motor behavior. Congratulations, Lora!👏

The team’s results could find applications in materials science, robotics, and microengineering.

Link to the article in @pnas.org: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

#acousticlevitation #levitation #levitatedmatter #acousticcollapse #charge #electrostatics

A particle is being levitated in the acoustic levitation setup in the Waitukaitis group’s lab at ISTA. © ISTA

When multiple particles are levitated using sound, they collapse into a single clump in a phenomenon called ‘acoustic collapse.’ “By counteracting sound with electrostatic repulsion, we are able to keep the particles separated from one another,” says first author and PhD student Sue Shi.

Science is Like Magic, Just Real Physicists from the groups of Scott Waitukaitis and Carl Goodrich at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have developed a method to acoustically levitate objects while keeping them ...

Who hasn't dreamed of overcoming gravity and getting objects to hover above ground?

Physicists from the groups of Scott Waitukaitis and Carl Goodrich have developed a method to acoustically levitate objects while keeping them physically separated using charge.

Read more: ista.ac.at/en/news/scie...

What a view to end a week of research at ISTA. 🌅

#ISTAresearch #VanillaSky #Sky #Sunset

Charge segregation in the C-terminal linker of FtsZ enables Z-ring scaling with prokaryotic cell width Bacterial cytokinesis is orchestrated by the Z-ring, a cytoskeletal structure formed by treadmilling filaments of the tubulin-like GTPase FtsZ. During assembly, filament curvature must match the cell ...

New #preprint from the Loose group!
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Hidden in Plain Sight Tropical cyclones can unleash extensive devastation, as recent storms that swept over Jamaica and the Philippines made unmistakably clear. Accurate weather forecasts that buy more time to prepare are ...

The tropics-wide intraseasonal oscillation, or simply TWISO, is a repeating pattern that manifests itself over several weeks in tropical regions with rainfall, clouds, and wind. Read more: ista.ac.at/en/news/hidd...

Jiawei Bao © ISTA

Caroline Muller © ISTA

In a new study published in PNAS, postdoc Jiawei Bao, Professor Caroline Muller, and colleagues have now identified a previously unknown oscillation in the tropics by historical reanalysis of datasets and satellite observations.

Accurate weather forecasts that buy more time to prepare are crucial for saving lives and are rooted in a deeper understanding of climate systems.

Tropical Storm © Canva

Tropical cyclones can unleash extensive devastation, as recent storms that swept over Jamaica and the Philippines made unmistakably clear.

Just one day left until our Virtual Student Open Day!

Register now to learn more about our fully-funded research opportunities.

👉 pretix.eu/ista-events/...

Trapping Particles to Explain Lightning Using lasers as tweezers to understand cloud electrification might sound like science fiction, but at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), it is a reality. By trapping and charging ...

This approach holds potential for application in different areas, including how clouds become electrified and what sparks lightning. Read more here: ista.ac.at/en/news/trap...

Two lasers acting like tweezers can trap, secure, and charge a solitary particle. The aerosol particle is glowing green as it scatters the laser light. © Andrea Stöllner

In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, Andrea Stöllner, Isaac Lenton, Scott Waitukaitis, and other colleagues have developed a way to catch, hold, and electrically charge a single particle using two laser beams.

Andrea Stöllner glimses at particle. © ISTA

Andrea Stöllner, PhD student in the Waitukaitis and Muller groups, focuses on ice crystals within clouds. The scientist uses model aerosols—tiny, transparent silica particles—to explore how these ice crystals accumulate and interact with electrical charge.

Andrea Stöllner in front of her experimental setup. © ISTA

Aerosols are liquid or solid particles that float in the air. Some are large and visible, such as pollen in spring, while others, such as viruses that spread during flu season, cannot be detected by the naked eye.

Honored to have hosted EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva @ec.europa.eu​​ on campus today. The visit was a great opportunity to showcase how ISTA's blend of curiosity-driven frontier research, science outreach, and turning breakthroughs into start-ups contributes to #Europe’s innovation goals.

Link to the paper in @commsearth.nature.com:
doi.org/10.1038/s432...

With Álvaro Ayala, Eduardo Muñoz-Castro, @wslresearch.bsky.social, @slfdavos.bsky.social

#megadrought #glacier #glacierhealth #Chile #Andes #drought #waterresources #climatechange #globalwarming #climate

© Daniel Thomas

Many researchers are increasingly warning that megadroughts have become the new normal. The authors underline the need for coordinated global climate policies to develop effective water management strategies worldwide.

© David Farías-Barahona

It turns out that what will be left of the region’s 100 largest glaciers will only be able to contribute half of today’s runoff meltwater during the dry summer months.

In a new study published in @commsearth.nature.com, Pellicciotti and an international team of researchers modeled a ‘Chile 2.0’ megadrought at the end of the century.

Read more ista.ac.at/en/news/the-...

© Álvaro Ayala

Are we at all prepared for future climate disasters?

“The Chilean megadrought was never forecast in any climate model. The existing models even showed absurd likelihoods for such an extreme event. And yet, it has happened and is still ongoing,” says ISTA professor Francesca Pellicciotti.

So excited to announce the first 🧲 Next Austrian NMR Meeting 🧲, happening @ ISTA, Feb 26–27, 2026! Plus a satellite workshop, 💊 “ #NMR in #DrugDiscovery” 🧭 on Feb 25!

📅 Registration: Dec 1, 2025
🌐 Program, venue: austrian-nmr-meeting.pages.ist.ac.at

#NMRchat #Austria 1/4

Check out this recent preprint:
doi.org/10.1101/2025...