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 Issue #6 — Frequencies

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Basically, Science now arrives in your inbox every month! Increasing your basic research breakthroughs and bringing you closer to the source of science at ISTA.

This time, it's all about Frequencies. Witness the increased regularity of wildfires in the arctic tundra, see how contact history unlocks an ancient mystery, and tune in to a "radio station" for atoms.

Lichens—a main food source for reindeer like these on the Yamal Peninsula—are heavily impacted. © Shutterstock

Increased Frequency of Wildfires in the Arctic

The Yamal Peninsula in Siberia is not only a place of untouched nature, but also a hot spot for ecological change. Researchers studying the fragile balance of the landscape are uncovering alarming signs: the disappearance of lichens and the increase in fires mark the start of a chain reaction with potential global consequences. 

Going green: Making light-controlled experiments more sustainable. © Bartholomäus Pieber 

‌Using Light to Power Sustainable Experiments

The field team walks towards Kyzylsu Glacier, Tajikistan. © Jason Klimatsas

‌The Tipping of the Last Resilient Glaciers

What was once a reliable signal in Earth’s water cycle is now fading in frequency. Glaciers in Central Asia once held a steady rhythm; snowfall balancing melt. But monitoring data from 1999 to 2023 shows that this rhythm broke around 2018, marking a tipping point when even the most resilient ice began to retreat. 

Professor Björn Hof in his lab. © Nadine Poncioni

Pumping like the Heart

‌By copying the pulse frequency of the human heart, researchers found a more efficient way to pump. Fluids are often transported in a continuous stream, but mimicking a cardiac style by pausing between beats reduces friction, decreases turbulence, and makes flow more efficient, say scientists.

Researchers shed light on a mystery which has endured since ancient Greece. © ISTA

‌Contact History: Static Electricity's Ancient Secret

The phenomenon that makes hair stand on end has intrigued natural philosophers and scientists since antiquity. Now, researchers have uncovered a key part of how it works.

When two materials touch and separate, the way they share charge is not fixed — it depends on their contact history. Using a process of methodical testing plus old fashioned trial and error, researchers now prove it is the frequency of contact which counts, revealing an ordered behavior once thought of as "a total mess".

Petra Rovó takes visitors through the NMR Facility at ISTA.  © Anna Stöcher

Tune in to a "Radio Station" for Atoms

‌Step inside the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility with Facility Manager Petra Rovó and you’ll find atoms tuned in like listeners. Strong magnets and radio-frequency waves show each nucleus resonates at its own frequency, turning atomic “dancing styles” into 3-D models of molecular structures.

1.5 million in EU funding each for Assistant Professors Amelia Douglass (L) and Ylva Götberg (R). © ISTA  

‌European Research Council Grants

The frequency with which ISTA researchers are winning European Research Council (ERC) Grants is truly impressive. Since June 2025, ISTA scientists have been awarded four Advanced Grants and two Starting Grants, totaling 13 million Euro in funding for the Institute.

‌Journalists in Residence: A Frequent Success

Each year ISTA offers journalists from the fields of science and technology the chance to work on-campus and experience frontier research every day. Now in its fourth round, the Journalist in Residence program is an opportunity to blend scientific discovery with a unique international experience.