Press releases

Current developments in research, university life, higher education policy and studying and teaching: Our press releases contain official information from the University of Vienna on academic findings, degree programmes and higher education topics. Our press mailing list will deliver everything directly to your inbox.

Older press releases can be found in the archive of the University of Vienna media portal.

Personal expectations of ageing shape our social lives

17.08.2026 Press release

A 10-year study shows that expectations of one's own ageing are a 'self-fulfilling prophecy'

Europe's mountain summits are warming – vegetation is responding in surprisingly different ways

14.08.2026 Press release

Picture of Sempervivum montanum, the Mountain Houseleek.

Long-term study across 53 European mountain summits shows that the response of alpine vegetation to climate change depends heavily on local conditions

Brain scans show that dogs can distinguish various emotions in human faces

11.08.2026 Press release

Picture of a dog in a fMRI.

The brain scans were analyzed using machine learning, providing the first ever evidence that dogs can read emotions in human facial expressions

Decoding the gut microbiome's symphony in health and disease

03.08.2026 Press release

Identifying strategies for measuring thousands of microbial and host proteins and revealing what microbes are doing and how the host responds

Unprecedented excavation of Roman-era pottery kilns in Burgenland

30.07.2026 Press release

Remains of a pottery kiln from Roman-period pottery production

Two pottery kilns have already been unearthed in a field in the municipality of Hannersdorf; a further 100 kilns may still lie buried

How sea anemone cells reform into an organism

21.07.2026 Press release

Picture of a self-organising cell cluster.

New insights into the self-organisation and regeneration of tissues

The ghost in Orion's shell

09.07.2026 Press release

Picture of radio emission from neutral hydrogen atoms in the direction of the Orion Nebula.

New radio observations reveal hidden structures around the Orion Nebula

When do we start dancing? – How babies react to music

08.07.2026 Press release

The brain processes music from as early as three months of age, but dancing only begins towards the end of the first year of life

Markus Aspelmeyer receives the 2026 FWF Wittgenstein Award

24.06.2026 Press release

The quantum physicist receives Austria's highest science award for his research

4 researchers from the University of Vienna receive FWF-ASTRA awards

24.06.2026 Press release

[Translate to Englisch:]

The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) honors a total of 18 austrian researchers

Dark Matter in the Center of the Milky Way Not Ruled Out

17.06.2026 Press release

New machine-learning method incorporates energy of photons for the first time

Chemists achieve breakthrough: Editing molecules instead of rebuilding them

15.06.2026 Press release

Picture of the new method for converting methylamines.

Modern drug research enables simple testing of hundreds of variants of a molecule

Controlling chemical reactions more efficiently and sustainably

18.05.2026 Press release

Picture of a reaction vessel.

New synthesis method enables targeted modifications to hard-to-reach sites on molecules

Human childbirth is not uniquely difficult among mammals

12.05.2026 Press release

Picture of an elephant calf.

Birth complications are widespread across mammalian species, including in the wild

Environmental change may lead to a sudden collapse of species' ranges

11.05.2026 Press release

Mathematical analysis reveals limits to adaptation to changing environments with implications for nature conservation

Evolutionary processes shape bacterial populations in the human gut

06.05.2026 Press release

[Translate to Englisch:]

In addition to diet and medication, transmission between people can also play an important role in the microbiome

Unraveling the Evolution of an Extraordinary Photosynthesis in a Tropical Tree Species

05.05.2026 Press release

Picture of a photosynthesis measurement on the Clusia minor tree.

These new findings could help adapt crops to arid environmental conditions in the future

Breakthrough in magnon research paves the way for mini quantum computers

04.05.2026 Press release

Portrait of Rostyslav Serha, Andrii Chumak, David Schmoll and Sebastian Knauer are standing in front of a cryostat.

Physicists at the University of Vienna discover magnons with a lifespan a hundred times longer

Communication from the US health authority CDC fuels scepticism about vaccines and science

30.04.2026 Press release

Online study involving nearly 3,000 participants from the US reveals significant societal impact

Amazon understory forests show short-term boost in CO₂ uptake – but this comes at a cost

28.04.2026 Press release

Fig. 1: Picture of the open-top chamber for the Experiment in the Central Amazon.

Experimental increases in CO₂ stimulated plant growth are facilitated by re-distributed root systems to extract nutrient resources more efficiently

Species and languages worldwide threatened by the consequences of European colonialism

21.04.2026 Press release

Picture of the Milne Bay River in New Guinea.

Island regions are particularly at risk