Lichtgedanken 02

Editorial 6 Healthy ageing As part of the Pro Excellence Initiative, the Free State of Thuringia is funding a group of junior scientists with €3.9 million Comparing dictatorships New Post Graduate Research Training Group examines European dictatorships after 1945 What social basis do dictatorships have? How do societies function under the conditions of a dictatorship? What modi- fications must people make, and in what way do they at the same time exploit the dictatorship for their own aims and interests? Questions such as these are being pursued in a new Post Graduate Research Training Group. The title of the new training group, »The GDR and the European dictator- ships after 1945« highlights its focus: »We want to direct the focus onto East and West Europe,« says PD Dr Jörg Ganzen- müller who will run the group’s business. Not only the regi- mes in the Soviet power block but also dictatorships similar to those in Spain, Portugal and Greece are to be compared. Twelve doctoral students will conduct the research in the Post Graduate Research Training Group. Ten posts will be funded through Thuringia’s Ministry for Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society, and the Ettersberg Foundation will sponsor two scholarships. A total of €1.5 million will be available to the Training Group. The Post Graduate Research Training Group took up its work in March; it has been set up initially for three years. sl When people get older, the outward effects are visible to everyone. Over the course of time, the first wrinkles are joined by grey or thinning hair, overall fitness decli- nes and they struggle with age-related illnesses. The rea- sons for these changes lie primarily within the body. What happens in human cells during the ageing process is of great interest not only to scientists but also to the Thu- ringian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Science and Digi- tal Society. The ministry is providing €3.9 million as part of the Pro Excellence Initiative in order to drive research into cellular ageing in three core subject areas until 2020. The research project carries the name »RegenerAging«. As part of this project, the group of junior scientists, »Epi- genetics of Ageing«, headed by Dr Holger Bierhoff (photo), took up its work at the start of the year with initial fun- ding for five years. »Epigenetics looks at the packaging of our genome and how as a result certain genome strands are activated or shut down. These mechanisms change with age and can contribute to signs of ageing and age-related illnesses at a molecular level,« explains Holger Bierhoff. The 40 year-old would like to find out with his team how non-coding RNA molecules help to turn the gene switches for cell growth and cell passivity on and off, and the role they play in keeping retroviral DNA elements at bay. jd To be found today in the museum: symbols of the political organisations of the East German State.