YIN

The YIN Day 2025 started off with a Science Walk on Campus giving YIN members the chance to present their research and exchange ideas. As honorary guests, the Vice President Academic Affairs and the new Vice Provost Early Career Researchers gave an impetus and discussed new support structures at KIT. After the YIN Focus Lecture on Automation, the YIN Grants were presented as well as facts and figures from the network. At the final reception, YIN members could also network with representatives from the Research Office, Human Resources Development, the Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists and the Consultant for Junior and Tenure-track Professors at KIT.

doi.org/10.1038/s44161-025-00728-9

Cardiac fibrosis, the abnormal formation of connective tissue in the heart muscle, can trigger cardiac arrhythmias and be life-threatening. Researchers from the University of Freiburg and KIT have now been able to show that fibrotic tissue acts as a frequency-dependent filter: When the pulse is increased, for example through physical exertion, the electrical signal transmission is slowed down or blocked. Axel Loewe's research group integrated the experimental data from Freiburg into computer simulations, developed a digital twin and demonstrated the impaired conduction at high heart rates. "Digital twins may be the key to precision cardiology improving clinical diagnostics and treatment," so Loewe.

Gan Huang, KIT

The primary global energy end-uses are heat (50%) and electrical power (20%). Common silicon-based solar photovoltaics harvest only a limited share up to 30% of the solar irradiation, while the remaining part dissipates as waste heat. In Advanced Science, Gan Huang and colleagues present a hybrid solar energy harvesting concept that advances the usable exergy efficiency to more than 40%. They use semi-transparent perovskite modules capable of effectively converting solar irradiation of energy above the bandgap to electrical power and selectively redirecting sub-bandgap infrared photons toward a solar thermal absorber. Thus, compared to other photovoltaic materials a significantly larger portion of the infrared solar spectrum is utilized.