Hydrogen university TU Graz: Austria’s first university-based, megawatt-scale H2 electrolysis test centre opens

With EUR 10m in federal funding, Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) is enhancing its hydrogen infrastructure at Campus Inffeldgasse. The new electrolysis test centre and expanded testing facilities for fuel cells and high-temperature burners are sign

Graz University of Technology

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Opening of the new hydrogen electrolysis test centre at TU Graz's Inffeldgasse campus. From left: Viktor Hacker, Head of the Institute of Chemical Process Engineering and Environmental Technology and Spokesman of the Research Center for Green Hydrogen and Fuel Technologies, Helmut Antrekowitsch, Vice-Rector for Research and Sustainability at the University of Leoben, Horst Bischof, Rector of Graz University of Technology, Willibald Ehrenhöfer, State Councillor for Economics and Research, Elmar Pichl, Head of the Higher Education Section at the Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research, Alexander Trattner, from the Institute of Thermodynamics and Sustainable Drive Systems at Graz University of Technology and CEO of the COMET Competence Center HyCentA.

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Credit: Wolf - TU Gra

Setting new standards for green hydrogen technology

The new hydrogen electrolysis test centre at TU Graz’s Campus Inffeldgasse for developing and testing hydrogen technologies on an industrial scale is unique in Austria. Spanning a 250-square-metre test area, the facility houses electrolysers with a total capacity of 1.6 to 2.5 megawatts. A dedicated transformer station ensures a stable supply of electricity, which enables researchers to simulate a range of supply scenarios. This is particularly important as the facility produces up to 50 kilogrammes of hydrogen when running at full capacity. At a pressure of 80 bar, the hydrogen is transported via a pipeline to an 18-metre-high storage tank with a capacity of 190 kilogrammes (48m³). From there, it flows through a 315-metre underground pipeline to several institutes at Campus Inffeldgasse, where it is available around the clock for research projects. Researchers use the green hydrogen produced at the facility to conduct realistic tests on new and expanded test rigs for next-generation large engines, turbines, hydrogen burners, and fuel cell stacks.

TU Graz Rector Horst Bischof is delighted with this forward-looking investment: “Through this state-of-the-art research infrastructure, we are laying the groundwork to strengthen our position as Austria’s leading – and internationally renowned – ‘hydrogen university’. As a result, TU Graz is playing a key role in the implementation of the nation’s hydrogen strategy. True to our motto ‘Research with Impact,’ our aim is to work hand in hand with industry, science, and business to develop the next generation of climate-friendly energy technologies.”

In summer 2022, the federal government allocated EUR 17m in funding to expand hydrogen research infrastructure in Styria: EUR 7m for Montanuniversität Leoben and EUR 10m for TU Graz. Of this amount, EUR 4.5 million has now been invested directly in the new H2 electrolysis test centre, with the remaining EUR 5.5 million allocated to a new test rig for fuel cell stacks, expanding high-temperature burner test facilities, a gas mixing station, compressors, and analysis, measurement, and safety technology. Around 250 researchers are already working at the Research Center for Green Hydrogen and Fuel Technologies at the “Hydrogen Campus” Inffeldgasse. Four TU Graz institutes and three COMET centres cover the full innovation spectrum at the Research Center, from fundamental research to hydrogen production, storage, and distribution, as well as its subsequent use in vehicles, power plants, and industrial applications.

Elmar Pichl, Head of the Higher Education Section at the Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research (BMFWF), explains: “Green hydrogen is a key energy source for building a sustainable future. The new electrolysis test facility at TU Graz is creating cutting-edge infrastructure for the production of hydrogen under realistic conditions. At present, this process is both complex and costly, but expansion of these facilities means that we are in a position to work towards making it more efficient and cost-effective. It also marks a crucial step in hydrogen research to achieve our shared goal of climate neutrality for Austria by 2040 – which is a priority for the new federal government and a key concern for our Science and Research Minister, Eva-Maria Holzleitner.”

Styria: Europe’s hydrogen innovation hub

Styria ranks among Europe’s leading hydrogen regions, thanks also to Montanuniversität Leoben’s complementary research expertise, which is consolidated at the Hydrogen and Carbon Research Center Austria – HY-CARE – and numerous local hydrogen companies.

"Hydrogen technologies are essential for driving forward the decarbonisation of the economy and thus successfully mastering the green transformation. Styria is already very successful in researching these technologies and is therefore part of the first European hydrogen valley for industrial applications. With the new test centre at Graz University of Technology, we are further strengthening our leading position in this essential field and increasing our international visibility," says State Councillor for Economy and Research Willibald Ehrenhöfer.

“The close coordination of the research objectives of the two Styrian TU Austria universities contributes significantly to the promotion of hydrogen research in Austria,” says Helmut Antrekowitsch, Vice Rector for Research and Sustainability at Montanuniversität Leoben. “The Research Centre for Hydrogen and Carbon in Leoben is working intensively on the development of advanced process technologies to provide large quantities of hydrogen for industrial use. At the same time, the entire value-added cycle of hydrogen and carbon is being researched. This complements the activities of Graz University of Technology perfectly, enabling an excellent research network that extends beyond Austria's borders.”

Ideal conditions for long-term testing of electrolysis systems

“The new electrolysis test centre provides ideal conditions for long-term tests, accelerated ageing tests, and analysis of degradation behaviour and system reliability for various electrolysis systems and technologies,” says Alexander Trattner from TU Graz’s Institute of Thermodynamics and Sustainable Propulsion Systems and CEO of the HyCentA COMET Competence Centre. Direct integration of industry-oriented operations with high-precision gas and water analysis systems ensures that hydrogen quality can be assessed in line with international standards – with or without integrated purification systems. “This allows us to precisely define requirements for the volume production of future electrolysis systems,” says Alexander Trattner.

Integrated research ecosystem: produce, store, utilise

“The new infrastructure facilitates a fully integrated research ecosystem for hydrogen technologies at TU Graz for the first time. This opens up new scientific opportunities for long-term tests and stress tests as well as system analyses under realistic conditions,” says Viktor Hacker, Head of the Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology and Spokesperson for the Research Center for Green Hydrogen and Fuel Technologies. “One of the distinctive features of the Graz site is the close scientific collaboration on every scale – from fundamental materials science research to lab-scale tests and pre-industrial applications on a megawatt scale.”

As a result, Graz is creating a model for developing and testing future energy systems that is unique in Europe. A new test rig for fuel cell stacks aims to significantly increase the efficiency and lifespan of the technology while reducing the use of rare metals such as platinum. The new infrastructure allows testing under extreme climatic conditions and at high tilt angles, the likes of which are encountered in maritime and aviation applications. Another research focus is on optimising combined electrolysis-fuel cell devices that can flexibly produce hydrogen or generate electricity.

The expanded test rigs for industrial high-temperature burners at the Institute of Thermal Engineering (IWT) will be among the other main users of the green hydrogen. Here, researchers are mixing hydrogen with natural gas to study the effects on gas supply, exhaust systems, and burner loads, whereby various gas mixtures are tested at exhaust temperatures of 800 to 1,500°C in a power range of up to 1.2 MW.

The new hydrogen electrolysis test field with its own transformer station on Campus Inffeldgasse of TU Graz. Containerised electrolysers with a total output of up to 2.5 MW will be installed on the site. Image source: Wolf - TU Graz

Stack test bench for fuel cells and electrolyzers at the Institute of Thermodynamics and Sustainable Propulsion Systems at TU Graz. Image source: Wolf - TU Graz

Test rig for large hydrogen-capable engines at the Large Engines Competence Centre LEC on the Inffeldgasse campus of TU Graz. Image source: Wolf - TU Graz

 

Women from the Bronze Age already carried heavy loads on their heads

This practice, discovered in a study led by the UAB, has been ignored by history for millennia

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona

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An interdisciplinary study led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) reveals that women living in the region of Nubia (present-day Sudan) developed skeletal changes adapted to bearing heavy loads on their heads starting in the Bronze Age over 3500 years ago. The results, published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, shed light on a largely invisible practice that has been ignored by written history and which has been carried out primarily by women for millennia.

For generations, the most common images of physical labour in prehistory have been dominated by depictions of men. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology challenges this male-centered view: in what is now Sudan, more than 3,500 years ago, Nubian women from the Kerma culture (2500-1500 BCE) were already carrying heavy objects — and sometimes even children — on their heads daily, using techniques passed down through generations, such as head straps known as tumplines.

The research, led by Jared Carballo from the UAB Department of Antiquity and Middle Ages Studies and affiliated to Leiden University in the Netherlands, and Uroš Matić from the University of Essen, Germany, combines the anthropological analysis of skeletal remains with ethnographic and iconographic studies of various African and Mediterranean cultures, including representations of Nubian women in Egyptian tombs. The aim of the study was to understand how daily labour shapes the body and how load-carrying tasks were distributed between men and women.

The study of 30 human skeletons (14 women and 16 men) buried at the Bronze Age site of Abu Fatima, located near Kerma, the capital of the kingdom of Nubia – also called Kush and a rival of ancient Egypt –revealed significant sex-based differences, thanks to the material provided by the excavations by the Sudanese-American Mission led by Sarah A. Schrader and Stuart T. Smith, co-authors of the research. While men showed signs of strain in the shoulders and arms, especially on the right side — likely from shoulder-carrying — women exhibited specific skeletal changes in the cervical vertebrae and areas of the skull associated with the prolonged use of head straps that transferred weight from the forehead to the back.

One of the clearest examples was the woman classified as "individual 8A2": a woman who died over the age of 50 and was buried with luxury items such as an ostrich feather fan and a leather cushion. Biochemical analysis of her dental enamel indicates she was born elsewhere, suggesting she was a migrant. Her skull displays a significant depression behind the coronal suture and severe cervical osteoarthritis, consistent with a prolonged use of tumplines. It is likely that, in addition to migrating from her homeland, she spent much of her life transporting heavy loads in the rural Nile environment — perhaps even carrying children from her family or community. A way of life as common as it is overlooked by written history.

"This way of life is as common as it is overlooked by written history", explains Jared Carballo. "In some way, the study reveals how women literally have carried the weight of society on their heads for millennia."

This study supports a growing perspective that sees the human body as a biological archive of lived experiences. In this sense, bone modifications are not simply the result of ageing; they also reflect social patterns, such as the division of labour and gender roles. Therefore, anthropological concepts like "body techniques" (ways in which people use their bodies in different societies in everyday activities such as walking, running, or using tools) or “gender performativity” (differences in movements dues to imitation or social conventions) offer a framework for interpreting how repeated tasks shape bones and configure bodies according to identity.

Such practices, also observed in representations of Nubian women in later Egyptian tombs and still documented today in rural communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, have long been invisible in historical narratives. However, as this research shows, their impact was so profound that they literally reshaped the anatomy of those who performed them. Head-loading was not only a physical effort but also a material expression of inequality and resilience.

As a result, the study opens new avenues of research into women’s mobility, the physical implications of motherhood, and the economic and logistical roles of women in rural societies. “Abu Fatima thus offers a new window into the deep past of the fascinating Nile Valley and a powerful reminder of how heavy the silences around women in history still are”, Jared Carballo concludes.

The research included the participation of archaeologists from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Leiden University, the University of Essen, and the University of California Santa Barbara.

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Journal

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

DOI

10.1016/j.jaa.2024.101652 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Tumplines, baskets, and heavy burden? Interdisciplinary approach to load carrying in Bronze Age Abu Fatima, Sudan

 

New research reveals nature’s secret to healthy longevity

Bar-Ilan University researchers uncover longevity-associated protein changes across mammalian evolution

Bar-Ilan University

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Over recent decades, humanity has witnessed a remarkable and continuous increase in lifespan. However, this advancement has been accompanied by a growing aging population, increasingly affected by age-related diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and diabetes. To extend not only lifespan but also healthspan, a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms that support healthy aging is essential.

In nature, mammalian lifespans vary dramatically, from 1–2 years in some rodents to over a century in whales and humans, representing a 100-fold difference. This extraordinary diversity raises a fundamental question: what enables long-lived mammals to maintain health into old age?

In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from Bar-Ilan University address this question by harnessing the most extensive and long-term experiment of all: evolution.

The research was led by Prof. Haim Cohen, Director of the Sagol Healthy Human Longevity Center at Bar-Ilan University’s Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences in collaboration with Dr. Sagi Snir of the University of Haifa. Sarit Feldman-Trabelsi, a PhD student in Prof. Cohen’s lab, developed a novel computational tool called PHARAOH (Positive posttranslational Modifications Regulator of Healthspan). Using advanced statistical methods, PHARAOH compared protein sequences across 107 mammalian species with varying lifespans. This approach enabled the researchers to trace specific protein changes, particularly posttranslational modifications (PTMs) such as acetylation, throughout evolution and identify those consistently enriched in long-lived species.

PTMs regulate essential cellular processes and have been linked to increased resilience against age-related diseases, including cancer. By comparing long-lived and short-lived mammals, the team uncovered consistent protein modifications associated with extended lifespan. Experimental validation confirmed that the PTMs identified by PHARAOH play significant biological roles in aging and disease resistance.

“Our findings offer a promising path toward understanding how protein modifications can protect against age-related diseases and promote longer, healthier lives,” said Prof. Cohen. “By pinpointing the PTMs linked to longevity, we can begin exploring therapeutic strategies that mimic these natural, evolutionarily conserved mechanisms.”

One striking insight from the study is how large mammals such as whales exhibit dramatically lower cancer rates despite having significantly more cells than smaller animals. The research revealed that certain PTMs found in these species likely serve protective roles against cancer, shedding light on molecular strategies for disease resistance and longevity.

These findings pave the way for future research into therapies that target proteins and modifications associated with healthy aging. By leveraging nature’s own longevity strategies, the researchers aim to uncover new methods to slow aging and combat diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes.

This study was funded by the SAGOL Network.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-58762-x 

Article Title

The mammalian longevity associated acetylome

Article Publication Date

22-Apr-2025

 

Exposure to toxic metals in war zones endangers early childhood development

Tampere University

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Advanced military technology exposes civilians to various toxic metals. New research in the field of psychology provides evidence that mothers’ and newborns’ exposure to toxic metals in wars endangers the children’s motor, cognitive and emotional development. Since breastfeeding during the first months is generally considered beneficial to infant health, the researchers were also interested in the role of breastfeeding in metal exposure and its association with child development issues.

A recent psychological study shows that high levels of toxic metals in mothers and newborns are associated with early childhood development problems. 

The study examined how maternal and newborn prenatal exposure to toxic metals affects the infants’ sensorimotor, cognitive and socioemotional development, as well as the role of breastfeeding.

The research focused on the exposure to carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and teratogenic metals in war conditions. These heavy metals cause cancer, damage the nervous system and disrupt foetal development and include, e.g., chromium, tungsten, uranium and mercury. The study measured their concentrations in the hair of mothers and newborns. 

The results showed that high levels of toxic metals in mothers and newborns predicted developmental problems in the infants at the ages of 6 and 18 months. The infants presented problems in sensorimotor, cognitive, and socioemotional skills, such as sensory functions and movement control, language development and learning emotional regulation. 

This association was found in both mothers and newborns who had been exposed to carcinogenic metals. High levels of neurotoxic metals in mothers and teratogenic metals in newborns were also connected to developmental problems. 

Babies miss the beneficial effects of breastfeeding in war zones

Breastfeeding during the first six months is generally considered favourable to an infant’s health and the mother-child relationship. It has also been found to protect against many developmental risks.

“In war zones, toxic metals contained in new-generation weapons pose health risks to civilians, with children and pregnant women being particularly vulnerable. Since breastfeeding has many beneficial effects, we wanted to study its role in exposure to toxic metals,” says Emerita Professor of Psychology Raija-Leena Punamäki from Tampere University.

Previously, individual toxic metals, such as white phosphorus and depleted uranium, have been studied in war zones for their connection to pregnancy complications or newborn health. In this new study, 18 toxic metals were tested from the hair samples of mothers and newborns at birth. The research sheds new light on infant development in families experiencing war trauma by also analysing the significance of breastfeeding.

The research results indicate that exposure to toxic metals had a negative effect on breastfeeding. Mothers’ high levels of carcinogenic and neurotoxic metals were associated with the reduced intensity and duration of breastfeeding. Insufficient breastfeeding in turn strengthened the negative effects of toxic metals on infant development.

“Toxic metals used in weapons and bombs can disrupt optimal breastfeeding which is one of the naturally protective functions in infancy. This effect reminds us that the consequences of war atrocities are not limited to victims or survivors but can be transferred to children through various routes, including contaminating their environment and preventing vital nutrition,” the researchers conclude.

Supporting early development in traumatic conditions

The study involved 502 Palestinian mothers and infants living in the occupied Gaza Strip and the sample was representative of the Palestinian population in the area. Mothers were invited to participate in the study at four maternity hospitals in the North, Central, and South Gaza areas, as well as Gaza City. The criterion for participation was that the mothers were pregnant during the war of 2014. When the infants were 6 months and 18 months of age, the researchers interviewed the mothers and assessed the children’s development at the homes of the families.

The researchers’ goal was to provide tools for professionals and families to support child development and parental resources in war zones. The study generated new knowledge specifically on supporting early development in traumatic war conditions and refugee families. 

“The human consequences of toxic metals contained in weapons can be especially severe in early childhood, which is why it is important to tailor effective prevention programmes for war victims of different ages,” Punamäki says.

The research group comprised Emerita Professor of Psychology Raija-Leena Punamäki and Researcher, University Instructor Mervi Vänskä from Tampere University as well as Safwat Y. Diab (Al-Quds Open University, Gaza), Nabil AlBarqouni (Islamic University of Gaza) and Samir R. Qouta, (Doha Institute for Graduate Studies). 

The research was published in the Infant Behavior and Development journal in March 2025.

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Journal

Infant Behavior and Development

DOI

10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102040 

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Maternal and foetal exposure to potentially toxic metals of modern weaponry and infant cognitive, sensorimotor, and socioemotional development: The role of breastfeeding

Scientists have found a way to ‘tattoo’ tardigrades

American Chemical Society

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This tardigrade is sporting a new “tattoo” — represented in this magnified image by the highlighted dots, and visible in the inset image.

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Credit: Adapted from Nano Letters 2025, DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c00378

If you haven’t heard of a tardigrade before, prepare to be wowed. These clumsy, eight-legged creatures, nicknamed water bears, are about half a millimeter long and can survive practically anything: freezing temperatures, near starvation, high pressure, radiation exposure, outer space and more. Researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters took advantage of the tardigrade’s nearly indestructible nature and gave the critters tiny “tattoos” to test a microfabrication technique to build microscopic, biocompatible devices.

“Through this technology, we’re not just creating micro-tattoos on tardigrades — we’re extending this capability to various living organisms, including bacteria,” explains Ding Zhao, a co-author of the paper.

Microfabrication has revolutionized electronics and photonics, creating micro- and nanoscale devices ranging from microprocessors and solar cells to biosensors that detect food contamination or cancerous cells. But the technology could also advance medicine and biomedical engineering, if researchers can adapt microfabrication techniques to make them compatible with the biological realm. So, Zhao, Min Qiu and colleagues employed a process that carves a pattern with an electron beam into a thin layer of ice coating living tissue, called ice lithography, leaving behind a design when the remaining ice sublimates. And what creature is better suited to being frozen, coated in ice, and then exposed to an electron beam than the nearly indestructible tardigrade?

The team put tardigrades into a cryptobiotic state (a sort of half-dead, suspended animation) by slowly dehydrating the microscopic animals. Then, the researchers placed an individual tardigrade onto a carbon-composite paper, cooled the sheet below -226 degrees Fahrenheit (-143 degrees Celsius), and covered the water bear with a protective layer of anisole — an organic compound that smells like anise. The frozen anisole protected the tardigrade’s surface from the focused electron beam as it drew the pattern. When exposed to the beam, the anisole reacted and formed a new biocompatible chemical compound that stuck to the tardigrade’s surface at higher temperatures. As the tardigrade warmed to room temperature under vacuum, any unreacted frozen anisole sublimated and left behind the pattern of reacted anisole. Finally, the researchers rehydrated and revived the tardigrade, which then sported a new tattoo.

The precision of this technique allowed the team to create a variety of micropatterns: squares, dots, and lines as small as 72 nanometers wide, and even the university’s logo. Around 40% of the tardigrades survived the procedure, and the researchers say that could be improved with further fine tuning. Most importantly, the tardigrades didn’t seem to mind their new tattoos: Once rehydrated, they showed no changes in behavior. These results indicate that this technique could be suitable for printing micro-electronics or sensors onto living tissue.

Gavin King, a researcher credited with inventing the ice lithography technique who was not involved in this study, concludes, “it is challenging to pattern living matter, and this advance portends a new generation of biomaterial devices and biophysical sensors that were previously only present in science fiction.” After this first step, Zhao and Qiu hope that this work could enable advancements such as microbial cyborgs and other biomedical applications in the future.

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

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Journal

Nano Letters

DOI

10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c00378 

Article Title

“Patterning on Living Tardigrades”