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This article compares a selection of recent German literary representations of cycling in the context of contemporary discourses of slow travel, with a particular focus on themes of happiness and emotional authenticity. It seeks to expand the framework of discussions of slow travel with a comparative focus on four novels: Der Mann auf dem Hochrad ('The Man on the Penny Farthing', 1984) by Uwe Timm, Im Sommer wieder Fahrrad ('I'll Cycle Again in the Summer', 2016) by Lea Streisand, Im Feld ('In the Field', 2018) by Joachim Zelter and Neujahr ('New Year', 2018) by Juli Zeh. The article surveys the cultural history of cycling, and pays attention to the status of cycling in German society and culture. Drawing on the work of John Day, Valeria Luiselli, Erling Kagge and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, it presents a reading of the texts' treatment of cycling as performance within a broader reflection upon slow travel as a nonfunctional, affective and authentic practice is experienced as a contrast to everyday life. Keywords cylcing, cycling in Germany, cycling in literature, German literature, travel writing, slow travel, Uwe Timm, Lea Streisand, Joachim Zelter, Juli Zeh, history of sport, history of leisure, tourism in literature, emotions in literature, happiness in literature, psychology and literature, This article compares a selection of recent German literary representations of cycling, a form of transport that, I shall argue, deserves a place in contemporary discourses of slow travel. As [...]

Red and far-red light–sensing phytochromes are widespread in nature, occurring in plants, algae, fungi, and prokaryotes. Despite at least a billion years of evolution, their photosensory modules remain structurally and functionally similar. Conversely, nature has found remarkably different ways of transmitting light signals from the photosensor to diverse physiological responses. We summarize key features of phytochrome structure and function and discuss how these are correlated, from how the bilin environment affects the chromophore to how light induces cellular signals. Recent advances in the structural characterization of bacterial and plant phytochromes have resulted in paradigm changes in phytochrome research that we discuss in the context of present-day knowledge. Finally, we highlight questions that remain to be answered and suggest some of the benefits of understanding phytochrome structure and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]