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A Seemingly Simple Idea – Dr. Ewald Weber researches feral plants

Enjoying nature, rejoicing in flowers, trees, and plants is a need for many people. This is why botanical gardens attract so many visitors and are a …

Rapid Bloomers of Evolution – Humboldt Research Fellow Dr. Luis Valente Researches Biodiversity on Islands

Darwin’s finches – whose discoverer and namesake Charles Darwin founded evolutionary theory – are among the best-known animals in the world. They live …

Language History and Stories – What writings of the early modern period tell us

Those who spoke Early New High German lived in a revolutionary era: With the invention of letterpress printing, writing became a mass phenomenon. …

An Open Letter from the Directors of Research Institutes in Potsdam

 

Potsdam's scientific institutions published an open letter for a tolerant society, rejecting all expressions of hatred, violence, and intolerance …
PKatja Wiegand volunteered for a year as an English teacher in Huay Xai/Laos. In the picture, she is teaching in a neighboring village. Photo: private.

Same Same But Different – Katja Wiegand, a student of English at the University of Potsdam, on teaching in Laos

Berlin, Frankfurt, Vientiane. I’ve been traveling for 36 hours so far. At the Vientiane airport, eight other volunteers and I are met by our partner …
The „heart“ of the rapid water test system. Photo: Thomas Roese.

From Idea to Product – Biotech startup “diamond inventics” develops rapid water test system

 

 

The drinking water that comes from our faucets free of pathogens like Enterococcus, Legionella, and Escherichia coli must be checked regularly before …
Doping or sports supplements. Photo: fotolia.com/goldencow images.

Dose Matters – Sports psychologists are looking for ways to curb the rising consumption of nutritional supplements for athletes

They are available as capsules, lozenges, tablets, and liquids: supplements are sold by every drugstore and gym these days and from many online …
Experts among themselves. At the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Photo: FAO/Giorgio Cosulich de Pecine.

A Matter of Trust – Political scientists at the University of Potsdam research the concept of expert authority

The World Bank does it; NATO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations do, too. International organizations give concrete policy …
Contemporary cartoon of a “dandy”, unknown artist (“Lacing a Dandy”, published by Thomas Tegg, 1819. Photo: Wikimedia.

From Deviant to Mainstream – Fashion Theoretician Gertrud Lehnert on “Queer Fashion”

Is a young male model wearing women’s fashion queer? What about unisex fashion? “Queerness is a practice that subverts identity standards, eludes …
Two first-year beavers in the pond Friedensteich in Sanssouci Park. Photo: Janine Treue.

Pastures for the Beavers – Master’s student examines beaver territories in the city

It is droll but not always welcome. The beaver’s way of life alters entire landscapes like hardly any other animal and has thus often been targeted by …