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Prof. Dr. Stefan Rahmstorf. Picture: PIK

At the Climate Frontline – Potsdam climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf not only conducts excellent research but also engages in science communication

For the climate scientist it was a highlight of his career, although a somber one. His article on new findings about the impact of climate change on …
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Photo: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

Towards a Rule-Based and Value-Oriented International Community? – Legal scholars and political scientists examine the role of international law in global change

The UN Security Council, UN peacekeeping missions, and the first forms of international criminal justice: these all seem to herald the formation of an …
Dr. Julian Drews, Prof. Dr. Ottmar Ette, and Julia Bayerl. Photo: Karla Fritze.

Leaving Behind Signs of Life – Humboldt‘s American Travel Diaries

Between 1799 and 1804, Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) and his companion botanist Aimé Bonpland undertook three major expeditions: They explored …

A Camel instead of a Mouse – Biologists are developing a new system to produce antibodies

The body produces them in masses during an infectious disease. They are able to bind to specific surface structures of bacteria and viruses, dock …
Dr. Tsanko Gechev, scientific manager of CropStrengthen, in the greenhouse. Photo: Thomas Hölzel.

The Genome Analysts – New Methods in Plant Breeding

How large can fruits get? How resistant are they to disease? How long can they survive during a drought? The information for all these traits is …

Ancient Languages and the Benefits of Slowness – Classical Philologist Ursula Gärtner

Ursula Gärtner gets carried away when talking about Catullus’ love poems – and her passion is contagious. She talks about how the Roman poet’s use of …
The skeleton of Richard III. Photo: University of Leicester.

The True Richard III – How Professor Michael Hofreiter decodes the DNA of the English King

No, Richard III did not have a hunchback; Lars Eidinger is exaggerating. When the actor prepares for his role as king of England at Berlin’s …
Test setup of XPRAG. Photo: Choonkyu Lee.

I Spy with My Little Eye… – Linguists research how information is processed in the brain when we change our perspective

“I might speak differently to you than I would speak to someone else,” Isabell Wartenburger says. This is how the Professor of …
Walking back to the base camp after a long day of measuring. Photo: Stephan Schennen.

Thaw in the Permafrost – Will the Siberian tundra become a source of carbon emissions?

The permafrost soils of the Arctic are the cold stores of the North. What they shut in over thousands of years is kept safe: plant remains, animal …
Mormyrids in an experimental aquarium. Picture: Karla Fritze

The Electric Code for a Partner – Mormyrids rely on electrical signals to choose partner

How do new species develop? This question has plagued researchers for centuries and remains one of the most topical questions in evolutionary and …