MaxPlanckResearch science magazine
2024
Magazine 04/2024
To mark the end of the Year of Science ‘Freedom’, we are dedicating this issue to freedom of choice. We explore the question of whether free will exists and, if so, what could constitute it. Neurobiology is also investigating this with ever new approaches. How free we are in our decisions is also a topic of research in the context of choosing a partner. This is because it is only chance that plays a role here; there are also patterns that can be proven demographically. Chance also determines where and into which family we are born. Epigenetic studies show how our origins influence the course of our lives and, above all, our health.
2023
Magazine 04/2023
Extreme cold drove people out of large parts of Europe during the last ice age until it became warmer again. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology are tracing these migratory movements. Today, excessively high temperatures are more of a concern, partly because they are melting the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, causing sea levels to rise. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology are analysing the interactions between climate and ice sheets. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics are investigating how stars and planets form in clouds of cold dust and gas. They are also learning about the conditions under which life can develop.
2022
Magazine 04/2022
Most of us take our senses for granted. We tend not to realise how important they are for us until one of our senses fails us. Hearing loss, for example, has a considerable impact on social life. In the future, some people who are not helped by ordinary hearing aids could benefit from an optical cochlear implant. But not all hearing is the same - people in different cultures perceive music differently. And there are also senses that humans do not possess: mole-rats, for example, use the earth’s magnetic field to orient themselves in their dark burrows.
2021
Magazine 04/2021
Our feelings play a significant role in determining our actions. But what actually are feelings? Until recently, they were considered elusive in science – too subjective and not exactly quantifiable. Yet they can certainly be measured on the basis of the physical reactions they evoke. And so researchers are getting to the bottom of them and developing improved therapies for people with arachnophobia, for example. They are teaching robots, which could one day help us care for people in need of assistance, how to feel properly. Furthermore researchers are investigating what influence emotions had on political events.
2020
Magazine 04/2020
It may be a truism that no two eggs are alike. However, the search for the causes and the explanation for the small (or large!) difference is all the more exciting. A classic example is the identification of species in biology; for example, even closely related plants sometimes have very differently shaped leaves. In astronomy, on the other hand, researchers are investigating how different types of galaxies are formed and what role dark matter plays in this process. But it is not only nature that is diverse; humankind has also developed a variety of cultures that shape our perceptions and actions in different ways.
2019
Magazine 04/2019
Learning, i.e. the acquisition of skills, follows complex rules and principles - whether in humans, animals, or the world of computers. In any case, the learning of living creatures requires mental peak performance – be it in language acquisition in childhood, or when birds learn to sing. Machine learning, on the other hand, requires sophisticated algorithms and large data sets so that a computer can interpret human eye movements, for example. Researchers of the Max Planck Society are working on all these topics.
2018
Magazine 04/2018
The digitalization of our society is advancing at an ever faster pace – a development that necessitates completely new security strategies. These are also a challenge for research: How can fake news in social media be effectively combated? How can we ensure that robot carers equipped with artificial intelligence act in the spirit of the inventor? And what about the pictures of us that appear on Facebook? Max Planck scientists are looking for solutions to all these problems.
2017
Magazine 04/2017
Medical practitioners want safe diagnoses and drugs with as few side effects as possible. To this end, Max Planck researchers are seeking to identify substances in nature that could benefit humans. In addition, they are expanding proteins into sophisticated transporters in the field of nanomedicine. What is more, our scientists want to use positron emission tomography, widely used in cancer diagnostics, for other diseases as well, with the help of appropriate tracer substances.
2016
Magazine 04/2016
Sleep is a basic need and essential for learning and memory function. Our internal body clocks control the day-night rhythm, influencing the desire for rest – in humans as well as in many animals. Max Planck researchers investigate these organic clocks and other related aspects. For example, they study frigate birds that slumber during flight or the link between sleep disorders and depression.
2015
Magazine 04/2015
If polls are to be believed, a quarter of all Germans listen to one hour of music a day. Max Planck researchers carry out extensive research into the subject of music. They look into the origins of musical preferences and their changes, investigate the changing emotions and moods in the musical life of Europe, and experiment with powerful machines which produce sounds.
2014
Magazine 04/2014
The discovery of light-sensitive channel proteins in the 1970s and 1980s hardly made a splash outside the scientific community. Initially, no one suspected that these ion channels would become a popular tool for neurobiologists. Today, neuroscientists can use tailor-made proteins to switch individual neurons on and off. This does not only make it possible to investigate the function of neurons in the brain, but also offers promising applications in medicine.
2013
Magazine 04/2013
Children have to learn a lot: how to talk, read, and write, but also social skills such as compassion and empathy or the ability to control impulses. Some traits, such as the willingness to help others, appear innate. Anthropologists, educational researchers and neuroscientists are investigating how the social behaviour of children changes over the course of time and which brain areas play a role in this.
2012
Magazine 04/2012
The only constant thing is change - this statement by the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus is even more true for today's society. The fact that our society is getting increasingly older, for example, transforms our lives in every aspect. New findings from happiness research and political sciences will also play a decisive role in the future.
2011
Magazine 04/2011
Every fifth German has a migration background - that corresponds to more than 16 million people. Not only politicians and authorities must respond to this demographic trend. Researchers also increasingly turn their attention to the subject of migration. In this issue of our research magazine, Max Planck scientists examine the topic from three different angles.
2010
Magazine 04/2010
If you want to reach a specific destination, you need detailed information about your environment. To this end, both humans and animals use various strategies. Max Planck researchers have now attempted to unravel the secrets of orientation by means of sophisticated experiments.
