Endurance running or endurance diving - which came first?
New study takes a land-and-water perspective on the evolution of our exceptional human stamina
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The human fingerprint in regional climate change
Climate change in Europe and most other regions in the world can unambiguously attributed to human influence
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Warning: fraudulent career and research advertisements on social media
A network of scam accounts impersonating the Max Planck Society is currently active on LinkedIn and Instagram
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Molecular insight into biological nitrogen fixation close to the boiling point
An enzyme with exceptional heat resistance converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, an important fertiliser and biofuel
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Fertilizers are damaging coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico
60 to 80 percent of the nitrogen comes from the Mississippi River basin, as isotope analyses of corals show.
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Black holes outgrow their galaxies
The eRosita X-ray telescope has discovered eight galaxies whose central black holes are significantly more massive than those in other galaxies
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Cash transfers to mothers with low income may slow biological aging in children
Study reveals a causal impact
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Female Dotterels have multiple mates across northern Europe
In the summer, the females migrate long distances in search of mates
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2026 ERC Starting Grants: the Max Planck winners
Nine Max Planck Society researchers, including four women, have been awarded European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants
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Exoskeleton Aims to Make Daily Life Easier for People with Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury
The network of nerves in the arm—known as the brachial plexus—transmits motor and sensory signals between the spinal cord and the shoulder, arm and hand. If this network is injured, for example due to a motorcycle accident, the result may be sensory disturbances, muscle weakness or even paralysis. The PLEXO project involves Fraunhofer researchers who are working with partners to develop a myoelectrically controlled...
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Animal-Free Chemical Testing
How can chemicals be assessed safely in the future while reducing animal testing and maintaining a high level of scientific confidence? The European research community is working hard to bring about this transformation. One major step toward regulatory implementation is the European Commission’s new roadmap for the gradual phase-out of animal testing in the safety assessment of chemicals. The Fraunhofer Institute...
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More Sustainable Microchip Production
The ecological footprint of microchip manufacturing is growing in step with increasing demand. In the GENESIS EU project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS is joining forces with partners to develop technologies that make manufacturing of these essential chips more sustainable.
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Enabling images of distant worlds
The Roman Space Telescope is designed to directly image exoplanets using complex opto-mechanical systems developed by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
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Focus on the universe
Astronomical images not only look beautiful, they also provide a wealth of information. What's behind it and what distinguishes four prominent telescopes? An overview.
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Young golden eagles leave their parents’ territory late
Experience determines when the birds leave their home range
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Gamma-ray jet scans extragalactic background light in the universe
A highly concentrated beam of light from the center of the galaxy OP 313 allows researchers to infer the energy density of the light from all stars and galaxies around
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Metalheads can endure pain longer thanks to the festival experience
Listening to heavy metal music at the Wacken Open Air increases the audience's pain tolerance
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Gamma-ray Astronomy: New learnings from blazar OP 313
High-energy electrons are the driving force behind particle acceleration
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A star that feels our Galaxies central black hole rotate
A newly detected star orbits the central black hole of our Milky Way closer than any other known star and therefore experiences, how the rotating black hole drags the surrounding spacetime along
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Climate chambers at TUM campus Weihenstephan
There are eight climate chambers on TUM’s Freising-Weihenstephan campus—what are climate chambers, and what kind of research is being conducted there? In this report, Bayerischer Rundfunk speaks with researchers and the scientific director of the climate chambers.
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Why apples react differently to climate change than wheat
Climate change is altering crop yields—but not to the same extent for all plants. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) found that yields are also influenced by the extent to which plants rely on insect pollination. The findings highlight how agriculture must adapt to climate change.
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German Founders Award for TUM Spin-off DeepDrive
DeepDrive, a spin-off of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has won the 2026 German Founders Award in the “Rising Star” category. The company has developed a novel electric motor technology designed to make electric vehicles more efficient, more sustainable, and more affordable. DeepDrive was founded by graduates of TUM.
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TUM study reveals substantial misdirection in EU automotive regulation
CirculaTUM, the interdisciplinary research network of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has been researching the decarbonization of the automotive sector since the beginning of the year. The findings of the most comprehensive study in this field to date reveal substantial misdirection in the European Union’s CO₂ fleet standards regulation. They were presented today, Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at a press...
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Long-lost fish species rediscovered in another section of the Inn River
The Danube gudgeon had been considered extinct in the Inn River for more than 100 years. Only a few years ago, the highly endangered species was rediscovered there. Now, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have documented the fish in another section of the Inn. The finding emerged from a joint research project with hydropower operator VERBUND examining the effects of nature-like fishways on fish...
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PISA scores at a new low
Young people in Germany are achieving their lowest scores in science, reading and mathematics since the PISA studies started. As a result, Germany now ranks only at the average level of OECD countries. About one-fifth of 15-year-olds lack sufficient basic skills in any of the three areas. The correlation between young people’s science skills and their families’ socioeconomic status is stronger than ever before.
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Spectacular Success for TUM Spin-off Isar Aerospace
A historic achievement for space startup Isar Aerospace: On just its second launch attempt, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) spin-off successfully placed its Spectrum launch vehicle and payload into Earth orbit. The milestone marks a major step toward establishing independent European access to space for the company based in Ottobrunn near Munich.
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If computers simply work
Newly appointed computer science professor Reto Achermann studies resilient computing systems that can operate reliably under complex conditions. His work lays the foundation for the digital infrastructures that people depend on every day.
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Prof. Andreas Meyer to become Scientific Director of FRM II
The Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is welcoming a new Scientific Director. Physicist and TUM alumnus Prof. Andreas Meyer will take over from Prof. Christian Pfleiderer on 1 October 2026. Since 2021, Andreas Meyer has served as the German Associate Director of the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble.
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Sorting Potatoes with AI
Karevo’s machines can sort up to ten tons of potatoes per hour. The AI-powered optical recognition system achieves 95 percent accuracy. The founder’s journey took him from a potato farm to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and ultimately to his own startup.
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New technique enhances coastal water level monitoring
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Oxford have developed a new measurement method that captures the variability of tidal levels more accurately than previously used methods. Using this method, they were able to demonstrate tidal differences of up to one meter within a bay 90 kilometers long. The results could improve coastal protection and navigation in areas where...
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University of Bayreuth: Study identifies potential savings in material requirements for wind energy expansion
A recent study by the University of Bayreuth examines the material requirements of wind energy expansion in Germany and identifies ways in which resource consumption can be reduced in future. The study focuses on the material flows associated with wind turbines and on how materials can be saved through resource-efficient repowering and the reuse of existing infrastructure. The findings were published in the journal...
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Why Regional Organic Networks Work
What characterizes regional organic value chain networks in Berlin and Brandenburg? How can they be strengthened and developed to be fit for the future? These questions were at the heart of the research carried out as part of the RegBio2B collaborative project.
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Innovation and Data Protection: A European approach between competitiveness and basic rights
Less data protection, more innovation? A new policy paper by Plattform Privatheit (Platform Privacy), which is coordinated by Fraunhofer ISI, shows why this simple equation falls short. Instead, the authors argue for a European approach that combines innovative capacity and competitive strength with data protection, self-determination and digital sovereignty. The policy paper’s findings are also part of the...
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New bioinformatics tools help identify pathogenic variants in the genome
Structural variants and so-called tandem repeats are individual differences in the human genome. They are increasingly linked to diseases, but analyzing and interpreting them poses challenges for researchers. In two new studies published in the journals "NAR Genomics & Bioinformatics" and "Genome Biology," Martin Vingron’s laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics is now presenting new...
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Fossil Flowers of Ancient Lianas Preserved in Amber Reveal the Evolution of Tropical Rainforests
Amber-preserved flowers from Southeast China show that lianas were already an established component of tropical rainforests 15 million years ago, during the Miocene. Researchers from China, France, Germany and Austria are using these exceptionally well-preserved fossils to reconstruct the biodiversity of a past ecosystem. The study has been published in the journal Annals of Botany.
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XPS reveals the surface chemistry of bio-based hybrid materials
Just a few atomic layers at the surface can strongly influence how effectively a material binds pollutants from water or how efficiently a photocatalyst responds to light. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the chemical states and interactions at the surfaces and interfaces of bio-based carbon materials and...
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More Energy at the Same Weight: Fraunhofer ISE Optimizes Battery Cells
Together with partners from research and industry, the Fraunhofer Insti-tute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has modified the structure of battery electrodes so that the battery cells can store 10 to 15 percent more energy at the same weight. They achieved this by more than tripling the coating thickness of the battery electrodes—for example, in lithium-ion batteries—which simultaneously reduces the number of current...
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AI-Designed Proteins Enable a New Generation of RNA Transporters
Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed Synthetic Transfer Vehicles (STVs), an entirely new class of RNA transporters. To do so, they combined naturally occurring protein building blocks with synthetic protein structures designed using generative AI. Systematic screening identified STV-C8 as the most efficient candidate: In cell culture, it transports RNA far more...
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The Fingerprint of Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reaches the Deep North Atlantic
In a new study, researchers from Bremen map how the Suess effect spreads in the North Atlantic The use of fossil fuels alters both the concentration and the carbon isotope composition of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since surface water exchanges carbon dioxide with the atmosphere, this also alters the isotopic composition of the carbon dissolved in the ocean. In a study, a team from MARUM – Center for Marine...
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Researchers from Tel Aviv University and IPF Develop Hydrogels to Create a Programmable Niche for Blood Stem Cells
A research team from Tel Aviv University and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (IPF), led by Ayala Lampel and Carsten Werner, has developed a peptide-glycosaminoglycan hydrogel system that creates a programmable niche for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The system mimics key biochemical and mechanical cues of the bone marrow microenvironment, enabling researchers to investigate how...
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The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin publishes a guide on dealing with colonial natural history objects
Natural history artefacts from former colonial territories bear witness not only to scientific curiosity, but also to power dynamics and the use of force. What responsibilities does this entail for natural history museums today? The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin has been addressing this question for years through various initiatives and research projects. Examining its own history sheds light on past and present...
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Light-Based 3D Printing: Innovative “Ink” Enables a Closed-Loop Material Cycle
Polymers used for light-based 3D printing are very stable due to their chemical structure, but they are typically hard to recycle. A research team led by Prof. Dr. Eva Blasco, a researcher at the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM) at Heidelberg University, has now designed a polymer material that can be disassembled into its individual components when needed. A chemical “key”...
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Without Bacteria or Chemicals: How Methanol and Formaldehyde Form Abiotically in Nature
The biopolymer lignin – one of the most important carbon reservoirs in plants and soils – not only decays through fungi or bacteria but can also be chemically attacked by iron linked with reactive oxygen species, without the involvement of microorganisms. When this happens, the lignin is converted into methanol and subsequently into formaldehyde. That is shown by a study conducted at Heidelberg University’s...
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Microswimmers switch swimming styles on command
Physicists at Leipzig University and Charles University in Prague have developed a method for changing the swimming style of tiny artificial microswimmers in real time. They can make a single microscopic particle switch at will between modes of swimming inspired by bacteria and algae. The researchers have thus turned a property that was previously fixed during production into a programmable parameter. They believe...
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More Than Just Ions: What Causes Droplet Charging?
Whether on a windowpane at home or during the industrial cleaning of computer chips: Droplets sliding over solid surfaces become electrically charged. Yet the physical mechanism behind this charging remains a subject of debate to this day. This charging is usually attributed to the exchange of charged particles (ions) at the interface between the droplet and the surface. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for...
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Three world records in quantum physics: Breakthrough for a unique research platform based on Rydberg atoms
Rydberg atoms are considered promising building blocks for quantum computers and their precursors, quantum simulators. Researchers at the 5th Institute of Physics of the University of Stuttgart have achieved record values for the lifetime, size, and storage time of circular Rydberg atoms, a special form of Rydberg atom in which electrons move in a stable circular orbit around the nucleus. The findings were published...
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Fraunhofer IWU Opens New Pathways to Cost-Effective High-Volume Production of Heat Exchanger Plates
Increasing efficiency requirements, rising production volumes, and growing cost pressure are creating new challenges for heat exchanger manufacturers. The key question is: which manufacturing technology can deliver superior component quality while remaining economically viable for large-scale production? Fraunhofer IWU offers tailored answers to this challenge. In addition to established processes such as cavity...
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