Orangutan treats wound with pain-relieving plant

Researchers observe a wild orangutan applying a plant with known medicinal properties to a wound, a first for a wild animal more

First image of a star beyond the Milky Way

Astronomers have captured the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy. The colossal red supergiant WOH G64, 160,000 light-years away, lies within the Large Magellanic Cloud and appears on the verge of exploding as a supernova. more

Oldest modern human genomes sequenced

Genomes of seven early Europeans show they belonged to a small, isolated group that had recently mixed with Neandertals but left no present-day descendants more

News

HI viruses crack the lock to the cell nucleus
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics and the University of Heidelberg have discovered how Hi viruses enter the nucleus of a human cell. 
On a steep slope on a coast, the ice is clearly visible in deep layers of soil.
Global climate models show, how the Arctic permafrost will respond to global warming
A cichlid and orange-coloured eggs are in a snail shell, which is open at the front and buried in sand.
3D-printed snail shells provide insights into the brood care of cichlids

Topic Specials

Climate and transformation
In addition to climate forecasts, the consequences of climate change are increasingly becoming the focus of research at Max Planck Institutes
The brain
The human brain is the most complex organ that nature has ever produced: 100 billion nerve cells and many times more contact points give it capabilities that no supercomputer can match
Migration
The causes and consequences of human mobility and its history are central topics for research at Max Planck Institutes

Career

A first-class doctoral training
The International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) have been an integral part of our support for doctoral students since 2000, giving talented students the opportunity to do their doctorate under excellent conditions
The Postdoc Phase: Springboard after the Doctorate
Completed your doctorate and looking to advance in science, business, or society—or start your own company? If excellent research is key to your goals, the Max Planck Society is the place for you.

Job Offers

PhD position (m/f/d) | Improving soil carbon models using energy transformations and optimality

Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena
January 20, 2025

Head of Max Planck DNA Biofoundry for automated DNA assembly

Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg
January 20, 2025

Postdoctoral positions (physicist / microscopy development) (m/f/d)

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund
January 20, 2025

Publications


Talent Companion
Research is calling - We promote pioneers in science
75 years Max Planck Society
Annual Report 2023 of the Max Planck Society
Yearbook Highlights 2023
MaxPlanckResearch 3/2024: Focus: On Life and Survival

From the Institutes


MPI of Psychiatry
Schizophrenia strikes the eye more
MPI for Biology Tübingen, et al.
Symbioses and gene transfer in leaf beetles more
MPI for Astronomy
Zooming in on a supermassive black hole in action more
MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology
Revealing hidden genetic ties more

Multimedia


Unraveling Behavior

Unraveling Behavior

Podcast
A science podcast about the patterns driving human judgment and decision making. In each episode,  Ana Sofia Morais sits down with a researcher to explore how people make decisions, how they handle risk, and how our surroundings and the online world shape our behavior.
Cell droplet research

Cell droplet research

Video
A new hope for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. A film about the research of Anthony Hyman, who was awared the Koerber Prize 2022 and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences 2023.
Flight and Trauma

Flight and Trauma

Video
Traumatic experiences from fleeing war zones can lead to distressing symptoms, which impair everyday life. Now with Ukranian sub-titles.

Social Media

Esc