Newsroom – Category: Biology & Medicine

According to the WHO, over 64 million adults and 300,000 children and adolescents in Europe are currently living with diabetes. In 90 percent of cases, excess weight is the primary trigger. At the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, Jens Brüning is investigating the mechanisms through which obesity leads to insulin resistance. more

A complex network of electrical and chemical signals ensures that the body and brain work in unison on matters of nutrition. Marc Tittgemeyer and his team at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne are exploring the implications of these intricate 'agreements.' more

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2023 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

Nothing works with incomprehensible code – not even a cell. Patrick Cramer is carrying out research on the enzyme that transcribes the DNA code to enable a protein to be synthesized from a gene. To do so, he relies on high-resolution microscopes and artificial intelligence. more

An interview with Detlef Weigel about his discovery that cells prevent particularly important genes from mutating more

Mathias Grote, science historian and Heisenberg Fellow at Humboldt University, talks with Dieter Oesterhelt about his research more

Fish are his passion. Alex Jordan wants to know why they do what they do. An interview with the behavioural biologist more

Life on Earth developed from inanimate components. Can we recreate this process in the laboratory, and what tools do we need for this? Using DNA origami, the art of folding at a scale of just a few millionths of a millimetre, we are able to reconstruct individual cellular components. They may be capable of taking over important tasks in our bodies in future. more

Severed nerve tracts are very difficult to treat. If at all, the damage so far can only be repaired through complex operations. At the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, we have developed materials that stimulate damaged nerves into growth. Results from initial tests on mice show that nerve tracts can regenerate this way. more

Jana Wäldchen has played a key role in developing the plant identification app, Flora Incognita. We discussed with her how being able to identify different plants contributes to species diversity, which plant species are particularly under threat and how non-native species are suppressing local plants more