News and Events

Unlocking the secrets of how thousands of starlings coordinate their movements or how social insects build complex nests requires more than just a pair of binoculars. It requires a blend of biology, physics, and mathematics. While the field of collective animal behaviour has successfully combined laboratory experiments with theoretical models, new technological leaps are pushing researchers to look deeper. In their perspective paper, Pawel Romanczuk and Valentin Lecheval outline how the next generation of research will bridge the gaps between individual biology, evolutionary history, and high-tech artificial intelligence. The authors identify several critical frontiers, including the need to bridge "proximate" mechanistic explanations (how animals move) with "ultimate" evolutionary causes (why they move that way), and the challenge of moving beyond a few "model" species to a generalized understanding across the animal kingdom. Furthermore, they advocate for unified models that combine collective decision-making with spatial movement, and for "reclaiming" AI as a theoretical tool to test hypotheses about animal cognition. Read the full review in The Royal Society for more information.

When crises like war, occupation, or infrastructural collapse strike a city, the resulting transformations are often too abrupt and uneven for traditional research systems to capture. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) explored the profound challenges of studying these "empirically elusive" dynamics. By drawing on the experiences of war-affected Ukrainian cities, they argue that traditional research methods (designed for stable environments) fail to capture the transient and often invisible practices that sustain everyday life, which they define as Emergent Urban Resilience (EUR). To address this, the study proposes two frameworks: a structural model to map the intersections of urban infrastructure and social practices, and a dynamic model to track rapid temporal shifts during phases of profound opacity. Ultimately, the paper emphasizes that documenting these hidden dynamics is an ethical imperative that ensures the lived experiences of crisis-hit societies remain visible in global knowledge production, advocating for a shift toward more flexible and context-sensitive research methodologies. If you are interested in Emergent Urban Resilience, read the Ekonomichna ta Sotsialna Geografiy Article.

While bacterial conjugation, the horizontal transfer of genetic material, is traditionally viewed as a way for microbes to "swap" traits like antibiotic resistance, new research suggests it plays a much more physical role in shaping their environment. The Molecular Microbiology Group (Marc Erhardt) studied this and revealed that the process of horizontal gene transfer does more than that, it physically remodels the microbial environment. Using high-resolution 3D imaging, they found that the hair-like pili used for conjugation act as a structural "glue," pulling bacteria together into dense aggregates even when they lack the natural slime usually required to build biofilms. While this architectural makeover provides a significant survival advantage by creating a protective shield against antibiotics and predatory phages, it comes with a major evolutionary trade-off: the same adhesive forces that stabilize the community also trap the bacteria within it, significantly reducing their ability to disperse and colonize new locations. This discovery identifies a critical "biofilm-specific trade-off" where the benefits of local protection are balanced against the cost of reduced mobility. If you want to learn more about bacterial conjugation, read the Current Biology Article.

The concept of “first passage time”, the moment a process first reaches a specific threshold, is a cornerstone of modern science. However, in many real-world scenarios, the target is not a static object; it is "blinking," spontaneously switching between active and inactive states where it can only be detected during brief windows of opportunity. The Statistical Physics and Nonlinear Dynamics Group (Igor Sokolov) established a new mathematical framework for understanding search dynamics in environments where the target intermittently disappears. While traditional models focus on static goals, they investigated "blinking" targets that switch between active and inactive states. By integrating stochastic resetting, the group demonstrated that even complex, gated targets can be captured efficiently. Their work reveals that these systems retain a unique form of memory, as the target’s state remains independent of the searcher’s reset. This research provides essential tools for optimizing processes ranging from molecular binding in cells to signal detection in electronic networks, offering a vital roadmap for navigating search kinetics in a world of intermittent opportunities. If you want to learn more about blinking targets, read the full article.

While the scientific community has long focused on dendritic spines as the primary hubs for excitatory communication in the brain, a significant portion of glutamatergic synapses (up to 30%) actually reside directly on the dendritic shaft. The Optobiology Group (Marina Mikhaylova) challenged this traditional "spine-centric" view of brain communication and revealed that these often-overlooked "shaft synapses" are far from being immature or passive structures. Instead, they are active, functional sites of neurotransmission with a molecular makeup that closely mirrors their more famous spine-bound counterparts. While these synapses possess a molecular toolkit similar to spines, they lack specific scaffolding proteins that govern their stability. This makes them highly dynamic: while they can grow during potentiation, they are significantly more vulnerable to being pruned away during long-term depression. By identifying shaft synapses as a distinct, high-turnover class of connections, their research provides a vital new perspective on how the brain fine-tunes its neural networks and regulates excitability in a transforming landscape. If you want to find out more about glutamateric synapses, read the full article.

Malaria has accompanied humans for thousands of years, adapting alongside us and remaining one of the world’s most persistent infectious diseases. While the symptoms of malaria arise from parasite replication in the blood, infection begins much earlier—silently—when Plasmodium first passes through the liver. This brief and hidden stage is a critical bottleneck in the parasite’s life cycle, and blocking entry into or exit from the liver can prevent both disease and transmission. Despite its importance, natural infection rarely generates strong or lasting immunity against the liver stage of Plasmodium falciparum, even in highly endemic regions. Understanding why this immune protection fails—and how it can be enhanced—has become a central focus in malaria research. In their Trends in Parasitology Review, the Molecular Parasitology Group (Kai Matuschewski) reviewed recent advances in uncovering the immune mechanisms that target liver-stage parasites and discussed how these insights are guiding the development of current and next-generation malaria interventions.

Green spaces aren't just pretty! They are crucial urban infrastructure for public health and climate resilience. Nowhere is this more vital than in kindergartens, where green outdoor areas are essential for a child's holistic development—from physical activity to fostering a connection with nature. Dagmar Haase systematically evaluated the capacity of kindergarten green spaces in Leipzig, Germany, to support both children's development and climate resilience. Through detailed mapping and interviews across 21 sites, she analyzed existing green and blue elements, including vertical gardens, planting, water management, and biodiversity features. Her analysis confirmed that enhancing these areas with Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) is highly effective, strengthening climate resilience against increasing summer heat, promoting biodiversity, and supporting the social well-being of young children. If you want to learn more about how to transform playgrounds into climate-resilient, nature-rich learning spaces across Germany and Europe, check out her Urban Forestry & Urban Greening Article!

As urban centers continue to densify, the vital green and blue spaces surrounding them, known as peri-urban landscapes, face increasing pressure to balance the demands of outdoor recreation with the necessity of biodiversity conservation. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) addresses this challenge by providing a comprehensive framework for the design and stewardship of these complex areas. They conceptualizes peri-urban environments as evolving social-ecological systems where mega-scale stressors like climate change, urbanization, and food-energy production interact with societal factors and advanced data technologies. Furthermore, they propose ten essential priorities for the future, which include enhancing participatory knowledge, understanding the impacts of social media on nature-based activities, and supporting environmental justice to ensure that access to these landscapes remains equitable and safe for all. This work seeks to find a middle ground where human-wildlife conflict can transition into sustainable coexistence through climate-adapted and socially acceptable land-use strategies. If you are interested in peri-urban landscapes, read the Landscape Ecology Article.

If bacteria had engines, the flagellum would be their turbocharged propeller. Spinning at thousands of revolutions per minute, this tiny rotary machine allows bacteria to swim, sense their surroundings, and interact with hosts—all using a structure smaller than the wavelength of light. Few biological systems are as elegant, fast, and mechanically impressive as the bacterial flagellum. In this review, the Molecular Microbiology Group (Marc Erhardt) explores recent advances in understanding how the flagellum of Salmonella enterica is built, powered, and controlled. They highlight the coordinated gene regulation that governs its assembly, the mechanics of its motor, and new structural insights into its core components, while placing these findings in the broader context of bacterial diversity. They also outline open questions and argue that high-resolution, single-cell approaches will be key to fully understanding one of nature’s most sophisticated nanomachines. Check out their Review in Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews

Our cities are at a breaking point. As global warming intensifies, urban centers worldwide face a double threat: devastating flash floods and relentless extreme heat. The hard, sealed-off surfaces that define modern infrastructure are simply not built to handle the future climate, turning heavy rainfall into disaster and sunny days into unlivable 'heat islands.' The innovative concept of the 'Sponge City' offers an elegant solution, designing urban areas to absorb, clean, and store rainwater. But the key question remains: Can we effectively retrofit our vast, existing urban centers? Dagmar Haase explored the answer through a detailed case study in Leipzig, Germany, comparing two contrasting neighborhoods—a dense old district and a prefabricated housing estate. Check out her Frontiers in Environmental Science Article if you want to receive an actionable roadmap for planners, demonstrating that every square meter of existing urban fabric holds the key to building a more resilient, cooler future!

Fish welfare is a controversial and scientifically challenging area, largely because fish are an incredibly diverse, paraphyletic group that live in water and rely on senses that are fundamentally different from those of humans, making human intuition a poor tool for assessment. The central debate pits those who demand unequivocal scientific proof of sentience (the "doubters") and focus on biological functioning (health and physiology) against those who take a precautionary stance and believe conscious perception of well-being is relevant (the "believers"). To move this field forward, a compromise is proposed by the Animal Husbandry and Ethology Group (Lorenz Gygax and Edna Hillmann): assessing welfare based on what fish are motivated to achieve (their proximate goals, or 'wanting') and what satisfies those motivations ('liking'), which addresses their behavioural needs independently of the hard question of sentience. Furthermore, they explore new methods like population-level judgement bias tests as practical indicators of potential affective states, like mood, in large-scale production settings. If you want more information about this discussion on fish welfare, read the Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries Article.

In systems at thermal equilibrium or close to it, temperature is a well-defined property that can be measured in multiple ways, and all measurements will more or less agree. However, for systems that are far from equilibrium, there is no universal definition of temperature. In these systems, the concept of effective temperature is used as a way to extend the ideas of equilibrium statistical mechanics. The Theory of Complex Systems and Neurophysics Group (Benjamin Lindner) studied the limitations of the effective temperature in a single inertial probe with self-propelled active walkers. Therefore, they compared the temperature values determined by different definitions (a generalized fluctuation-dissipation relation, a kinetic temperature, and a work fluctuation relation). The results show a high consistency of the measurements under certain conditions as well as regimes where the consistency breaks down. If you want to know more about the limits of effective temperature, read this paper.

The spontaneous organization of matter into ordered, demixed phases typically arises from equilibrium thermodynamics, requiring inter-particle attractive or repulsive forces to minimize free energy. However, in Active Matter systems, phase separation can emerge from purely non-equilibrium motility control. A compelling, real-life demonstration of this phenomenon involves two strains of motile Escherichia coli (E.coli) engineered to exhibit reciprocal concentration-dependent diffusivity. The Theory of Complex Systems and Neurophysics Group (Benjamin Lindner) studied a system consisting of two species with sigmoidal  (logistic) dependence on the other particle’s density. In their model, two states, a well-mixed and a demixed state, could coexist. A transition between the two states was induced by random pertubations. If you want to know more about the system with meatstability, read the article in Frontiers in Network Physiology.

Cities don’t just shape our lives — they shape our well-being. From air quality to population density, the urban environment influences how healthy, comfortable, and livable a city truly is. Yet assessing Urban Environmental Quality (UEQ) is far from straightforward, especially when different planners and decision-makers may view the same conditions through pessimistic or optimistic lenses. This makes flexible and transparent tools essential for understanding how environmental and infrastructural factors interact across a city. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) introduced a scenario-driven spatial decision support framework designed to optimize UEQ zoning. The method brings together a structured geodatabase, standardized criteria, multi-criteria weighting, and scenario building using Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA). By comparing pessimistic, neutral, and optimistic decision-making scenarios, we show how key factors — particularly air pollution and population density — shape UEQ outcomes in Isfahan. The results highlight how different planning outlooks can substantially shift the proportion of areas classified as environmentally poor. Overall, the proposed framework provides a flexible and robust way to evaluate urban conditions under a range of perspectives, supporting more informed and adaptable urban management. Definitely check out their Land Article!

Light doesn’t just reveal chemistry — it can power it. Plasmonic metals like gold and silver use light to generate energetic “hot” charge carriers and intense local fields, enabling reactions that don’t occur under normal conditions. These effects have made plasmon-driven chemistry a promising route for creating new materials and nanoscale structures. The Optical Nanospectroscopy Group (Janina Kneipp) examined how allyl mercaptan reacts on silver and gold nanoparticles and how localized surface plasmon resonances influence that chemistry. Using enhanced Raman techniques and full-spectrum analysis, they track the reaction as it forms alkyl oligomers with oxidized sulfur groups. Reaction rates shift with excitation wavelength and intensity, and direct evidence of carbon–metal bond formation points to hot-electron activation of the molecule’s double bond. their  results show that aligning plasmon resonances with interband transitions greatly boosts reaction efficiency, revealing how plasmonic surfaces can drive bond activation and enable the tailored fabrication of functional nanomaterials. Find out more in their ACS Catalysis Article!

Imagine taking a walk where every step is separated by a random pause — sometimes quick, sometimes very long.This is the essence of a continuous-time random walk (CTRW), a mathematical model scientists use to understand unpredictable motion in systems ranging from stock markets to the movement of particles in cells. Igor Sokolov addressed the question: if we know where such a 'walker' ends up after a long time, what can we say about how many steps it took to get there? He discovered surprising patterns: the distribution of step numbers follows universal rules that differ depending on whether the motion looks like normal diffusion (a typical random spread) or subdiffusion (slower, more constrained wandering). Even more, the average number of steps can be calculated from the displacement patterns alone — shedding light on how random waiting times shape both ordinary and rare outcomes in complex systems. Step into his Physical Review Article to explore the hidden rules of random walks.

Why do we remember some things better than others? It often comes down to where we direct our attention. Psychologists have long known that focusing on certain information can boost recall, but it’s been unclear whether attention shapes what we see in the moment as strongly as it shapes what we hold in memory afterward. The Distributed Cognition and Memory Group (Thomas Christophel) tested this by comparing how cues given before and after visual stimuli affected recall. They found that while attention improved performance in both perception and memory, its effects were stronger during perception - what we pay attention to at the start leaves the sharpest imprint. You should definitely pay attention to their Journal of Vision Article!

Stopping malaria at the moment it enters the mosquito could prevent the disease from spreading altogether. When a mosquito takes an infected blood meal, the malaria parasite must rapidly transform its dormant gametocytes into active gametes — a shift normally triggered by the mosquito’s cooler temperature and a molecule called xanthurenic acid. Although this step is essential for transmission, the molecular machinery that enables the parasite to sense and respond to these cues is still being uncovered. One protein, GEP1, was recently shown in rodent malaria parasites to be required for this transformation. To determine whether it plays the same role in the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the Molecular Parasitology Group (Kai Matuschewski) used CRISPR–Cas9 to disrupt the gene. Parasites lacking GEP1 were completely unable to form gametes, even when exposed to the usual activating signals. The defect could not be bypassed with drugs that boost downstream signaling, revealing that GEP1 performs an essential, previously unrecognized function in gamete activation. Naturally occurring GEP1 variants found in field samples underscore its importance in real-world parasite populations. Together, these findings position GEP1 as a promising new target for strategies aimed at blocking malaria transmission. Check out their FEBS letters Article!

Behind the scenes of malaria infection, the parasite’s digestive machinery works nonstop to keep it alive. Central to this process is the digestive vacuole, the compartment where hemoglobin is broken down and where antimalarial drugs like chloroquine (Chloroquine? Where have I heard that before?) take effect. The chloroquine resistance transporter (CRT), embedded in the vacuole membrane, helps shape both parasite survival and drug response, yet its role across the parasite’s full life cycle remains unclear. To map when and where CRT is active, the Molecular Parasitology Group (Kai Matuschewski) used Plasmodium berghei parasites expressing a fluorescently tagged CRT. They found that CRT is strongly expressed during asexual blood stages and localizes to the hemozoin-rich digestive vacuole. Remarkably, CRT remains abundant in gametocytes and ookinetes, indicating that this organelle persists well into mosquito midgut development. Expression then shuts down during sporogony and early liver infection before reappearing in mature liver stages, likely priming the parasite for blood reinvasion. These observations reveal that the digestive vacuole — and CRT’s function within it — extends far beyond the erythrocytic cycle, offering fresh insights into parasite biology across hosts and vectors. You find more information in their Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology Article!

Cities are often seen as concrete jungles - yet, paradoxically, they represent the primary point of contact with nature for most humans today. Despite this vital connection, our knowledge on the status and trends of biodiversity in urban areas is scattered and biased, making it challenging to understand and protect the ecological wealth concentrated within our metropolitan centers. As part of the German Biodiversity Assessment, the Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) found that urban areas host a large proportion of the nation's species, making them vital for conservation. However, the number of studies analyzing species trends in cities is small, preventing us from identifying clear general patterns of decline or growth. To safeguard this urban ecological wealth, it is essential to preserve environmental heterogeneity (parks, ponds, gardens) and strictly limit new impervious areas. Currently, local authorities are ill-equipped to systematically monitor this diverse life. You should absolutely check out their Basic and Applied Ecology Artcle, where they discusses these gaps and suggests key attributes for an effective national monitoring system to finally support urban biodiversity conservation!

When meeting a new person, the first impression is crucial. Immediately, we have a feeling about the person: Friendly or not? Trustworthy or not? And this is partially due to emotional expressions that we notice on the other's face. Often, we unconsciously copy the facial expressions, which is called emotional mimicry. But how is this facial mimicry related to the trait association? The Social and Organizational Psychology Group (Ursula Hess) investigated this by doing 3 experiments. In all of them, the participants were asked to appraise social characteristics of the target person which expressed different emotions. Interestingly, the mimicry of happiness was causally linked to the perception of trustworthiness. A correlation between sadness mimicry and less trust in the target person could be found in only two of the three experiments. They concluded that facial mimicry does affect the social trait judgement. If you want to find out more about the affect of mimicry, read the full Emotion Article.

Malaria remains one of the world's most devastating infectious diseases, responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, predominantly among young children in sub-Saharan Africa. The development of a vaccine against the parasite Plasmodium falciparum is challenging due to the parasite's complex life cycle and its ability to constantly mutate and evade the immune system. The fight against the disease is done by conventional control measures, where a highly effective vaccine would be a big step in the elimination of malaria. The recent success in developing and deploying the two vaccines RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M is important, but their efficiency can still be improved. The Molecular Parasitology Group (Kai Matuschewski) now tested the approach of chemo-attenuation in order to prevent the parasite from replicating inside the host. They used live, whole sporozoites (SPZ) along with a common antimalarial drug combination, atovaquone–proguanil (AP). In mice, the combination led to an early arrest of the parasites and a robust immune response. In human trials, it was able to prevent blood stage infections. A comparison with another vaccine-dug combination which allowed for some parasite replication showed a reduced lasting immune response in the PfSZ-CVac (AP).  Therefore, the complete blockage of parasite replication might be less effective for a longer protection. If you want to know more about the research on malaria vaccines, read the Molecular Medicine Article.

For too long, cities have been viewed as the primary engines of our biggest problems: climate change, biodiversity loss, and stark socio-economic inequality. But what if the cause is also the cure? In her perspective Dagmar Haase takes a fresh, optimistic look at the urban core. Cities aren't just dense centers of consumption; they are unparalleled reservoirs of innovative talent and communicative power. By unlocking these unique features, she believes global change key drivers can make things better. Check out her Frontiers in Environmental Science Perspective to explore the immense potential inherent in the urban system - our last, best chance in the global race to prevent critical tipping points and build a truly resilient world.

Sugars do more than sweeten our biology — they shape it. Mucins, the heavily O-glycosylated proteins that protect our airways and digestive tract, owe their unique mechanical properties to dense sugar clusters decorating long, repetitive peptide regions. Yet, directly probing how such clustered O-glycosylation influences peptide structure has long been a chemical challenge, as synthesizing long glycopeptides with full glycan occupancy remained out of reach. The Bioorganic Synthesis Group (Oliver Seitz) presents an efficient and sustainable synthesis strategy that achieves unprecedented levels of mucin-like glycosylation. Using a fully automated, DMF-free solid-phase synthesis in 1,3-dioxolane (DOL) and small amounts of Tween-20, they produced MUC5AC glycopeptides containing up to 30 GalNAc residues - representing complete glycosylation of all possible sites. Biophysical analyses revealed that increasing GalNAcylation progressively stiffens the peptide backbone, shifting its conformation from a flexible random coil to an extended polyproline II helix. These findings illuminate how sugar clustering determines mucin structure and provide a foundation for exploring the biophysical roles of glycosylation in health and disease. Find out more in their Angewandte Chemie International Edition Article!

01-09-2025 (Bernhard von Langenbeck Room, Langenbeck Virchow Haus)

Our one-day symposium 'Developmental Patterning in Space and Time' brought together researchers from plant and animal systems to explore how similar principles underlie the diversity of life. Talks highlighted how positional information is generated, how dynamic processes drive pattern formation, and how developmental programmes evolve and adapt.

The Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) is often infected by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The fungus infects the trees via the leaves, from where it spreads to twigs, branches or the trunk. It can cause necrosis or ash dieback (ADB). Phenolics, which are frequent in ashes, are thought to be important for plant responses to abiotic stress and pathogen attack, particularly from fungal organisms. The Urban Plant Ecophysiology Group(Christian Ulrichs) studied the phenolic content in the context of ADB and investigated its potential for monitoring the disease. They found site-specific differences in the total phenolic content and individual phenolic profiles. While the temporal differences between leaves collected at different years were lower but still significant, the crown condition had a low impact on phenolic content. They concluded that no robust phenolic biomarker for ADB could be found in mature trees. If you want to know more about the relation between phenolic content and ADB, read the forests article.

Cities are living organisms — they grow, sprawl, and reshape the land around them. But predicting how a city will expand in the future is no simple task, especially when urban planning policies and land protections come into play. In Shanghai, one of the world’s fastest-changing megacities, understanding future growth is critical for balancing development with farmland preservation and ecological health. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) used the SLEUTH urban growth model to explore how different scenarios from Shanghai’s Urban Master Plan could shape the city’s expansion through 2060. By simulating a range of planning approaches — from strict land-use protection to more relaxed development — they revealed how urban growth alters not only the city’s footprint but also the surrounding landscape patterns. The results shed light on the trade-offs between growth and conservation, offering valuable lessons for urban planning worldwide. If you're curious about Shanghai’s future skyline and farmland fate, step into their Earth Systems and Environment Article and see it unfold!

Have you ever noticed how honey flows differently than water — slow, thick, and resistant to movement? Scientists use this property, called viscosity, to understand how molecules move and interact in different environments. To 'see' these invisible changes, researchers often rely on special fluorescent dyes known as molecular rotors. These dyes glow more brightly or dimly depending on how freely they can twist and rotate, making them powerful sensors of their surroundings. The Bioorganic Synthesis Group (Oliver Seitz) focused on a new twist — literally. By attaching a boronic acid group to a classic rotor dye called CCVJ, they discovered that the dye doesn’t just respond to viscosity. It also lights up strongly when it binds to glycans, the complex sugar structures that coat the surfaces of cells and play key roles in biology. This effect, which they call glycan-induced fluorescence enhancement (GIFE), gives them a new way to detect and study these sugars — even in environments where viscosity varies. Explore the their Chemical Communications Article to discover how glycans turn on the glow.

How does your brain hold on to what we see, even after the image is gone? For decades, scientists thought visual working memory worked like a mental snapshot stored in a single place. But new research shows it’s far more dynamic: the brain spreads the load across multiple regions, storing both precise visual details and more abstract, language-like descriptions at the same time. Using fMRI, the Distributed Cognition and Memory Group (Thomas Christophel) traced how different brain areas encode orientations, spatial positions, and even words like “vertical.” Their findings reveal that visual memory is not just about vision — it also taps into spatial maps and language systems, working together to keep our mental world alive. Find out more about the fascinating world of visual working memory in their Journal of Vision Article!

When danger looms, there’s safety in numbers - but do big groups also panic more easily? In the wild, animals often make life-or-death decisions together, yet it hasn’t been clear whether larger groups are better at spotting real threats without overreacting to harmless ones. The Collective Information Processing Group (Pawel Romanczuk) & the Mechanisms and Functions of Group-Living Group (Jens Kause)examined the behaviour of  fish shoals and found that bigger groups aren’t just faster at detecting predators, they’re also no more likely to fall for false alarms. In fact, larger shoals make decisions both quicker and more accurately, avoiding the usual trade-offs that solitary individuals face. These findings highlight how collective intelligence can sharpen survival strategies in nature. Find out more in their Science Advances Article!

Can planting trees really make our cities healthier, fairer, and more resilient? Nature-based solutions (NbS) are increasingly promoted as a way to tackle urban challenges — from climate risks to social inequality — but do they really deliver? The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) took stock of the rapidly growing NbS research, reviewing 61 articles and gathering insights from experts across seven world regions. The results highlight not only the promise of NbS, but also key gaps: success depends on local ecological knowledge, inclusive governance, and putting justice at the heart of urban planning. They outlined four pathways to scale up NbS globally — from stronger research and innovation to political will and financing — to ensure nature can truly help shape sustainable cities. Find out more in their Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Article.

The study of animal behavior often reveals a world of intricate and strategic choices, challenging the long-held assumption that complex decision-making is a uniquely human trait. From the smallest insect to the largest mammal, every animal is constantly faced with a series of decisions that directly impact its survival and reproductive success. These choices, though often appearing instinctive or simple, are the result of a sophisticated interplay between an animal's genetics, its past experiences, and its immediate environment.  Analyzing these behaviors allows us to better understand the evolutionary pressures that have shaped animal cognition and the diverse strategies they employ to thrive in a constantly changing world. The Animal Husbandry and Ethology Group (Lorenz Gygax) studied the effects of short-term emotion and long-term mood on Judgement Bias Tasks (JBT) in pigs. The pigs were trained to do a Go/No-go task under different circumstances. To affect the mood and emotion of some pigs, five minutes of positive interaction with a familiar human were used either during the 3 weeks of training (mood) or during the tests (emotion). Since results did not show significant differences between the groups and all pigs had developed a positive relationship with the experimenter over the course of the study, they concluded that another type of treatment would be better to study JBT when training requires regular contact with humans. If you want to know the details of the experiment, read the Applied Animal Behaviour Science Article.

The field of bacterial translation has long been a focal point for understanding fundamental biological processes and identifying potential targets for antimicrobial strategies. While the core machinery of protein synthesis, the ribosome, is well-understood, the nuanced roles of various accessory factors that fine-tune this process are continuously being uncovered. These factors include RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), a diverse group of molecules critical for regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. However, it remains hard to fully understand many RBPs and their specific functions in bacterial physiology and pathogenesis are still being clarified. A paper of the Molecular Microbiology Group (Marc Erhardt) delves into this fascinating area by identifying novel RBPs in the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes and uncovers the role of the conserved protein YebC in optimizing the translation of challenging amino acid sequences. They also studied its effect on physiology and virulence of the bacteria. If you want to know everything about YebC in bacteria, read the Nature Communications Article.

Setting land aside for nature is a critical step toward halting biodiversity loss - but is it enough? Across the European Union, the Natura 2000 network is meant to safeguard biodiversity under the Habitats Directive, yet signs of ecological decline persist. The Landscape Ecology Group (Dagmar Haase) took a closer look at how these protected areas are actually performing in Germany. Drawing on data from over 1,000 Natura 2000 sites, they found that just 6% of habitats and 4% of species are in favourable conservation status - far from the goals set by EU legislation. Their analysis reveals that land use, especially agriculture and forestry, continues to weigh heavily on conservation outcomes, though not all practices are equally harmful. Larger sites, earlier protection, and less direct human use were all linked to better results. The takeaway? Designation alone doesn’t deliver biodiversity recovery. Without stronger restoration efforts and better land-use management, the EU’s 30-by-30 vision risks falling short. Their Basic and Applied Ecology Article study sheds light on where and why protection isn’t working - and what it will take to turn that around. You should definitely check it out!

Malaria parasites rely on host cell metabolism to survive - what if we could turn that dependency against them? The Molecular Parasitology Group (Kai Matuschewski) uncovered a critical role for sphingolipid metabolism, specifically acid sphingomyelinase (Asm), in supporting Plasmodium infection. They show that Asm activity increases in infected mice, raising ceramide levels in red blood cells. Blocking Asm with amitriptyline reduces parasitemia, protects against disease pathology, and preserves the blood-brain barrier in Plasmodium berghei infections. In vitro, amitriptyline impairs P. falciparum growth by disrupting glucose uptake and parasite development. These findings highlight a novel host-targeted approach to combat malaria by interfering with parasite-supportive lipid pathways. Check out their Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy Article!

Some of the molecules our cells rely on come not from us, but from bacteria. Queuine is one such micronutrient—an essential building block for modifying tRNAs so they can translate proteins efficiently. Despite its importance and links to neurological disorders and cancer, one basic question has remained unanswered: how do human cells take up queuine? The Molecular Cell Biology Group (Ann Ehrenhofer-Murray) identified SLC35F2 as the long-sought transporter for both queuine and its nucleoside form, queuosine. Using cross-species bioinformatics, genetics, and uptake assays, they show that SLC35F2 is highly specific, acts as the main transporter in human cells, and localizes to the plasma membrane and Golgi. This discovery reveals how cells control queuine levels and provides new insight into its role in health and disease.

Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, caused by Plasmodium parasites and transmitted by mosquitoes. To control and clear the infection, the immune system relies on a coordinated response involving various cell types, including T cells, B cells, and specialized antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Dendritic cells (DCs) are among the best-known APCs, but even in their absence, some T cell activity persists, raising the question: who else is helping? The Molecular Parasitology Group (Kai Matuschewski) explored this question in detail using a mouse model of Plasmodium yoelii infection. Their new findings reveal that macrophages in the spleen, especially those in the marginal zone and red pulp, play a crucial supporting role. These cells not only help activate CD4+ T cells but also directly contribute to clearing infected red blood cells. By selectively depleting different macrophage subsets, The Molecular Parasitology Group uncovered distinct and essential roles for each type. These insights highlight the complex interplay between immune cells during malaria and open up new avenues for understanding how the body defends itself against this persistent pathogen. Find out more in their Frontiers in ImmunologyArticle!

The aging process affects individuals at highly variable rates, not only physically but also within the central nervous system. A powerful concept emerging in neuroscience to quantify this biological variability is the brain age gap. It is defined as the difference between an individual's predicted brain age and their actual chronological age. But why do our brains age differently? Which genes are responsible for this phenomenon? The Molecular Psychology Group (Sebastian Markett) did a genome-wide analysis in order to find genetic loci that are related to individual brain aging. Their results indicate that the brain age gap is heritable. The main locus included MAPT, which is known to encode a protein involved in Alzheimer's Disease. They also found relationships between genetics and other traits, such as mental health or lifestyle. If you want to know more about the brain age gap, read the nature aging article!

Genetic improvement in livestock offers significant potential for enhancing traits like milk production, meat quality, disease resistance and generally better health, contributing to more sustainable and profitable farming practices. The Breeding Biology and Molecular Genetics Group (Gudrun Brockmann) investigated single-step genomic prediction in the German Black Pied cattle breed, focusing on key traits like protein percentage, fat-to-protein ratio, and stature. They compared the performance of a breed-specific SNP chip with a commercially available one, and explored the impact of these predictions on ongoing optimum genetic contribution selection, aiming to maximize genetic gain while maintaining genetic diversity. They also examined the influence of inbreeding and optimized selection strategies to improve overall breeding index. If you want to learn more about their finding, check out their Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics Article!