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Porpoise. Photo: Wikipedia.org/Ecomare.

The Dolphin’s Shy Relative - Genetically analyzing endangered cetaceans in the Baltic Sea

You need some luck to see them. Porpoises are shy and inconspicuous. These two-meter animals flash their dark fins above the water only to immediately …
Prof. Dr. Martina Giese. Photo: Karla Fritze

The Middle Ages Are Not So Far Away After All - Martina Giese wants to tap new historical sources

Who has not admired artful masterpieces in museums or sacral buildings of times long past? Such treasures continually inspire writers’ and filmmakers’ …
Prof. Dr. Ariane Walz. Photo: Karla Fritze.

Nature Conservation from Space – Researchers develop new methods for monitoring protected areas

Earth is being increasingly observed, measured, and photographed. Satellites orbiting our planet at altitudes of hundreds to a thousand kilometers are …
Dr. Natalia Ospina-Alvarez. Photo: Karla Fritze.

In Her Element – Why thallium and other trace elements are becoming a problem for the environment and what can be done about it

They are everywhere: in the soil, in the water, and sometimes even in the air, albeit often in such small quantities that they are hardly traceable. …
Prof. Dr. Michael Hofreiter. Photo: Karla Fritze.

Fishing for DNA – A drilling core reveals the history of an entire ecosystem

How wild horses and chickens were bred thousands of years ago, which species were closely related to the long-extinct European straight-tusked …
Prof. Dr. Elke Dittmann. Photo: Thomas Roese.

Old as the Hills and Still in Top Form – Cyanobacteria are survival specialists – and the research focus of Elke Dittmann

It could have all turned out differently. Looking back, Prof. Dr. Elke Dittmann attributes her success in becoming Professor of Microbiology at the …
The fossils (ammonites) at 3000 meters altitude are witnesses of an earlier sea. Photo: Henry Wichura.

Underway in the Andes – March, 9: Fossils in the late summer snow

Travel Journal: Doctoral Students on an Excursion in Western Argentina

We are leaving Mendoza and drive to the South along the famous “Ruta 40”, the longest road in South America. Today we are heading to Malargüe and the …
Julius Erdmann. Photo: Karla Fritze.

Free the Web – The Tunisian Revolution Reflected in Social Media Images

At the beginning of 2011, Julius Erdmann saw that many of his Tunisian friends were using the country flag as their profile picture on Facebook. Why …
Enigmatic Seedpod of native plants. Photo: Henry Wichura.

Underway in the Andes – March, 6-8 2017: „Show and Tell“ in San Juan and Mendoza

Travel Journal: Doctoral Students on an Excursion in Western Argentina

We are driving from Rodeo to San Juan. No stops are planned for today but we enjoy the beautiful scenery and geology from the bus. We have to be in …
Hare. Photo: Wiebke Ullmann

Movement in the Fields - Biologists research interactions between biodiversity and movement patterns

A good 50% of Germany’s land – about 18 million hectares – is used for agriculture. This land is subject to rhythms of plowing, sowing, harvesting, …