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How sugar manipulates
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Sugar affects the brain’s chemistry and increases our craving for sweet things A glass filled with white sugar cubes and a striped straw stands on a light-coloured wooden table against a plain blue background.

News

Detailed X-ray image of the sky, illustrating various cosmic phenomena with vibrant colors and bright spots.

Space Telescope Studies Solar System X-ray Glow

April 16, 2026
Astronomie Astrophysik Sonnensystem
SRG/eROSITA reveals how our Solar System modifies the appearance of the X-ray sky
A shell-dwelling cichlid behind a snail shell

How do shell-dwelling cichlids build the perfect nest?

April 10, 2026
Behavioral Biology
The individual steps of nest-building are instinctive, but only through practice do the fish become true masters
High-resolution fluorescence imaging of a tissue cross-section highlighting cellular boundaries (red) and nuclei (grey)

Oxygen determines if a limb can regrow

April 09, 2026
Developmental Biology Stem Cells
Researchers have discovered why amphibians regenerate limbs and mammals do not
Further News

International

Fast telescope in China

Between cutting-edge research and responsibility

April 16, 2026
How the Max Planck Society cooperates with China
Dioscuri Centres of Excellence

Two interdisciplinary Dioscuri Centres in Poland

March 09, 2026
The Call is directed at scientists from all scientific disciplines and all nationalities who are willing to establish a DIOSCURI Centre at a Polish Host Institution
A person wearing a white lab coat gestures while seated, with a microscope and laboratory equipment visible in the background

Curiosity knows no boundaries

February 12, 2026
How Kenyan scientist Mercy Akinyi is establishing a Max Planck Humboldt Research Group in her home country
Country portals

Career

Full indoor shot of a large, dark-red robotic arm and a dark-red, dome-shaped object suspended from it, along with two people standing in the foreground. The arm is large and complex, with many dark-colored, flexible components and a dark-grey base. Steps and caution tape are visible on the floor around the base of the robotic arm. A dark-red, rounded object resembles a large head or helmet, suspended from the robotic arm, hanging over the scene. The material is smooth and appears to be some kind of composite. Two individuals are centrally positioned in front of the robotic apparatus. A man and a woman stand side-by-side, smiling, looking at the camera. Both wear casual clothing: the man wears a maroon-colored t-shirt and dark-colored pants, while the woman is wearing a teal-green sweater and dark-wash jeans. The background is mostly dark grey walls and a dark-grey floor surface. The walls appear to be made of brick-like or panelled material. The overall impression is of a technological or manufacturing environment, potentially a research lab or design studio. The image highlights a sophisticated piece of industrial machinery alongside human operators.

Innovative training programmes for Phd students

Talented German and foreign junior scientists are offered the opportunity to earn a doctorate under excellent research conditions
Graphic with AI symbol in the centre, surrounded by digital circuits. At the top right, a graduation cap in a circle.

New Max Planck School of Biomedical Artificial Intelligence

March 12, 2026
Artificial Intelligence
The new School will develop advanced AI methods for basic life sciences research. The concept was developed under the coordination of Karsten Borgwardt, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry.

Job Offers

Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) | Genetics of Proteome Remodeling

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden
April 16, 2026

PhD Position (f/m/d) | Short-Term Mindsets and Crime: An Experimental Approach

Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg
April 16, 2026

PhD Student (m/f/d) | Genetics of Behaviour

Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar, Bonn
April 16, 2026
to the JobBoard
Career

Topic Specials

The muddy hands of a person cupped together under a water tap in a muddy background.

Climate and Transformation

In addition to climate forecasts, the consequences of climate change are increasingly becoming the focus of research at Max Planck Institutes
A schematic view from above of a human brain with many coloured fibres connecting the two halves and extending out in various directions.

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
Full shot of a world map, likely a graphic design or print, overlaid with numerous passport stamps of varying colors and sizes.

Migration

The causes and consequences of human mobility and its history are central topics for research at Max Planck Institutes
Further Topic Specials

Publications


Illustration of networks and two persons
Cover of the brochure Living and Working in Germany
Research is Calling! cover
Cover Max Planck Research Magazine 4/2025
Image brochure - Max Planck Society
Cover - Highlights 2024 from the Yearbook of the Max Planck Society
Annual Report 2024 cover - Max Planck Society
Evaluation cover

From the Institutes


MPI for Extraterrestrial Physics
Space Telescope Studies Solar System X-ray Glow more
MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics
The functions of BET proteins during gene activation more
MPI for the Study of Crime, Security and Law
Analytical method has impact on the findings more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Insect symbioses are surprisingly fragile more
MPI for Chemistry, et al.
Fungi use “start button” for ice from bacteria more
MPI for Radio Astronomy
Radio Signals from the Edge of Extreme Stars more
MPI for Evolutionary Biology
Bold animals do not always live fast more
MPI of Biochemistry
Study reveals 2FA system that controls protein and microRNA destruction more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Quinine biosynthesis solved more
MPI for Evolutionary Biology
Immunity shapes decisions more
MPI for Evolutionary Biology
The developmental hourglass has a cellular basis more
MPI for Biological Intelligence (Martinsried site), et al.
A familiar voice shapes how zebra finches hear and respond more
Max Planck Innovation
Batene secures €6 million for next development phase more
MPI of Molecular Plant Physiology
Friendly fungi hijack plant immune system more
MPI for Demographic Research
Large Gaps in Migration Research more
MPI of Molecular Plant Physiology
Paternal mitochondria rescuing plant fertility more
MPI for Innovation and Competition
Forests as Climate Regulators more
MPI for Biological Intelligence (Martinsried site), et al.
How birds achieve sweet success more

Events

April 2026
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
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20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30
Dangerous Science, Anticipation and the Human Right to Science

Apr 22, 2026 from 05:00 PM to 07:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Plant-based – the future? What do researchers think about meat substitutes.

Apr 29, 2026 from 06:00 PM to 08:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Upcoming Events

Dangerous Science, Anticipation and the Human Right to Science

Apr 22, 2026 05:00 PM - 07:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Freiburg/Germany, Fürstenbergstr. 19, Room: Seminar room (F 113) | Guests are welcome; please register

Plant-based – the future? What do researchers think about meat substitutes.

Apr 29, 2026 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Room: Seminar room 1.009

Science Day: 17 Goals for the Future

May 31, 2026 10:30 AM - 01:30 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Room: Hermann Staudinger Lecture Hall and Polymer Path
All Events

Multimedia


Screenshot of the picture gallery "My Science and Me"

My Science and Me

What fascinates scientists about their research? What drives them? Science thrives on the people who shape it. Our picture gallery depicts aspects of research from the perspective of those who carry it out
Two smiling women standing looking in the direction of the camera with a dark background.

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.
A microsopic view of a fluorescent green worm on a black background.

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.
A sombre grey cartoon image of four people sitting on a bench.

Flight and Trauma

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

Optogenetics | briefly explained

Video
Turning nerve cells on and off using pulses of light. Optogenetics is a relatively new field that uses light to control genetically modified cells. It is based on light-activated membrane proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin or channelrhodopsin, that are built into nerve cells.
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