How do birds thrive on diets so rich in sugar that they would cause metabolic chaos in humans? A new study reveals that evolution found both shared and unique genetic solutions.
🔗 Press release: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2026-02...
📸 Picture of a rainbow lorikeet by Gerald Allen
@science.org @maxplanck.de
Join us for the next talk in our “Gender & Diversity in Ecology and Neuroscience” series. Heribert Hofer, Director at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research, will give a talk at our campus in Seewiesen.
📅 March 3 at 11:00 a.m.
📍 House 4, Seewiesen
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Congratulations Amir! 🎉🎓
26.02.2026 11:00 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Congratulations Amir on successfully defending your doctoral dissertation! 🎉 We wish you all the best for your future research and career. ✨
26.02.2026 10:59 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Our Institute turned into a winter wonderland over night! ❄️☃️
Science break, lab coats optional, fun mandatory!
The Lise Meitner Excellence Programme is designed to attract and specifically promote exceptionally qualified female scientists.
A position with prospects! We offer excellent researchers again the possibility to apply for a position as a Leader of a Lise Meitner Research Group in all areas of #science. Applications are possible between February 11th and April 15th, 2026. www.mpg.de/lise-meitner... #lisemeitnergroups
11.02.2026 08:31 — 👍 45 🔁 35 💬 1 📌 2
We are hiring a Fire Safety Officer (M/W/D) for both of our institutes in Martinsried as a joint service. We are happy to receive your application:
❕ Apply until: March 11
❕ www.mpg.de/26129142/bra...
#hiring #jobalert #FireSafetyOfficer #Emergency #FireSafety
A fascinating lecture by Prof. Stefan Stricker on CRISPR. Thank you to everyone who joined on site and online for the lively discussion.
We are already looking forward to the next lecture in the series on March 3, hosted by our Institute. Stay tuned!
More information: www.bi.mpg.de/wws
Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
Very grateful to work alongside women who I admire and who inspire me every day.
Thank you, Ela!!
#womeninscience
@susannehoffmann.bsky.social
@chorlnev.bsky.social
Today, we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science! At our Institute, 60% of scientists are women, and each brings a unique perspective, curiosity, and voice to science. We are proud to introduce some of our female researchers and share their personal insights and motivation.
11.02.2026 10:00 — 👍 14 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 1@mpibiochem.bsky.social
09.02.2026 15:10 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
1 lab. 2 days. 10 students. 🥼 🔬 🧪
Last week, we invited outstanding students from all over Bavaria who had qualified for the International Biology Olympiad. Our Maxlab was transformed into a hands-on biology training camp.
This is what future scientists look like: thinking, experimenting, exploring.
We are happy to welcome Rebecca Kilner, Professor of Zoology at University of Cambridge, at our Institute next week! Join us for her keynote lecture where she will speak about Simpson’s Question.
📅 February 10 at 11:00 a.m.
📍 House 4, Seewiesen
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Scientific Paper: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Study by: @lguadal.bsky.social & @dudumizi.bsky.social & @chorlnev.bsky.social
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Who benefits from mating with multiple partners? Darwin suspected that in some cases, it may be the females rather than the males. A new long-term study on African coucals shows: when males provide all parental care, females can have more offspring by competing for and mating with multiple partners.
04.02.2026 13:19 — 👍 15 🔁 6 💬 1 📌 1
This #pictureofthemonth portrays how mitochondria (pink) and actin networks (green) shape local cell environments. They are important for diverse brain functions.
More: www.bi.mpg.de/harbauer
February – Calendar of @mpiforbi.bsky.social and @mpibiochem.bsky.social
📸 @lucianroal.bsky.social
Join our next keynote lecture! Nathalie Rochefort @rochefortlab.bsky.social, Professor at the University of Edinburgh, will give an exciting talk at our Institute in Martinsried.
📅 February 3 at 11:00 a.m.
📍 Room NQ105, Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Most of us are familiar with the nightingale's song, but did you know there's more to it than just a melody?
Read more: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
@danielavallentin.bsky.social @tpvogels.bsky.social @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Nightingales are masters of imitation! New research shows: During territorial contests, a male matches a rival’s song in real time by tracking and imitating both, pitch and syllable duration. This shows a remarkable precision in hearing and vocal control.
🔗More: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2026-01-vallentin
Study by @lguadal.bsky.social, Lucie Michel, @stefi-casagrande.bsky.social and colleagues.
07.01.2026 17:41 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New research provides evidence that mercury and PFAS can influence mitochondrial function in free-living seabirds, highlighting bioenergetics as a sensitive mechanistic link between pollution exposure and organismal health.
🔗 Press release: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2026-01-hau
Our first #pictureofthemonth in 2026 shows a giant vesicle lipid bilayer. When light sensitive molecules are illuminted the membrane dynamics change. More: www.biochem.mpg.de/schwille
January – Digital Calendar of @mpiforbi.bsky.social and @mpibiochem.bsky.social
📸 Illustration by Yusuf Qutbuddin
As if on a catwalk, this male ruff seems to be showing off his plumage. But looks alone are not enough to impress anyone. While other males fight, this one simply waits and seizes the first opportunity to mate with a female.
Looks aren't everything! Wolfgang Forstmeier and Clemens Küpper @mpiforbi.bsky.social in Seewiesen study mate-choice preferences in #birds. Here's what they found out 😊 bc.pressmatrix.com/de/profiles/... #NationalBirdDay #Artenvielfalt
05.01.2026 09:17 — 👍 27 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0
We wish you a joyous holiday season and a great year 2026, filled with exciting science! 🎄❄️✨
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
A study from the Baier Departement, published in Nature in February 2025, has now been selected for the Nature Highlights List 2025.
Congratulations to all the researchers involved on this well-deserved recognition!
👉 Nature Highlights 2025: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@ishainer.bsky.social
Blood mitochondrial function is linked to adult flight performance in a songbird. Whereas early-life thyroid hormones show no lasting effects on mitochondria, behavior, or performance.
🔗 Scientific Paper: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
@stefi-casagrande.bsky.social
@suviruuskanen.bsky.social
✨This time of the year our campuses light up. In Martinsried, the Christmas tree was delivered and is now fully decorated in front of our main entrance. And the colorfully lit trees create a magical atmosphere on the campus in Seewiesen. We let the festive mood kick in. 🎄
11.12.2025 14:28 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
A new study shows electric sensors in the inner ear of pigeons enable magnetic field detection. Don’t miss the in-depth interview with Grégory Nordmann!
🎧 Tune into the Bayern 2 podcast, now in the ARD audio library: www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/urn:...
Congratulations to Irina Dudanova, Dennis Feigenbutz, Kerstin Voelkl and Rüdiger Klein on this important contribution to the field of neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. We look forward to seeing how these findings advance our understanding of differential neuronal vulnerability.
04.12.2025 10:55 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
