On these pages you will find a selection of research news from the Leibniz Institutes.
  1. Dark rain clouds over hilly landscape

    Rainy days harm the economy
    01/13/2022 · Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

    Economies across the world are slowed down by more wet days and extreme daily rainfall. Rich countries are most severely affected.

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  2. Breeding female ricefish

    Innovative inflammation
    01/10/2022 · Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change

    A "plug" allows ricefish mothers to carry their offspring until hatching. Researchers discovered new evidence that inflammatory immune responses can lay the foundation for this evolution.

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  3. Part of the "smart textiles"

    Next generation textiles
    01/06/2022 · Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology

    In the future it should be even easier to supply mobile electronic devices worn close to the body with energy. Smart textiles use the warmth of the human body and convert it into electricity. 

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  4. Close-up of sewage sludge

    Dangerous sewage sludge
    01/05/2022 · Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research

    If sewage sludge is applied to fields, microplastics can get into deeper soil layers and onto adjacent areas.

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  5. Snowglowing over a park

    Snowglow
    12/20/2021 · Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries

    Due to the increase in artificial lighting, night and winter are no longer dark enough. To bend the curve of biodiversity loss, transdiciplinary solutions are crucial.

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  6. Treacherous sea grass
    12/16/2021 · Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research

    Regenerating sea grass beds in coastal waters aims at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to fight climate change. Whether the cultivation is actually helpful in a climatic context depends on its location.

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  7. Flaming gas cooker

    Energy and Gender
    12/14/2021 · Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

    Switching to modern cooking fuels like gas or to electricity can improve the well-being of woman in the global South. Furthermore, expanding access to modern energy is likely to accelerate the demographic transition. 

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  8. Bat killed by wind turbine

    Dangerous wind turbines
    12/14/2021 · Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research

    Many bats die at wind turbines when colliding with the spinning blades. A comparison of age, sex and geographic origin now reveals that juveniles are killed more frequently than adults.

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  9. Solarpanel

    Precise forecasts
    12/02/2021 · Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research

    The expansion of renewable energies requires precise forecasts as to how much solar power will be fed into the grid. Air quality models could improve the accuracy of that projections in the future. 

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  10. Mother breastfeeding her child at a market, other women and children sitting in the background

    Spicy breast milk?
    11/25/2021 · Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich

    In part of a recent study, it was found that after eating pepper, the alkaloid piperine was present in the milk of breastfeeding woman. The findings help decipher mechanisms that shape our food preferences from infancy.

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  11. Great group of Guinea baboons

    Who's the boss?
    11/10/2021 · German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research

    In Guinea baboons, females are more free and less subordinate to males than in other species. Therefore, male and female guinea baboons are equally successful in leading the group.

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  12. Row of young maize plants on fresh field

    Maize loses, wheat wins
    11/03/2021 · Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

    Farmers worldwide must adapt to new climate realities. Maize crop yields are projected to decline by almost a quarter.

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  13. Anti-immigration attitudes and the reality check
    10/22/2021 · WZB Berlin Social Science Center

    A new study shows: Exclusionary beliefs and behaviours in Germany are weaker in regions with a high proportion of refugees. 

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  14. "Caramel receptor" identified
    10/12/2021 · Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology

    Furaneol is a natural odorant that gives numerous fruits, but also coffee or bread, a caramel-like scent. A new study shows which types of olfactory receptors humans use to perceive this odorant. 

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  15. Tomato bush with red, purple and unripe tomatoes.

    Red beet, purple tomatoes
    10/05/2021 · Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry

    Researchers have recently created purple tomatoes using genetic engineering methods. These sorts of methods will play an important role in the future, especially in drug manufacturing.

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  16. The tethered balloon "BELUGA" shortly before takeoff, in the background view of the Kongsfjord.

    Tethered balloon in action on Spitsbergen
    10/04/2021 · Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research

    Leibniz researchers are currently using a tethered balloon to study the air layers near the ground in the Arctic. The measurements should help to better understand the strong warming of the Arctic.

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  17. A circa 10 millimeter adult male of the newly discovered species Danionella cerebrum

    Translucent fish species discovered
    09/28/2021 · Senckenberg Society for Nature Research

    Scientists have described a new species of the fish genus Danionella. Due to the transparent body, the species is considered an ideal model organism for neurophysiological research.

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  18. Half-opened hand containing cocoa beans

    News on fine cocoa flavor
    09/28/2021 · Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology

    Scientists have developed a new methodology that quickly and precisely quantifies the flavor profile of cocoa samples. The new method is already suitable for practical use in companies.

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  19. Microscopic view of oxin-producing bacteria inside the hyphae.

    Microbes united against their enemy
    09/10/2021 · Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute

    The symbiosis with a bacterium protects a fungus against its predator. The results open up new approaches for the development of natural biocontrol agents in agriculture. 

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  20. Babbling juvenile of the large bag-winged bat Saccopteryx bilineata

    Baby bats babble like human infants
    09/01/2021 · Museum für Naturkunde - Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science

    "Mamama", "dadada": Typical child development involves babbling. A new study shows that the babbling behaviour of bat pups is characterized by similar key features as human infant babbling.

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