Archive of Events

The brain is still a mysterious organ. One of its most important functions is making decisions – but how does it do this? And what happens when decision-making goes wrong? The Max Planck Forum in cooperation with the Israeli Consulate General will address both these questions in April, integrating perspectives from neuroscience, psychology and neurology. [more]

Just over 95% of our universe comes in the shrouded form of dark energy and matter that we can neither explain nor directly detect. In the 19th Einstein Lecture Catherine Heymans will talk about new ideas how to explore the dark side of the Universe. Her online course 'AstroTech' has attracted over 40,000 students worldwide, and she is a regular contributor to Radio shows, Art, Music and Science Festivals. [more]

The Max Planck Symposium is an intensive, two-day career conference serving as a platform to connect international Max Planck Alumni and Max Planck Early Career Researchers of all disciplines and Institutes. The topic of every symposium is suggested and realized by the participants themselves, who are then supported by high level experts and invited guests. [more]

In this very first joint Max Planck Forum, organized with the Consulate General of the State of Israel, the key topic ist aging. As people in Germany and Israel are increasingly getting older, several social and cultural changes are to be expected. [more]

The discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology is considered one of the most important biotechnology breakthroughs of our times. [more]

Following up on the successful 2nd Max Planck Symposium in 2017 focusing on "Sustainability and Social Engagement", the Harnack-Haus will once more be transformed into a "home away from home" in the course of 3rd edition with the title "Advances in Digitalization" -- with interdisciplinary talks, panel discussions and workshops. [more]

Stress is a normal part of everyday life. But reactions to stressful situations differ greatly between individuals and cultures. Scientists know that chronic stress can make people ill in the long term and that a close relationship exists between stress and mental illnesses. [more]

There is hardly any other subject that so preoccupies cosmology as the question of the physical composition of dark matter and dark energy. Are they driving forces in the evolution of the universe or yesterday’s theory? [more]

Following up on the successful 1st Max Planck Symposium in 2016, the Harnack-Haus will once more be transformed into a "home away from home" where our early career researchers and alumns will meet to build and strengthen the international Max Planck community. [more]

Outstanding scientists illustrate at our symposium in Martinsried on 13th and 14th March 2017 how far research has come in the past 100 years. We are looking forward to lectures by the following speakers: Richard Axel • Cori Bargmann • Karl Deisseroth • Tom Island • Reinhard Jahn • May-Brittmoser • Huda Zoghbi [more]

Few discoveries have attracted more attention in the area of molecular biology over the last three years than the CRISPR-Cas9 system, also known as the ‘molecular scissors’. Emmanuelle Charpentier will present the background to her discovery and discuss current possibilities for its application. [more]

STATE Festival is one of the latest, most creative Events in Berlin which connects science and arts. In 2016 it brings to you the latest developments, works and actors from the intersection of current emotions research and artificial intelligence. The Max Planck Society supports the Festival in 2016 with talks by Tom Fritz (MPI of Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences) and Daphne Rozenblatt (MPI for Human Development). [more]

For the first time in the history of the Max Planck Society, the Max Planck Symposium for Alumni and Early Career Researchers brought together its alumni and active early career researchers of all disciplines, sections and institutes, to meet and develop a lasting partnership way beyond their Max Planck time. [more]

The European Commission announced its decision to further investigate whether the recent reforms of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal and Public Service Broadcasters are consistent with the rule of law, a common value of the EU. At the same time the Council of Europe´s Venice Commission investigates the reforms at the request of the Foreign Minister of Poland. Are the new mechanism and the evaluation by an expert body fit to protect European constitutional values? [more]

For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of space-time, so-called gravitational waves, arriving at the earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. The discovery confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity and opens new possibilities for gaining a better understanding of the universe. [more]

This very special Einstein Lecture presented by Freie Universität Berlin und Max Planck Society is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Einstein presenting his general theory of relativity. [more]

The science of light is the basis for key technologies, which have already produced a whole host of applications. One of the most commercially promising areas of photonics research is the communications sector. Laser-equipped satellites are a highly promising candidate for global quantum communication, which could bring about a revolution in IT security. What are the prospects of this new technology? [more]

2 degrees Celsius? What is still achievable in climate protection? Book launch and discussion in Berlin. The Kyoto Protocol, one of the most important climate protection treaties, came into effect in 2005. However, its goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions as the main cause of increased global warming continues to pose a challenge for international politics. In industrialised countries, CO2 emissions are still rising. The question of what can be demanded of developing and emerging economies is, as yet, unsettled. [more]