Cultural Studies

Ancient genomes reveal Down Syndrome in past societies

Burials show that children with Down Syndrome and Edwards Syndrome were recognized as members of their communities more

The secret of beauty

What people find beautiful is highly individual. Aenne Brielmann and her team at the Max Planck Institute of Biological Cybernetics want to know how the perception of beauty comes about and what effect environmental design has on our well-being.  more

Sun coming out from behind clouds, in the foreground an implied audio wave image

New study shows how weather conditions influence music success in the markets more

Post from Kangiqsujuaq, Canada

Elspeth Ready from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig regularly travels to the Canadian Arctic for research. She tells of magnificent expanses, special culinary delights, and an icy dog sled ride. more

Native language shapes brain wiring

Connections of the language network adapt to the processing demands and difficulties of the mother tongue more

Wild dolphin swims in lagoon watched by fishers

A study reveals how cooperative hunting between dolphins and fishers can benefit both species—and why this behavior faces extinction more

Miners stand on the pitch in the Schalker Arena before the game; hammer and pick are shining above them.

Football clubs in former coal mining areas play an important role in terms of social cohesion between the now unemployed more

Near-natural, fractal architecture promotes well-being

Basic researchers call for urban design based on scientific facts more

Young woman playing the piano, her image is reflected on the left side, sound waves run diagonally across the image.

How fingers and brains coordinate when making music more

Those that game together, stay together

The games we play reflect the socio-ecological characteristics of the culture that we are in
  more

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Ancient genomes reveal Down Syndrome in past societies

Burials show that children with Down Syndrome and Edwards Syndrome were recognized as members of their communities more

Sun coming out from behind clouds, in the foreground an implied audio wave image

New study shows how weather conditions influence music success in the markets more

Native language shapes brain wiring

Connections of the language network adapt to the processing demands and difficulties of the mother tongue more

Wild dolphin swims in lagoon watched by fishers

A study reveals how cooperative hunting between dolphins and fishers can benefit both species—and why this behavior faces extinction more

Near-natural, fractal architecture promotes well-being

Basic researchers call for urban design based on scientific facts more

Young woman playing the piano, her image is reflected on the left side, sound waves run diagonally across the image.

How fingers and brains coordinate when making music more

Those that game together, stay together

The games we play reflect the socio-ecological characteristics of the culture that we are in
  more

Coping with Covid-19 through Music

International study investigates the role of music in regulating emotions in times of crisis more

Leonardo da Vinci: reflected in his library

A new exhibition reconstructs the library of the universal genius more

Light as a Fairy Tale

First large-scale study of feel-good films and their audiences more

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The secret of beauty

What people find beautiful is highly individual. Aenne Brielmann and her team at the Max Planck Institute of Biological Cybernetics want to know how the perception of beauty comes about and what effect environmental design has on our well-being.  more

Miners stand on the pitch in the Schalker Arena before the game; hammer and pick are shining above them.

Football clubs in former coal mining areas play an important role in terms of social cohesion between the now unemployed more

Global breathing

An essay by Peter van der Veer on the different ways of dealing with face masks, toilet paper and the fear of death in Asia and the western world more

The body according to Leonardo da Vinci

In an age of modern anatomy atlases and freely available online body-browsers, Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings of organs and body parts done with quill, ink and red chalk may strike us as aesthetically pleasing, yet antiquated. Nevertheless, almost everyone in Germany carries a reproduction of his famous Vitruvian Man with them – on their health insurance card. Alessandro Nova, Director at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, on the other hand, explores Leonardo’s work in the light of the scientific knowledge it generates. more

Possible cause of early colonial-era Mexican epidemic identified

Salmonella enterica, the bacterium responsible for enteric fever, may be the long-debated cause of the 1545-1550 AD “cocoliztli” epidemic in Oaxaca, Mexico that heavily affected the native population. more

Pictures in your head – The secret of beautiful poems

The more a poem evokes vivid sensory imagery, the more we like it more

On the leash!

Max Planck researchers discover the oldest ever images of dogs on leashes more

First large-scale ancient genomes study from sub-Saharan African skeletons lifts veil on prehistoric populations

Genetic analyses uncover lost human populations and surprising relationships, revealing a complex history of population movements in ancient Africa more

Mobile women were key to cultural exchange in Stone Age and Bronze Age Europe

4,000 years ago, European women travelled far from their home villages to start their families, bringing with them new cultural objects and ideas more

The inconstant level of the sea

Sea level – the geographical reference point and indicator of climate change – is a surprisingly variable parameter more

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Spot On - Rosalia Engchuan

In this video, anthropologist Rosalia Engchuan talks about her research in Indonesia. She looks at how Indonesian filmmakers respond to the challenges of their social and environmental surroundings and how they influence the development of moral values, for example, through solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. more

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