Evolution

Daurian redstarts move closer to humans to protect their nests from brood parasitism more

Sequestration of plant toxins by monarch butterflies leads to reduced warning signal conspicuousness more

Under cold conditions, not only the mother plant but also the father plant can pass on its chloroplasts to the offspring more

How intensive agriculture turned a wild plant into a pervasive weed more

Experiments with chicken chicks and artificial peacock butterflies prove that predators are intimidated by eyespots more

In our interview, Luca Schulz, Georg Hochberg and Tobias Erb explain why knowing the history of proteins might help create alternatives for the future more

Resurrecting billon-year-old enzymes reveals how photosynthesis adapted to the rise of oxygen more

Woodpeckers taste sweet, but wrynecks—unusual woodpeckers that specialize on ants—lost the ability to taste sugars more

Baboons borrowed a third of their genes from a closely related species more

Brain stem cells of modern humans make fewer mistakes in the distribution of their chromosomes to the daughter cells more

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2022 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

An interview with Detlef Weigel about his discovery that cells prevent particularly important genes from mutating more

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2020 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 13 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

Around 40 percent of all species on Earth are parasitic – apparently a highly successful way of life. Even a fish such as the three-spined stickleback is plagued by up to 25 different parasites. more

Scientists analyse, how jumping genes can be copied in the DNA more

Fish hearts are genetically divided more

The efforts of bacteria in their defence against predators is so great that they can barely invest resources in offspring more

The genome of a European Neandertal allows more Neandertal DNA to be identified in present-day people more

Neandertal DNA influences variation in skin tone and hair colour in people living today more

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