News from the institute

List is filtered with:

reset filter
Mouse, who is feeling sick, stands in front of delicious food such as cheese, donuts, grapes and biscuits.

Specialized nerve cells in the brain inhibit food intake during nausea more

Portrait photography Maude Baldwin.

Eighth department at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence will investigate the evolution of sensory and physiological systems  more

Abstract drawing of a neuron whose dendrites form a kind of barcode.

Study reveals how proteins direct nerve cell precursors to turn into specialized neurons more

Illustration of two mitochondria (cellular power plants) that form the two halves of a Yin-and-Yang sign.

In nerve cells, the hormone regulates whether mitochondria are shut down or kept running more

Microscopic image of cells in shades of blue and purple.

A novel chemical labeling method allows transient events in cells to be recorded for later analysis more

Portrait photo in black and white of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wickler in front of a bookshelf.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wickler, former director of the Max Planck Institute for Behavioural Physiology, Seewiesen (1973–1999) passed away on 12 January more

Visible calcium concentrations

Indicator molecules make changes in calcium levels outside of cells visible for the first time more

Two nerve cells in the shape of humans are pulling three red ribbons in opposite directions with strained faces.

To distinguish motion patterns, a neuronal computation is performed three times in a row
  more

Grey outline of a zebrafish brain with individual neurons that are depicted as colorful spheres with long extensions.

Brain circuits for vision develop without any kind of input from the retina in zebrafish more

Microscopy image of a fruit fly brain in cross section. Different areas and cells are highlighted in blue, red and white.

Lukas Groschner receives ERC Starting Grant to study temporal signal processing in the brain of the fruit fly more

Female scientist standing with large microphone and binoculars in a meadow.

Study highlights the interplay of song development and territorial behavior in winter quarters more

Two brown-grey birds with open beaks, looking at each other. Musical notes and sound waves illustrate that they are singing.

Nightingales match the pitch of their whistle songs to those of their rivals in real time more

Photo of the two awardees and other officals from the institute. From left to right: Manfred Gahr, Herwig Baier, Johannes Kappel, Ilaria Vitali, Christian Mayer, Helmut Uhl

Ilaria Vitali and Johannes Kappel receive Young Scientist Award more

A white and grey pigeon carefully held in the hands of a person.

Birds show remarkably similar sleep patterns to humans and may experience flight in their dreams more

Reconstruction of a blue CT1 neuron on a black background

A neuronal microcircuit leverages the same type of signal for multiple purposes more

Drawing of a mouse, sitting on a piece of cheese amidst other fruits and pastries, chewing on a piece of chocolate.

A hormone and specialized brain cells regulate feeding behavior in mice more

An info board showing text and pictures of a researcher and a bird is standing underneath cherry trees in blossom in front of a building.

New walkaround at the Campus Martinsried provides exciting insights into research and everyday life at the institutes more

Zebrafish brain shown as grey outlines with bright colored dots, representing the expression of genes in specific cells.

A detailed atlas of gene expression in the zebrafish brain more

A wooden nest-box with two birds sitting at the entrance, looking at each other.

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

Scientist wearing a white lab coat stands behind a table that holds a large experimental setup.

Lukas Groschner receives Schilling Research Award of the German Neuroscience Society 2023 more

An expanding life science hub for the scientists of the future

Two new international programs for doctoral students start at the Max Planck Institutes in Martinsried and Seewiesen more

A scientist is on the left of the picture, raising a finger. The blue-throated macaw on the right of the picture is sitting on a perch and holding one foot aloft

This ability is an important prerequisite for self-representation and episodic memory more

Portrait photo of group leader Angelika Harbauer with text “ERC Starting Grant – Angelika Harbauer”.

Angelika Harbauer receives ERC Starting Grant for her research on mitochondria more

Illustration of two birds in yellow, grey, and black, sitting next to two thermometers showing high and low environmental temperatures, respectively.

Great tits reveal how birds cope with changes in environmental temperatures more

Three female and three male persons are standing outdoors on a lawn. The females are holding flower bouquets.

Sandra Reinert, Renée Vieira and Sandra Fendl recognized for outstanding publications more

Close-up image of an eye’s iris in blue and orange. Wave diagrams superimposed onto the pupil.

New Neuropixels technology provides evidence of mosaic-like neural connections more

Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)

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

Illustration of a fish head with eye and brain cells. Several zebrafish in the background.

Specialized nerve cells in the zebrafish visual system enable recognition of conspecifics more

Four brown-gray birds in flight, seen from the side against a dark background.

Zebra finches communicate via eye contact and calls to coordinate their spatial positions during flocking flight more

Auguste von Bayern from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence with a macaw in the breeding station of the Loro Parque Foundation. Since 2014, von Bayern has been leading the Comparative Cognition Research Group at the MPI and runs a research station on Tenerife where her team investigates the cognitive abilities of different parrot species comparatively, collaborating with the Loro Parque Foundation, which keeps the largest collection of parrots in the world.

Interview with zoologist Auguste of Bavaria on endangered parrots and their suitability as pets more

Illustration of a sailboat in the shape of a cellular power plant. Sitting on it is a figure that represents a molecule sailing along.

Cellular power plants carry along blueprints to make new proteins at their destination more

Omnipresent and yet hardly explored: Electrical synapses

Omnipresent and yet hardly explored: Electrical synapses more

One bird's joy is another bird's sorrow

A genetic conflict between the sexes promotes intraspecific diversity in ruffs more

Asymmetry as a building block of neuronal computations

Structure and function of neurons are closely linked in the cerebral cortex more

The algebra of neurons

Study deciphers how a single nerve cell can multiply more

New Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence

The MPI of Neurobiology and the MPI for Ornithology will merge to form a new institute as of January 1st 2022 more

Go to Editor View