Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

@maxplanck.de

Official account of the Max Planck Society. Devoted to basic #research in #physics #astronomy #chemistry #biology #earthsciences #materialscience #mathematics #socialsciences and the #humanities; Imprint: https://www.mpg.de/imprint

Deutschland gilt als familienpolitisch modern – aber beim Erben zählt nur die bürgerliche Kleinfamilie. Gehört das System der Erbschaftsteuerklassen in die Mottenkiste der Geschichte? Es wäre ein guter Anfang - sagt Rechtswissenschaftlerin Marietta Auer @mpilhlt.bsky.social #Erbschaftsteuer

Gefangen in den 1950er Jahren

Das deutsche Erbrecht spiegelt das Ideal der Kleinfamilie von 1950 wider und behindert moderne familienpolitische Reformen.

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Fresh news from the high-energy #Universe - & a few extra #cosmic needles in the haystack! 😉💥 #eROSITA has just released DR2, nearly doubling its X-ray catalogue to 2 million sources. From #galaxy clusters to more #blackholes than expected, it’s the most comprehensive public map so far! 🛰️✨

Most comprehensive census of the high-energy universe to date

The second eROSITA data release reveals 1.9 million pointlike and 64,000 extended X-ray sources, enhancing cosmic population studies.

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Bees, don't be bamboozled by this floral smell! European oil #beetle larvae synthesize floral scents to trick solitary #bees into becoming unwitting Uber drivers back to their nests - where the tiny hitchhikers then feast on bee eggs😱Fascinating study by @oconnorlab.bsky.social @mpi-ce.bsky.social

Oil beetle larvae smell like flowers to manipulate bees

The European oil beetle's parasitic larvae emit a floral scent that attracts wild bees. This allows the larvae to sneak into the bees' nests

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We need a #forest bathing session this very instant! 🤗🌳🌊🤗🌳🌊 A new review from @mpib-berlin.bsky.social suggests nature isn’t just restorative, it’s "instorative" too, boosting cognitive performance & well-being even w/o prior stress, a capacity that has previously received little attention! 🌳✨

When nature not only restores, but fortifies

Previous research may have underestimated the capacity of natural environments to promote concentration and well-being, even in the absence of prior stressors, a review by the Max Planck Institute for...

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This is so intriguing! 21 fossil footprints capturing an exact moment in time - 1.4 M (!) years ago near Lake Turkana, Kenya. The tracks reveal a group of 8 mostly adult male 𝘗. 𝘣𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘪 travelling together. Researchers think they may have formed groups for safety (think hippo-filled lakeshores)!🦛

MPI-EVA Leipzig@mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social · last wk.

Fossil #footprints in Northern #Kenya offer new insights into the body size and group dynamics of #Paranthropus boisei, a human relative that lived 1.4 million years ago. New study @pnas.org by an intl. team led by @kevinhatala.bsky.social. See: tinyurl.com/r83e4yb8 & www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

"The gap between ordinary cybercriminals & state-sponsored actors is narrowing.” Thorsten Holz, director at the Max Planck Institute for Security & Privacy, on how agentic #AI like GPT-5.6 & Claude Mythos are shifting the #cyberthreat landscape - & how organisations can build resilience.

AI agents and cybersecurity

Research shows that AI-powered cyberattacks are becoming faster and more efficient with new language models such as Claude Mythos and ChatGPT-5.5. Prevention is now essential.

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#OTD: Vera Rubin, brilliant astronomer, pioneer of dark matter & advocate for equality, was born on July 23, 1928. Her measurements of galactic rotation curves revealed that stars orbit much faster than visible matter alone could explain - offering strong evidence for the existence of #darkmatter.

Vera Rubin: pioneer of dark matter

Vera Rubin fundamentally advanced our knowledge of galactic dynamics, laid the groundwork for dark matter research, and worked throughout her life to ensure women had a place in science

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Here comes the #Sun☀️ The first results of the Sunrise III mission were released yesterday. The data contain new insights, for example into tornadoes in the Sun’s plasma or into the processes taking place before and during a solar flare. @mpsgoettingen.bsky.social

Observing oscillations, flares and tornados on the sun

Two years after the stratospheric flight of the Sunrise III solar observatory, the mission’s first results are released today. Sunrise III has captured observational data of unprecedented quality from...

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Wie können wir die Wissenschaftsfreiheit gegen zunehmende Angriffe schützen? Ein neues Positionspapier einer DFG-Senats-AG zeigt auf, wie Resilienz von Wissenschaft & Wissenschaftssystem gestärkt werden kann & wie auch Politik, Wirtschaft & Gesellschaft unterstützen können: sohub.io/9tje

Grafik mit buntem abstraktem Papierwirbel auf dunkelblauem Hintergrund. Überschrift: Orientierungen und Empfehlungen - Positionspapier zur Stärkung der Freiheit und Resilienz der Wissenschaften. Foto: Adobe Stock

In Deutschland leiden etwa 100.000 Menschen an #Anorexie. Mit Hilfe von #VirtualReality können Betroffene lernen, sich auf eine Gewichtszunahme einzustellen. Simone Behrens spricht im "Ach, Mensch"-Podcast über den Einsatz in der #Psychotherapie, über Chancen und Grenzen. @simonebehrens.bsky.social

Können virtuelle Körpermodelle bei Anorexie helfen, Simone Behrens?

Am MPI für Intelligente Systeme untersucht Simone Behrens, wie Virtual-Reality-Methoden die Psychotherapie ergänzen können.

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Viele Menschen sehen die #Politik und die #Parteien kritisch. Steffen Mau, Direktor am Max-Planck-Institut für Politik und Sozialwissenschaft, analysiert die vielfältigen Gründe dafür und gibt Hinweise, wie #Demokratien ihre Attraktivität bewahren oder zurückerlangen können. @steffenmau.bsky.social

Die vielen Krisen der Demokratie

Demokratien müssen sich erneuern und staatliche Leistungsfähigkeit sichern, um Zukunft zu gewährleisten.

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Double Take👀 Shell-less marine gastropods from the nudibranch group – aka sea slugs! – are striking for their extravagant brilliance of colour and diverse array of forms. A research team @mpici.bsky.social has now discovered exactly how these creatures produce their vibrant, shimmering patterns.

Nudibranchs such as Chromodoris annae stand out for their vibrant colours and varied shapes. C. annae is found in the Indo-Pacific region around Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Marshall Islands.Under high magnification, the individual colour spots of H. bullockii can be seen.

Scientist stress the need for prenatal care access to safeguard maternal and infant #health during #wildfires. Wildfire-related birth outcome impacts may be underestimated: mothers were more likely to have premature births & the children had lower birth weights. 😢 #climatechange @mpidr.bsky.social

Premature births and low birth weight: risks posed by wildfires

A recent study examined 3.4 million births in Spain between 2008 and 2021 to determine the impact of wildfires and associated air pollution on the health of newborns. The results revealed that mothers...

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