Claude Mythos, ChatGPT-5.5 and cybersecurity

"The foundations of AI systems are flaky"

Krishna Gummadi on the agency of artificial intelligence, AI agents, and potential societal impacts

Recent studies on AI at our Institutes

Researchers at the Max Planck Society are investigating the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence

News

Social media: being cool means staying online

July 22, 2026

Study shows the extent to which teenagers are bypassing Australia's social media ban – and why

The brains of blind people reorganize themselves

July 13, 2026

Brain

High-Resolution MRI Technology reveals brain structure in blind individuals

Proxima Fusion raises 411 million euros

July 08, 2026

Kernfusion

The record funding marks an important milestone for Alpha, a demonstration facility intended to be built in Germany as a precursor to a fusion power plant.

Further News

International

Rice University and the Max Planck Society establish a partnership on quantum materials

July 07, 2026

Quantum Physics

Through the “Quantum Materials – Rice and Max Planck Partnership” they advance global leadership in quantum materials and technology

Rescue mission for Ukrainian science

June 30, 2026

Europe Ukraine

Ukrainian female scientists are building bridges to Germany and Europe, thereby fostering academic freedom in Ukraine

Max Planck establishes first European Research Centre for Indian legal history

June 30, 2026

International Jurisprudence

The MPI for Legal History and Legal Theory is expanding its collaboration with India through the launch of the Centre for Legal History of India (CLHI)

Country portals

Career

Innovative training programmes for Phd students

Talented German and foreign junior scientists are offered the opportunity to earn a doctorate under excellent research conditions

Eight ERC Advanced Grants for Max Planck researchers

June 23, 2026

ERC-Grants Europe

Eight Max Planck Society scientists have been awarded Advanced Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) in its latest funding cycle, each receiving up to €2.5 million for a period of five years to conduct their research projects.

Job Offers

Proteomics core facility leader (m/f/d)

Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster

July 22, 2026

Graduate Assistant (m/f/d)

Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin

July 20, 2026

Student Assistant (m/f/d) | Machine Learning or Data Science

Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin

July 16, 2026

to the JobBoard

Career

Topic Specials

Climate and Transformation

In addition to climate forecasts, the consequences of climate change are increasingly becoming the focus of research at Max Planck Institutes

The brain

The human brain is the most complex organ that nature has ever produced: 100 billion nerve cells and many times more contact points give it capabilities that no supercomputer can match

Migration

The causes and consequences of human mobility and its history are central topics for research at Max Planck Institutes

Further Topic Specials

Publications

From the Institutes

MPI of Geoanthropology

July 15, 2026 Mixed cropping instead of monoculture more

MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology

July 10, 2026 Energy Boost for Synthetic Cells more

MPI for Astronomy

July 09, 2026 Young giant gas planet beta pic b refuses to reveal its origin more

MPI for Astronomy

July 06, 2026 Probing the host galaxy of one of the most distant quasars more

MPI for Heart and Lung Research

July 01, 2026 Neurotensin prevents harmful cardiac remodelling more

MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology

June 24, 2026 Ancient teeth suggest Homo naledi fossils in a cave may all be female more

MPI for Marine Microbiology

June 15, 2026 Symbiosis in Swiss lakes more

MPI for Chemistry

June 15, 2026 El Niño: Amazon rainforest emits stress-defense molecules more

MPI of Geoanthropology

June 12, 2026 Combing the General and the Specific for Urban Science and Policy more

MPI of Biophysics

June 11, 2026 Searching for the Right Place to Divide Mitochondria more

MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology

June 05, 2026 Molecular change helps balance nutrition and detoxification in modern humans more

MPI for Evolutionary Biology

June 05, 2026 When does a tool become part of an individual? more

MPI for Chemistry

June 01, 2026 Europe benefits from a faster renewable energy transition more

MPI for Biology, Tübingen

May 28, 2026 How brown algae choose their mates more

MPI for Gravitational Physics, et al.

May 26, 2026 The new LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA catalog sets records in precision gravitational-wave astronomy more

MPI for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

May 22, 2026 A Tool for Democratic Transparency more

MPI for Solar System Research

May 22, 2026 Different Meteorites, Same Birthplace more

MPI for Evolutionary Biology

May 21, 2026 When noisy decision-making becomes a strategic advantage more

Events

July 2026

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Open Day at GEO600

Jul 4, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Upcoming Events

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Multimedia

My Science and Me

What fascinates scientists about their research? What drives them? Science thrives on the people who shape it. Our picture gallery depicts aspects of research from the perspective of those who carry it out

Unraveling Behavior

Podcast

A science podcast about the patterns driving human judgment and decision making. In each episode, Ana Sofia Morais sits down with a researcher to explore how people make decisions, how they handle risk, and how our surroundings and the online world shape our behavior.

Cell droplet research

Youtube-Video

A new hope for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. A film about the research of Anthony Hyman, who was awared the Koerber Prize 2022 and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences 2023.

Flight and Trauma

Video

Traumatic experiences from fleeing war zones can lead to distressing symptoms, which impair everyday life. Now with Ukranian sub-titles.

Optogenetics | briefly explained

Youtube-Video

Turning nerve cells on and off using pulses of light. Optogenetics is a relatively new field that uses light to control genetically modified cells. It is based on light-activated membrane proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin or channelrhodopsin, that are built into nerve cells.