A global database helps explore the complex history of our genes and languages
“The availability of genetic data is biased towards Western countries.
As any child could tell you, bats see with their ears. Björn Siemers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen and Richard Holland from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell have demonstrated that they also take their orientation from the Earth’s magnetic field, calibrate their internal compass by the sunset – and may hold even more surprises in store for researchers.
As a result, irrespective of whether the magnetic field tells them otherwise, west
When Russia’s first branch of McDonald’s opened in Moscow 23 years ago, the event was celebrated by many as a step in the direction of the free world of consumption. Others, however, immediately saw the arrival of the hamburger empire as a sign of the country’s westernization. Yet there is nothing new about cultural transfer: At the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Dittmar Schorkowitz studies how this process unfolded during the encounters of Eurasian populations in the Middle Ages.
“However, while coinage had long existed in Western Europe, a weight-based currency
Even learning to read in your thirties profoundly transforms brain networks.
Yet illiteracy is regarded as such a taboo in the West that it would have been immensely
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute study human impact on tropical forests, showing lasting environmental effects from early interactions that extend beyond the 21st century.
As a result, wild and domesticated animal and plant species were traded and introduced
A phone call between two friends or small talk on the street – this is the glue that holds human society together. Nick Enfield and Stephen Levinson, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, are interested in such everyday conversational situations. They want to know how language, culture and cognition interrelate.
Structural similarities between a Western European language and Kri will be hard
The first review of the global impact of humans on tropical forests in the ancient past shows that humans have been altering these environments for at least 45,000 years. This counters the view that tropical forests were pristine natural environments prior to modern agriculture and industrialization.
agriculturalists bringing pearl millet and cattle moved to the area of tropical forests in western
The sight of a bright comet has fascinated people at all times. But what is behind such a celestial spectacle? It was only in modern times that researchers discovered the phenomenon – by which time the tail stars had already had a long career as bringers of bad luck or divine messengers.
.), whose views were to dominate the astronomical and physical worldview in the West
Vegetation fires are increasingly frequent and intense across the globe, and Germany is no exception. This alarming trend is fueled by prolonged dry periods, a consequence of the climate crisis. The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), under the leadership of Johann Georg Goldammer, not only monitors fire events; it also serves as a critical bridge between science, policy, and practice, delivering essential knowledge where it is urgently needed. Through concrete, on-site assistance, the GFMC plays a crucial role in saving lives and securing a sustainable future in the face of growing fire risks.
forestry scientist Lucy Amissah heads the newest regional centre of the GFMC in West
The sight of a bright comet has fascinated people at all times. But what is behind such a celestial spectacle? It was only in modern times that researchers discovered the phenomenon – by which time the tail stars had already had a long career as bringers of bad luck or divine messengers.
.), whose views were to dominate the astronomical and physical worldview in the West
