Research highlights 2025

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A look back at a year of research with many highlights In a dark hall, brightly glowing metal flows from a furnace into a round, man-sized tub. A man wearing a hard hat stands in front of the furnace.

Research news

Artistic depiction of a collision between two planetesimals – small celestial bodies –in the young planetary system around the star Fomalhaut. In the foreground, two dark, irregularly shaped objects crash into each other with great force. The impact site glows with bright orange cracks, and fragments of rock are ejected. In the background, a bright sun is visible, surrounded by a dusty debris disk filled with numerous small rocks. The scene illustrates a dynamic phase of planet formation, similar to what is thought to have occurred in the early Solar System.

Hubble sees destruction of infant planets around nearby star

December 18, 2025
Astronomy Astrophysics Solar System
Astronomers have repeatedly observed events near a distant star that mirror processes from the early solar system’s planet-forming era
Microscopic image depicting cells with prominent blue nuclei, scattered green and pink regions, encased in intricate white structures.

Patient-specific human liver model 

December 17, 2025
Medicine
Dresden research team develops human modular model to study liver diseases
Colorful particle design with red lines and blue backlighting.

An introduction to particle physics

December 04, 2025
Astronomy Astrophysics Particle Physics
How the world of the smallest particles is structured, what is known about fundamental forces, and what particles have to do with the Big Bang
Further News

Career

World map with symbold for international networking

Post from ...

International Support for young researchers
Notes from fieldwork around the world: Max Planck scientists cooperate with partners in around 120 countries worldwide. Here they relate their personal experiences and impressions.
Full indoor shot of a large, dark-red robotic arm and a dark-red, dome-shaped object suspended from it, along with two people standing in the foreground. The arm is large and complex, with many dark-colored, flexible components and a dark-grey base. Steps and caution tape are visible on the floor around the base of the robotic arm. A dark-red, rounded object resembles a large head or helmet, suspended from the robotic arm, hanging over the scene. The material is smooth and appears to be some kind of composite. Two individuals are centrally positioned in front of the robotic apparatus. A man and a woman stand side-by-side, smiling, looking at the camera. Both wear casual clothing: the man wears a maroon-colored t-shirt and dark-colored pants, while the woman is wearing a teal-green sweater and dark-wash jeans. The background is mostly dark grey walls and a dark-grey floor surface. The walls appear to be made of brick-like or panelled material. The overall impression is of a technological or manufacturing environment, potentially a research lab or design studio. The image highlights a sophisticated piece of industrial machinery alongside human operators.

Innovative training programmes for Phd students

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

Job Offers

Fully funded PhD Positions (Doctoral Researcher m/f/d) | Condensed Matter Science

Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart
December 23, 2025

Postdoctoral Scientist (f/m/d) | Subcellular Engineering

Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main
December 20, 2025

Research Assistant (f/m/d) | Membrane Protein Biochemistry

Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main
December 20, 2025
to the JobBoard
Career

Topic Specials

The muddy hands of a person cupped together under a water tap in a muddy background.

Climate and Transformation

In addition to climate forecasts, the consequences of climate change are increasingly becoming the focus of research at Max Planck Institutes
A schematic view from above of a human brain with many coloured fibres connecting the two halves and extending out in various directions.

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
Full shot of a world map, likely a graphic design or print, overlaid with numerous passport stamps of varying colors and sizes.

Migration

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

Publications


Illustration of networks and two persons
Research is Calling! cover
Cover Max Planck Research Magazine 3/2025
Image brochure - Max Planck Society
Cover - Highlights 2024 from the Yearbook of the Max Planck Society
Annual Report 2024 cover - Max Planck Society
Living and Working in Germany cover
Evaluation cover

From the Institutes


MPI of Psychiatry
Stress hormone helps repair the brain more
MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology
Bronze Age DNA from Calabria reveals a distinct mountain community more
MPI for Plant Breeding Research
Diversity through repression more
MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Christian Doeller receives Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2026 more
MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology
Raw materials from CO2 more
MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology
New method boosts DNA editing efficiency and kills cancer cells in the lab more
MPI for Meteorology
More realistic simulations of the Atlantic Overturning Circulation more
MPI for Plant Breeding Research
Shining a Spotlight on Polyploid Cells  more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
The ship-timber beetle's fungal partner: more than just a food source more
MPI of Psychiatry
Early warning signal in the brain more
MPI of Animal Behavior
Orangutans can’t master their complex diets without cultural knowledge more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Reed leafhopper: From reeds to potatoes more
MPI for Heart and Lung Research
Protein in blood vessels puts tumour cells into deep sleep more
MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Artificial intelligence that mimics human thinking more
MPI for Biological Intelligence (Martinsried site), et al.
How a fish knows when to blend in more
MPI for Biology of Ageing
Protective Brain Immune Cell State Discovered more
MPI for Biological Cybernetics
Novel Technique Improves Brain-State Detection more
MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology
Stone tools through generations more

Events

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Upcoming Events

Plasticity and fracture behavior of high-strength steels at low temperatures

Jan 8, 2026 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials, Room: Large Conference Room No. 203

Machine learning and Big Data in materials science: How big is Big?

Jan 9, 2026 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
IPP, Room: Günter-Grieger Lecture Hall (Greifswald) and Zoom

“Physical Devices that Learn” (Prof. Florian Marquardt)

Jan 13, 2026 02:30 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Hans-Kopferman-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Room: Herbert Walther Lecture Hall
All Events

Multimedia


Screenshot of the picture gallery "My Science and Me"

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
Two smiling women standing looking in the direction of the camera with a dark background.

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.
A microsopic view of a fluorescent green worm on a black background.

Cell droplet research

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.
A sombre grey cartoon image of four people sitting on a bench.

Flight and Trauma

Video
Traumatic experiences from fleeing war zones can lead to distressing symptoms, which impair everyday life. Now with Ukranian sub-titles.
more
Optogenetics | briefly explained

Optogenetics | briefly explained

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.
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