News - Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

“I never get tired of rethinking things”

Research and politics – Professor Steven Chu knows both worlds. And the 71-year-old Nobel Prize winner in Physics never runs out of energy, particularly when it comes to climate change.

Nuclear Fusion

The latecomer

Wendelstein 7-X is the world’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion device of the stellarator type. Its objective is to test whether a new source of energy could emerge for humanity from fusing light atomic nuclei.

Solar fuels

The quest for the perfect energy storage system

Our sun delivers huge amounts of energy to us every day. But we are only making use of a small percentage of it. If Kathrin Aziz-Lange had her way, this situation would soon be changed.

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Underwater observatory

The mystery of Boknis Eck

An underwater station installed by GEOMAR in Eckernförde Bay at a depth of 14.5 meters had been reliably transmitting data to the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel for many years. But it suddenly vanished without a trace—leaving researchers, specialist divers, and criminal investigators grappling with a mystery.

Portrait

A passion for the extreme

Jane Francis is one of Britain’s most famous female polar researchers. She has undertaken numerous Antarctic and Arctic expeditions and, when required, she also explores the Australian desert for traces of its polar past.

MOSAiC expedition

Measuring a disappearing world

The largest polar research expedition in history is set to begin in fall 2019. The Polarstern icebreaker will spend a year trapped in a massive ice floe as it drifts by the North Pole and collects data that will benefit many generations to come.

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Medicine

Alternatives to organ donation

In Germany, there are still too few people willing to donate organs, while patient waiting lists remain long. Today, the Bundestag in Berlin will decide whether this will change. Meanwhile, researchers are stepping up the search for alternatives to donation.

Nutrition

Interval fasting—does it really live up to the hype?

Therapeutic fasting traditionally involves going without food for several days. In the case of intermittent fasting, on the other hand, taking regular breaks from eating is sufficient. But is this approach really effective in terms of the participants’ weight and metabolism?

Portrait

Between Tumor Research and Alpine Idylls

Although molecular biologist Priya Chudasama is originally from India, she now feels at home in Germany too. Based in Heidelberg, she is working on a breakthrough in the fight against tumors.

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Portrait

From Garching to Hawaii

Günther Hasinger is the director of science at the European Space Agency (ESA). His love of astronomy got its start at the observatory in Munich - and has taken him around the world.

Year of Space

From the ISS to Mercury

Alexander Gerst in command of the ISS, a mole landing on Mars, and a launch toward Mercury: These are just three major events in space exploration we have to look forward to in 2018. What follows is an overview of some of this year’s highlights, which are increasingly being shaped by private initiatives.

Helmholtz Extreme

Growing fresh food in the Antarctic

Scientists are working to grow fresh vegetables in a greenhouse surrounded by perennial ice. The experiment will supply the winter crew at Neumayer Station with fresh food, but it is primarily designed to provide experience and data for future Mars missions.

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Query

"Could a black hole swallow the Earth?"

Black holes have always been a source of fascination. But is there really anything to the legend that a black hole could swallow the Earth? Volker Schomerus, a quantum physicist at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), knows the answer.

Neutrinos

The superstars of particle physics

Researchers are working to unravel the mystery of neutrinos – and, nearly 60 years after their discovery, are gradually getting to the bottom of one of the greatest riddles in the natural sciences.

IceCube Neutrino Observatory

Astrophysics in the Antarctic

Temperatures fall as low as negative 100 degrees during the winter. Darkness prevails for six months. Work at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station demands a lot from the researchers there. Emanuel Jacobi lived and worked there for a year, learning a lot about himself along the way.

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Portrait

Head over heels for molecules

Bert Meijer specializes in complex molecular systems and their formation. A native of the Netherlands, Meijer is a professor of organic chemistry and conducts research in the field of supramolecular polymers.

Public transport

Researching ways to make train stations safer

Platforms at train stations are often very crowded – especially during rush hour. Researcher Maik Boltes and his team want to improve situations like these by seeking effective ways to manage crowds of people.

New Center

“We research every aspect of information security”

Helmholtz has a new member. We spoke to Michael Backes, the director of the Helmholtz Center for Information Security, about computer viruses, autonomous driving, patient data—and how to attract employees from Silicon Valley to the state of Saarland in southwestern Germany.

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Award

Doctoral prize for six young researchers

At Helmholtz, more than 8,000 doctoral students do their research. Six of them received the Doctoral Prize 2019 in Berlin. With this award, the Helmholtz Association supports talented young researchers at an early stage.

Short Interview

Six questions with... Eduardo Zorita

Why did you become a scientist? And what has really annoyed you recently? We ask our scientists six intriguing questions. This time with Eduardo Zorita at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG).

Short Interview

Six questions with... Hugues Lantuit

Why did you become a scientist? And what has really annoyed you recently? We ask our scientists six intriguing questions. This time with Hugues Lantuit at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).

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Interview

"The language of science knows no borders"

The first large-scale particle accelerator in the Middle East has been assembled in Jordan. Researchers from Israel, Iran, and the Palestinian territories work together there. We spoke to Rolf Heuer, former General Director of CERN and chairman of the project’s supervisory board.

"Israel Has Incredible Momentum"

The Helmholtz Association has opened a new international office in Tel Aviv. With this step, Germany’s largest research organization is seeking to take its cooperation with Israeli researchers and start-ups to a new level.

Helmholtz Juniors

On the Future of Science

The business practices of 'predatory publishers' drew a great deal of attention in the media. We asked seven young Helmholtz researchers about their ideas on how to cope with these issues.

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