Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

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Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

One of 80+ institutes of the Max Planck Society.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin is dedicated to the study of the history of science and aims to understand scientific thinking and practice as historical phenomena. Since its inception in 1994, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science has approached the fundamental questions of the history of knowledge from the Neolithic era to the present day. Researchers at the institute pursue an historical epistemology in their study of how new categories of thought, proof, and experience have emerged in interactions between the sciences and their ambient cultures. The Institute’s research projects span all eras of human history, as well as all cultures north, south, east, and west. The institute’s projects canvass an array of scientific areas, ranging from the origins of continuity systems in Mesopotamia to present-day neuroscience, Renaissance natural history, and the origins of quantum mechanics. MPIWG researchers explore the changing meaning of fundamental scientific concepts (for example number, force, heredity, space) as well as how cultural developments shape fundamental scientific practices (for example argument, proof, experiment, classification). They examine how bodies of knowledge originally devised to address specific local problems became universalized. The work of MPIWG scholars forms the basis of a theoretically oriented history of science which considers scientific thinking from a variety of methodological and interdisciplinary perspectives. The institute draws on the reflective potential of the history of science to address current challenges in scientific scholarship.

02/10/2026

"Overburden" film screening at Spore Initiative followed by a Q&A with Gregg Mitman and Shadrach Kerwillain, moderated by Aadita Chaudhury.

🎬 Overburden (2026) is a feature documentary directed by Sarita West, following rangers, scientists, and community leaders working to protect endangered wildlife and sustain local livelihoods in the Nimba Mountains on the Liberia–Guinea border. Against the backdrop of renewed mining pressures, the film explores the complex relationship between conservation, industry, communities, and the resilience of people and ecosystems.

Organized by Jesse Olszynko-Gryn and Sarah Omar from the MPIWG Dept. KSCL.

📍 Spore Initiative, Hermannstraße 86, 12051 Berlin
🗓️ October 7, 2026 18:30–20:30
👥 In English. All ages welcome. No entrance fee and no registration required

📸 Official poster: overburdenfilm.com/media/

02/10/2026

Research Reels: 1 publication—3 minutes🏅

Daniela Trinks introduces “The Association between Go Experience and Sustained Attention in Young Adults,” co-authored with Theresa Martinez Garcia. It explores the cognitive effects of the ancient board game Go. 🧠

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4d49ds54

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For our Research Reels series, we invited scholars across the institute to pitch their recent publications!

To find more of our Research Reels or to learn more about our scholars and the MPIWG, visit our Mediathek:

🔗 https://buff.ly/S0JS6t2

Researcher Daniela Trinks presents “The Association between Go Expe...

01/10/2026

We're excited to welcome our new Journalist in Residence, Moira Donovan!

Moira is a freelance journalist who will work on her project on geoengineering, climate modification, and society. 🌍📗

🔗 tinyurl.com/4pruvhk3

01/10/2026

The Berlin History of Knowledge Course List (KVV) for winter semester 2026 is now available online! This list compiles all history of knowledge and sciences courses from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Freie Universität Berlin.

🔗 tinyurl.com/ms9h5uyn

25/09/2026

Research Reels: 1 publication—3 minutes🏅

Elizabeth Hughes introduces "Biomedical Visions: Epistemology, Medicine, and Art Practice." The book explores artist-scientist collaborations in biomedicine's past and future. 🩻

🔗 https://bit.ly/4yjaPBd

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For our Research Reels series, we invited scholars across the institute to pitch their recent publications!

To find more of our Research Reels or to learn more about our scholars and the MPIWG, visit our Mediathek:

🔗 https://buff.ly/S0JS6t2

Former Publication Manager Elizabeth Hughes presents her recent pub...

23/09/2026

Predoctoral alumna Jelena Große-Bley interviewed by Lea Sahay for Süddeutsche Zeitung.

They discuss China's approach to climate change and its increasing impact on agriculture and food security.

🔗 tinyurl.com/5n7k27ee (GER)

Peking bestreitet den menschengemachten Klimawandel nicht. Die Bevölkerung betrachtet ihn bereits als Gefahr für Ernährung, Eigentum und Leben – und als Bewährungsprobe für den Staat.

18/09/2026

Research Reels: 1 publication—3 minutes 🏅

What can photographs reveal that written records leave out? 📸
Research Scholar Birgit Kolboske explores over 60 years of visual material from the Max Planck Society archives in "Bilder einer Gesellschaft" (Images of a Society), offering a new perspective on the institution’s history.

🔗 https://buff.ly/TBGmUeU

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For our Research Reels series, we invited scholars across the institute to pitch their recent publications!

To find more of our Research Reels or to learn more about our scholars and the MPIWG, visit our Mediathek:

🔗 https://buff.ly/S0JS6t2

Research Scholar Birgit Kolboske presents her illustrated volume, B...

15/09/2026

Postdoctoral Scholar Jacob Schmidt-Madsen in conversation with alumna Journalist in Residence Adrija Roychowdhury for The Indian Express.

They discuss the cultural history of the popular board game "Snakes and Ladders," its spiritual origins in India, and its appropriation by Europeans.

🔗 tinyurl.com/ydrh6nz3

From religious diagrams of the universe to a children's classic, cultural historian Jacob Schmidt-Madsen traces the journey of Gyan Chaupar and the making of modern Snakes and Ladders.

15/09/2026

We are now on Instagram! 📣

Follow us to see what’s happening at our Institute—our people, research, events, news, and publications.

You can find us over there .berlin

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/mpiwg.berlin/

14/09/2026

: Applications for the MPIWG Fellowship Program close tomorrow 📢

This round, the Fellowships offer guest scholars from around the world the opportunity to pursue their research with Dept. AAK, ASTRA, or the Lise Meitner Research Group, with access to the Institute’s Library. Fellows are also invited to participate actively in the academic and social life of the Institute.

🗓️ Deadline: September 15, 2026
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/37zmxkac

Adresse

Boltzmannstraße 22
Berlin
14195

Telefon

+4930226670

Webseite

http://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/

Benachrichtigungen

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