Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology

The Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanization at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology is pleased to announce vacancies for PhD Researcher positions in the area of quantitative, historical and archaeological urban research https://bewerbermanagement.net/jobposting/6210f442942f53fe31acc9c75c7ec20a6ede627a0

The discovery that remote Mediterranean islands were colonized before the invention of agriculture has upended long-standing views about the maritime capabilities of Europe’s last hunter-gatherers. New evidence from Malta now shows that these hunter-gatherers were engaging in repeated long-distance sea journeys of at least 100 kilometers (km), likely between Sicily and Malta for at least a millennium.

Earliest Mediterranean long-distance sea journeys were sustained over at least a millennium The discovery that remote Mediterranean islands were colonized before the invention of agriculture has upended long-standing views about the maritime capabilities of Europe’s last hunter-gatherers. New evidence from Malta now shows that these hunter-gatherers were engaging in repeated long-distanc...

A new study in Science Advances helps resolve one of South American archaeology's longest-running debates: the role of maize in precolonial societies. Evidence reveals that large villages in central Brazil were supported by polyculture maize farming while neighboring societies maintained diversified food production strategies

Large Precolonial Villages in the Brazilian Cerrado Practiced Maize-based Polyculture New study helps resolve one of South American archaeology's longest-running debates: the role of maize in precolonial societies. Evidence reveals that large villages in central Brazil were supported by polyculture maize farming while neighboring societies maintained diversified food production strat...

Congratulations to Dr. Li Tang for receiving the 2025 Otto Hahn Medal! Tang’s research explores how past communities across different high-altitude ecosystems of the Tibetan Plateau adapted to the novel agropastoral economies over time. Learn more at the link

Dr. Li Tang Receives 2025 Otto Hahn Medal At a ceremony held last week in Frankfurt, Germany, Dr. Li Tang of the Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanization and the Domestication and Anthropogenic Evolution Research Group at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology was awarded the 2025 Otto Hahn Medal.

Gibt es echte Genies? In einer neuen Folge der arte-Reihe „Stimmt es, dass…?“ spricht Jürgen Renn über den Begriff des Genies und darüber, ob Genies, wie wir sie uns vorstellen, tatsächlich existieren.

Gibt es echte Genies? - Stimmt es, dass ...? - Die ganze Doku | ARTE Michelangelo, Newton, Einstein – es gibt einzelne Menschen, die Überragendes geleistet haben. Aber gibt es wirklich “echte Genies” – oder haben wir sie nur erfunden, weil wir an irgendetwas – oder jemanden – glauben wollen? Expertinnen und Experten aus vier Ländern gehen der Frage nach...

Congratulations to Dr. Barbara Huber, who received the Working Party Chemistry for Cultural Heritage 2026 Early-Stage Scientist award last week at a ceremony in Bled, Slovenia. Follow the link to learn more about the award and Dr. Huber's research https://www.gea.mpg.de/201965/huber-euchems-early-stage-scientist-award-2026?c=192964

How can we make sure that the transitions required by the Anthropocene are just? We're excited to learn from Prof. Olaf Zenker of Uni Halle in a guest lecture titled "Planetary Justice and Contested Normativities: Processing In/Commensurability in the Anthropocene" on 19 June.

Learn more at the link https://www.gea.mpg.de/229584/guest-lecture

Combing the General and the Specific for Urban Science and Policy - A new study published in Nature Cities highlights the need to connect research into the uniqueness of cities with research on their similarities

Combing the General and the Specific for Urban Science and Policy New study highlights the need to connect research into the uniqueness of cities with research on their similarities

On 22 and 23 June at the Jena Volkshaus, the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology is bringing together interdisciplinary experts for an international symposium - Geoanthropology Biosphere: Integrated, long-term, global approaches to human-biosphere interactions.

The symposium will focus on new visions for geoanthropological research in the context of the biosphere, an exploration of the institute’s core research themes, and potential cross-departmental and cross-unit collaborations.

Follow the link to learn more and register to attend: https://www.gea.mpg.de/229365/symposium.html

Join the next session in the Human Palaeosystems Seminar Series - Ancient Antibodies and the Hidden History of Infection: Reconstructing Immune Responses in Past Human Populations - with Dr. Christiana Scheib of the University of Cambridge. 18 June at 2pm CET.

Follow the link to learn more and register https://www.gea.mpg.de/223280/human-paleosystems-in-focus