Max-Planck-Institut für biologische Intelligenz

04/09/2026

Since 2007, the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft has been honoring outstanding vocational trainees with the Trainee Award. We are delighted that a trainee from our Institutes received the award this year. Annika Zähr completed her education as lab technician at the Martinsried site from 2023 to 2026. Annika Zähr is being honored for her exceptional achievements in her vocational training, her academic and personal development, and her dedication.

The prize is endowed with 750 euros and is awarded by a selection committee consisting of four trainers, one member of the General Works Council, and one member of the General Youth and Trainee Representative Council of the MPG.

We congratulate her warmly and wish her continued success in her professional career!s

03/09/2026

A warm welcome to our new vocational trainees who are starting their training at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry! 🎉

We’re excited to have you with us and wish you a great and successful start to your training. There’s lots to discover, learn and experience and we’re looking forward to seeing where your journey takes you. 🚀

02/09/2026

For many migratory birds, the breeding season is a time to settle down: arrive at the breeding grounds, find a partner, raise the young and stay in one place. But female Eurasian Dotterels appear to have a different strategy.

❓ In this unusual shorebird species, females take the active role in courtship. After laying their eggs, females typically leave their mate behind. The male then incubates the eggs and raises the chicks on his own. But where do the females go?

🧭 Researchers from our Institute tracked 21 female Dotterels with tiny satellite transmitters and found that the birds visited up to five sites during a single breeding season. They travelled up to 1,000 km between two consecutive sites, while the most wide-ranging female covered 1,343 km in total.

❗ Why are they on the move? The findings suggest that females may travel between breeding sites in search of additional mating opportunities, before potentially switching to parental care later in the season.

🔗 Press release: https://www.bi.mpg.de/news/2026-09-kempenaers
📄 Publication: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article/293/2078/20261110/483175/Females-of-a-socially-polyandrous-sex-role

🎬 Video by Gabriel Low

Universitetet i Bergen & Universitetsmuseet i Bergen

01/09/2026

: During sleep, the brain processes memories and clears out metabolic wastes. Functional MRI can detect the increased brain activity (orange areas) during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in a pigeon. Simultaneously, the flow of cerebral spinal fluid decreases. This might impede waste removal, as Niels Rattenborg‘s research suggests.

Find out more: https://www.bi.mpg.de/rattenborg
📸 Picture by Gianina Ungurean

31/08/2026

🧠 With the on Cancer Neuroscience currently underway in Denmark, we’re also looking ahead to the next Brain Conference, taking place in Crete this October!

📢 Registration is still open for Neural Foundations of Communication, with the deadline coming up on 5 September.

Co-Chairs David Poeppel, Daniela Vallentin and Michael Long bring together researchers working across animal and human communication, with sessions covering vocal signalling, speech and language processing, infant language acquisition and multimodal communication.

📍 Crete, Greece
🗓️ 5-8 October 2026
🔬 Registration deadline: 5 September 2026

🇬🇷 Explore the full programme and find out what to expect at the conference!

👉 View the programme: https://buff.ly/KEjjJaY
👉 Read more and register: https://buff.ly/hy0Kqkm

Hellenic Society for Neuroscience Lundbeckfonden

28/08/2026

Die erstaunliche Bandbreite der Lautäußerungen von Reptilien 🗨🦎
Weitere Informationen zum Kommunikationssystem von Geckos findet ihr in unserer News zur Studie von Henrik Brumm und Sue Ann Zollinger: https://www.bi.mpg.de/1505847/news_publication_11316326_transferred

Scientists are investigating what the various sounds mean — and discovering that the creatures may be more like birds and mammals than once thought

03/08/2026

: This image shows the eye of a zebrafish larva. The cells inside the eye are called retinal ganglion cells. They are important for detecting visual features in the environment and sending such information to the brain for processing.

Find out more: https://www.bi.mpg.de/baier
📸 Picture by Man Yung (Joyce) Ng

23/07/2026

Wholehearted congratulations to our Young Scientist Award winners! 🎉 This year, Ann Rose Bright and Inbal Shainer are recognized for their outstanding research.

Ann Rose Bright’s research shows that late-born neurons can accelerate their maturation to integrate into complex brain circuits.
Inbal Shainer’s work reveals that neurons with nearly identical genes can still differ, depending on their position in the brain.

The Young Scientist Award recognizes outstanding published studies based on work carried out at the Institute, and celebrates the vital role of early-career scientists in advancing science.

Read the full article: https://www.bi.mpg.de/news/2026-07-ysa

21/07/2026

Sunshine, good food, great music ☀️

Last week, our annual summer party brought everyone together: colleagues, families, and friends. From BB& & cold drinks and relaxing in the green to kids enjoying games and crafts – it was all about coming together as a community.

A special shoutout to our employee choir and band for the perfect soundtrack to the evening! 🎸 🎶

17/07/2026

“I might be nerdy, but I am faster than you!”

This week, 45 colleagues from our Institute and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry joined the 6 km long b2run Munich at Olympiapark. Fantastic team spirit, great energy and a strong finish! We are very proud: Our women’s team made it into the top 100 of the best women’s teams in the team standings at the b2run Munich. 🧠 🏃‍♂️‍➡️🏃‍♀️‍➡️🏅

Under the motto “Every Pace Counts – Together for Diversity,” more than 320 colleagues of the Max Planck Institutes in Munich participated, sending a clear message of solidarity, openness, and team spirit. Thanks to everyone who ran, cheered, or supported in any way.

📷 Picture by Axel Griesch

B2Run / Olympiapark München / Max Planck Society