Welcome to the website of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön.
Our internationally oriented institute is dedicated to the study of the principles, mechanisms and consequences of evolutionary change. The Institute comprises the Departments of Theoretical Biology and Microbial Population Biology, as well as several independent research groups. Currently, around 180 researchers and staff members from more than 30 nations work together at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön on innovative scientific questions. You can find out more about our work in the “Research” section.
Honorary doctorate for tropical ecologist and institute alumnus Professor Wolfgang J. Junk
Award also recognises research conducted during his time in Plön
Fritz Frank Award for Markéta Kaucká and Alexandros Vezyrakis
When innovation pays off: Food quality changes the link between innovation and survival in mice
Pandemic shifted the timing of respiratory infections and mortality
Hinrich Schulenburg awarded ERC grant to investigate hidden tricks in the evolution of organisms
Female scientists from all over the world visit Plön
When does a tool become part of an individual?
Wall lizards in the spotlight. The National Geographic and The Guardian feature insights gained by the Lise Meitner Research Group of Nathalie Feiner
Viruses can remain evolutionarily frozen until they enter a new community
Eva Stukenbrock appointed as a member of the Leopoldina
When noisy decision-making becomes a strategic advantage
Altered behavior of conserved cells builds the shark´s face
How evolution sculpts the facial shapes in birds and mammals. A new study in Science Advances reveals how changes in gene regulation drive facial diversity in birds and mammals.
Food may help maintain diversity in the gut
A mathematical model shows how ingested microorganisms can influence gut microbiome diversity.
How multicellularity may have evolved without direct benefits
When the Moon Sets the Rhythm: The GEO magazine features Tobias Kaiser’s lunar clock research at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
When animal personality and the environment interact to dictate how animals live
When immunity shapes decisions: Why models and longitudinal data on adherence to nonpharmaceutical interventions need to come together
The developmental hourglass has cellular basis
Beyond Mendel: Researchers call for a new understanding of genetics
When fluctuations shape biodiversity: a minimalist model explains why “rarity” is so common
No lone winners: “dispersal-driven” evolution fuels diversity at the air–liquid interface
Why fungi might increasingly turn into human pathogens
Strategies to promote greater equality of opportunity in science
News
Both of this year’s Fritz Frank Awards went to researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön. Markéta Kaucká and Alexandros Vezyrakis were honoured by the German Society for Mammalian Biology for their research. The awards ...
Being good at solving new problems does not automatically improve an animal’s chances of survival. A study published in Biology Letters shows that food quality affects how readily house mice innovate and, more strikingly, whether solving a problem ...