Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology is a world-class institution whose research focusses on the principles, mechanisms and effects of evolutionary change.  It comprises three departments (Evolutionary Genetics, Evolutionary Theory, and Microbial Population Biology) and numerous independent research groups.  It employs nearly 200 people from more than 30 nationalities.
 

International Max-Planck Research School for Evolutionary Biology: Apply now!

Applications for 2022 are now open. This year's program starts 19  September. If you are a motivated, career-minded, and curiosity-driven individual with a passion for evolutionary biology, then we would be delighted to hear from you. The deadline is 8 February 2022. 
The Max Planck Society and the University of Kiel are equal opportunity employers.

Eva Stukenbrock appointed member of the French Academy of Sciences

Kiel professor ans Max Planck Fellow honoured as a foreign associate for her outstanding research on the influence of fungi on health, nutrition and the environment.

Animal vaccines with self-spreading viruses

Since the first lab-modified virus capable of replication was generated in 1974, an evidence-based consensus has emerged that many changes introduced into viral genomes are likely to prove unstable if released into the environment. On this basis, many virologists would question the release of genetically modified viruses that retain the capacity to spread between individual vertebrate hosts. Researchers from Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States now point out in a policy piece that despite these concerns, self-spreading vaccines for animals are being researched in Europe and the US. They are intended to limit the spread of animal diseases or disease spillover to humans.

Renewed DFG funding for clinician scientists in evolutionary medicine

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the Clinician Scientist Program CSEM at CAU's Faculty of Medicine with another 700,000 euros.
CSEM stands for "Clinician Scientists Program in Evolutionary Medicine". In 2019, the training program started at the Medical Faculty of Christian Albrechts University (CAU) with start-up funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for an initial three years. Now the DFG also pledged funding for another two years.

Tracking down the origin of cholera pandemics

The bacterium Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera and is responsible for seven known pandemics. The seventh cholera pandemic began in 1961 and is still active. Unlike previous pandemics, it is caused by cholera strains of a slightly different type. How did the modified cholera strains develop and spread, and what might have contributed to their success? Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology Plön and CAU Kiel, in an international team with colleagues from City College New York and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, have now gained new insights into a molecular mechanism that provides insight into the interactions between cholera bacteria and may have played a role in the emergence of the seventh pandemic.

Transposable Elements: What role do they play in genome evolution?

„Transposable elements (TEs)" are small DNA segments found in nearly all genomes across the tree of life. Their function is not fully understood, but their properties are remarkable: they can integrate themselves into DNA and also replicate there on their own, independent of their host. Therefore, it is assumed that the proliferation of TEs has contributed decisively to the genome size of  eukaryotes. However, TEs are also found in prokaryotes, which have much smaller genomes. Moreover, their genomes are significantly streamlined, meaning a much smaller proportion is non-coding. What's behind this?
 

Young scientist from Plön receives Kiel Life Science Postdoc Award

At its general meeting, the Kiel Life Science (KLS) research center honored its most successful young researchers of the past year with the KLS Postdoc Award. In addition to Lukas Pfeifer from the Institute of Pharmacy at CAU, Michael Raatz from the Department of Evolutionary Theory (Arne Traulsen) at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön was also honored, in the medical category.

COVID19 pandemic explained

Researchers from the department of Evolutionary Theory have collected scientific information and statistics about the COVID19 pandemic and explained it for the public on a special website.

News

Eva Stukenbrock appointed member of the French Academy of Sciences

 

January 12, 2022

Kiel professor honoured as a foreign associate for her outstanding research on the influence of fungi on health, nutrition and the environment.

Animal vaccines with self-spreading viruses

January 06, 2022

Since the first lab-modified virus capable of replication was generated in 1974, an evidence-based consensus has emerged that many changes introduced into viral genomes are likely to prove unstable if released into the environment. On this basis ...

Renewed DFG funding for clinician scientists in evolutionary medicine

December 21, 2021

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the Clinician Scientist Program CSEM at CAU's Faculty of Medicine with another 700,000 euros.

Tracking down the origin of cholera pandemics

December 17, 2021

The bacterium Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera and is responsible for seven known pandemics. The seventh cholera pandemic began in 1961 and is still active. Unlike previous pandemics, it is caused by cholera ...

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Job Offers

IMPRS PhD positions at the Max Planck Institute in Plön and at the University of Kiel

January 13, 2022

PhD position at the University of Potsdam and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
 

December 22, 2021
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