MAX PLANCK COMMUNITY

An Alternative View of Art

Explaining climate research with the help of Kirchner and Calder

The Max Planck Society and the Städel Museum in Frank- vides valuable insight into the so-called Little Ice Age, furt am Main have joined forces for the first time as part of which lasted from the 15th to the 19th century and is an the “Guest Commentary” event series. The series was kicked example of natural climate change, a recurrent process in off by Hamburg-based climate researcher Dirk Notz, Re- the Earth’s history. search Group Leader at the MPI for Meteorology. That process is quite different from man-made climate Frankfurt’s Städel Museum has run the event format for change, which is caused by human lifestyle and is a consider- several years now. For the 2018 series, however, exclusively ably more rapid process. To illustrate his talk and inspire his Max Planck scientists have been invited to speak and give a audience, Dirk Notz also selected Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s thematic tour based on their field of expertise, taking in the “Western Port in Frankfurt am Main,” a painting that depicts works of the Städel Museum’s collection. In preparation for industrialization with smoking chimneys, locomotives and his guest commentary, Dirk Notz already visited the Städel the new image of humanity in which man has dominion over Museum last year in order to gain an overview of the works nature. Finally, two sculptures – a mobile by Alexander Calder he might use for his guest tour. The museum’s digital collec- and “Composition” by Otto Freundlich – illustrated the frag- tion also helped him find relevant paintings and sculptures. ile balance while simultaneously conveying the interdepen- At four stations, Dirk Notz spoke about natural and dencies between individual climatic factors. man-made climate change, as well as the “set screws” that The 30 audience members weren’t the only ones who influence climatic developments in general. Beginning considered the format a success – Notz did, too. “I enjoyed with “The Rain Shower,” a painting by 19th-century French giving the tour and preparing for it, as it afforded me the op- artist Antoine Chintreuil, visitors were familiarized with portunity to examine my research from a completely new the role of solar radiation, clouds and the composition of perspective,” the climate researcher concluded. the atmosphere. Three further Max Planck scientists will appear as part of The second stop was a classic for all climate researchers: the 2018 guest commentary series: May 6: Thomas Duve, a winter landscape by Flemish painter Lucas van Valcken- MPI for European Legal History; October 21: Ute Frevert, MPI borch dating back to the 16th century. This painting pro- for Human Development; November 18: Martin Stratmann, President of the MPG and Director of the MPI für Eisenforsch­ ung. Those interested can register their attendance directly with the Städel Museum. Participation in the guest commen- tary is free of charge, but attendees must purchase an admis- sion ticket for the museum.

For more information, visit: www.staedelmuseum.de

The correlation between industrialization and climate change: Dirk Notz in front of Kirchner’s 1916 work “Western Port in Frankfurt am Main“ (below) and Otto Freundlich’s sculpture “Composition”. Photos: Wilma Leskowitsch/Städel Museum Frankfurt

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Photo: MPI for Chemistry/Steffen Dörner To Kuwait and Back To Kuwait and Back on the shipping route between Europe and the Persian Golf Persian the and Europe between route shipping the on atmosphere the of composition chemical the on data collects Chemistry for Institute Planck Max of gasesandaerosols. used instudiesontheinteractions ers ondeck.Thedatasets willbe contain ture-controlled laboratory ments werehousedinfivetempera - the ship,whilescientific instru- ly takenusingdroneslaunchedfrom US. Themeasurementswereinitial- from SaudiArabia,Franceandthe tific Research andotherinstitutions from theKuwaitInstituteforScien- project alsoincludesresearchers the CyprusInstitute,AQABA affect floraandfauna.Inadditionto describe howsuchchangescanalso at theCyprusInstitute,wentonto climate asawhole.” lets, whichcanalterrainfallandthe condensation nuclei for cloud drop- ter cycle,asthedustparticlesact sphere. Thisinturnimpactsthewa- urally occurringdustintheatmo ofnat pollutants alterthechemistry the initial measurement results: “Air tion leaderJosLelievelddescribed exhaust gases. ments dominated, along withship aircurrentsfromurbansettle dry over fromAfrica.IntheMiddleEast, polluted anddusty, havingblown while the air over the Red Sea was turbed airacrosstheArabianSea, They sailedthroughclean,undis- diverse environmentalconditions: encountered auniquespectrumof the environment. on publichealth, the climate and vestigate theimpactofairpollution Arabian Basin”)project,wastoin quality andclimatechangeinthe voyage, partoftheAQABA(“Air France. Theaimofthescientific and thenreturnedtothesouthof bian PeninsulatoreachKuwait– around thesoutherntipofAra- ship sailedalongtheSuezCanaland the “KommandorIona”research Starting intheMediterraneanSea, Lelieveld, whoisalsoaprofessor Max PlanckDirectorandexpedi- On theirvoyage,theresearchers - - - - - MPI staff in front of the “Kommandor Iona”. “Kommandor the of front in staff MPI at the first Frontiers in Science sympo- Science in Frontiers first the at topics of mutual interest. Almost research on cooperation sustainable more and closer enable to and scientists Mexican leading between contact sonal to intensify scientific exchange and per- Anthropology. of Museum tional Na- the of auditorium the at held was participants, high-ranking by tended at- conference, The City. Mexico in sium such as Axel Börsch-Supan (Max Planck Planck (Max Börsch-Supan Axel as such presentations including social scientists, gave Germany and Mexico from entists from ers than More Research Summit in Mexico The aim of the three-day event was was event three-day the of aim The Max Planck Institutes spoke spoke Institutes Planck Max 14 Directors and Group Lead- Group and Directors 15 40 sci- search Council CONACYT. Council search Re Mexican the with collaboration in America Latin for office liaison Society’s Planck Max the by organized was sium sympo- The ecology. chemical and ics archaeogenet- biomedicine, trophysics, as- included Mexico in symposium ence were coveredatthefirstFrontiersinSci that fields research Other MPG). the of Institute Haber (Fritz Roldán Beatriz as such researchers, materials and sar)), (Cae Research and Studies European tists, like Jason Kerr (Center of Advanced neuroscien Development), Human for cy) and Ute Frevert (Max Planck Institute Poli- Social and Law Social for Institute MAX PLANCK COMMUNITY MAX PLANCK 1 | MaxPlanckResearch 18MaxPlanckResearch - - - - 83 MAX PLANCK COMMUNITY

The History of the Theory of Everything

New cross-sectional research group investigates efforts to achieve a unifying framework for physics

By way of example, Blum names re- nowned physicist Werner Heisenberg, who was a Director at both the Kaiser Wilhelm and the Max Planck Institute for Physics. On April 25, 1958, he gave a speech on the 100th birthday of Max Planck in which he introduced his “theory of everything.” Using a single equation, this theory was supposed to explain all observed microscopic parti- cles and their interactions, plus – at least in principle – the entire macro- scopic universe. “However, Heisen- berg’s formula provided no precise solu- tions, so the implications of his theory of reality were contested,” explains Blum. “Worse yet, not even the math was considered consistent.” Despite all his efforts, Heisenberg never managed to persuade the doubt- ers – but he also never retracted his ideas. On the contrary, he continued Alexander Blum at the MPI for the History of Science in Berlin. His Max Planck Research Group to pursue them with a handful of col- officially started work in February. leagues. The Research Group now aims to investigate, for instance, how one of A joint Research Group between the gy of the Final Theory Program” is ex- the 20th century’s foremost scientists Max Planck Institutes for the History amining: “We want to reflect on and could be misled by his belief in a theo- of Science and for Gravitational Phys- evaluate the search for the theory of ry, basing its research on more than sim- ics is currently addressing one of the everything using methods of histori- ply biographical interpretations such as major problems in physics: the centu- cal epistemology,” says the 36-year- hubris or naivety. ry-long search for a “theory of every- old, who studied physics at the Uni- This is where the Group’s cross-sec- thing.” The Group, led by Alexander versity of Heidelberg and has worked tionality comes into play. Initially, three Blum, is the first in the MPG to bring at the MPI for the History of Science Max Planck Research Groups are set to together disciplines from two Sections. in Berlin since 2010. After considering be established – two have issued calls The modern view of the universe the two main theories of physics in for applications to start work in 2019, rests on two pillars: quantum theory the 20th century more or less in isola- and Blum is now leading the way with and the general theory of relativity. tion, it seemed appropriate to direct the first. For Blum, whose MPI belongs The former describes the universe on a his attention to the long history of to the Human Science Section (HSS), very small scale, the latter on a very reconciling the theories, as Einstein the connection with the MPI for Gravi- large one. However, this intellectual had called for. tational Physics, part of the Chemistry, edifice has one significant flaw – the “In doing so, we came across an un- Physics and Technology Section (CPTS), two theories aren’t compatible. In fact, usual situation – a research issue that is very important as it facilitates collab- they diverge as far back as the very be- existed 90 years ago and is still current oration with their colleagues there. “It ginning of time, in their description of today,” said Blum. “We’re interested, may sound trivial, but it’s essential that the Big Bang. Back in 1916, Albert Ein- for example, in how knowledge has we talk to people who deal with formal stein speculated that his theory of gen- progressed to date. How has the rela- aspects of mathematics in their daily eral relativity would have to be merged tionship between theory and experi- work,” the researcher explains. Dia- with quantum theory, which in those mentation developed?” The Research logue with physicists who themselves days was still in its infancy. To this day, Group comprises half a dozen mem- work on quantum gravity is a valuable however, scientists are still struggling bers – including two postdocs and a source for the historical perspective. with this so-called quantum gravity. doctoral student – and addresses the “The attraction of this particular piece It is this work that Alexander Blum’s obstacles to the concept of such an all- of history lies in the fact the topic is still

Group on the “Historical Epistemolo- encompassing theory. being researched to this day.” Photo: Amac Garbe

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Max Planck Schools Develop International Presence

Uniform brand appearance created for the new doctoral training format

Preparations for the opening of the first cations in the new, uniform format. Of the eight draft proposals, the com- three Max Planck Schools, innovative This date is planned to coincide with mittee led by Max Planck President national networks for exceptional grad- the application cycles of leading inter- Martin Stratmann and Horst Hippler, uate education, are in full swing. At a national universities, with which the President of the German Rectors’ Con- meeting with the selection committee schools aim to compete for the best doc- ference, selected three schools for a pilot held late last year, the speakers intro- toral candidates. The first students will phase: the Max Planck School of Cogni- duced their now finely detailed con- begin their programs in 2019, and this tion, the Max Planck School of Photon- cepts for the schools’ implementation. offer is also open to bachelor’s degree ics and the Max Planck School Matter These concepts currently form the basis graduates in a fast-track procedure (two to Life. These schools bring together for developing financial plans and curri- years for a master’s degree, three years members from 21 universities and 31 cula and for negotiating contracts with for a PhD). The joint website will go institutes of non-university research or- partners. In the fall of 2018, the Max online at www.maxplanckschools.org ganizations, underscoring the initia- Planck Schools will issue calls for appli- in April this year. tive’s inter-institutional nature.

Obtain your PhD Obtain your PhD Obtain your PhD in the field of Matter to Life in the field of Cognition in the field of Photonics : : : PASSION FOR SCIENCE APPLY PASSION FOR SCIENCE APPLY PASSION FOR SCIENCE APPLY maxplanckschools.org AUTUMN maxplanckschools.org AUTUMN maxplanckschools.org AUTUMN 2018 2018 2018

What, exactly, is life? Research into the fundamental principles of life will Cognition – a rapidly developing research field. You can find the answer: Photonics – a key scientific discipline with the purpose of controlling light greatly influence fields of research such as biophysics, synthetic biology, Which cognitive processes are tied to language? What are the genetic even better than is now the case, while exploiting its properties to develop systems chemistry or bioinformatics. It also demands ethical, social and mechanisms that contribute to individual differences in cognition? non-contact sensors, energy and information carriers etc.. philosophical reflection on our basic definitions of life. Obtain your PhD How are different forms of learning and decision-making organized in in this exciting research field. living beings? How could they be realized in artificial intelligent systems?

MAX PLANCK SCHOOLS a joint initiative between German Universities and German Research Organizations MAX PLANCK SCHOOLS a joint initiative between German Universities and German Research Organizations MAX PLANCK SCHOOLS a joint initiative between German Universities and German Research Organizations

The three Schools and their logos: The design was selected to ensure that each Max Planck School is visible as an individual entity while still accentuating the common idea.

Call for Meitner Group Applications

Starting in 2018, up to ten additional research groups will be ad- and will be centrally financed for a period of five years with the vertised each year in order to recruit exceptional female scien- prospect of further extensions. The Lise Meitner Group Leaders tists as part of the Lise Meitner Excellence Program. The MPG will also be offered the opportunity to take part in the W2 ten- hopes that the program will offer women transparent and clear ure track procedure. The call for applications opened on March career prospects. The program and the procedure were devel- 1 and ends on April 18, 2018. Directors can also directly encour- oped by a structural commission headed by Vice President An- age candidates to apply. gela Friederici, with the participation of all three Section Chairs, and discussed within the Sections. Lise Meitner Groups will re- The call for applications:

Photo: Amac Garbe ceive at least the same support as Max Planck Research Groups https://www.mpg.de/lise-meitner-excellence-program

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Successful Communication Event

Max Planck Forum on animal research wins over researchers and the audience

Ralf Adams and Kerstin Bartscherer (left) as well as Wiebke Herzog and Jan Bruder (right) outlined their research work in short presentations. Hans Schöler (center) took part in the panel discussion.

Animal research is a controversial top- who see human benefits only in drug a valuable addition to biomedical re- ic, which is why few researchers – too development fail to recognize that ba- search. Tiny organs can be grown from few in fact – discuss it in the public do- sic research is primarily about under- human cells in petri dishes, enabling main. By withdrawing from the arena, standing the body’s fundamental pro- particular aspects of disease and active scientists leave the field open for oppo- cesses. A Max Planck Forum that attract- substances to be examined. nents of animal research. If you enter ed 100 attendees to the MPI for Molec- During the subsequent panel dis- the term “Tierversuche” (animal re- ular Biomedicine in Münster in late cussion with Berlin-based science jour- search) into Google, on the very first November was therefore given the title nalist Volkart Wildermuth, in which page of search results you’ll find five “The development and healing of tissue Hans Schöler also took part, criticisms hits with information on organizations – what we learn from animal research.” of animal research were once again dis- campaigning against animal research. Kerstin Bartscherer, Wiebke Herzog, cussed, the limits of research on mini- The link to the tierversuche-verstehen. Ralf Adams and Jan Bruder first out- organs were explored, and other key as- de alliance website and the MPG’s main lined their research work in easily un- pects were considered, such as the website on the issue (www.mpg.de/ derstandable, 10-minute presentations. time-consuming authorization proce- themenportal/tierversuche) don’t ap- What could be achieved with a partic- dure in Germany. pear until the second page. ular animal or cell culture model? And The audience was full of praise for Animal welfare groups aren’t just can the findings also be transferred the four speakers, who won them over present online, they also take their cam- to humans? with “both the substance of their argu- paign to the streets with information The range of topics included flat- ments and their personal charisma.” stands in pedestrian areas and the worms, with their incredible regenera- One audience member hoped that “at “mouse mobile,” which tours through- tion capacity, zebra fish, mice and hu- least some of those in the crowd who out Germany. Their messages constant- man organoids. The researchers ex- were skeptical of or opposed to animal ly seep into public perception without plained that key genes can be found in research would now reconsider their contradiction. the development of the lymph vessels, views.” Overall it was an extremely suc- Such messages include, for example, not just in zebra fish and mice, but also cessful event, a view that was also the notion that basic research is done in humans, and that mutations to such shared by the speakers themselves, in- solely to satisfy the scientists’ curiosity genes can cause serious diseases. As Jan cluding Hans Schöler. More of the same

and is of no benefit to humans. Those Bruder explained, human organoids are is now in order. Photos: MünsterView/MPG

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