As the year comes to a close, we are thankful for shared curiosity and inspiring discoveries. We wish everyone restful holidays and a great start to the year ahead — filled with new questions, fresh ideas, and exciting insights.

🎓 IMPRS EvolBio opens its 2026 PhD call! Up to 10 doctoral positions in evolutionary biology at MPI-EB — work in an international, cutting-edge research environment where others go on vacation. Start: Sept 2026 | Deadline: Jan 11, 2026 👉 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3848518/impr... #PhD #EvolutionaryBiology

Big congratulations to Dr Nikhil Sharma on receiving the Kiel Life Science Postdoc Award 2025! His outstanding work in theoretical biology and evolutionary graph theory makes us proud. Well deserved! 👏 #KLS #MPIEvolBio www.evolbio.mpg.de/3847270/kiel... (Photo: Christian Urban, Kiel University)

How does each face get its unique shape? A new study maps facial development at an unprecedented resolution, identifies early “positional programs” expressed by undifferentiated cells, and sheds light on their role in human facial shape variability. 🔗 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3846176/news...

Warum sind Kinder keine halben Kopien ihrer Eltern? Wie beeinflusst die DNA unsere Fruchtbarkeit? Rajalekshmi Narayana Sarma beantwortet diese und weitere spannende Fragen am Freitag um 21:00 Uhr im Frederik-Paulsen-Hörsaal bei der #NightOfTheProfs der @uni-kiel.de. @mpi-evolbio.bsky.social

🎉 Congrats to Prof. John Baines, associated member of the MPI for Evolutionary Biology, on being named a Highly Cited Researcher 2025 by Clarivate! Proud to see his work among the global top 1% of most cited research. www.uksh.de/Das+UKSH/Neu... (Photo-credits: UKSH)

Rajalekshmi N. Sarma (MPI EvolBio) will be speaking at Kiel University’s Night of the Profs this Friday! Catch her Science Show talk at 21:00 in the Frederik-Paulsen Lecture Hall. Free admission — bring your friends and family! More info: uni-kiel.de/de/veranstaltungen/night-of-the-profs (CAU Kiel)

Big cheers from MPI for Evolutionary Biology! 🎉 Our alumna Dr. Christin Nyhoegen wins the KlarText Prize 2025 for her piece “Penicillin and a Small Dose of Mathematics.” She shows how math helps improve antibiotic treatments and prevent resistance. 👏 #KlarTextPreis #MPIEvolBio #ScienceCommunication

Bacteria can borrow viruses to spread defence genes! 🦠🔬 Researchers at @MPI_EvolBio found that “jumbo phages” can carry bacterial mobile DNA, allowing the bacteria to hijack viral machinery for their own protection. 👉 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3840277/news...

WE ARE HIRING! Please spread widely! #Postdoc in #Evolutionary #Genomics -> www.mpg.de/25524526/ #Postdoc in #Molecular #Biology & #Cell #Signalling -> www.mpg.de/25524509/ @mpi-evolbio.bsky.social @maxplanck.de #ScienceJobs #EvoBio #MolBio #Ecology #Chronobiology #Marine #EntoSky #Biodiversity

Why are kids not half copies of their parents? How does our DNA control our fertility? Rajalekshmi Narayana Sarma from the @uni-kiel.de answers these and other exciting questions in her talk on 26.09 at 18:00 in the Pumpe. Free admission @mpi-evolbio.bsky.social #ScienceDay #KielRegion

Does population size shape protein coevolution? I explored this in my talk today at the MPI for Evolutionary Biology. Our work in mammals suggests the answer is yes - genetic drift is a major determinant of compensatory mutations. #evolution #genomics #proteinevolution @mpi-evolbio.bsky.social

🔬✨ Our bodies are mosaics! A new study reveals: Organs aren’t just “male” or “female” – they show overlapping patterns of sex-specific traits. Sex is a spectrum, not a box. 👉 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3837588/news...

Our current follow-up #modelling study with @gokhalecs.bsky.social, former colleague @mpi-evolbio.bsky.social, suggests that larval competition for space can actually drive the evolution of divergent reproductive timing, aka #allochrony, which results in spatial separation and reduced competition.

Could humans and AI one day form a single “evolutionary individual”? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology raise this question in a new publication exploring human–AI interdependence. www.evolbio.mpg.de/3836073/news...

In a just published OpEd, with @mkhochb.bsky.social‬, we draw upon Major Evolutionary Transitions thinking to outline future scenarios in which humans and AI might come to form new kinds of evolutionary units: humans as subsystems within an AI-coordinated whole. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... ‪

In this @PhysicsWorld podcast, Silvia De Monte — Senior Scientist at @EvolBioMPI — explores how physics helps decode complex biological systems, from predator-prey models to the human microbiome. Listen here: www.evolbio.mpg.de/3612354/podc...

🌍 Theory meets experiment! At the MPI Plön workshop on Evolutionary Rescue, researchers explored how models and data can work hand in hand. www.evolbio.mpg.de/3829720/scie... #EvoRescue25 #ScienceDialogue

Two midge strains, one coastline — yet no competition. Clunio marinus turns moon phases into maps: full moon vs. new moon means different times, different spaces. Time becomes space. Evolution dances by moonlight. 🌕🌑 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3828955/news... #Evolution #MoonTiming #MaxPlanck

🏁 Third place in the dragon boat race & a great day at our booth at the Stadtbuchtfest Plönl! 🧬🚣‍♀️ Lots of curious visitors, fun science activities, and a fantastic team effort – thanks to everyone who made it happen! #Plön #ScienceInAction #MPIEvolbio #Stadtbuchtfest

Bei uns wird’s wissenschaftlich kreativ! 🔬🧬 Vorbeikommen, staunen, mitmachen – wir bringen die Evolutionsbiologie ans Wasser! 🌊✨ 📍 Stadtbucht Plön #Stadtbuchtfest #MPIEvolution #MitmachenErwünscht #CitizenScience

Hands-on Science – at the Plön Stadtbucht Festival! This Sunday, we invite you to our interactive booth: 🧬 Turn your first name into a personalized DNA bracelet 🔬 Discover fascinating lake microorganisms and yeast under the microscope #Plön #Stadtbuchtfest #ScienceForEveryone #CitizenScience

🌍❄️ Why do we stop wearing masks when cases drop? New research from the MPI EvolBio shows: fewer infections → less caution → winter surges of flu & COVID-19. Smarter prevention needed! 🦠🔄 Read more: www.evolbio.mpg.de/3827501/the-... #Science #PublicHealth

🤖🧬 How does cooperation evolve in humans and machines? A new PNAS issue links game theory & AI – with work from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. Insights into collaboration, incentives & digital systems. 🔗 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3826775/evol... #AI #PNAS #GameTheory

Great discussions at the #OMICS workshop in Borstel! Over 30 experts gathered to tackle the future of data management in biomolecular research. Exciting things ahead for the OMICS community in Northern Germany! 🌍🔬 #OMICS #DataManagement #ResearchInnovation www.evolbio.mpg.de/3825218/sust...

🧠 Missing link of synchronized skull and brain development and evolution revealed — explaining rare congenital syndromes. 🧬 Evolution meets development and medicine. #Evolution #Development #BrainSkull #EvolutionaryInnovations www.evolbio.mpg.de/3823787/news...

🎉 Today, we celebrated a major milestone: the opening of our new state-of-the-art research building! 5,650 m² of cutting-edge labs, offices, and meeting spaces — driving world-class science in Plön and beyond. 🚀 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3822418/feie... #EvolutionaryBiology #ScienceNews #ResearchExcellence

🐭 Wild house mice have love strategies: Some fight for territory and guard females. Others roam, flirting on the go. Most switch it up—based on age, strength & social vibes. 🧬 It’s not just instinct. It’s personality. www.evolbio.mpg.de/3816673/news... #evolution #animalbehavior #science

Congratulations to @prczhaoyansong.bsky.social for receiving a Best Poster Prize at the EMBO Workshop. His work shows that jumbo phages can help bacteria move genomic islands from one cell to another. www.evolbio.mpg.de/3816203/crac... #Microbiology #PhageBiology #GeneTransfer #EMBO2025

🔍 How much memory do you really need to win a repeated game? New research shows: under certain conditions, less memory can be more strategic. #GameTheory #CognitiveEfficiency #NashEquilibrium 🔗 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3815341/news...

🧬 Rethinking Cooperation in Biology? New study suggests that natural growth differences – not just strategy – matter big time for cooperation in nature. Turns out, yeast don't need to be strategic. www.evolbio.mpg.de/3815028/news... #evolution #ecology #cooperation #science

Thank you to Arne Traulsen, from @mpi-evolbio.bsky.social, for his talk on "Game theory for ecology: when are experiments about the puzzle of cooperation and when are they not?" held yesterday, in Luminy, Marseille! #CENTURI #InterdisciplinaryResearch

Think bold animals are the best problem-solvers? Think again. 🐭 New research shows shy mice are more persistent—and that makes all the difference. 🔍 Innovation is about showing up, not just being brave. 🔗 More Info: www.evolbio.mpg.de/3813083/mice... #AnimalBehavior #Science

🦎 4. Plöner Winter Talk Dr. Nathalie Feiner spricht über die Rolle der Mittelmeer-Eidechsen in der Evolutionstheorie ! 📍 Max-Planck-Institut Plön 🕡 25.03.2025 Einlass: 18:30 Uhr | 🕖 Beginn: 19:00 Uhr 🎟️ Eintritt frei lnkd.in/eQePwHyg #Wissenschaft #Evolution #MPIPlön #WinterTalks #Eidechsen

🌿 Congrats to Eva Stukenbrock! 🌟 The Max Planck Society has re-appointed Eva Stukenbrock, Professor of Environmental Genomics at Kiel University, as a Max Planck Fellow for the third time. 🔗 Read more: (www.evolbio.mpg.de/3811720/eva-...) #MaxPlanckFellowship #PlantResearch #Sustainability

We offer 2 PhD Positions in Evolutionary Biology! 1️⃣ Evolutionary Developmental Biology – Craniofacial evolution. (March 31, 2025) 2️⃣ Evolution of Polygenic Traits – Genetic adaptation in Drosophila. (April 30, 2025) More here: www.evolbio.mpg.de/1639156/Job_... #PhD #EvoDevo #Genetics

Hiring: Research Software Engineer (m/f/d)! Join us to develop open-source tools for bioimage data! 📍 Plön, Germany | 🏡 Remote possible | 💰 TVöD Bund 📩 Apply: [email protected] find out more: www.evolbio.mpg.de/3809922/job_... #Hiring #SoftwareEngineering #Bioinformatics #FAIRdata

🚨 Bacterial gene promoters mutate faster than expected! 🚨 Scientists found a 5,000-fold mutation rate increase in a bacterial gene promoter, linking it to gene activity—potentially reshaping evolution and antibiotic resistance understanding! www.evolbio.mpg.de/3810964/news... #Genetics #Mutation

🚨 Evolution Isn’t So Simple! 🚨 New research reveals that population structure can allow disadvantageous mutations to persist—challenging traditional evolutionary theory. 🧬🔬 📖 Read more: www.evolbio.mpg.de/3810220/news... #Evolution #Science #Genetics #Biology #Research

🚀 New Study: Can evolution have foresight? 🧬🔬 A new study shows natural selection can shape genetic systems for future adaptation—challenging the idea that evolution is blind. Find out more: www.evolbio.mpg.de/3807853/news...

Workshop-Recap "Concepts in Evolutionary Biology" From Feb 10–13, 2025, researchers gathered in Plön to discuss key concepts, present new findings & engage in lively debates. Big thanks to all participants—looking forward to the next edition! #Evolution #EvoBio #Science交流 #ResearchCommunity

PhD Opportunity in Evo-Devo! Join us to study craniofacial evolution in vertebrates! 🧬🔬 📍 Fully funded 📅 Apply by March 31, 2025 | 📩 [email protected] 👉 More info: www.evolbio.mpg.de/evodevodynamics #PhDPosition #EvoDevo #DevelopmentalBiology #Evolution #Research

🌱Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology! 🌱 Follow us for updates on projects, research findings, and maybe even a peek behind the scenes! 🔬✨ #EvolutionaryBiology #Research #Innovation